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Research finding suggests HCV interference with hepcidin synthesis

Iron overload, a common feature of chronic liver disorders, has been linked with oxidative DNA damage, insulin resistance and liver steatosis, and with triggering of hepatic stellate cells thus inducing liver fibrosis.

13 Apr 2010

Drug boosting production of immune system protein worsens TB

An experimental drug that boosts production of the immune system protein interferon worsens tuberculosis (TB) in mice, according to scientists from the National Institutes of Health. The drug acts indirectly by drawing certain immune cells, in which Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) bacteria thrive, to the lungs. The findings may have potential implications for the care of people infected with TB, the authors note. The research is reported in the May 3 issue of Journal of Clinical Investigation, now available online.

13 Apr 2010

Stem cell scientists receive stimulus grants to study lung and blood disorders

Stem cell scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) were awarded stimulus grants totaling almost $2 million to research experimental treatments for blood disorders and inherited lung diseases affecting children.

13 Apr 2010

Checklist to stay healthy and active during summer season

There are millions of vacation destinations to visit this summer and thousands of sights to see, but there is one surefire way to ruin your trip -- getting sick. Although you may not be thinking about viruses and bacterial infections when you plan your trip, there are a few nasty bugs you should be aware of as you pack your bags.

13 Apr 2010

Stress hormones may suppress tumor growth: Study

Chronic stress triggers a chain of molecular events that protects breakaway ovarian cancer cells from destruction, a team of researchers led by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports April 12 in the early online publication of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

13 Apr 2010

Health care experts brand plan for a “Big Australia” as disaster waiting to happen

Increased immigration rates are set to make Australia’s population hit 36 million by the year 2050 according to Federal Government estimates. This would be a huge leap from the present 22,300,000 people that the nation has today. The added population is being seen as a necessity to ensure economical survival for the country.

13 Apr 2010

New research highlights adverse effects of air pollution on human reproduction

Exposure to an increased level of air pollutants, especially nitrogen dioxide, has been associated with lower likelihoods of successful pregnancy among women undergoing in vitro fertilization, according to a team of fertility researchers.

13 Apr 2010

Survey reveals Gamunex as preferred IGIV therapy among neurologists

Talecris Biotherapeutics, Inc., today announced results of a new survey showing that Gamunex® (Immune Globulin Intravenous [Human], 10% Caprylate/Chromatography Purified) is the preferred immune globulin intravenous (IGIV) among neurologists who indicated a brand preference. In the survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive® on behalf of Talecris, neurologists selected Gamunex over four times more often than all other available liquid IGIV therapies, with a statistically significant margin (p<0.05).

13 Apr 2010

Genes influence chronic kidney disease risk: Research

A team of researchers from the United States and Europe has identified more than a dozen genes that may play a role in the etiology of common forms of kidney disease. The team, known as the CKDGen Consortium, examined common variations in DNA sequences in more than 65,000 individuals of European descent. Common variations in several genes were found to be more frequent among people with poor kidney function or chronic kidney disease than in those with normal kidney function.

13 Apr 2010

Hunter Valley cancer cluster report to be made public

Cancer cases may have manifested as brain tumors in the local population in Upper Hunter Valley as a result of pollution from mines and power stations. With five residents in a single block in Singleton being diagnosed with brain tumors a public inquiry to establish just how harmful dust and toxins from the mines and power stations are had been constituted by the state government.

13 Apr 2010

Pancreaze Delayed Release Capsules receive FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Pancreaze Delayed Release Capsules, a pancreatic enzyme product. It is the third such product to receive FDA approval.

13 Apr 2010

Research article reports association of chronic upper GI symptoms with diabetes

There are several papers which report the association of GI symptoms with diabetes. Epidemiological data regarding the association of GI symptoms with diabetes are, however, inconsistent, and the reported frequency of upper and lower GI symptoms varies among different ethnic groups/populations.

13 Apr 2010

Competitive Technologies to introduce Calmare pain therapy at medical conference

Competitive Technologies, Inc. announced today that it will hold a conference for the medical community on May 17, 2010, in Boston, Mass. at the Marriott Long Wharf Hotel from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., to introduce CTT's Calmare® pain therapy to the medical community. Professor Giuseppe Marineo, MD, DSc., Researcher, Founding President of Delta Research and Development, Tor Vergata University of Rome, is the Italian inventor of the "Scrambler Therapy," the technology used in the Calmare medical device.

12 Apr 2010

Study explains why Hispanics are less likely to undergo colorectal cancer screening

A new study finds that Hispanics live in areas with more limited availability of colonoscopies and sigmoidoscopies for colorectal cancer screening. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that differences in areas' capacity for providing these procedures may explain why Hispanics are less likely to undergo colorectal cancer screening than non-Hispanic whites.

12 Apr 2010

DMPC to guarantee DM and wellness outcomes for elite group

Al Lewis, president of the Disease Management Purchasing Consortium, Inc., the founder and first president of the Disease Management Association of America and the person most often credited with establishing the metrics by which disease management is measured announced today that he will be personally validating and guaranteeing disease management (DM) and wellness outcomes for an elite, award-winning group of vendors, health plans, benefits consultants and employers.

12 Apr 2010

Patients receiving medications in 90-day supplies less likely to have adherence problems: Study

A new study presented today at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy's 22nd Annual Meeting by Prime Therapeutics, a thought-leader in pharmacy benefit management, provides new evidence to support an easy, low-cost way to help keep patients with chronic conditions on their medications: provide them with a three-month drug supply.

12 Apr 2010

First successful closure of gastro-cutaneous fistulas with newly designed OTSC

Gastrointestinal (GI) chronic perforations require closure and control of extraluminal collections and sepsis. Covered self-expandable metal stents or plastic stents are an effective method in more than 80% of cases, but have many drawbacks.

12 Apr 2010

Asthma-like symptoms in infants and toddlers is often RAD

Your child is wheezing. Your child must have asthma, right? Not always, says Julie Koehler, professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice in Butler University's College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and clinical pharmacy specialist in family medicine at Clarian Health.

12 Apr 2010

Study shows promising basis for development of effective liver-cancer screening test

Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the world and one of the deadliest cancers since it is rarely diagnosed until late in its development.

12 Apr 2010

Nationwide Asthma Screening Program to find people at risk

The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology will help adults and children to find out if they are at risk for asthma through its Nationwide Asthma Screening Program. More than 200 screenings will take place across the country this year. Locate one near you on the calendar of screenings available at AllergyAndAsthmaRelief.org.

12 Apr 2010