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Health risk associated with harmful substances in food may be underestimated

Mice are often used to test whether substances in food are harmful to humans. This requires that mice and humans metabolise substances in the same way. Humans have certain enzymes in more parts of the body than mice. The health risk associated with harmful substances in food may therefore be underestimated.

2 Nov 2011

First study to evaluate mycoestrogens in young girls

Puberty is a time in a girl's life considered highly sensitive to stimulation by the hormone estrogen and a critical window during which estrogen exposure could greatly influence the risk of breast cancer later in life. An early onset of puberty also has been consistently shown in studies to increase the risk of breast cancer.

2 Nov 2011

Obama takes action to address drug shortages

President Barack Obama issued an executive order Monday directing the Food and Drug Administration to, among other steps, speed up reviews of manufacturers' applications to begin or alter production of a drug in potentially short supply.

2 Nov 2011

ADHD medications do not increase risk of heart attack in children, young adults

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medications do not increase the risk for heart disease or heart attack in children and young adults, according to a Vanderbilt study of 1.2 million patients taking drugs including Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta and Strattera between 1998 and 2005.

2 Nov 2011

Birth control shot may impair a person's memory

The birth control shot Depo Provera offers a convenient alternative for women who don't want to remember to take a daily pill. Ironically, research from Arizona State University has shown the shot actually may impair a person's memory.

2 Nov 2011

Protective response to starvation may promote heart failure

A protective response to starvation may promote heart failure, according to a study just published in Cell Metabolism. Two proteins that team up to conserve energy when food is scarce also limit energy production in the heart—a situation that can prove fatal when the heart is stressed and in need of an energy boost.

2 Nov 2011

Tufts University introduces MyPlate for Older Adults

Nutrition scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University are introducing today the MyPlate for Older Adults which corresponds with MyPlate, the federal government's new food group symbol.

2 Nov 2011

SmartTots sets agenda for research on anesthetic safety in children

A special section of the November issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS), presents new research, updates, and commentaries about possible toxic effects of anesthetics and sedatives in infants and young children. The IARS is a key partner in the SmartTots initiative, dedicated to finding scientific answers to these urgent public health concerns.

2 Nov 2011

Takeda receives FDA approval for VELCADE sNDA to treat MM

Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company with its parent company Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for VELCADE (bortezomib) for Injection, which updates the label to include additional long-term overall survival (OS) data from the VISTA trial.

2 Nov 2011

FDA approves Abbott's XIENCE PRIME Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System

Abbott today announced it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the next-generation XIENCE PRIME Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System for the treatment of coronary artery disease.

2 Nov 2011

LDR's ROI-A Oblique ALIF cage receives FDA marketing clearance

LDR, a privately held medical device company offering innovative spinal implants for both non-fusion and fusion applications, announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration to market the ROI-A Oblique ALIF cage. The oblique cage complements its forerunner, the ROI-A ALIF cage, which is designed for direct anterior insertion.

1 Nov 2011

Omnilytics announces final EPA registration for AgriPhage-CMM bacterial control product

OmniLytics, Inc., a biotech company focused on developing safe and natural solutions for bacterial control, today announced final EPA registration for its AgriPhage-CMM bacterial control product.

1 Nov 2011

First Edition: November 1, 2011

Today's headlines include a report that the health law's early retirees' health insurance fund may be running out.

1 Nov 2011

New Mayo Clinic social network connects global community of esophageal cancer patients

In 2008, physicians at Mayo Clinic Florida led by Herbert Wolfsen, M.D., were looking for new ways to keep in touch with the large group of esophageal cancer patients cared for by him and other gastroenterologists and surgeons. Telephone calls, faxes and email had worked to create a network of patients but many now wanted interactive and remote access capability to share their experiences and challenges with this serious disease.

1 Nov 2011

Study evaluates availability of information about cosmetic ingredients for celiac patients

The lack of readily available information about cosmetic ingredients may cause patients with celiac disease who use lip, facial or body products to unknowingly expose themselves to gluten—an ingredient they need to avoid, according to the results of a new study unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 76th Annual Scientific meeting in Washington, DC.

1 Nov 2011

Upcoming G20 Summit presents 'critical opportunity' to address food security crisis

In a post in the Chicago Council on Global Affairs' "Global Food For Thought" blog, Adam Taylor, vice president of advocacy at World Vision, writes that the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Cannes, France, next week "provides a critical opportunity for President Obama to galvanize G20 leadership in addressing the mounting crisis of food security -- the lack of reliable, nutritious food for the world's poorest people."

1 Nov 2011

Several West African nations facing food insecurity; WFP steps up efforts in Niger

Several countries in West Africa, including Niger, Mauritania and Chad, are facing food insecurity crises "unless the international community acts now, the United Nations warned on Friday," AlertNet reports.

1 Nov 2011

FDA approves expansion of MRI use with Cyberonics' VNS Therapy System

Cyberonics, Inc., a global leader in medical devices for the treatment and management of epilepsy, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a significant expansion of options for Magnetic Resonance Imaging use by patients who have the VNS Therapy System.

1 Nov 2011

Stanford Hospital uses new device to treat brain aneurysm

If Barbara Maluo's brain aneurysm had been discovered a few months ago, she would have had few viable treatment options. She was one of the 10 to 15 percent of brain aneurysm patients diagnosed each year with aneurysms so large and wide that they cannot be reliably treated using conventional methods of treatment.

1 Nov 2011

Teva reports data from QNASL studies on seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. today announced that data from four late-stage studies examining QNASL (beclomethasone dipropionate [BDP]) HFA, a nasal aerosol corticosteroid in development for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) and perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR) symptoms, will be presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Boston, Mass., November 3-8, 2011.

1 Nov 2011