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Number of kidney cancer cases rises over 9,000 in Great Britain

The number of cases of kidney cancer diagnosed each year in Great Britain has risen over 9,000 for the first time, new figures from Cancer Research UK show today.

31 Mar 2012

Revitalized Stop Bullying website

Building on the momentum the Obama administration started more than a year ago to stop bullying in schools and communities, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Education Secretary Arne Duncan today unveiled a revitalized Stop Bullying website- www.stopbullying.gov - to encourage children, parents, educators, and communities to take action to stop and prevent bullying.

31 Mar 2012

Nmnat enzyme plays a critical role in nerve injury

A new animal model of nerve injury has brought to light a critical role of an enzyme called Nmnat in nerve fiber maintenance and neuroprotection.

31 Mar 2012

Unapproved, misbranded drug products seized in Missouri

Dara Corrigan, associate commissioner for regulatory affairs for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and David M. Ketchmark, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that U.S. Marshals have seized drugs being held by Notions-n-Things Distribution of Bogard, Mo. Yesterday's seizure follows a civil forfeiture complaint that was filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo.

30 Mar 2012

USAID NTD Program funding cut by nearly 25% in proposed FY13 budget

"The United States Government has played a major role in ensuring that patients with certain [neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)] receive urgently needed treatments through the [USAID] NTD Program, while simultaneously being the largest funder of basic research for NTDs through the National Institutes of Health,"

30 Mar 2012

Physicians advised to use caution in prescribing sedatives for patients taking opioids

Adverse events associated with taking opioid pain medications increase in patients who concurrently use sedatives and alcohol. A study in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society, advises physicians to use caution in prescribing sedatives for patients taking opioids, even if there is no history of substance abuse.

30 Mar 2012

Small electrical sensors can quickly detect MRSA infection

A simple test to identify MRSA in wounds could identify the superbug quickly and help prevent infection from spreading.

30 Mar 2012

Split Ariz. Republicans stall birth control bill; Kansas advances 'conscience' protections

A split in the Republican party between moderates and conservatives has stalled a birth control bill aimed at allowing employers to opt out of covering contraception in their health plans.

30 Mar 2012

Health workers feeling effects of staff, supply shortages at clinics in southwestern Uganda

Health workers with Medical Teams International, a medical non-governmental organization, "say they are overwhelmed" by high demand at five health clinics in two southwestern Ugandan refugee centers, PlusNews reports.

30 Mar 2012

Researchers discover MicroRNAs as new switch of adipose cell development

Hunger has always threatened mankind. This makes it unsurprising that human bodies attempt to store all surplus nourishment in adipose tissue. In developed countries, this life-saving craving is turning into a problem and obesity—adiposity—is turning into a danger. Why, though, does excess fat the body ill? How does fat trigger diabetes? And can these superfluous fat reserves be turned into warmth and just as well burnt?

30 Mar 2012

Scientists identify potential drug target for mixed lineage leukaemia

Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered a promising new approach to treat a type of myeloid leukaemia - a cancer with limited treatment options and relatively poor survival, according to research published in Cancer Cell today.

30 Mar 2012

Avian and swine flu viruses hijack genetic regulators during human infection

Researchers at the University of British Columbia have identified a number of tiny but powerful "genetic regulators" that are hijacked by avian and swine flu viruses during human infection.

29 Mar 2012

CRT, EIF create £50M Cancer Research Technology Pioneer Fund

Cancer Research Technology, (CRT) Cancer Research UK's commercial arm, and the European Investment Fund (EIF) have joined together to create a £50M investment fund to bridge the funding gap in the UK between cancer drug discovery and early development.

29 Mar 2012

FDA extends review period for Almirall and Forest Labs' aclidinium bromide NDA

Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Almirall, S.A. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will require a three-month extension to complete its review of the data supporting the New Drug Application (NDA) for aclidinium bromide, a new long-acting antimuscarinic for the maintenance treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

29 Mar 2012

New technique could restore fertility of boys undergoing cancer treatment

Treatments for childhood cancers are increasingly successful with cure rates approaching 80%, but success often comes with a downside for the surviving men: the cancer treatments they received as boys can leave them sterile as adults. Now, a research team led by Ralph Brinster of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine has completed a 14-year experiment that gives hope for a technique that could restore their fertility.

29 Mar 2012

UTHealth, PLx Pharma to test phosphatidylcholine-enriched version of indomethacin in PDA model

PLx Pharma Inc, a Houston-based pharmaceutical company developing a medical discovery made at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School, has been awarded $565,449 for the first year of a potential two-year $1,118,398 grant to conduct research designed to enhance a treatment for premature babies with a common congenital heart defect.

29 Mar 2012

Hawthorn and Cypress settle Medicaid fraud lawsuit

Hawthorn Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its parent company, Cypress Pharmaceutical Inc., have paid the federal government and certain states a total of $2.8 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit filed by Phillips & Cohen LLP that alleged Hawthorn falsely marketed unapproved prescription drugs as being eligible for reimbursement by Medicaid and other government health care programs.

29 Mar 2012

Biochemists determine atomic structure of new ABC transporter

Proteins belonging to the large and important family of ABC transporters have been associated with metabolic diseases and can cause resistance to antibiotics. Biochemists from the University of Zurich and the NCCR Structural Biology have succeeded in determining the atomic structure of a new ABC transporter. The insights gained could give rise to new therapies to treat multi-resistant bacteria, cystic fibrosis or gout, for instance.

29 Mar 2012

Broad Institute, Novartis develop cancer cell line encyclopedia

Novartis and the Broad Institute have developed a cancer cell line encyclopedia that catalogues the genetic and molecular profiles of almost 1,000 human cancer cell lines used in drug research and development. Results of the collaboration, published in the journal Nature and released in advance online today, may allow scientists around the world to use this information to improve cancer clinical trial design and further cancer research.

29 Mar 2012

New treatment approach halts spread of cancer cells into normal brain tissue

Treating invasive brain tumors with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation has improved clinical outcomes, but few patients survive longer than two years after diagnosis. The effectiveness of the treatment is limited by the tumor's aggressive invasion of healthy brain tissue, which restricts chemotherapy access to the cancer cells and complicates surgical removal of the tumor.

29 Mar 2012