Research News and Research

RSS

Study investigating the effect of FTO obesity gene in relation to food habits

The risk of becoming obese is 2.5 times higher for those who have double copies of the best known risk gene for overweight and obesity. However, this is only true if the fat consumption is high. A low fat diet neutralizes the harmful effects of the gene.

11 Sep 2009

Quintiles partners with the University of Pretoria

Quintiles, the only fully integrated biopharmaceutical services company offering clinical, commercial, consulting and capital solutions worldwide, today announced a strategic alliance agreement with the University of Pretoria as part of its industry unique Prime Site program, an initiative to accelerate the development of new and more effective medicines.

11 Sep 2009

Follow President Obama's leadership: HCLA urges Congress

The Health Coalition on Liability and Access today commended President Obama for acknowledging the need to reform our nation's broken medical liability system, and calls on Congress to follow the President's leadership by including reform in pending health care legislation.

11 Sep 2009

Obama's speech leaves room for Snowe's compromise to put off public option

Kaiser Health News reports that President Obama's joint address to Congress last night appeared to leave room for compromise on a key issue: "By signaling his flexibility last night on a government-run insurance plan, President Barack Obama gave new impetus to a fallback 'trigger' approach that some believe could be essential to passing health care legislation this year" (Pianin and Carey, 9/10).

11 Sep 2009

Mount Sinai Medical Center partners with Long Island Heart Associates to open new cardiovascular center on Long Island

The Mount Sinai Medical Center has joined with Long Island Heart Associates in an affiliation agreement that will bring world-class clinical and surgical cardiovascular care to patients on Long Island.

11 Sep 2009

Drug manufacturers are seeking out needle-free systems

Many of the novel biopharmaceutical drugs developed now can only be delivered by injection, and this has biologic manufacturers seeking out the most patient-friendly options, including needle-free systems.

11 Sep 2009

Neurologists recommend oral cladribine for treating multiple sclerosis

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, owing to its infrequent dosing and positive efficacy, nearly 90 percent of surveyed neurologists indicate they will prescribe Merck Serono/EMD Serono's oral cladribine for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

11 Sep 2009

Proposal calls for Medicare coverage of HIV screening

A new government proposal calls for Medicare beneficiaries to receive coverage for Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection screening.

11 Sep 2009

PhRMA concurs with Obama's health care reform

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) President & CEO Billy Tauzin issued the following statement after President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress on health care reform:

11 Sep 2009

A market 'fundamentally changed': How health proposals could affect Americans who buy their own insurance

Kaiser Health News, in a collaboration with The Washington Post, reports on how the insurance market may change. "Who will benefit - and who won't - if Congress overhauls America's health-care system?

11 Sep 2009

Overshadowed Republican reply asks for compromise, new beginning

The official Republican response to President Barack Obama's speech, delivered by Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La., was overshadowed by Rep. Joe Wilson's "You lie," remark Newsweek reports.

11 Sep 2009

Biomarkers for rapid identification of treatment effectiveness in major depression

Now, based on the final results of a nationwide study led by UCLA, clinicians may be able to accurately predict within a week whether a particular drug will be effective by using a non-invasive test that takes less than 15 minutes to administer. The test will allow physicians to quickly switch patients to a more effective treatment, if necessary.

11 Sep 2009

Second-hand tobacco smoke exposure results in NAFLD

A team of scientists at the University of California, Riverside has found that even second-hand tobacco smoke exposure can result in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a common disease and rising cause of chronic liver injury in which fat accumulates in the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol.

11 Sep 2009

Study examines how biotech firm partnerships with developing nations can help increase innovation, revenue

By forging partnerships with developing countries, biotechnology companies from developed countries may be able to stay afloat during the current economic crisis and bolster innovation, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Nature Biotechnology, Livemint.com reports.

11 Sep 2009

Enlarged fat cells and waist-to-height ratios can cause diabetes in women

When it comes to assessing risk for type 2 diabetes, not only do waistlines matter to women, but so does the size of their fat cells. This new discovery by a team of Swedish researchers was just published online in the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) and helps explain why some women of normal weight develop type 2 diabetes, despite not having any known risk factors.

11 Sep 2009

Sleep improves memory

Sleep may reduce mistakes in memory, according to a first-of-its-kind study led by a cognitive neuroscientist at Michigan State University.

11 Sep 2009

Tort reform back on table in health care debate

"Sparked by complaints at town hall meetings last month about the impact of medical malpractice suits on healthcare costs, a battle is brewing between business advocates and lawyers over whether to limit damages in lawsuits against physicians and other medical professionals as part of a healthcare overhaul," CongressDaily reports.

11 Sep 2009

Researchers discover the role of endothelin in vaso-occlusive pain

Agonizing physical pain, known as vaso-occlusive pain, can afflict children who have sickle cell disease (SCD). In some cases infants as young as two months of age suffer vaso-occlusive pain so severe that opiate medications and hospitalizations are their only relief. Researchers believe vaso-occlusion is caused by a blockage of the blood vessels that occurs when sickle shaped red cells attempt to pass through the round blood vessels.

11 Sep 2009

Ascent Therapeutics demonstrates Pepducin efficacy

Ascent Therapeutics announced today that the Company has demonstrated efficacy in preclinical models in two Pepducin projects. One of the projects targets CXCR4, a key regulator of stem cell and inflammatory cell homeostasis. A second project has yielded the first potent Pepducin agonists for an undisclosed cardiovascular target.

11 Sep 2009

BioCrossroads report on the Warsaw orthopedics community statistics

Now generating more than $11 billion in annual revenues, the global orthopedics sector concentrated in Warsaw, Indiana, represents more than half the U. S. market share and more than one- third of the world's market for developing orthopedic medical devices.

11 Sep 2009