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Insulin metabolism regulates body's internal clock

While scientists have known for several years that our body's internal clock helps regulate many biological processes, researchers have found that the reverse is also true: Many common biological processes - including insulin metabolism - regulate the clock, according to a new study by investigators at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, and the University of California at San Diego.

18 Sep 2009

Also in global health news: HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh; river blindness in Tanzania; potential immune system booster; compounds might fight TB

BDNews24.com reports on a new $13 million U.S.-government initiative aimed at "providing HIV-prevention services to two million at-risk people in Bangladesh including injecting drug users, male, female and transgender sex workers and their clients, and HIV-positive people through a network of 50 health centres." USAID will partner with Family Health International (FHI) to implement the program (9/17).

18 Sep 2009

Research reveals that iPSCs similar to embryonic stem cells

A team of researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla have developed a safe strategy for reprogramming cells to a pluripotent state without use of viral vectors or genomic insertions. Their studies reveal that these induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are very similar to human embryonic stem cells, yet maintain a "transcriptional signature." In essence, these cells retain some memory of the donor cells they once were.

18 Sep 2009

Intermittent preventive treatment could prevent a third of infant malaria cases, study finds

Research into intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in infants (IPTi) found that one-third of malaria cases in African babies can be prevented by giving them regular doses of malaria drugs even if they have not contracted the disease, according to a Lancet study, published on Thursday, Reuters reports. The study found that IPTi "helped children build better immunity to the disease and reduced the risk of the parasite becoming drug-resistant," but "these benefits decrease if treatment is given continuously as a prophylaxis," Reuters writes.

18 Sep 2009

WHO in talks with developed countries about sharing H1N1 vaccine with developing nations

The recent news that a single dose of H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine can protect adults against the virus has sparked conversations between the WHO and developed countries about sharing their vaccine stockpiles with developing countries, Bloomberg reports.

From Baxter International Inc. 18 Sep 2009

Early detection of Alzheimer's can prevent disease progression

More than 5.3 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's, and every 71 seconds someone in America develops the disease.

18 Sep 2009

Food aid hits 20-year low as number of 'critically hungry' people increases, WFP says

Global food aid is at a 20-year low even though the number of "critically hungry people" is expected to reach the highest level ever, the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) said on Wednesday, Reuters reports (9/16).

18 Sep 2009

Baucus plan gives a nod to GOP ideas

KHN reports that "[t]he Senate Finance Committee bill unveiled Wednesday by chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., contains several provisions that were inspired by Republicans, including testing new ways to handle medical malpractice cases, creating avenues for consumers to cross state lines to buy insurance and immediately launching a high-risk pool that would cover people with pre-existing medical conditions" (Pianin and Appleby, 9/17).

18 Sep 2009

Employers to reexamine health benefit strategies in response to passage of health care reform legislation

With health care reform efforts ramping up after the summer break, many of the nation’s employers are focusing on the action in Congress and plan to adjust their benefit strategies based on how final legislation affects their costs, according to a survey of 433 HR and benefit executives from midsize and large organizations conducted by professional services firm Towers Perrin.

18 Sep 2009

Obama to student audience: Health reform is 'defining struggle of this generation'

"Calling health insurance reform a 'defining struggle of this generation,' President Barack Obama told thousands of college students Thursday that Congress must resist scare tactics and false accusations to do a makeover."

18 Sep 2009

Preventive treatment extension after kidney transplantation reduces the risk of CMV disease

For kidney transplant recipients, infection with a virus called cytomegalovirus (CMV) may lead to devastating complications. New research suggests that extending the period of preventive treatment after kidney transplantation can reduce the risk of CMV disease, according to an upcoming report in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

18 Sep 2009

GENova Biotherapeutics and Korean university sign strategic partnership agreement

GENova Biotherapeutics Inc. ("GENova") today announced that it has signed a LOI for a strategic partnership agreement with the Hospital Medical Information Department of Suncheon Cheongam University in Seoul, South Korea to gain access to its ground-breaking cancer stem cell research information.

18 Sep 2009

Two-day forum addresses maternal, child mortality in Asia-Pacific region

Poor health care, gender inequality, violence and poverty are to blame for Asian-Pacific countries' failure to significantly reduce maternal and child mortality rates in the region, Noeleen Heyzer, executive secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), said during the Asia-Pacific Forum on International Conference on Population and Development in Bangkok.

18 Sep 2009

How Republicans would overhaul the health system: The wish list

KHN reports that "[a]t least three comprehensive GOP bills have been introduced: one by Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina and Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin; another by Rep. Tom Price of Georgia and a third by Rep. John Shadegg of Arizona. All three bills have a few themes in common with their Democratic proposals. ... While the main GOP proposals have no chance of passage, they could influence the debate" (Appleby, 9/16).

18 Sep 2009

Biomaterial gel for treating spinal cord injury

Research led by a scientist at the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center has shown injecting biomaterial gel into a spinal cord injury site provides significantly improved healing.

18 Sep 2009

Plans could change how Medicare pays doctors, hospitals

Sen. Max Baucus' health proposal includes achieving cost savings, in part, by reconfiguring the way doctors and hospitals are paid for their services, The Wall Street Journal reports.

18 Sep 2009

AFA welcomes inclusion of cognitive impairment screening in healthcare reform proposal

The Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) today applauded Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), who spearheaded the provision, for including cognitive impairment screening for Medicare beneficiaries in Baucus' healthcare reform proposal, "America's Healthy Future Act of 2009."

18 Sep 2009

Federal officials say Louisiana owes $362 million for overpayments to public hospitals

The federal government says Louisiana public hospitals were overpaid by hundreds of millions of dollars.

18 Sep 2009

PSC activation mechanisms help develop novel therapeutic approaches for pancreatic fibrosis

Fibrosis is a key feature of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. The extensive deposition of extracellular matrix proteins fosters the development of an exocrine and endocrine organ insufficiency, and accelerates progression of the tumour. Pancreatic stellate cells (PSC) are the principal effector cells in pancreatic fibrosis. They are activated by profibrogenic mediators, which include, for example, cytokines and ethanol metabolites.

18 Sep 2009

Merck, Wellcome Trust to launch vaccine center in India to produce vaccines for developing countries

Pharmaceutical company Merck and the Wellcome Trust have joined together to create a non-profit, £90-million (about $150 million) research center in India to facilitate the development of new vaccines, "including [those for] neglected diseases for which inadequate or no vaccines exist," Nature News reports.

18 Sep 2009

Research News and Research

Insulin metabolism regulates body's internal clock

Also in global health news: HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh; river blindness in Tanzania; potential immune system booster; compounds might fight TB

Research reveals that iPSCs similar to embryonic stem cells

Intermittent preventive treatment could prevent a third of infant malaria cases, study finds

WHO in talks with developed countries about sharing H1N1 vaccine with developing nations

Early detection of Alzheimer's can prevent disease progression

Food aid hits 20-year low as number of 'critically hungry' people increases, WFP says

Baucus plan gives a nod to GOP ideas

Employers to reexamine health benefit strategies in response to passage of health care reform legislation

Obama to student audience: Health reform is 'defining struggle of this generation'

Preventive treatment extension after kidney transplantation reduces the risk of CMV disease

GENova Biotherapeutics and Korean university sign strategic partnership agreement

Two-day forum addresses maternal, child mortality in Asia-Pacific region

How Republicans would overhaul the health system: The wish list

Biomaterial gel for treating spinal cord injury

Plans could change how Medicare pays doctors, hospitals

AFA welcomes inclusion of cognitive impairment screening in healthcare reform proposal

Federal officials say Louisiana owes $362 million for overpayments to public hospitals

PSC activation mechanisms help develop novel therapeutic approaches for pancreatic fibrosis

Merck, Wellcome Trust to launch vaccine center in India to produce vaccines for developing countries

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