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New study: Enzyme that metabolizes vitamin D can predict lung cancer survival

Recent research suggests vitamin D may be able to stop or prevent cancer. Now, a new study finds an enzyme that plays a role in metabolizing vitamin D can predict lung cancer survival.

1 Mar 2011

High blood pressure medications useful even in those without hypertension: Study

Researchers have studied existing evidence to suggest that people who have had a stroke or a heart attack might benefit from taking blood pressure medications, even if they do not have high blood. They noted that for every 1,000 people taking the drugs in clinical trials, on average 15 fewer died from heart disease than when the patients got dummy treatment. The study however could not explain the cause for this benefit. The study, which was funded by Tulane University and the National Institutes of Health, was published in the March 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

1 Mar 2011

New drug approved for COPD by the FDA

The U.S. FDA has approved a new treatment for people with worsening symptoms of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD affects smokers and the elderly and leads to severe difficulty in breathing, chronic cough and excessive mucus production. An exacerbation can last up to several weeks and result in a decline in lung function and increased risk of death, and it may be associated with severe anxiety, the FDA says.

1 Mar 2011

Fake pot now illegal in U.S.

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1 Mar 2011

New therapeutic strategy improves superior renal function after kidney transplantation

Researchers at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, together with 16 other transplant centers in Germany and Switzerland successfully tested a new therapeutic strategy that allows for superior renal function after kidney transplantation. The results were published online in the journal "The Lancet".

1 Mar 2011

Star-Ledger examines Tibotec's agreement with generic drug makers on experimental HIV/AIDS treatment

In a piece on the move by drug manufacturer Tibotec Pharmaceuticals to grant licenses to generic manufacturers in India and South Africa to create copies of its experimental HIV/AIDS drug, the New Jersey Star-Ledger examines why drug companies are particularly focused on expanding their reach in sub-Saharan Africa.

1 Mar 2011

Chromosomally unstable bowel cancer cells more resistant to chemotherapy treatments, targeted drugs

Cancer Research UK scientists have made an important step towards developing personalised bowel cancer treatment by identifying which tumours are more likely to become drug resistant, according to research published in Cancer Research today.

1 Mar 2011

Gut bacteria could exert control over metabolic functions of other organs

Bacteria in the human gut may not just be helping digest food but also could be exerting some level of control over the metabolic functions of other organs, like the liver, according to research published this week in the online journal mBio-. These findings offer new understanding of the symbiotic relationship between humans and their gut microbes and how changes to the microbiota can impact overall health.

1 Mar 2011

Santaris licenses miR-33 from MGH to treat cardiovascular disorders

Santaris Pharma A/S, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the research and development of mRNA and microRNA targeted therapies, today announced that the Company has obtained an exclusive license from Massachusetts General Hospital for intellectual property related to the regulation of miR-33 for the treatment of cardiovascular disorders.

1 Mar 2011

Brain's reward/motivation circuits linked to compulsive overeating

A brain imaging study at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory reveals a subtle difference between ordinary obese subjects and those who compulsively overeat, or binge: In binge eaters but not ordinary obese subjects, the mere sight or smell of favorite foods triggers a spike in dopamine - a brain chemical linked to reward and motivation.

1 Mar 2011

Dermatan sulfate holds potential as an additional biomarker for Sanfilippo disease

Sanfilippo disease is a rare disorder caused by the failure of enzymes to break down specific kinds of complex carbohydrates, resulting in their accumulation in cells and often severe physical and neurological problems - and sometimes early death.

1 Mar 2011

HP announces innovative drug research application for its inkjet technology

HP today announced an innovative drug research application for its inkjet technology that enables pharmaceutical companies to more efficiently develop better drugs through vastly more precise dispensing of dosages.

1 Mar 2011

Researcher identifies substance that inhibits cancer growth by activating 'dark genome'

A research study coordinated by Manel Esteller, researcher at Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) has identified a substance that inhibits cancer growth by activating the so‑called "dark genome" (or non‑coding DNA) and micro‑RNA molecules. The study appears this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

1 Mar 2011

Cancer drug may help combat flu

Ever get a flu shot and still get the flu? If so, there's new hope for flu-free winters in the years to come thanks to a new discovery by researchers who found that a drug called DMXAA, originally developed as anti-tumor agent, enhances the ability of flu vaccines to ward off this deadly virus.

1 Mar 2011

Research uncovers new details about protein interactions in retina

Science fiction novelist and scholar Issac Asimov once said, "The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny.' " This recently rang true for an international team of researchers when they observed something they did not expect.

1 Mar 2011

Social networking websites can increase risky sexual behaviors in homeless youth: New study

A new UCLA AIDS Institute study suggests that the use of social networking websites by homeless youth can lead to an increase in risky sexual behaviors. But interestingly, homeless kids who used these sites were also more likely to have been tested for sexually transmitted infections and to be better informed about preventing such infections and HIV.

1 Mar 2011

Two genes linked to binge drinking

University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers have identified two genes associated with binge drinking that may open doors to new, more effective treatments for excessive alcohol drinking. The scientists found that manipulating two receptors in the brain, GABA receptors and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), "caused profound reduction" of binge drinking for two weeks in rodents that had been bred and trained to drink excessively. The study was published online the week of Feb. 28 in the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

1 Mar 2011

HHS awards two contracts to accelerate flu vaccine availability

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded two contracts today to help make vaccine available more quickly for seasonal flu outbreaks and pandemics. The contracts for advanced development of new types of vaccine and new ways to make flu vaccine known as next-generation recombinant influenza vaccine total $215 million.

28 Feb 2011

Mindray Medical enters agreement to acquire controlling stake of Shenke

Mindray Medical International Limited, a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices worldwide, announced today an agreement to acquire a controlling stake of Shenzhen Shenke Medical Instrument Technical Development Co. Ltd. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed as the transaction is non-material to Mindray's financial statements.

From Mindray 28 Feb 2011

EPO grants three core patents to caprotec's CCMS technology

caprotec bioanalytics GmbH announced today that the European Patent Office has granted the last of three core patents protecting its proprietary and revolutionary Capture Compound Mass Spectrometry technology.

28 Feb 2011