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Diabetes numbers on the rise: Experts worried

According a new international study more than 350 million in the world now have diabetes. The analysis, published online by the Lancet on Saturday, adds several tens of millions to the previous estimate of the number of diabetics and indicates that the disease has become a major global health problem.

27 Jun 2011

Chaos in biochemical alterations of cancer cells

Using the latest gene sequencing tools to examine so-called epigenetic influences on the DNA makeup of colon cancer, a Johns Hopkins team says its results suggest cancer treatment might eventually be more tolerable and successful if therapies could focus on helping cancer cells get back to normal in addition to strategies for killing them.

27 Jun 2011

FDA issues Complete Response Letter for Pfizer's REMOXY NDA

DURECT Corporation today reported that Pfizer Inc. has received a Complete Response Letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its New Drug Application (NDA) for REMOXY, a controlled-release form of oxycodone designed to discourage common methods of tampering.

27 Jun 2011

Study finds increase in life expectancy for people with type 1 diabetes

The life expectancy of people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes dramatically increased during the course of a 30-year, long-term prospective study, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health study being presented at the 71st Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association.

27 Jun 2011

New model estimates impact of lifestyle changes on absolute breast cancer risk

How much can a woman lower her risk of breast cancer by losing weight, drinking less, or exercising more? A study published online June 24 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute describes a new model to estimate the impact of these lifestyle changes on absolute breast cancer risk, suggesting risk reductions that could translate into a substantial number of prevented cancers across an entire population.

27 Jun 2011

23andMe study discovers two novel gentic associations with Parkinson's

Today 23andMe, an industry leader in personal genetics, announced the discovery of two significant, novel genetic associations with Parkinson's disease (PD) and provided new evidence that there is a substantial genetic component remaining to be discovered for Parkinson's.

27 Jun 2011

Policy leaders to identify targeted strategies for creating national breastfeeding agenda

One hundred invited health and policy leaders will meet again in Washington, D.C. on June 29-30 to identify targeted strategies for establishing a national breastfeeding agenda as part of our nation's Health Reform, building on the essential recommendations and positive outcomes of the Second Annual Summit held last June.

27 Jun 2011

Young adults with juvenile diabetes may face risk of heart attack and stroke

New research shows that adolescents and young adults with type 1 (juvenile) diabetes have thicker and stiffer carotid arteries, also known as atherosclerosis, a risk factor for heart attack and stroke in adults.

27 Jun 2011

Diabetes more prevalent in every part of the world

A major international study collating and analyzing worldwide data on diabetes since 1980 has found that the number of adults with the disease reached 347 million in 2008, more than double the number in 1980. The research, published today in The Lancet, reveals that the prevalence of diabetes has risen or at best remained unchanged in virtually every part of the world over the last three decades.

27 Jun 2011

Ten global public health achievements

In its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the CDC describes "global public health achievements … that occurred outside of the United States during 2001 - 2010."

24 Jun 2011

Research roundup: Revamping public health law; Pay-for-performance

New Cardiac Surgery Programs Established From 1993 To 2004 Led To Little Increased Access, Substantial Duplication Of Services -- This study, using Medicare data from 1993-2004, finds that although the number of coronary artery bypass surgeries declined, 301 new cardiac surgery units opened.

24 Jun 2011

State highlights: Calif. insurance regulatory system criticized

The two-headed beast that regulates health insurance in California is under fire. For the first time in a decade, healthcare leaders in Sacramento are publicly asking whether it's time to junk overlapping bureaucracies that police health insurers and HMOs (Helfand, 6/23).

24 Jun 2011

Health law implementation progress, issues continue to draw attention

For starters, reports say the proposed rule for the measure's health exchanges is due out July 7. In addition, indications are that many public health provisions remain unfunded and movement toward electronic health records is still slow.

24 Jun 2011

As States approach new budget years, many will be cutting Medicaid

States have taken a variety of trims, from stopping payments for circumcisions in Colorado to reducing payments for rehabilitation services in Kansas to increased co-payments in California.

24 Jun 2011

Medical residents should work no more than 16 hours without sleep

A group of 26 of the nation's leaders in medicine, health care, patient safety, and research today called for sweeping changes in the design, supervision and financing of U.S. hospital residency care programs to protect patients from serious, preventable medical errors, and end dangerously long work hours for physicians in training.

24 Jun 2011

Disordered eating behaviors carried into young adulthood and beyond

Adolescents who diet and develop disordered eating behaviors (unhealthy and extreme weight control behaviors and binge eating) carry these unhealthy practices into young adulthood and beyond, according to a study conducted by University of Minnesota researchers and published in the July 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

24 Jun 2011

First Edition: June 24, 2011

In today's headlines, reports that Republicans have quit the debt-ceiling negotiations and details about how the Supreme Court sided with drug makers in two decisions.

24 Jun 2011

Galileo's advanced visual analytics platform to be launched at BIO 2011 conference

Galileo Analytics announced today that it will debut Galileo Cosmos, Galileo's advanced visual analytics platform at the BIO 2011 conference in Washington, DC, providing a powerful new dimension to Galileo's suite of analytical tools and enhancing the company's ability to mine complex sets of de-identified health data.

24 Jun 2011

'Predatory' marketing pattern geared to lure young African Americans into becoming smokers

Tobacco companies increased the advertising and lowered the sale price of menthol cigarettes in stores near California high schools with larger populations of African-American students, according to a new study from the Stanford School of Medicine.

24 Jun 2011

Pfizer and Pain Therapeutics receive FDA Complete Response Letter for resubmission of REMOXY NDA

Pfizer and Pain Therapeutics, Inc. announced that a Complete Response Letter was received from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the resubmission to the new drug application (NDA) for REMOXY® (oxycodone) Extended-Release Capsules CII. Pfizer is working to evaluate the issues described in the Complete Response Letter and plans to have further discussions with FDA around them.

24 Jun 2011