Research News and Research

RSS

Study shows change in training can reduce ACL tears in female athletes

Anterior cruciate ligament injuries are a common and debilitating problem, especially for female athletes. A new study from UC Davis shows that changes in training can reduce shear forces on knee joints and could help cut the risk of developing ACL tears. The research was published online Aug. 3 in the Journal of Biomechanics.

12 Aug 2010

Reduced quality or quantity of sleep leads to school performance difficulties, behavior problems

Getting a good night's sleep often comes down to technique. Avoiding late-night technology use and keeping a regular sleep schedule are two important techniques to heed as kids head back to school.Recent studies found that adolescents used multiple forms of technology late into the night, including gaming systems, cell phones, and computers. As a result, they demonstrated difficulty staying awake and alert throughout the day.

12 Aug 2010

Pulse Therapeutics receives fund to develop novel magnetics technique to destroy blood clots

BioGenerator, a non-profit, seed-stage economic development funding group, today announced that it has led a round of early-stage financing for Pulse Therapeutics, Inc., a St. Louis company headquartered at the Center for Emerging Technologies. Pulse Therapeutics develops innovative magnetism-based technology to safely destroy blood clots related to ischemic stroke and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Other investors who participated in the round were Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC), Washington University's Olin School of Business Skandalaris Student Venture Fund, and Integrated Magnetics, of Culver City, California. The funds will be used for further pre-clinical development.

12 Aug 2010

Somaxon second-quarter net loss reduces to $5.7 million

Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the in-licensing, development and commercialization of proprietary branded pharmaceutical products and late-stage product candidates for the treatment of diseases and disorders in the central nervous system therapeutic area, today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

12 Aug 2010

Omega-3 fatty acids consumption reduces age-related hearing loss: Research

Research continues to unveil potential benefits of omega-3 fatty acids found in seafood, pointing to healthful effects on the lungs in children, the uterus in women and hearing in older adults. The August 2010 PUFA Newsletter and Fats of Life e-newsletters for health professionals and consumers, respectively, report the latest findings about these and other topics.

12 Aug 2010

Seattle Genetics, Genentech expand antibody-drug conjugate collaboration

Seattle Genetics, Inc. announced today that it has expanded its antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) collaboration agreement with Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group. Under the expanded agreement, Genentech will pay an upfront fee of $12 million for rights to utilize Seattle Genetics' ADC technology with additional antigens to be named by Genentech.

12 Aug 2010

Elsevier launches Malaria Nexus resource to benefit malaria researchers worldwide

Elsevier, the world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced the launch of Malaria Nexus, Elsevier's Global Malaria Resource. Malaria Nexus highlights the latest published research in Malaria, utilizing Elsevier's leading journals in Parasitology, Entomology and Tropical Medicine, including The Lancet-, The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and International Journal for Parasitology.

12 Aug 2010

UT Dallas receives grant from NIH to investigate nerve stimulation for tinnitus

The NIH has granted a University of Texas at Dallas researcher and a university-affiliated biomedical firm $1.7 million to investigate whether nerve stimulation offers a long-term cure for tinnitus.

12 Aug 2010

Tips to prevent back pain for frequent laptop users

The symptoms are familiar to any student who has ever spent a long night pounding out a paper on a laptop computer: an aching neck, throbbing head and tingling fingers.Because of the way the computers are designed, using a laptop almost inevitably leads to poor posture, said Kevin Carneiro, DO, a doctor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. Incorrect posture and computer overuse can cause debilitating physical problems, such as sore muscles or repetitive stress injuries. Typing can also cause carpal tunnel syndrome, an injury to the nerve that passes through the wrist.

12 Aug 2010

Hospital staph infection rate drops as national prevention effort steps up

The rate of drug-resistant staph hospital-acquired infections has dropped as the U.S. has stepped up prevention efforts to fight the deadly condition, The Associated Press reports. "The decline was seen in a federal study of methicillin-resistant staph, or MRSA. The bug often causes only a boil or skin infection. But researchers in the study focused on invasive cases that can become deadly, invading the bloodstream, flesh, lungs and bones. Researchers found that in nine metro areas, cases of MRSA (MUR'-suh) fell about 16 percent between 2005 and 2008.

12 Aug 2010

Human Immune Phenotyping Centers to receive NIAID grants for research

A new nationwide research initiative has been launched to define changes in the human immune system, using human and not animal studies, in response to infection or to vaccination. Six U. S.-based Human Immune Phenotyping Centers will receive a total of $100 million over five years to conduct this research.Funding for the centers is provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. Support for the first year of this initiative will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

12 Aug 2010

Scientific research on effects of oil-eating bacteria in Gulf of Mexico waters

The environmental impact of millions of gallons of oil still in the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon incident may depend on microscopic helpers: Bacteria that consume oil and other hydrocarbons and could break down the spilled crude, making it disappear. That's the topic of an article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), ACS' weekly newsmagazine.

12 Aug 2010

What doctors say and what patients hear may be entirely different things

A study of 89 patients at one U.S. hospital has found that "doctors and patients are often not on the same page when discussing diagnoses and treatment," Reuters reports. "In interviews with the patients on the day of their discharge, researchers found that only 18 percent even knew the name of the main physician in charge of their hospital care.

12 Aug 2010

Study finds lithium drugs not effective for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis treatment

A new study has found that the drug lithium is not effective in treating people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. The research is published in the August 11, 2010, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

12 Aug 2010

FDA advisory committee votes in favor of investigational anti-epileptic drug ezogabine

GlaxoSmithKline and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International announced today that a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee voted unanimously that clinical studies had provided substantial evidence of the effectiveness of ezogabine as adjunctive treatment for adults with partial-onset seizures.

12 Aug 2010

Intellect Neurosciences receives patent for insulin sensitizer drugs

Intellect Neurosciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company with an internal preclinical and clinical-stage pipeline and licenses with major pharmaceutical companies covering products in late-stage clinical trials, announced today that its Chairman & CEO, Dr. Daniel Chain, was granted a patent by the European Patent and Trademark Office related to the use of insulin sensitizers for the prevention and treatment of memory loss and dementia. Insulin sensitizer drugs include Rosiglitazone and Pioglitazone, which have been approved for the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus.

12 Aug 2010

Report: Top insurance execs pulled in nearly $200 million in compensation last year

The Los Angeles Times: "The top executives at the nation's five largest for-profit health insurance companies pulled in nearly $200 million in compensation last year — while their businesses prepared to hit ratepayers with double-digit premium increases, according to a new analysis conducted by healthcare activists. The leaders of Cigna Corp., Humana Inc., UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint Inc. each in effect received raises in 2009, the report concluded, based on an analysis of company reports filed with the Security and Exchange Commission.

12 Aug 2010

Modifiable factors associated with stroke survivor compliance to taking medication: Study

At least a quarter of patients who have suffered a stroke stop taking one or more of their prescribed stroke prevention medications within the first three months after being hospitalized - when the chance of having another stroke is highest - according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues.

12 Aug 2010

Increased brain activity predicts anxious temperament in young primates

A new study focused on anxiety and brain activity pinpoints the brain regions that are relevant to developing childhood anxiety. The findings, published in the Aug. 12 edition of the journal Nature, may lead to new strategies for early detection and treatment of at-risk children.

12 Aug 2010

Researchers develop first diabetes risk assessment for multi-ethnic population

A team from the University of Leicester, led by Professor Melanie Davies from the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences and Professor Kamlesh Khunti from the Department of Health Sciences, has developed an easy way for people to assess their risk of having diabetes. Working in partnership with Diabetes UK, the largest diabetes charity in the country, and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, they have produced the first diabetes risk assessment that can be used in a multi-ethnic population.

12 Aug 2010