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Scientists explore genetic 'Prozac markers'; research may provide simple test for treating depression

Prozac works wonders for some depressed people, but not for others. In some cases, patients derive little benefit and at worst, it can lead to bizarre hallucinations and fits of rage. Researchers and doctors remain puzzled as to what causes the wide range of reaction to Prozac and similar antidepressants.

28 Oct 2009

PPD enters into an agreement to acquire Excel PharmaStudies

PPD, Inc. today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Excel PharmaStudies, Inc., the market leader and one of the largest contract research organizations in China, providing PPD additional capacity and expertise in this rapidly growing market.

28 Oct 2009

Lieberman, other lawmakers express opposition to Reid's public plan

Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., says he'll filibuster Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's health care reform bill. Politico reports: "Lieberman, who caucuses with Democrats and is positioning himself as a fiscal hawk on the issue, said he opposes any health care bill that includes a government-run insurance program — even if it includes a provision allowing states to opt out of the program, as Reid has said the Senate bill will."

28 Oct 2009

UCSF receives $6.5 million gift from philanthropists Irwin and Joan Jacobs of La Jolla

Philanthropists Irwin and Joan Jacobs of La Jolla, CA are giving a $6.5 million gift to UCSF for head and neck cancer research. It is believed to be the largest private, U.S. gift for research supporting this disease.

28 Oct 2009

Anxiety in pregnant women can impact babies' size and gestational age

A new study published in the journal Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology reveals that anxiety in pregnant women impacts their babies' size and gestational age. Specifically, women with more severe and chronic anxiety during pregnancy are more likely to have affected babies.

28 Oct 2009

House Republicans take aim at AARP

The Wall Street Journal: "Republicans in Congress are taking aim at AARP's financial ties to the health-insurance industry just as the advocacy group is taking a more prominent role supporting an overhaul of the nation's health-care system."

28 Oct 2009

The stakes are high for the top Medicare job

Reuters reports that health care overhaul currently being considered in Congress "elevates the job of running the government's $700-billion Medicare agency to new heights and all but guarantees a political battle over filling the post."

28 Oct 2009

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital named among the top 10 "Best Places to Work in Academia"

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has been listed among the top 10 "Best Places to Work in Academia" by The Scientist magazine -- this year's seventh place ranking is the fourth straight year the institution has placed in the top 10.

27 Oct 2009

Isotechnika Pharma reports voclosporin Phase 2/3 clinical trial results at the AAO meeting

Isotechnika Pharma Inc. today announced that results of the international Phase 2/3 clinical trials studying voclosporin, conducted by its partner Lux Biosciences, were the subject of two podium presentations at the American Association of Ophthalmology (AAO) meeting and of a presentation at the satellite meeting of the American Uveitis Society (AUS) in San Francisco, October 24-27.

27 Oct 2009

NIH grants Boston University School of Medicine $1.3M grant for medical research

Boston University School of Medicine's (BUSM) CityLab program has received a five year, $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Research Resources (NCRR).

27 Oct 2009

Also in Global Health news: U.S. grant to Uganda; reproductive health in Philippines; counterfeit drugs

The U.S. Embassy in Uganda announced a grant of $246 million in new aid for improving the Uganda's agricultural and health systems, Reuters reports. "More than $170 million will be spent on health and education to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic, fight tuberculosis, eradicate malaria, improve maternal and child health and increase access to family planning and reproductive health services," the news service writes (Biryabarema, 10/27).

27 Oct 2009

Medicines used for lowering blood cholesterol may be effective in the treatment of cancer

Millions of people around the world use medicines based on statins to lower their blood cholesterol, but new research from the University of Gothenburg, published in the prestigious journal PNAS, shows that statins may also be effective in the treatment of cancer.

27 Oct 2009

Roche's high-throughput sequencing technology used for high-resolution HLA genotyping

A study published this month in the journal Tissue Antigens reports that researchers at Roche Molecular Systems in Pleasanton, CA have used high-throughput sequencing technology from 454 Life Sciences, a Roche Company, to carry out high-resolution human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genotyping in research samples.

27 Oct 2009

Medicare payment issues worry doctors

The issue of Medicare payment cuts to doctors still looms, causing some physicians to shun Medicare patients and others to push for greater reform. Many worry that doctors may boycott the program if the planned 21 percent cut in payment rates goes through in 2010 while others complain about low Medicare reimbursement rates for certain procedures and geographic areas.

27 Oct 2009

Global health promotion conference begins in Kenya, maternal mortality addressed

At the 7th Global Conference on Health Promotion, which kicked off in Kenya on Monday, participants discussed reducing maternal mortality and the related Millennium Development Goals (MDG), the Daily Nation reports. According to the newspaper, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki "said that globally, the number of maternal deaths had … risen to 536,000 per year, translating to one death per minute."

27 Oct 2009

More than 150 health ministers meet in Ethiopia to discuss maternal mortality

At a U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, "[h]ealth ministers from around the world have agreed that swift action must be taken to reduce the number of women dying during pregnancy and childbirth," the BBC reports. While there appeared to be some agreement "that family planning was the most cost-effective way of [tackling] the problem ... no unanimous declaration was adopted at the Addis Ababa talks," according to the news service (10/26).

27 Oct 2009

URI scientists discover a new and effective approach for treating cancerous tumor

Two University of Rhode Island associate professors, biophysicists Yana Reshetnyak and Oleg Andreev, have discovered a technology that can detect cancerous tumors and deliver treatment to them without the harming the healthy cells surrounding them, thereby significantly reducing side effects.

27 Oct 2009

Not enough med students choosing primary care, experts say

"It's one small piece of health care reform, but it's a big deal for medical schools and doctor's offices: forgiving the student loans of doctors who choose primary care," the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

27 Oct 2009

New York Times examines journal editorial on neglected tropical diseases in Islamic nations

The New York Times examines the conclusions drawn in a recent PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases editorial that the Islamic world is suffering from a "devastating burden" of neglected tropical diseases.

27 Oct 2009

Developing countries paying more for food, WFP executive director says

Despite drops in commodity market prices due to the global economic downturn, "[m]ost of the developing world is paying more for food," and the price of food staples in developing countries has risen, Josette Sheeran, executive director of the U.N. World Food Program (WFP), said Monday, the Associated Press reports.

27 Oct 2009

Research News and Research

Scientists explore genetic 'Prozac markers'; research may provide simple test for treating depression

PPD enters into an agreement to acquire Excel PharmaStudies

Lieberman, other lawmakers express opposition to Reid's public plan

UCSF receives $6.5 million gift from philanthropists Irwin and Joan Jacobs of La Jolla

Anxiety in pregnant women can impact babies' size and gestational age

House Republicans take aim at AARP

The stakes are high for the top Medicare job

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital named among the top 10 "Best Places to Work in Academia"

Isotechnika Pharma reports voclosporin Phase 2/3 clinical trial results at the AAO meeting

NIH grants Boston University School of Medicine $1.3M grant for medical research

Also in Global Health news: U.S. grant to Uganda; reproductive health in Philippines; counterfeit drugs

Medicines used for lowering blood cholesterol may be effective in the treatment of cancer

Roche's high-throughput sequencing technology used for high-resolution HLA genotyping

Medicare payment issues worry doctors

Global health promotion conference begins in Kenya, maternal mortality addressed

More than 150 health ministers meet in Ethiopia to discuss maternal mortality

URI scientists discover a new and effective approach for treating cancerous tumor

Not enough med students choosing primary care, experts say

New York Times examines journal editorial on neglected tropical diseases in Islamic nations

Developing countries paying more for food, WFP executive director says

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