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Unigene Laboratories selects UGP281 lead peptide from obesity program for development

Unigene Laboratories, Inc. (http://www.unigene.com) announced today that it has selected a lead peptide compound, designated UGP281, from its obesity program for development.

18 Dec 2009

Genetic variant associated with reduced risk of COPD

What: Researchers have discovered evidence that suggests a genetic variant may be associated with better preserved lung function among children with asthma and adults who smoke, according to a new study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health.

18 Dec 2009

Link between ill-health and retirement age varies across European countries

A study of the impact of health "shocks" on the decision of individuals to retire early found that for men, rapidly deteriorating health had the largest impact in Ireland, Portugal, Greece and Spain.

18 Dec 2009

APHS: Senate needs to move quickly on health reform and reduce death and disability in the US

The American Public Health Association today urged the Senate to move quickly on health reform and advance the measure to conference with the House.

17 Dec 2009

Also in Global Health news: Hospital births in Guinea-Bissau; drought in E. Africa; drug-resistant malaria; U.S. response to H1N1

IRIN examines the increase in the number of women giving birth in hospital settings rather than delivery by a traditional birth attendant - a behavior that health officials hope will lead to a drop in the country's maternal mortality rate. "According to UNFPA, 38 percent of women gave birth in a hospital in 2009, up from 29 percent in 2003," the news service writes.

17 Dec 2009

Shift working may accelerate metabolic syndrome

Shift work exposures can accelerate metabolic syndrome (MetS) development among the large population of middle-aged males with elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (e-ALT) is a common abnormality of health examinations in middle-aged working populations.

17 Dec 2009

La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology awarded $18.8M NIH grant for infectious diseases study

Researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology will take aim at several of the world's most dangerous infectious diseases - tuberculosis, malaria and dengue virus -- in a five-year, $18.8 million federally-funded set of projects seeking to make new inroads toward vaccines against the disorders.

17 Dec 2009

Promising breakthrough in adjuvant development may lead to cost-effective therapeutic vaccines

It should be possible to use therapeutic vaccines to create both cheap and effective drugs for diseases like cancer and allergies. One problem in developing such vaccines has previously been the lack of adjuvants, substances that make vaccines more effective. However, there has now been a major breakthrough in this area. The study, led by Swedish scientists at Uppsala University, is published in the December issue of the journal Vaccine.

17 Dec 2009

Santa Claus: A public health pariah?

Santa should share Rudolf's snack of carrots and celery sticks rather than brandy and mince pies and swap his reindeer for a bike or walk, says a public health expert in the Christmas issue published on bmj.com today.

17 Dec 2009

Pregnant and breastfeeding women exposed to workplace hazards

A new study shows the employment and sociodemographic characteristics involved in the exposure of pregnant women to workplace hazards. Of these, 56% say they often work standing up or have to lift heavy objects, 63% are exposed to workplace stress and 62% say they are frequently exposed to some physical risk in their place of work.

17 Dec 2009

Health Research Institute presents top 10 issues in the upcoming year

PricewaterhouseCoopers' Health Research Institute's Top 10 Health Industry Issues in 2010, puts healthcare cost control at the head of the list as the overarching theme for the year ahead.

17 Dec 2009

MRG: Chinese drug-eluting stent market to reach more than $900 million by 2014

According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), the global authority on medical technology market intelligence, health care reforms in China supported rapid expansion of the Chinese drug-eluting stent market in 2009, and will continue to fuel growth in the coming years.

17 Dec 2009

New licensing agreement to develop and commercialize prophylactic vaccine against MRSA signed

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group, announced today that it has entered into an exclusive, world-wide licensing agreement with Syntiron to develop and commercialize its prophylactic vaccine against Staphylococcus, including Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA.

17 Dec 2009

Arizona State University and Mayo Clinic team up to explore metabolic syndrome

Arizona State University and Mayo Clinic in Arizona are joining forces in a partnership to investigate metabolic syndrome - a cluster of high-risk medical factors that include increased blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, excess body fat and abnormal cholesterol levels, which can lead to heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

16 Dec 2009

New study to evaluate the effectiveness of H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines in pregnant women conducted

Abt Associates will conduct a study for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to evaluate the effectiveness of the H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines among pregnant women, one of the high risk populations identified by CDC.

16 Dec 2009

States battle budget cuts and recession

Houston Chronicle: "Texas scores high in emergency preparedness during a time when many other states are suffering cuts in state and federal public health funding and losses in medical staff, according to the Ready or Not? report, sponsored by Trust for America's Health, a disease prevention advocacy group, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation." But, economic turmoil has led to a "nationwide backslide in overall emergency preparedness" (Burton, 12/15).

16 Dec 2009

Lieberman assures Democrats of his support but ties with party are fraying

The Wall Street Journal reports that Lieberman's "use of his swing vote to help quash a proposed expansion of Medicare marked the latest act in his deteriorating relationship with the Democratic Party. Cheered nine years ago by Democrats as their vice-presidential nominee, Mr. Lieberman later left the party and now is an object of vilification among many in the party's base because of his positions on health care."

16 Dec 2009

Awareness increase program of HIV/AIDS patients on ADAP waiting lists

In response to the growing number of HIV/AIDS patients on AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) waiting lists, the National Minority AIDS Council and the Flowers Heritage Foundation have joined forces to increase awareness of Bridge the Gap, a unique program that provides medication for people currently waiting for ADAP enrollment.

16 Dec 2009

Advanced Life Sciences Holdings' Restanza promising against tularemia

Advanced Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: ADLS), today announced positive top-line results from a pivotal, non-human primate study of its novel, once-a-day, oral antibiotic Restanza(TM) (cethromycin) against an inhaled lethal dose of tularemia. A 14-day course of Restanza achieved a 100% survival rate at the doses tested. All of the ten animals in the study that received 16 mg/kg once-a-day of Restanza (approximate to a human dose of 300 mg) within 24 hours after exposure to a lethal dose of inhaled tularemia survived while only one of the ten animals that received placebo survived.

16 Dec 2009

Walgreens offers H1N1 vaccine in 27 states

Walgreens, the nation’s largest drugstore chain and an industry leader with more than 17,000 certified or licensed immunizers, today announced it is offering H1N1 vaccine at more than 1,500 Walgreens pharmacies and select Take Care Clinics in 27 states, as well as the District of Columbia.

16 Dec 2009

Public Health News and Research

Unigene Laboratories selects UGP281 lead peptide from obesity program for development

Genetic variant associated with reduced risk of COPD

Link between ill-health and retirement age varies across European countries

APHS: Senate needs to move quickly on health reform and reduce death and disability in the US

Also in Global Health news: Hospital births in Guinea-Bissau; drought in E. Africa; drug-resistant malaria; U.S. response to H1N1

Shift working may accelerate metabolic syndrome

La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology awarded $18.8M NIH grant for infectious diseases study

Promising breakthrough in adjuvant development may lead to cost-effective therapeutic vaccines

Santa Claus: A public health pariah?

Pregnant and breastfeeding women exposed to workplace hazards

Health Research Institute presents top 10 issues in the upcoming year

MRG: Chinese drug-eluting stent market to reach more than $900 million by 2014

New licensing agreement to develop and commercialize prophylactic vaccine against MRSA signed

Arizona State University and Mayo Clinic team up to explore metabolic syndrome

New study to evaluate the effectiveness of H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines in pregnant women conducted

States battle budget cuts and recession

Lieberman assures Democrats of his support but ties with party are fraying

Awareness increase program of HIV/AIDS patients on ADAP waiting lists

Advanced Life Sciences Holdings' Restanza promising against tularemia

Walgreens offers H1N1 vaccine in 27 states

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