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Bilirubin identified in Bird of Paradise plant

A research team led by Cary Pirone from the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida International University has identified bilirubin in the popular Bird of Paradise plant. The breakthrough study, published in the September 2010 issue of the American Society for Horticultural Science's journal HortScience, provides new insights into color production in this iconic tropical plant.

9 Sep 2010

Consumption of medications for treatment of insomnia or anxiety increases mortality risk

Taking medications to treat insomnia and anxiety increases mortality risk by 36%, according to a study conducted by Genevi-ve Belleville, a professor at Universit- Laval's School of Psychology. The details of this study are published in the latest edition of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.

9 Sep 2010

Researchers unveil protection mechanism of telomeres from DNA repair

In the latest issue of the journal Nature, Miguel Godinho Ferreira, Principal Investigator at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC) in Portugal, lead a team of researchers to shed light on a paradox that has puzzled biologists since the discovery of telomeres, the protective tips of chromosomes: while broken chromosome ends generated by DNA damage (such as radiation or cigarette smoke) are quickly joined together, telomeres are never tied to each other, thus allowing for the correct segregation of the genetic material into all cells in our body.

9 Sep 2010

Non-invasive test using patient's breath can detect cancer

A test using a patient's breath could be developed to detect lung, breast, bowel and prostate cancers, a team of scientists have discovered.While these results are only preliminary, the study published in the British Journal of Cancer today (Wednesday), found that sensors could distinguish between the breath of healthy patients and those who have cancer.

9 Sep 2010

Study: Only 42% of acute care visits are made to personal physicians

Only 42 percent of yearly acute care visits in the U.S. are made to patients' personal physicians, according to a new study published in the journal Health Affairs.

9 Sep 2010

Cellectis acquires assets of Cyto Pulse Sciences

Cellectis, the French genome engineering specialist, has announced today that it has acquired all the assets of Cyto Pulse Sciences Inc., a US-based company specializing in the development, manufacture and commercialization of electroporation technology and equipment.

9 Sep 2010

Researchers demonstrate how insulin prepares cells for glucose uptake

Using high-resolution microscopy, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have shown how insulin prompts fat cells to take in glucose in a rat model. The findings were reported in the Sept. 8 issue of the journal Cell Metabolism.

9 Sep 2010

inVentiv acquires Star Terre Santé to provide promotional services

inVentiv Health, a leading provider of end-to-end clinical development, launch and commercialization services to the global healthcare industry, announced today that it has acquired Substrat'Homme SA, commonly known as Star Terre Santé, a leading group of healthcare marketing and communications agencies based in Paris.

9 Sep 2010

Study finds long-term use of bone-strengthening drugs increase risk of oesophageal cancer

People who take bone-strengthening pills called bisphosphonates over a long period of time could be more likely to develop cancer of the oesophagus (gullet), new research suggests.

9 Sep 2010

Researchers reveal surface protein alteration mechanism of mycoplasma bacteria

Pathogenic bacteria have evolved a variety of mechanisms to avoid being killed by the immune systems of the humans and animals they invade. Among the most sophisticated is that practised by mycoplasmas, which regularly change their surface proteins to confuse the immune system. Recent work in the group of Renate Rosengarten and Rohini Chopra-Dewasthaly at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna has revealed surprising new details of the way they do so and at the same time raised important evolutionary questions.

9 Sep 2010

Multi-resistant CNS bacteria spread in Sweden hospitals

Genetically closely related skin bacteria that have developed resistance to several different antibiotics and that can cause intractable care-related infections are found and seem to be spreading within and between hospitals in Sweden.

9 Sep 2010

Patients expects good long-term solutions for artificial hip system: Report

In response to the news that DePuy Orthopaedics, the manufacturer of an artificial hip system, issued a recall of its ASR product line after data indicated a higher than expected need for device replacement surgery five years after the initial procedure, Dr. Eugene S. Krauss, chairman of the Department of Orthopedics and director of the Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Institute at Glen Cove Hospital, a member of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, states,This news should not alarm anyone who has had their joint replacement performed at The Center for Joint Replacements at Glen Cove Hospital, Southside Hospital, or Peconic Bay Medical Center, as we are not using any of these components.

9 Sep 2010

Groups call for mandatory flu vaccinations for health workers

USA Today: "The American Academy of Pediatrics plans to call for all health workers to get flu vaccinations, saying unvaccinated doctors, nurses and other medical staffers pose a threat to patients. The academy, which represents 60,000 pediatricians, is the latest of several organizations that now back mandatory flu shots for health workers

9 Sep 2010

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals to deliver new data on Aganocide compounds at ICAAC Conference

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class, anti-infective compounds for the treatment and prevention of antibiotic-resistant infections, will deliver four poster presentations on its compounds at the 50th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC).

9 Sep 2010

Insulin may reduce life-threatening bacterial infections in intensive care patients

Treating intensive care patients who develop life-threatening bacterial infections, or septicemia, with insulin potentially could reduce their chances of succumbing to the infection, if results of a new preliminary study can be replicated in a larger study.

9 Sep 2010

Exostar's FIS on-demand digital credential service achieves SBCA cross-certification

Exostar, whose cloud-based solutions enable secure, cost-effective business-to-business collaboration, today announced that its Federated Identity Service (FIS) on-demand digital credential service is now fully-compliant with the SAFE-BioPharma® digital identity and signature standard.

9 Sep 2010

Micro-RNAs programmed cells can lead to malignant growth

Cancer becomes life threatening when tumor cells start leaving their primary site. They travel through the lymph and blood streams to other tissues where they grow into metastases. This transition to malignancy is associated with characteristic changes in the cancer cells. The activity of several genes is reprogrammed and, thus, the production of proteins anchoring cells to a tissue is reduced. On the other hand, the amount of surface markers which make a cancer cell mobile increases.

9 Sep 2010

Researchers discover low levels of DHA associated with chronic neurodegenerative disease

UC Irvine researchers have discovered that markedly depleted amounts of an omega-3 fatty acid in brain tissue samples from Alzheimer's patients may be due to the liver's inability to produce the complex fat, also contained in fish-oil supplements.Low levels of docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, have been associated with the chronic neurodegenerative disease affecting millions of Americans, but no cause had been identified.

9 Sep 2010

HHS has guidance on annual limits

The Hill's Healthwatch: The Department of Health and Human Services has issued guidance on how insurers can get waivers from health law-mandated restrictions on annual limits. "The new law creates temporary restrictions on health plans starting Sept. 23. But the law also allows the annual limits to be waived 'if compliance ... would result in a significant decrease in access to benefits or a significant increase in premiums.'

9 Sep 2010

Barrier Advisors completes merger of Cornerstone Healthcare Group, Solara Healthcare

Barrier Advisors Inc., a nationally recognized middle-market restructuring, performance improvement and special situations investment banking firm, announces the completion of the merger of Cornerstone Healthcare Group and Solara Healthcare.

9 Sep 2010