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PXR protein can protect against cardiovascular disease

Researchers from Queen Mary, University of London and the University of Surrey have found a protein inside blood vessels with an ability to protect the body from substances which cause cardiovascular disease.

12 Mar 2012

UCSD now offer novel weight-loss surgery, gastric plication

Patients seeking a weight-loss surgery that does not require an implanted device or permanent change to their anatomy, have a new clinical trial option at UC San Diego Health System. Santiago Horgan, MD, chief of minimally invasive surgery, and his team, now offer gastric plication, a novel surgery that folds the stomach into a smaller, more compact size.

12 Mar 2012

Salt resistant wheat developed using genomics

Matthew Gilliham, of the University of Adelaide, said the new variety of durum wheat would be made freely available to publicly funded breeding programs overseas. Field trials in Moree and at other sites across southern Australia have shown that the new variety has a grain yield in salty soil of up to 25 per cent higher than that of the standard variety.

12 Mar 2012

Sientra’s breast implant approved by the U.S. FDA

The implant, manufactured by Santa Barbara-based Sientra, can be used for breast tissue reconstruction for women of any age and for breast augmentation in women 22 or older. The approval resulted from three years of clinical studies on almost 1,800 patients. Tightening of the area around the implant, re-operation, implant removal, uneven appearance and infection were some of the complications experienced during the study. Sientra is required to continue studies on the implant's long-term safety, effectiveness and risks of rare diseases under the approval.

12 Mar 2012

Boston Scientific in bid to take over Cameron Health

Boston Scientific, the second-biggest cardiac-device maker, will pay $150 million when the deal closes and another $150 million if Cameron’s technology called the S-ICD System wins U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, the Natick, Massachusetts-based company said in a statement yesterday.

12 Mar 2012

Pink slime to make its way into school lunches: Debate ensues

McDonald's and other fast food chains may have removed “pink slime” from their foods but the ‘gooey’ sounding chemical treatment that removes bacteria from meat is still making its appearance at kids’ school lunches.

11 Mar 2012

FDA may allow many chronic ailment drugs to be available over-the-counter

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is deciding on a proposal to waive prescription requirements for commonly used drugs that treat conditions like diabetes, asthma, and migraines.

11 Mar 2012

Tobacco use among the youth should stop: Surgeon General’s Report

Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin has declared a war against tobacco, this time aiming to stop young people from starting to smoke, with the aim to have the next generation tobacco free. More than three million high school students are smokers, and smoking is now being called a pediatric epidemic the report said.

11 Mar 2012

U.S. officials pledge continuing support for solutions to hunger in Africa; Oxfam calls for action against emerging hunger in Sahel

"U.S. officials pledged Thursday to work for permanent solutions to ease hunger in the Horn of Africa, warning that Somalia remained a major crisis even though its famine is officially over," Agence France-Presse reports.

11 Mar 2012

New drug approval pathway to encourage development of critically needed, lifesaving antibiotics

Congress will consider a new drug approval pathway to encourage development of critically needed, lifesaving antibiotics as part of a strategy to address the public health crisis of antibiotic resistance. The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) proposed the new pathway, the "Special Population Limited Medical Use (SPLMU)" mechanism, to provide an important new approval option for companies interested in developing drugs to treat patients with serious infections where few or no treatment options exist.

10 Mar 2012

Blood vessels that form within brain cancers predominantly not made up of cancer cells

Johns Hopkins scientists have published laboratory data refuting studies that suggest blood vessels that form within brain cancers are largely made up of cancer cells. The theory of cancer-based blood vessels calls into question the use and value of anticancer drugs that target these blood vessels, including bevacizumab (Avastin).

10 Mar 2012

Consumer coalition sues drugmakers over coupon programs

The lawsuit claims that these popular programs, which appear to save money for patients, actually increase costs and conceal information about the discounts from health plans.

9 Mar 2012

ARC receives Lilly Endowment grant for disaster relief and readiness

Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded two grants totaling $3 million to the American Red Cross to support disaster relief and readiness. A $1million grant will allow the Red Cross to help people immediately affected by disaster; a $2 million grant will help the organization create a simpler, more responsive information technology system to meet the needs of people in need, workers, and community partners.

9 Mar 2012

Even low-dose nanoparticles could have big impact on long-term health

Nanoparticles are everywhere. From cosmetics and clothes, to soda and snacks. But as versatile as they are, nanoparticles also have a downside, say researchers at Binghamton University and Cornell University in a recent paper published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. These tiny particles, even in low doses, could have a big impact on our long-term health.

9 Mar 2012

Surgeon General's report focuses on youth tobacco use

The fight against youth tobacco use was accelerated today by Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin, with the release of the Surgeon General's Report, Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults.

9 Mar 2012

Food assistance critical component of U.S. global development, national security strategies

"While only a small part of the Farm Bill, food assistance is a critical component of our nation's global development and national security strategies, reaching 50 million people a year," Ellen Levinson, executive director of Alliance for Global Food Security and president of Levinson & Associates, writes in the Hill's "Congress Blog."

9 Mar 2012

Boston Scientific exercises option to acquire Cameron Health

Boston Scientific Corporation announces the exercise of its option to acquire Cameron Health, Inc., a privately held company based in San Clemente, California.

9 Mar 2012

U.S. envoy for N. Korea says administrative concerns over food aid resolved, would not provide details, AP reports

Robert King, the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, on Thursday said talks with North Korean officials over food aid had "resolved the administrative issues we were concerned with," although "he declined to disclose details before reporting back to Washington," the Associated Press reports.

9 Mar 2012

Genetically modified pig may hold keys to develop treatments for RP

A newly developed, genetically modified pig may hold the keys to the development of improved treatments and possibly even a cure for retinitis pigmentosa (RP), the most common inherited retinal disease in the United States.

9 Mar 2012

FDA clears Hospira's Symbiq 3.13 infusion device

Hospira, Inc., the world's leading provider of injectable drugs and infusion technologies, announced today that the company has received regulatory clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the Symbiq 3.13 infusion device, the enhanced version of the company's advanced infusion system platform.

9 Mar 2012