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Food, drugs of abuse engage same brain systems, show studies

New animal research helps explain why some eat without hunger or to excess. The studies explore the biological effects of poor eating habits, showing that high-fat diets cause lasting brain changes that may impair healthy eating. Additional studies show that food and drugs of abuse engage many of the same brain systems. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2010, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news on brain science and health.

16 Nov 2010

RBC boosting drugs may undermine breast cancer treatment with Herceptin

Red-blood-cell-boosting drugs used to treat anemia may undermine breast cancer treatment with Herceptin, a targeted therapy that blocks the cancer-promoting HER2 protein, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report in the Nov. 16 edition of Cancer Cell.

16 Nov 2010

Medicare's annual open-enrollment period starts in Idaho

Today marks an important day for roughly 15% of Idaho's population, it's the start of Medicare's annual open-enrollment period, the only time of the year beneficiaries can drop or change prescription drug and health care plans for 2011.

16 Nov 2010

RNA-based drugs may prevent premature birth: Research

Tiny molecules called microRNAs act together with hormones to control the onset of labor, raising the prospect that RNA-based drugs might be able to prevent premature labor, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered in a preclinical study.

15 Nov 2010

Researchers find additional work of oxytocin hormone

New human research suggests the chemical oxytocin dubbed the "cuddle hormone" because of its importance in bonding between romantic partners and mothers and children also influences feelings of well-being and sensitivity to advertising.

15 Nov 2010

Sangart's MP4CO receives orphan drug designation for acute pain in sickle cell disease

Sangart, Inc., a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing life-saving medicines specifically designed to enhance the perfusion and oxygenation of ischemic (oxygen deprived) tissues through targeted oxygen and other gas delivery, today announced that its investigational biopharmaceutical product, MP4CO, has been awarded orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in treating acute painful sickling crises in patients with sickle cell disease.

15 Nov 2010

No difference in risk of nonsuicide death between ziprasidone and olanzapine for schizophrenia

The potential for harmful side effects associated with anti-psychotic medications for treating schizophrenia is a frustration for mental-health professionals who must balance this with the positive benefits of drugs. For example, the issue of the antipsychotic drug ziprasidone lengthening the QTc interval, a possible indicator of life-threatening heart arrhythmias, has demanded much attention among clinicians since the drug was introduced in 2001.

15 Nov 2010

China Jo-Jo second quarter revenue increases 27.9% to $15.7 million

China Jo-Jo Drugstores, Inc., which operates retail pharmacies in the People's Republic of China, today reported financial results for the second quarter and six month period of fiscal 2011 ended September 30, 2010.

15 Nov 2010

Study analyzes neurological recovery after hypothermia treatment in cardiac arrest patients

Heart experts at Johns Hopkins say that physicians might be drawing conclusions too soon about irreversible brain damage in patients surviving cardiac arrest whose bodies were for a day initially chilled into a calming coma.

15 Nov 2010

Best ways for proper disposal of unused medicines

Patients in cities all over the country will learn tomorrow about one of the best ways to avoid today's rampant prescription drug abuse – proper disposal of unused medicines.

15 Nov 2010

Health IT reshaped veterans health; What will it do for 'mobile telephony'?

Health IT reshaped the United States system for caring for veterans, The Toronto Globe and Mail reports. "Ken Kizer is the miracle man of U.S. health care. Mr. Kizer brought in bold reform that transformed the vast and woeful Veterans Health Administration into an efficient, effective model institution with sky-high patient satisfaction. Starting in 1994, it took him five years to reduce costs and increase quality of care, while nearly doubling the number of patients."

15 Nov 2010

Study finds extensive natural recovery after spinal cord injury

A study led by researchers in the Department of Neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine shows unexpected and extensive natural recovery after spinal cord injury in primates. The findings, to be published November 14 in the advance online edition of Nature Neuroscience, may one day lead to the development of new treatments for patients with spinal cord injuries.

15 Nov 2010

Tufts University professor receives NIH Director's New Innovator Award

Joshua Kritzer, assistant professor in the School of Arts and Sciences Department of Chemistry at Tufts University, has been awarded one of 33 NIH Director's New Innovator Awards, one of the most prestigious grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health.

15 Nov 2010

ICS/LABA combination therapy increases asthma-related pharmacy cost

Researchers find inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting beta agonist (ICS/LABA) combination products are commonly used by patients with mild asthma, despite the lack of evidence or guidelines for such use.

15 Nov 2010

WHO endorses low tech, low cost, rapid test for multi-drug resistant TB

A rapid, low cost test for diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) - including multi-drug resistance - has been endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for use in resource-poor settings.

15 Nov 2010

Research may lead to new treatment options for spinal cord injuries

15 Nov 2010

State roundup: Calif. speeds ahead on health reform; Nebraska abortion provider expanding clinics; Ky. hospital merger

California has moved quickly to implement key provisions of the federal health care overhaul law, including a health benefits exchange, but the exchange and California's plans could be vulnerable as House Republicans threaten to starve the federal health program of funding.

15 Nov 2010

New findings on HIV can help validate structure-based drug design approach

The development of new drugs to treat and prevent HIV/AIDS depends on understanding the basic biology of how the virus infects human cells. For 25 years, researchers supported primarily by NIH's National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) have been generating the structures of key viral proteins, revealing important insights into the virus's mechanisms and, more importantly, its Achilles' heels.

15 Nov 2010

Drug industry: Pharmaceutical companies find ways to cope as patents expire; FDA criticized for consulting contracts

There is a simple explanation for most of the mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical world these days the so called Patent Cliff. Simply put, many of the drug industry's biggest earners blockbuster medications that have paid the bills for the last decade are about to lose their patent protections.

15 Nov 2010

Immunitor completes V5 Phase IIb imm01 clinical trial enrollment for TB

Immune Network Ltd., advises that its potential acquisition, Immunitor USA Inc., has announced the completion of enrollment in its Phase IIb imm01 clinical trial of V5 in tuberculosis.

15 Nov 2010