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Major tobacco company manipulates data on effects of additives in cigarettes

A new UCSF analysis of tobacco industry documents shows that Philip Morris USA manipulated data on the effects of additives in cigarettes, including menthol, obscuring actual toxicity levels and increasing the risk of heart, cancer and other diseases for smokers.

7 Jan 2012

Poor nutrition in the womb can increase risk of type 2 diabetes in later life

Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council have shown one way in which poor nutrition in the womb can put a person at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other age-related diseases in later life.

7 Jan 2012

Investing in smoking cessation programs can save money for Medicaid

New research by the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services indicates that including comprehensive tobacco cessation benefits in Medicaid insurance coverage can result in substantial savings for Medicaid programs.

7 Jan 2012

Drinking red wine in moderation may reduce risk of breast cancer

Drinking red wine in moderation may reduce one of the risk factors for breast cancer, providing a natural weapon to combat a major cause of death among U.S. women, new research from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center shows.

7 Jan 2012

Research roundup: New ethics guidelines for doctors urge cost consideration; HIV testing in teens

Today's research comes from the Annals of Internal Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, George Washington University and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

7 Jan 2012

Pearl Therapeutics completes two PT003 Phase 2b clinical studies on COPD

Pearl Therapeutics Inc. today announced the completion of two Phase 2b clinical studies of PT003, the Company's investigational inhaled combination bronchodilator product for the treatment of patients with moderate-to-severe COPD.

7 Jan 2012

Alnylam files CTA with the U.K. MHRA to initiate ALN-TTR02 Phase I trial in ATTR

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it has filed a Clinical Trial Application (CTA) with the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to initiate a Phase I clinical trial with ALN-TTR02, an RNAi therapeutic targeting transthyretin (TTR) for the treatment of TTR-mediated amyloidosis.

7 Jan 2012

Annual screening tests do not decrease deaths from prostate cancer

There's new evidence that annual prostate cancer screening does not reduce deaths from the disease, even among men in their 50s and 60s and those with underlying health conditions, according to new research led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

6 Jan 2012

Scottsdale Healthcare is first in Arizona to perform TAVR procedure

Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn Medical Center is the first hospital in Arizona to perform a new nonsurgical heart valve replacement procedure, the Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). TAVR valves are inserted via a catheter through the femoral artery, without requiring open heart surgery.

6 Jan 2012

AHA honors Rice University professor with Established Investigator Award

Rice University's Jane Grande-Allen, one of the world's foremost experts on the biomechanics of heart-valve tissue, has won an Established Investigator Award from the American Heart Association.

6 Jan 2012

Longer looks: The body's fight against losing weight; Rick Santorum's contraception, anti-abortion records analyzed

For years, the advice to the overweight and obese has been that we simply need to eat less and exercise more. While there is truth to this guidance, it fails to take into account that the human body continues to fight against weight loss long after dieting has stopped. ... it's clear, from a public-health standpoint, that resources would best be focused on preventing weight gain. The research underscores the urgency of national efforts to get children to exercise and eat healthful foods.

6 Jan 2012

Isis announces results from ISIS-TTRRx Phase 1 study on TTR amyloidosis

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today results from a Phase 1 study with ISIS-TTRRx. The results demonstrated that treatment with ISIS-TTRRx produced dose-dependent statistically significant reductions of greater than 80 percent in transthyretin (TTR) protein.

6 Jan 2012

CRF sponsors Seventh International Conference on Cell Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease

The Seventh International Conference on Cell Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) is a comprehensive program dedicated to the evolving field of cell-based therapies for the repair and regeneration of cardiac and vascular disease, as well as related diseases such as diabetes and stroke.

5 Jan 2012

2012 ‘Best Diets’ rankings

Those aspiring to lose weight and eat healthy this New Year may benefit from the U.S. News & World Report's 2012 Best Diets rankings. Each year, U.S. News accumulates data from scientific journals, government reports, and solicits input from 22 experts in food science and nutrition, to come up for its rankings.

5 Jan 2012

Study refutes perinatal programming theory about adipose tissue growth

Is obesity in infants "programmed" in the womb? Previously, researchers assumed that consumption of "bad" fats during pregnancy contribute to excessive infant adipose tissue growth and that "good" omega-3 fatty acids prevent expansive adipose tissue development. A study run by the Technische Universit-t M-nchen showed no evidence to support this "perinatal programming" theory.

5 Jan 2012

Vitamin D may stop conferring cardiovascular benefits: Study

New research by Johns Hopkins scientists suggests that vitamin D, long known to be important for bone health and in recent years also for heart protection, may stop conferring cardiovascular benefits and could actually cause harm as levels in the blood rise above the low end of what is considered normal.

5 Jan 2012

Hypothermia rarely used in the U.S. hospitals to reduce heart attack cases

Therapeutic hypothermia has been proven to reduce mortality and improve neurologic outcomes after a heart attack, yet it was rarely used in a sample of more than 26,000 patients, according to a study published in Therapeutic Hypothermia and Temperature Management, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

5 Jan 2012

First study to elucidate how statins reduce activation of abnormal blood clotting

People with high cholesterol are at risk of heart attack and stroke because atherosclerotic plaques within their arteries can rupture triggering the formation of a blood clot called an occlusive thrombus that cuts off the blood supply to their heart or brain.

5 Jan 2012

Free public lecture to look at role of stents in treating coronary artery diseases

State-of-the art treatments for patients with heart problems are the theme of a public lecture at the University of Greenwich this month. The lecture, which is free and open to all, will look at the role of stents in treating coronary artery diseases. A stent is a tiny, artificial tube which is placed in the coronary arteries that supply the heart: by keeping the arteries open, the stent combats the effects of reduced blood flow, such as blood clots.

5 Jan 2012

New algorithm could help GPs identify women at risk of early ovarian cancer

The lives of hundreds of women could be saved every year, thanks to a simple online calculator that could help GPs identify women most at risk of having ovarian cancer at a much earlier stage.

5 Jan 2012