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Viewpoints: Sebelius, Vilsack, Weiner defend reform law; pro/con on seniors' access to health care

As former governors from states with large rural populations, we cheered this new health-care law. We knew that it would give Americans more freedom in their health-care choices, lower costs and improve the quality of care, especially for those in rural communities.

25 Mar 2011

Clinical trial to determine whether Crestor can prevent new colon tumors after surgery

Christiana Care Health System's Helen F. Graham Cancer Center is leading a national clinical trial to determine if Crestor, a cholesterol-lowering drug, can prevent new colon tumors from forming after colon cancer surgery.

25 Mar 2011

Boehringer Ingelheim formally acquires Amgen's Fremont manufacturing site

Today Boehringer Ingelheim formally acquired Amgen's biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing facility in Fremont, California. This acquisition involves leasing buildings, acquiring physical equipment and assuming manufacturing processes done at the Fremont site.

25 Mar 2011

Scientists develop new software to test alterations in night vision

Researchers from the Department of Optics of the University of Granada, belonging to the Laboratorio de Ciencias de la Visi-n y Aplicaciones, have developed a programme for testing alterations in night vision, and the tool required to implement it, which has been named "halometer".

25 Mar 2011

Scientists discover hormone pathway that can lead to new diabetes treatment

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered a hormone pathway that potentially could lead to new ways of treating type 1 diabetes independent of insulin, long thought to be the sole regulator of carbohydrates in the liver.

25 Mar 2011

AltheRx purchases all assets related to Solabegron from GlaxoSmithKline

AltheRx Inc., a privately-held clinical development company, announced today that it has purchased all assets related to Solabegron from GlaxoSmithKline. Solabegron is a highly selective and potent beta3-adrenoceptor agonist that has demonstrated positive results in Phase II clinical programs for the treatment of Overactive Bladder in women and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

25 Mar 2011

Sitagliptin drug can slow onset of diabetes

Diabetes type 2 is caused by insufficient levels of insulin to keep blood glucose under control. Excessive levels of another hormone, glucagon, can also contribute to diabetes type 2 by causing the liver to flood the body with stored glucose.

25 Mar 2011

Positive results from Tarsa's oral calcitonin Phase III trial against postmenopausal osteoporosis

Tarsa Therapeutics today announced that the Phase III ORACAL trial of its oral recombinant salmon calcitonin in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis was successfully concluded and yielded statistically significant, positive top-line results.

25 Mar 2011

Merck & Co receives FDA approval for Zostavax vaccine to treat shingles

The Food and Drug Administration today approved the use of Zostavax, a live attenuated virus vaccine, for the prevention of shingles in individuals 50 to 59 years of age. Zostavax is already approved for use in individuals 60 years of age and older.

25 Mar 2011

Mercury in fish may not increase heart disease risk: Study

According to a new study Americans' level of exposure to mercury from sources such as fish is not associated with a higher risk of heart disease, stroke or other cardiovascular disease. This is in spite of the repeated proofs of neurological deficits in children and unborn babies due to mercury exposure.

24 Mar 2011

Religious people more prone to obesity: Study explores link

A new study has shown that people who frequently attend religious services are significantly more likely to become obese by the time they reach middle age. The finding is surprising especially considering that religious people tend to be in better health than others, said study author Matthew J. Feinstein, a medical student at Northwestern University in Chicago. Feinstein said, “It highlights a particular group that appears to be at a greater risk of becoming obese and remaining obese…It's a group that may benefit from targeted anti-obesity interventions and from obesity prevention programs.”

24 Mar 2011

Mouse sperm created in lab: Hope for male infertility

In a scientific breakthrough, researchers report that they've grown mouse sperm from testicular tissue in the laboratory, a development that could advance the field of infertility in human males. Although still proven in mice, “this is a small but important step in understanding how sperm are formed, which may, in time, lead to us being able to grow human sperm in the laboratory,” said Dr. Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield in England, who is familiar with the study results.

24 Mar 2011

Serotonin influences sexual preference: Study

Researchers from Beijing's National Institute of Biological Sciences, China have found a chemical in the brain controls sexual preference in mice. The study published in the journal Nature said that male mice bred without serotonin lose their preference for females. This is the first study that shows that a neurotransmitter plays a role in sexual preference in mammals. However it is still a long way before similar conclusions can be drawn for humans the experts believe.

24 Mar 2011

Mosquitoes carry risk of Murray Valley encephalitis warn Victorian health authorities

After detecting some new cases of Murray Valley encephalitis in chickens, health authorities have warned Victorians to protect themselves from mosquito bites. Victoria's chief health officer, Dr John Carnie warned that the deadly disease had been detected in "sentinel" chickens at Cobram, Rutherglen, Toolamba and Bendigo. “These latest detections follow positive results in chickens in similar areas a month ago, including Barmah and Kerang… Evidence of the virus is again present in these areas,” Dr Carnie said.

24 Mar 2011

BioCer to showcase plant-based hemostasis and coated hernia repair technologies to China.

BioCer Entwicklungs GmbH, a Bayreuth, Germany based medical device manufacturer, has announced their attendance at the China Medical Equipment Fair (CMEF) Shenzhen, China 15th-19th April 2011. HaemoCer™ an Absorbable Polysaccharide Hemostat (APH) and Ti0²Mesh™ Hernia repair system will be on exhibit at the BioCer booth.

24 Mar 2011

Biotage introduces new system for microwave-assisted peptide synthesis

Biotage® (STO: BIOT), a supplier of tools and technology for medicinal, analytical and peptide chemistry, introduced the Biotage Initiator Peptide Workstation for manual microwave-assisted peptide synthesis. The Workstation utilizes a unique microwave peptide vial available in two sizes; 2-5 mL for 75-150 μmol scale or 10-20 mL for 250-500 μmol scale synthesis.

24 Mar 2011