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New process can create LEDs that produce light in the UV range

A multinational team of scientists has developed a process for creating glass-based, inorganic light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that produce light in the ultraviolet range. The work, reported this week in the online Nature Communications, is a step toward biomedical devices with active components made from nanostructured systems.

27 Feb 2012

FDA panel votes in favor of earlier rejected anti-obesity drug Qnexa

Qnexa took a step closer to approval on Wednesday, when outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted 20-to-2 in favor of approval. The panel also recommended the company conduct a study to scrutinize even more closely any risk of heart problems. That study may be required after the drug is approved. Should the FDA ask for further data on heart risks before any approval, it would delay Qnexa's launch further.

26 Feb 2012

Research roundup: Hospital medication errors; Key Medicaid issues in 2014

Use Of Preventive Services Could Be Better Aligned With Clinical Recommendations -- This report looks at Medicare patients' use of eight specific preventive services, which have "the potential to improve health outcomes and lower health care expenditures," according to the authors. Use of cardiovascular and cervical cancer screenings "generally aligned with clinical recommendations, ... but use of other cancer screenings" did not.

24 Feb 2012

Novel test identifies toxic foods which, when avoided, will help lose weight

Why did Oprah say, "I hope he can show me how to stop craving potato chips" during her Tony Robbins' segment this week? Does she really think that her potato chip binging and craving causes all of her weight fluctuations? Researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine may have the answer hidden in a novel laboratory test called a Bloodprint® and published this month in the Journal of Obesity and Weight Loss Therapy.

23 Feb 2012

Researchers discover mechanism of thermostat protein

Johns Hopkins and National Taiwan University researchers have discovered more details about how an energy sensing "thermostat" protein determines whether cells will store or use their energy reserves.

22 Feb 2012

Remote controlled microchip successfully delivers drug in early clinical trial

Researchers have developed a new microchip implant device that can deliver bone-building drugs to seven osteoporosis patients. The microchips worked inside patients as drug-delivering pacemakers, following a prescription plan sent by radio signal.

18 Feb 2012

Drug companies forge joint ventures for smart pills

Imagine a "smart pill" containing a biodegradable electronic chip that monitors how your body responds to the medicine, broadcasts the information to your iPhone, which then emails the information to your physician.

16 Feb 2012

The U.S. debates the contraception rule

A selection of opinions and editorials on the controversy surrounding the administration's regulation mandating insurance coverage for women of birth control.

14 Feb 2012

Linden to acquire SeraCare

SeraCare Life Sciences, Inc., a global life sciences company providing vital products and services to facilitate the discovery, development and production of human diagnostics and therapeutics, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of Linden Capital Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm that focuses on middle market leveraged buyout investments in the healthcare and life science industries.

13 Feb 2012

VTT develops new NFC-based applications for visually impaired

As the proportion of senior citizens grows, their special needs are gaining momentum. Human eyesight, for example, weakens with age. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has been developing new NFC-based applications that make life easier for the visually impaired.

10 Feb 2012

Cyclin D1 oncogene may promote chromosomal instability

A team of researchers at Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center (KCC) led by Richard G. Pestell, M.D., PhD., FACP, Director of the KCC and Chair of the Department of Cancer Biology, have shown in a study published online Feb. 6 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation that the oncogene cyclin D1 may promote a genetic breakdown known as chromosomal instability (CIN). CIN is a known, yet poorly understood culprit in tumor progression.

7 Feb 2012

Majority of women fail to follow recommended MRI breast screening

A study of 64,659 women, recently published in the journal Academic Radiology, found that while 1,246 of these women were at high enough breast cancer risk to recommend additional screening with MRI, only 173 of these women returned to the clinic within a year for the additional screening.

1 Feb 2012

OMB examining final rule on coordination of Medicaid, CHIP and exchanges

Also in the news, Roll Call takes a look at what action to expect, and who on Capitol Hill will be in the hot seat, as the Supreme Court works its way through the health law's constitutionality.

31 Jan 2012

Aspirin may reduce depressive symptoms in survivors of ACS

Aspirin has been commonly used for prevention of cardiovascular disease. Depression has been found to be an important prognostic factor after heart attacks. But what is their relationship? This is addressed by a study published in the 5th 2011 issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.

24 Jan 2012

New sensor can detect glucose levels in human saliva

For the 26 million Americans with diabetes, drawing blood is the most prevalent way to check glucose levels. It is invasive and at least minimally painful. Researchers at Brown University are working on a new sensor that can check blood sugar levels by measuring glucose concentrations in saliva instead.

24 Jan 2012

Scientists develop new way to create electromagnetic T-rays for medical scanners

Scientists have developed a new way to create electromagnetic Terahertz (THz) waves or T-rays - the technology behind full-body security scanners. The researchers behind the study, published recently in the journal Nature Photonics, say their new stronger and more efficient continuous wave T-rays could be used to make better medical scanning gadgets and may one day lead to innovations similar to the 'tricorder' scanner used in Star Trek.

21 Jan 2012

States streamline, add efficiency to Medicaid, survey finds

According to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey, 29 states have streamlined their programs, with most taking advantage of federal incentives to use new technology.

20 Jan 2012

Novel technique accurately maps gene-regulation proteins

A novel technique has been developed and demonstrated at Penn State University to map the proteins that read and regulate chromosomes -- the string-like structures inside cells that carry genes.

19 Jan 2012

Bioengineers receive $2 million NIH grant to develop new toxicology tests

Chemicals in pharmaceutical drugs can obviously save lives. But as more and stronger chemicals have been introduced, our basic knowledge of the broader health impact of all these chemicals has not kept up with the rapid pace of innovation. There is exceptionally little information on how chemicals in our drugs and also in the environment around us, including on the food we eat, impact some of the most important cells in our body: stem cells. Without basic knowledge and tests on the impact of chemicals on our stem cells, we may be unwittingly damaging essential regenerative functions in our body.

18 Jan 2012

IBM's non-contact, microfluidic, silicon probe minimizes patient discomfort

IBM scientists have developed a flexible, non-contact microfluidic probe made from silicon that can aid researchers and pathologists to investigate critical tissue samples accurately for drug discovery and disease diagnostics.

13 Jan 2012