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Study shows how to defeat chemotherapy barrier in pancreatic cancer

Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) have discovered a literal 'break through' in pancreatic cancer.

21 Mar 2012

Roundup: States face new revenue downturn; Calif. county has disparities in life expectancy

Revenues in most U.S. states increased in the fourth quarter of 2011, but their recent surge is tapering off, as they grew just 2.7 percent from the final quarter of 2010, according to a report released on Monday. "This is a noticeable slowdown from the 11.1 (percent) and 6.1 percent year-over-year growth reported in the second and third quarters of 2011, respectively," the Rockefeller Institute, a think tank that closely watches states' revenues, said in the report.

21 Mar 2012

CNN examines nodding disease among children in Northern Uganda

CNN examines nodding disease, a seizure disorder that has affected at least 3,000 children in Northern Uganda, as well as children in Liberia, Sudan, and Tanzania.

21 Mar 2012

PEGPH20 enzyme re-expands insides of blood vessels to allow more drugs to reach tumours

Cancer Research UK scientists have shown that an enzyme can re-expand the insides of blood vessels allowing more drugs and large antibody molecules to reach pancreatic tumours, according to research published in GUT today.

21 Mar 2012

DIAN-TTU to receive $4.2M Alzheimer's Association research grant

The Alzheimer's Association announced today the awarding of its largest ever research grant – nearly $4.2 million dollars over four years – to the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Network–Therapeutic Trials Unit (DIAN-TTU), based at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, to enable the program to move forward more quickly with innovative drug and biomarker trials in people with genetically-based, young-onset Alzheimer's disease.

21 Mar 2012

Alzheimer's Association awards $4.2M grant to DIAN-Therapeutic Trials Unit

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has received nearly $4.2 million from the Alzheimer's Association to accelerate the launch of the first clinical trials to prevent the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

21 Mar 2012

FKBP52 may prevent hyperphosphorylation of pathogenic Tau protein

New research in humans published today reveals that the so-called FKBP52 protein may prevent the Tau protein from turning pathogenic. This may prove significant for the development of new Alzheimer's drugs and for detecting the disease before the onset of clinical symptoms.

21 Mar 2012

Factors that increase the possibility of having migraines

A migraine is the most common type of headache that propels patients to seek care from their doctors. Roughly 30 million Americans suffer from migraine headaches, with women affected almost three times more often than men, according to statistics from the National Headache Foundation in Chicago.

21 Mar 2012

Closer to effective screening for TB

An Australian scientist will bring effective screening for tuberculosis a step closer with his latest study in Vietnam- where he now lives and works.

21 Mar 2012

Common pain relievers could cause hypertension

Diseases such as kidney failure and endocrine tumors are among the suspects causing high blood pressure - but could the common pain relievers in your medicine cabinet be the culprit? According to Prof. Ehud Grossman of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Sheba Medical Center, many common over-the-counter and prescription medications are underlying causes of hypertension, which is a major risk factor for stroke, heart attack, and aneurisms.

21 Mar 2012

Curcumin can help prevent clumping of proteins in Parkinson's

Curcumin, a compound found in the spice turmeric, is proving effective at preventing clumping of a protein involved in Parkinson's disease, says a Michigan State University researcher.

21 Mar 2012

New drug makes chemotherapy more effective in treating acute myeloid leukemia

Doctors at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that a new drug makes chemotherapy more effective in treating acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells. Instead of attacking these cells directly, the drug helps drive them out of the bone marrow and into the bloodstream, where they are more vulnerable to chemotherapy.

21 Mar 2012

Study tests new method of sound simulation for treating tinnitus

A new clinical trial is to test whether a pocket-sized device that uses sound simulation to reboot faulty 'wiring' in the brain could cure people with the debilitating hearing disorder tinnitus.

21 Mar 2012

Lexicon receives FDA Orphan Drug designation for telotristat etiprate to treat carcinoid syndrome

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted its request for Orphan Drug designation for telotristat etiprate (LX1032) for the treatment of carcinoid syndrome.

21 Mar 2012

Indian patent court licenses generic copy of Bayer’s blockbuster anticancer drug

Last week an Indian patent court shocked the $600 billion global pharmaceutical business by ordering Bayer, the German health care giant, to allow a tiny Indian generic drug company to sell cheap copies of the blockbuster cancer drug Nexavar – even though everyone agrees that the drug is protected by a patent. Instead, the court decided that Bayer had an obligation to make Nexavar available to people in India who needed it.

20 Mar 2012

Synthetic marijuana use among teenagers raises concerns

According to reports three U.S. teenagers ended up in the emergency department with altered mental states and seriously elevated heart rates after smoking synthetic marijuana.

20 Mar 2012

“Meth” babies more at risk of behavioral problems: Study

A new study shows methamphetamine's potential lasting behavioral effects on kids of mothers who used meth during pregnancy. The behavior differences — anxiety, depression, moodiness — weren't huge, but lead researcher Linda LaGasse called them “very worrisome.”

20 Mar 2012

First Edition: March 20, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about the new GOP budget proposal, to be unveiled today by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis.

20 Mar 2012

Ampio receives U.S. patent allowance for lead drug Ampion

Ampio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company conducting clinical trials on its three lead drugs, licensing distribution of these drugs and engaged in further drug development, today announced that it has received notice of allowance from the US Patent Office of an additional patent that complements and expands its anti inflammatory patent portfolio for its lead drug Ampion.

20 Mar 2012

Chemists produce first high resolution structure of HCV viral RNA-inhibitor complex

Chemists at the University of California, San Diego have produced the first high resolution structure of a molecule that when attached to the genetic material of the hepatitis C virus prevents it from reproducing.

20 Mar 2012