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NICE refuses AstraZeneca breast cancer drug on NHS

Britain’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has refused another breast cancer drug from routine NHS use. This was not met with enthusiasm by the cancer charities which said that drugs of this type are “particularly valuable”.

13 Nov 2011

Salt – is it bad for the heart? Debate continues

Salt or high sodium intake in diet has drawn attention of researchers for a while now. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration held a day-long hearing today, discussing strategies to help Americans cut the salt from their diets as a latest attempt to curb sodium in the American diet.

13 Nov 2011

Penn study on gut cell regeneration reconciles long-standing research controversy

The lining of the intestine regenerates itself every few days as compared to say red blood cells that turn over every four months. The cells that help to absorb food and liquid that humans consume are constantly being produced. The various cell types that do this come from stem cells that reside deep in the inner recesses of the accordion-like folds of the intestines, called villi and crypts.

11 Nov 2011

Updates on dietary benefits and dangers in kidney disease patients

Two studies presented during the American Society of Nephrology's Annual Kidney Week provide new information on dietary benefits and dangers in kidney disease patients.

11 Nov 2011

Research roundup: Cutting speciality care by raising co-payments; Asthma diagnosis and insurance coverage; GAO on early retirees

Mayo Clinic Employees Responded To New Requirements For Cost Sharing By Reducing Possibly Unneeded Health Services Use -- Researchers at the Mayo Clinic examined the effects of changes in the clinic's self-funded health plan "to decrease the use of potentially inappropriate health care services and foster a deliver system centered on primary care."

11 Nov 2011

NeoStem third quarter revenues increase to $17.8 million

NeoStem, Inc., an international biopharmaceutical company with a focus on cell based therapeutics development, today reported third quarter results and recent progress in its business.

11 Nov 2011

Elixir Medical announces initiation of DESolve Novolimus Eluting Bioresorbable Coronary Scaffold System study

Elixir Medical Corporation, a developer of products that combine state-of-the-art medical devices with advanced pharmaceuticals, announced enrollment initiation for a 120-patient, international pivotal clinical study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the DESolve Novolimus Eluting Bioresorbable Coronary Scaffold System designed to resorb in the body within 1 to 2 years after implantation and return the patients' coronary vessel to de novo state.

11 Nov 2011

Oncostatin M could help heal damaged heart muscle tissue

Oncostatin M regulates the reversion of heart muscle cells into precursor cells and is vitally important for the self-healing powers of the heart

11 Nov 2011

Fish consumption linked to lower risk of diabetes

A study analyses the dietary patterns of the adult Spanish population with high cardiovascular risk. The results reveal a high consumption of both red meat and fish. However, whilst eating lots of cured meats is associated with greater weight gain and a higher obesity rate, the consumption of fish is linked to lower glucose concentrations and a smaller risk of developing diabetes.

11 Nov 2011

Simple outpatient procedure can quickly diagnose and treat ankyloglossia

Mothers struggling to breastfeed are benefiting from a simple outpatient procedure to fix an easily missed 'tongue-tie' condition that could be preventing their newborns from feeding properly.

11 Nov 2011

Dramatic rise in obesity, fatty liver disease increases need for transplants

The dramatic rise in obesity is leading to more fatty liver disease in the United States, increasing the need for more transplants at a time when there already is a severe shortage of donated organs.

11 Nov 2011

AHAF: Requests for ADR research grants increase by 33% this year

The American Health Assistance Foundation (AHAF), a nonprofit organization funding innovative research through its Alzheimer's Disease Research (ADR) program, today announced that the number of scientists seeking ADR research grants through its annual application process increased by 33% this year.

11 Nov 2011

Next chapter in health law legal challenges could be decided Thursday

Meanwhile, some conservative activists are renewing their calls for Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan to step aside in regard to cases that involve the health law. And, a judge makes a case for delaying a final decision until after 2014 in a dissenting opinion regarding the DC Circuit Court's ruling.

11 Nov 2011

Children can have successful surgical repairs for hollow or sunken chest

Hollow or sunken chest, the most common congenital deformity of the chest wall affecting one in 300 to one in 400 children, is rarely life-threatening and virtually all children can have successful surgical repairs.

11 Nov 2011

NCoR deficiency may pump up muscles and prevent diabetes

Two independent studies in the Nov. 11 issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, suggest a common way to pump up muscles and prevent diabetes. The key is a molecule required for fine-tuning metabolism by selectively and subtly modifying core metabolic programs.

11 Nov 2011

High-fiber diets may lower risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes in teens

A diet high in fiber - but not necessarily one low in saturated fat or cholesterol - is tied to a lower risk of heart disease and type-2 diabetes in teenagers, according to new findings from Michigan State University.

11 Nov 2011

Insights into potential causes of temporomandibular joint disorders

New findings about painful jaw problems that plague millions of Americans are leading to a better understanding of pain disorders.

11 Nov 2011

Classical DCs associated with protection against atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis, commonly referred to as "hardening of the arteries," is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. The cause of atherosclerosis is not well understood but, for some time, chronic inflammatory immune responses have been implicated in driving disease pathology. Now, a new study, published online on November 10th by Cell Press from the journal Immunity, identifies a type of immune cell that is not associated with promoting disease, but with protection against atherosclerosis.

11 Nov 2011

Alcohol consumption may decrease risk of death from coronary artery disease

In a prospective, observational study of approximately 150,000 Norwegians, the investigators found that alcohol consumption was associated with a large decrease in the risk of death from coronary artery disease.

11 Nov 2011

Long-range wind transport of an infectious agent may cause KD

Kawasaki Disease (KD) is a severe childhood disease that many parents, even some doctors, mistake for an inconsequential viral infection. In fact, if not diagnosed or treated in time, it can lead to irreversible heart damage. After 50 years of research, including genetic studies, scientists have been unable to pinpoint the cause of the disease.

10 Nov 2011