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AMAG completes enrollment in Feraheme Phase III program for iron-deficiency anemia

AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the completion of patient enrollment in the second of the company's two phase III studies that comprise its global registrational program for Feraheme (ferumoxytol) in patients with iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) who are not candidates for oral iron, regardless of the underlying cause.

30 Jan 2012

MRI shows elevated BMI linked to greater extent and severity of degenerative disc disease

One of the largest studies to investigate lumbar spine disc degeneration found that adults who are overweight or obese were significantly more likely to have disc degeneration than those with a normal body mass index (BMI).

30 Jan 2012

Leprosy pathogen exploits micro-RNAs to weaken immune response

A team of UCLA scientists has found that the pathogen that causes leprosy has a remarkable ability to avoid the human immune system by inhibiting the antimicrobial responses important to our defenses.

30 Jan 2012

Negative outlook need not have to be permanent in chronic melancholics

Good news for the 13 per cent of the population with depressive personality traits: their negative outlook does not have to be permanent. This has been shown by psychologist Rachel Maddux in new research from Lund University in Sweden.

30 Jan 2012

Patients may not receive all necessary screening tests during medical checkups

New research finds that patients may not always receive all of the screening tests and counseling services that are due during their medical checkups.

30 Jan 2012

Research roundup: Families in high deductible plans more likely to delay care; Cancer screening prevalence

Delayed And Forgone Care For Families With Chronic Conditions In High-Deductible Health Plans -- Researchers studied 208 families in high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) and 370 in traditional health plans who had children and at least one family member with a chronic condition.

30 Jan 2012

CDC publishes an in-depth analysis of Mogellons disease

Experts explain that Morgellons is not an official diagnosis but a syndrome of unexplained symptoms including abnormal sensations that sufferers describe as the feeling of insects crawling on the skin. Symptoms also include fatigue. And, perhaps most peculiarly, one symptom is tiny fibers found embedded in waxy scabs on the skin.

29 Jan 2012

CRT launches Acublate to develop HIFU cancer surgery device

Cancer Research Technology, the commercial arm of Cancer Research UK, has today launched Acublate Limited, a spin-out company which will develop a next-generation High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) surgery device to treat a range of solid tumour types.

27 Jan 2012

Study shows lack of physical activity in 42% of adults with RA

A new study, funded by a grant from the National Institute for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), found that two in five adults (42%) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were inactive.

27 Jan 2012

Rapid discontinuation of prednisone after kidney transplant can help prevent side effects

Rapid discontinuation of the immunosuppressive steroid prednisone after a kidney transplant can help prevent serious side effects, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

27 Jan 2012

CAT can assess exacerbation severity in patients with COPD

Exacerbation severity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be reliably assessed with the COPD Assessment Test- (CAT), according to a new study from the UK.

27 Jan 2012

Scientists connect two signature characteristics of pancreatic cancer

Scientists have connected two signature characteristics of pancreatic cancer, identifying a self-perpetuating "vicious cycle" of molecular activity and a new potential target for drugs to treat one of the most lehal forms of cancer.

27 Jan 2012

Roundup: Problems outlined at Parkland hospital in Dallas; Mass. closing a mental hospital; Adult day care in Calif.

The Department of Mental Health plans to close Taunton State Hospital, one of the six state-run psychiatric hospitals in Massachusetts by the end of this year. The move is part of a plan to redistribute the placement of patients with chronic and severe mental illness as a large new state hospital opens in Worcester this summer.

27 Jan 2012

Revised menus for school lunches with more fruits and veggies

American schoolchildren are accustomed to a steady diet of pizza and french fries for school lunches. Now they will find more fruits, vegetables and whole grains on their cafeteria trays under new government school lunch rules announced on Wednesday. Apart from adding double the produce servings the guidelines also call for fat-free and low-fat milk only, child-appropriate portion sizes and reductions in sodium, saturated fat and trans fats.

26 Jan 2012

Genetic variation predisposes children to complications linked with second-generation anti-psychotics

Researchers have found a genetic variation predisposing children to six-times greater risk of developing metabolic syndrome when taking second-generation anti-psychotic medications. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that are risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

25 Jan 2012

Cholesterol receptor allows entry of HCV virus into human liver cells

A molecule embedded in the membrane of human liver cells that aids in cholesterol absorption also allows the entry of hepatitis C virus, the first step in hepatitis C infection, according to research at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.

24 Jan 2012

Brown fat burns in the cold and could hold key to burning excess fat: Study

Brown fat is something that occurs more in thin people than fat, younger people than older and young women than men. It is brown in color and a new study finds that one form of it, which is turned on in cold climates can burn calories from elsewhere in the body to keep the body warm. Another new study finds that a second form of brown fat can be created from ordinary white fat by exercise.

24 Jan 2012

Heartburn drugs ineffective in kids with asthma: Study

A drug used to treat acid reflux has often been used for hard-to-treat asthma. A new study finds that it does not help children with the breathing disease and may cause side effects.

24 Jan 2012

Women feel pain more than men: Study

A new study showed that women experience more intense pain than men. The study published in the Jan. 23 issue of the Journal of Pain, further suggests that greater effort is needed to recruit women into studies in order to determine the reasons for this gender difference. The Stanford University School of Medicine investigators examined pain scores from tens of thousands of patients in the United States.

24 Jan 2012

Younger breast cancer survivors face more serious mental issues

Quality of life in younger patients treated for breast cancer is seriously compromised and these women suffer from severe psychological distress, infertility, premature menopause, a decrease in physical activity and weight gain, according to a study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

24 Jan 2012