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Optical imaging can visualize cultured cancer cells' response to particular drug

Many cancer therapies target specific proteins that proliferate on the outside of some cancer cells, but the therapies are imperfect and the cancer does not always respond. Since it is beneficial for doctors to know as soon as possible how a cancer is affected by treatment, researchers from Vanderbilt University are striving to design tests that assess treatment response rapidly, accurately, and cost-effectively.

21 Dec 2011

Early intervention mitigates risk of substance abuse among pregnant women

A program for women at risk of substance abuse during pregnancy could save nearly $2 billion annually in health care costs if implemented nationwide, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published online in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' journal, Obstetrics & Gynecology.

21 Dec 2011

Study on how Antarctic worms survive current levels of ocean warming

Researchers at the University of Delaware are examining tiny worms that inhabit the frigid sea off Antarctica to learn not only how these organisms adapt to the severe cold, but how they will survive as ocean temperatures increase.

21 Dec 2011

Despite improvements, disparities in diagnosis and treatment of depression remain

Despite improvements to diagnostic tools and therapies in the two last decades, significant disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of depression remain, according to Rutgers research published online by the American Journal of Public Health; print, February 2012.

21 Dec 2011

CSF biomarkers can help detect early stage of Alzheimer's

Analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid can detect whether a person has Alzheimer's disease before symptoms appear. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have studied biomarkers that offer more reliable diagnosis and, in the longer term, the possibility of effective new treatments.

21 Dec 2011

UCB initiates EXXELERATE study in rheumatoid arthritis

UCB today announced the start of the EXXELERATE study which will evaluate the short- and long-term efficacy of Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) plus methotrexate (MTX) compared with that of Humira(adalimumab) plus MTX in the treatment of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The start of this study confirms previously announced plans.

21 Dec 2011

Women with breast cancer more likely to develop heart disease

Women who are at risk for breast cancer may also be at greater risk for heart disease, new research has found.

21 Dec 2011

Takeda receives FDA approval for EDARBYCLOR to treat hypertension

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc., announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved EDARBYCLOR (azilsartan medoxomil and chlorthalidone) for the treatment of hypertension to lower blood pressure in adults.

21 Dec 2011

Takeda enters agreement to acquire Intellikine

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and Intellikine, Inc. today announced that Takeda America Holdings, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Takeda, and Intellikine, a privately-held company focused on the discovery and development of innovative, small molecule drugs, have entered into an agreement for Takeda America Holdings to acquire Intellikine by cash.

21 Dec 2011

Opinion pieces address federal funding ban on domestic, global health spending for needle-exchange programs

The FY12 Appropriations Agreement recently passed by Congress includes reinstatements of bans on the domestic and international use of federal funds for needle-exchange programs, the Haiwai'i News Daily reports.

21 Dec 2011

Amgen and Watson to collaborate on biosimilar anti-cancer drugs

Amgen, the largest standalone biotechnology company, and generic drug firm Watson Pharmaceuticals will collaborate on developing biosimilar drugs for cancer.

20 Dec 2011

Over one third of youths get arrested before 23: Study

A new study published in the journal Pediatrics has shown that by age 23, up to 41 percent of American adolescents and young adults have been arrested at least once for something other than a minor traffic violation.

20 Dec 2011

Dieting and the youth of the brain may be linked: Study

Italian scientists have found that the mind can be kept young by eating less. They have discovered the molecular process by which a strict diet may save the brain from the ravages of age.

20 Dec 2011

Mental health survey shows patient woes

In a new survey of mental health patients in New South Wales it was found that many have struggled to gain access to a doctor. The state's Ministry of Health paid for the survey by an advocacy body, the NSW Consumer Advisory Group - Mental Health Inc. The group questioned 3,500 patients for the survey and will hand the results of the Action and Change in NSW Mental Health Services report to the State Government.

20 Dec 2011

Drug prices may fall by up to 82 percent in Australia

There is good news for patients who regularly take drugs for conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. The prices of these medicines in Australia could be reduced sharply from next year.

20 Dec 2011

WHO approves three Mylan ARV therapies to treat HIV/AIDS

Mylan Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Mylan Laboratories Limited has received approval for three antiretroviral (ARV) therapies used to treat HIV/AIDS under the World Health Organization's (WHO) Prequalification of Medicines Programme. The products include:

20 Dec 2011

Immunosuppressant combination improves survival of human spinal stem cells in ALS rat model

A team of researchers grafting human spinal stem cells into rats modeled with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," a degenerative, lethal, neuromuscular disease, have tested four different immunosuppressive protocols aimed at determining which regimen improved long-term therapeutic effects.

20 Dec 2011

SCYNEXIS, MMV assemble Malaria Box of 400 compounds with antimalarial activity

In a bid to catalyse malaria and neglected disease drug discovery, MMV and SCYNEXIS, Inc. have assembled a Malaria Box of 400 carefully selected commercially available compounds with antimalarial activity and will provide it to researchers at no cost.

20 Dec 2011

EETs may also drive growth and spread of cancer

A group of small molecules called EETs - currently under scrutiny as possible treatment targets for a host of cardiovascular diseases - may also drive the growth and spread of cancer, according to researchers at the Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center (DF/CHCC) and other institutions.

20 Dec 2011

Hebrew University student wins Kaye Innovation Award for anti-cancer therapy

A strategy for inhibiting a protein that is associated with the spread of cancer has won for a Hebrew University of Jerusalem Ph.D. student in chemistry one of this year's Kaye Innovation Awards at the university.

20 Dec 2011