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UIC researchers receive USDA grant to reduce obesity in preschool children

The preschool years are a critical period for addressing weight-related behaviors among at-risk groups, say researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Among young children, obesity has tripled since 1980, and the prevalence is highest among black and Hispanic children.

1 Mar 2011

$1 million USDA grant aims to reduce obesity in preschoolers

1 Mar 2011

FDA approves Forest Labs' Daliresp to treat COPD

Forest Laboratories, Inc. announced today that Daliresp was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a treatment to reduce the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations in patients with severe COPD associated with chronic bronchitis and a history of exacerbations.

1 Mar 2011

Tenofovir gel more effective than oral tablet for HIV treatment: Study

In the first study to make head-to-head comparisons between tenofovir gel and oral tenofovir - two promising approaches for preventing HIV in women - researchers found that daily use of the vaginal gel achieved a more than 100-times higher concentration of active drug in vaginal tissue than did the oral tablet, while, compared to the gel, the tablet used daily was associated with a 20-times higher active drug concentration in blood.

1 Mar 2011

Anti-AIDS gel shows promise

Dr. Ian McGowan, a professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh who is leading a second-phase study of the gel said, “These are early results, but [they] help set the stage for current and future trials of rectal microbicides and the development of a rectal-specific formulation of tenofovir gel.” Researchers have focused on the use of microbicides such as tenofovir, as a preventive treatment to be used in vaginal sex. However, scientists think unprotected anal sex is much more risky.

1 Mar 2011

Scientists discover lead contamination in ceramic cookware sold in Philadelphia's Chinatown

Recently, a research team from the Department of Emergency Medicine at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University discovered an alarming amount of lead contamination in ceramic cooking and eating utensils sold in Philadelphia's Chinatown.

1 Mar 2011

U.K.'s DFID might reduce funding for FAO in light of 'patchy' performance

The U.K.'s Department for International Development on Saturday said it might reduce its contribution to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization if the agency does not improve its performance, Reuters reports.

1 Mar 2011

Opinions: Foreign aid budget cuts would negatively affect food, global health

The "hard truth is that if the United States doesn't keep its word" on a pledge to deliver $3.5 billion to the G20's $22 billion food security initiative for "vulnerable" developing countries, "no one else will," a New York Times editorial states.

1 Mar 2011

Gut bacteria could exert control over metabolic functions of other organs

Bacteria in the human gut may not just be helping digest food but also could be exerting some level of control over the metabolic functions of other organs, like the liver, according to research published this week in the online journal mBio-. These findings offer new understanding of the symbiotic relationship between humans and their gut microbes and how changes to the microbiota can impact overall health.

1 Mar 2011

Tomato consumption can reduce cancer, osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases

Eating more tomatoes and tomato products can make people healthier and decrease the risk of conditions such as cancer, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, according to a review article the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.

1 Mar 2011

'Tea and Toast Syndrome' leads to loss of wellness and muscle in seniors

Elderly people who live on their own that don't prepare whole meals or don't know how tend to dwindle their intake to "tea and toast" at the expense of vital nutrients and their health, according to an article published in the February issue of Food Nutrition & Science.

1 Mar 2011

Uterine fibroid treatments greatly improve quality of life in women

Women who received one of three treatments for uterine fibroids at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston said their symptoms diminished and their quality of life significantly increased, according to a new study published in the May issue of Radiology.

1 Mar 2011

Brain's reward/motivation circuits linked to compulsive overeating

A brain imaging study at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory reveals a subtle difference between ordinary obese subjects and those who compulsively overeat, or binge: In binge eaters but not ordinary obese subjects, the mere sight or smell of favorite foods triggers a spike in dopamine - a brain chemical linked to reward and motivation.

1 Mar 2011

Renishaw launches first RUO multiplex assay system

Renishaw Diagnostics Ltd, a world leading provider of trace level detection technologies based on the exploitation of surface enhanced Raman scattering and surface enhanced resonance Raman scattering, for research and molecular diagnostics applications, today announced the launch of its first research use only multiplex assay system which allows precious research samples to be 'screened' for 10 or more 'targets', from a single sample.

1 Mar 2011

Social networking websites can increase risky sexual behaviors in homeless youth: New study

A new UCLA AIDS Institute study suggests that the use of social networking websites by homeless youth can lead to an increase in risky sexual behaviors. But interestingly, homeless kids who used these sites were also more likely to have been tested for sexually transmitted infections and to be better informed about preventing such infections and HIV.

1 Mar 2011

TPSAC ignoring statutory mandate to examine negative health effects of contraband cigarettes

"Two of the nation's largest cigarette makers on Friday asked a federal court to stop the Food and Drug Administration from relying on recommendations made by an advisory panel on issues such as menthol cigarettes."

1 Mar 2011

Nile plans to develop novel therapeutics for ADHF

Nile Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutics for cardiovascular disease, announced plans to pursue a new indication in the field of heart failure.

1 Mar 2011

Aetna grants $1 million funding for five obesity research studies

The Aetna Foundation today announced significant funding in support of five research studies designed to deepen understanding of the root causes of the nation's well-documented obesity epidemic and drive viable solutions to the core problems.

28 Feb 2011

CellSeed, LA BioMed enter two-year research agreement to study core technology in regenerative medicine

Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and CellSeed Inc., a Japanese biotechnology firm, have entered into a two-year research agreement to study CellSeed's proprietary core technology in regenerative medicine, "Cell Sheet Engineering," LA BioMed President and CEO David I. Meyer, PhD, announced today.

28 Feb 2011

BUSM Professor receives funding for research on obesity in African-American women

Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) is one of five institutions receiving funding from the Aetna Foundation to support research designed to deepen understanding of the root causes of the nation’s well-documented obesity epidemic and drive viable solutions to the core problems. More than $1 million in funding will be granted in support of separate studies at BUSM, New York University School of Medicine, the University of Michigan, the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University’s CARE program.

28 Feb 2011