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Proteins from catfish venom glands could accelerate wound healing in humans

Lest anyone have concerns about attacks of killer catfish, rest assured that, at least in North America, these finned fatales use their venom mainly to defend themselves against predatory fish, though they can inflict a painful sting that many fishermen have suffered. In other parts of the world, some catfish do have extremely toxic venoms that can be deadly to humans.

11 Dec 2009

FDA Drugs Advisory Committee recommends approval for Gilead Sciences' aztreonam for inhalation solution

Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced that the Anti-Infective Drugs Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that aztreonam for inhalation solution be approved for the treatment of infections due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

11 Dec 2009

Michigan goes smoke-free

The Michigan Legislature today delivered a historic victory for health and the public's right to breathe clean air by passing legislation to make almost all workplaces, including all restaurants and bars, smoke-free. Gov. Jennifer Granholm has said she will sign the bill, which will make Michigan the 27th state to pass a strong smoke-free law that includes all restaurants and bars.

10 Dec 2009

Santa's top 10 holiday health tips

Santa Claus is coming to town - and Christmas eve is the one night that he must be healthy for his madcap, round-the-world dash. Like us, he's under quite a bit of stress this time of year. While we have crowded stores, visiting relatives, and lots of sugary treats that can strain our immune system, he has elves working feverishly round-the-clock, bickering reindeer, millions of letters to read, and frosty winter weather.

10 Dec 2009

Nano Mask signs a three year agreement to distribute Wein Products respirators

Nano Mask, Inc. today announced that it has entered into a three year agreement with Wein Products, a manufacturer of disposable respirators, to distribute that company's products as it continues to complete the development of its own proprietary disposable NanoMask respirator and to obtain regulatory approval for the NanoMask.

10 Dec 2009

Washington Post, New York Times examine PEPFAR

The Washington Post examines the Obama administration's goal "to get the 'emergency' out of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief" and integrate HIV/AIDS programs more into the health infrastructure of recipient countries. A five-year strategy for PEPFAR was released last week.

9 Dec 2009

Additional data from ALS patients enrolled in confirmatory Phase III STAR trial announced

AVANIR Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced additional data from the subset of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) enrolled in the confirmatory Phase III STAR trial.

9 Dec 2009

Recruitment complete in Oxagen's OC000459 IIb clinical trial for asthma

Oxagen Limited, a drug discovery and development company specializing in inflammation, today announced that the recruitment for its double blind, randomised, placebo controlled Phase IIb clinical trial in asthma with OC000459, its lead oral CRTH2 (DP2) antagonist, has now been completed.

9 Dec 2009

The National Fragile X Foundation awards $100,000 grant for study of minocycline in FXS children

The National Fragile X Foundation has awarded a translational research seed grant of $100,000 to Dr. Randi J. Hagerman at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute in California for a study of minocycline in the treatment of children with fragile X syndrome (FXS). Hagerman is an internationally recognized clinician and clinical researcher on FXS, the most common cause of inherited mental impairment.

8 Dec 2009

New data provide comprehensive review of emerging role of small airways in asthma management

Teva Respiratory, a division of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., today announced the publication of four articles in a special supplement of the December issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI), providing a comprehensive scientific review of the emerging role of the small airways in the understanding and treatment of asthma.

8 Dec 2009

ASH meeting highlights H1N1 pandemic threat, new trends and treatment options for children with genetic blood disorder

Sickle cell disease, a condition characterized by deformed and dysfunctional red blood cells, is one of the most common genetic blood disorders affecting millions of people around the world, including more than 70,000 Americans (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

8 Dec 2009

MicroPhage obtains CE mark to market MRSA/MSSA Blood Culture Test in Europe

MicroPhage announced today that it has obtained its CE Mark to market in Europe the first of its instrument-free, rapid tests based on its patented Bacteriophage Amplification technology.

8 Dec 2009

Defibrotide drug effective against hepatic veno-occlusive disease

Defibrotide, a novel drug which modulates the response of blood vessels to injury, was markedly more effective than standard treatment in post-stem cell transplant patients with hepatic veno-occlusive disease, a life threatening toxicity of transplant caused by blockages in tiny blood vessels of the liver, according to a study led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists.

8 Dec 2009

H1N1 virus produces pulmonary damage similar to earlier flu pandemics

In fatal cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza, the virus can damage cells throughout the respiratory airway, much like the viruses that caused the 1918 and 1957 influenza pandemics, report researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner.

8 Dec 2009

Interim data from Celator Pharmaceuticals' CPX-351 trial presented at the ASH meeting

Celator Pharmaceuticals today announced that interim safety and efficacy data from its Phase 2 multicenter, randomized, open-label clinical trial of CPX-351 (Cytarabine:Daunorubicin) Liposome Injection versus conventional cytarabine and daunorubicin therapy ("7+3") in patients 60-75 years of age with untreated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) were presented at the 51st American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana (ASH Abstract # 1033).

7 Dec 2009

Early antisocial behaviours and parental factors affect various health outcomes 40 years later

Men who have a history of delinquency in childhood are more likely to die or become disabled by the time they are 48, and not just from the obvious consequences of antisocial behaviour, new research indicates.

7 Dec 2009

Smoking cessation offers measurable benefits for asthmatic patients

Asthmatic smokers may be able to reverse some of the damage to their lungs that exacerbates asthmatic symptoms just by putting down their cigarettes, according to research out of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

7 Dec 2009

New technique to determine pediatric OSA

Researchers at the University of Chicago have discovered a technique that is able to determine whether a child has obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or habitual snoring by screening their urine.

7 Dec 2009

Study shows herbal medicine is effective for treating acute rhinosinusitis

Rhinosinusitis is an inflammatory process involving one or more of the paranasal sinuses that typically follows a viral upper respiratory tract infection (RTI). The term ‘acute rhinosinusitis’ is used instead of ‘acute sinusitis’ because it is the currently internationally accepted terminology.

4 Dec 2009

Climate change can cause major impact on global mental health

Leading mental health researchers are warning that some of the most important health consequences of climate change will be on mental health, yet this issue is unlikely to be given much attention at the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen next week.

4 Dec 2009