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Inadequate saliva and fluoride can contribute to tooth decay

Tooth enamel is tough, harder even than skeletal bone. But even with good dental hygiene, the enamel protecting teeth may show signs of decay in older adults. The January issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers what to look out for and what to do to promote an enamel-friendly setting in the mouth. According to the newsletter, two significant contributors to tooth decay are too little saliva and inadequate fluoride.

18 Jan 2010

FDA admits concern, but does not ban BPA: Consumers Union disappointed

Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, expressed disappointment with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's (FDA) failure to ban the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), despite announcing today that there is cause for concern over its potential effect on children. Consumers Union believes that that there is enough scientific evidence to date to warrant a ban on BPA in food contact products now.

18 Jan 2010

AP, IRIN examine lawsuit challenging Plumpy'nut patent

The Associated Press examines the decision by two U.S. nonprofit groups seeking to increase production of the ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), Plumpy'nut, to file a lawsuit against the French organizations that hold the product's U.S. patent.

18 Jan 2010

MediSens Wireless to begin its wireless body-monitoring system clinical trials following FDA approval

MediSens Wireless, a startup company in UCLA's on-campus technology incubator at the California NanoSystems Institute, has obtained approval under federal Food and Drug Administration guidelines to begin clinical trials on its novel wireless body-monitoring system, which assesses muscle and neuromotor functions in the upper extremities.

18 Jan 2010

Obama announces $100M in aid for Haitian earthquake recovery

At the White House on Thursday, President Barack Obama "promised $100 million along with more American troops for the relief effort in Haiti, vowing that the United States would stand with the impoverished nation as it grappled with the devastation of its capital city," the New York Times reports.

18 Jan 2010

FDA grants orphan drug exclusivity approval for Octapharma AG's wilate

Octapharma AG, one of the largest manufacturers of plasma products in the world, today announced that it has received orphan drug exclusivity approval for wilate® from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

18 Jan 2010

New class of drugs could help prevent skin cancer

A new study by Loyola University Health System researchers could lead to alternative treatments that would shrink skin cancer tumors with drugs. The drugs would work by turning on a gene that prevents skin cells from becoming cancerous, said senior author Mitchell Denning, Ph.D.

18 Jan 2010

CSI receives authorization to begin its pivotal trial of ORBIT II

Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (CSI), has received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conditional Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) approval to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of its Diamondback 360® System in the treatment of calcified coronary lesions. With this conditional approval, CSI is authorized to begin its pivotal trial, ORBIT II, in early 2010 and initially enroll up to 100 patients at as many as 50 U.S. sites.

17 Jan 2010

Boston Scientific commences patient enrollment in its WallFlex Biliary RX Fully Covered Stent trial

Boston Scientific Corporation today announced that the first patient has been enrolled in a clinical trial to evaluate its WallFlex® Biliary RX Fully Covered Stent for the treatment of benign bile duct strictures. This multi-center, prospective study plans to enroll 187 patients at 11 centers worldwide over the next 18 months.

17 Jan 2010

Aid begins flowing into Haiti, up to 3m may be affected

"Aid started flowing into Haiti Wednesday in the wake of the earthquake that slammed the impoverished nation late Tuesday afternoon," CNN reports. "One of two [U.S] military cargo planes carrying a 30-man assessment team arrived at Port-au-Prince airport Wednesday evening to assess Haiti's needs."

17 Jan 2010

LFA seeks applications for 2010 Fellowship Program to advance science and medical research

The Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. (LFA) is seeking applications for its 2010 Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program. The purpose of these awards is to foster an interest among young investigators in lupus research under the supervision of an established investigator.

13 Jan 2010

Webinar to assist pharmaceutical companies on how to measure effectiveness of Medication Guides

More than 80 Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) plans have been approved by the Food & Drug Administration since their inception in March 2008. Now, pharmaceutical companies must formally assess and report on how well these plans have actually been working in reducing drug risks, a mandated step in the REMS process.

13 Jan 2010

Era of rapid expansion in biomedical research funding began in 1990's ends

After a decade of remarkable growth, total annual funding for biomedical research in the U.S. has decelerated and may have even fallen when adjusted for inflation. That is the conclusion of a study today published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

13 Jan 2010

Foodminds forms new client partnerships, expands team

FoodMinds, a food and nutrition company that harnesses science, public affairs and communications, is rolling into 2010 with new client partnerships and an expanding roster of full-time team members.

13 Jan 2010

Teenage girls are not receiving HPV vaccine, says report

In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine for girls and women ages 9 to 26. As part of Cervical Cancer Awareness Month in January, experts at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center review what we have learned about this controversial vaccine in the past four years.

13 Jan 2010

FDA: Acne can affect people of all ages

"Many see their acne go away by the time they reach their 30s," says Jane Liedtka, a medical officer at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). "But for some, acne persists into their 40s and 50s."

13 Jan 2010

Standard Process offers new Post-Purification Program and Product Kits

Many people who have completed Standard Process’s Purification Program asked for ways to continue their journey toward better health and weight management after the 21-day purification program. In response, Standard Process developed and now offers its new Post-Purification Program and Product Kits.

13 Jan 2010

Study indicates public and private funding for US biomedical research has decreased substantially

The rate of increase for funding of biomedical research in the U.S. has slowed since 2005, and the level of funding from the National Institutes of Health and industry appears to have decreased by 2 percent in 2008, after adjustment for inflation, according to an article in the January 13 issue of JAMA.

13 Jan 2010

RWJF awards multi-year grants to 41 communities to reverse childhood obesity epidemic by 2015

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has awarded multi-year grants to 41 communities across the country as part of a landmark national program to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by 2015.

13 Jan 2010

Majority of doctors appear to ignore FDA warning to screen high-risk medications

A new study concludes that many doctors appear to have largely ignored a Food and Drug Administration warning to screen users of new antipsychotic drugs for high blood sugar and cholesterol, which poses risks to their health and raises questions about the efficacy of warning protocols in general.

13 Jan 2010