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Research: Whole genome sequencing on tumors can treat pancreatic cancer

Whole genome sequencing - spelling out a person's entire DNA genetic code - has moved one step closer to being a medical option for direct patient care.

16 Feb 2011

New Rush clinic brings trained clinicians to care for patients with pulmonary hypertension

Cardiologists and pulmonologists at Rush University Medical Center have teamed up to provide a new and better approach to treating patients with pulmonary hypertension, a disease affecting the heart and lungs. The new Rush Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic brings together a multidisciplinary team of clinicians with specialized training to care for patients with this very complex disease.

16 Feb 2011

Also in global health news: Gates Foundation global health head to step down; drug, medical supply shortages in Gaza; food security in N. Korea

Tachi Yamada, president of the global health program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, on Monday announced he would step down in June after five years serving in the position, the Associated Press/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.

16 Feb 2011

GAVI chair calls for greater reductions in vaccine prices for developing countries

On Monday, the same day the GAVI Alliance helped oversee the roll out of a routine pneumococcal vaccine in Kenya, GAVI chairman Dagfinn Hoybraten highlighted the need for greater reductions in vaccine prices in developing countries during an interview with Reuters, the news service reports. The piece examines the funding mechanism in place to finance the pneumococcal vaccines, known as Advance Market Commitment (AMC), as well as the budget shortfall facing the group (Kelland, 2/14).

16 Feb 2011

AHF condemns budget move by House Republicans for global AIDS programs

AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which provides AIDS medical care and services to more than 152,000 individuals in 26 countries worldwide, today strongly condemned a move by House Republicans, who on Friday proposed slashing President Obama's 2011 funding for global AIDS programs by $813 million.

16 Feb 2011

Medicare pay cut for docs already drawing fire

Critics said the method used in the budget blueprint would cause serious problems. But some news reports indicate the inclusion of this Medicare "doc fix" would help build support within the physician community for the president's health care agenda.

16 Feb 2011

Genetic proof for anti-cancer properties of antioxidants and autophagy inhibitors

Researchers from Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center have genetic evidence suggesting the antioxidant drugs currently used to treat lung disease, malaria and even the common cold can also help prevent and treat cancers because they fight against mitochondrial oxidative stress-a culprit in driving tumor growth.

16 Feb 2011

Study finds worse outcomes in workers undergoing spinal fusion surgery

For workers' compensation patients with chronic low back pain, spinal fusion surgery leads to worse long-term outcomes—including a lower rate of return to work—compared to nonsurgical treatment, suggests a study in the February 15th issue of Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

16 Feb 2011

New study confirms effectiveness of inhaled epinephrine to treat croup

For more than 30 years, pediatricians have treated children who have croup with inhaled epinephrine to relieve their symptoms quickly. Now, a new review confirms the value of this approach to treat this common respiratory illness, which sometimes turns serious and - in rare instances - can prove fatal.

16 Feb 2011

BCVI offers multidisciplinary approach to treat patients with atrial fibrillation

More than 2.6 million Americans suffer from atrial fibrillation —an erratic heartbeat. If left untreated, the condition can lead to stroke or heart failure. For three decades, 58 year old David Ryan was one of the millions of Americans suffering from the disease.

16 Feb 2011

Pfenex enters strategic agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim for use of Expression Technology

Pfenex Inc., an industry leader in protein expression through the Pfenex Expression Technology platform and Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, a leading pharmaceutical company and global leader in biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacture, announced today that they have entered into a strategic agreement.

16 Feb 2011

Budget pushes health law implementation, provides some limited — but not easy — increases

However, news outlets report that funding gains within the Department of Health and Human Services come at a steep price.

16 Feb 2011

Researchers identify cell of origin for sarcoma

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University Doernbecher Children's Hospital have defined the cell of origin for a kind of cancer called sarcoma. In a study published today as the Featured Article in the journal Cancer Cell, they report that childhood and adult sarcomas are linked in their biology, mutations and the cells from which these tumors first start.

16 Feb 2011

Study: Overexpression of EZH2 protein promotes breast cancer progression

An essential protein for normal stem cell renewal also promotes the growth of breast cancer stem cells when it's overproduced in those cells, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report in the February edition of Cancer Cell.

16 Feb 2011

Bisphosphonates appear to reduce risk of postmenopausal colorectal cancer by 50%

An international team of researchers has found that the use of bisphosphonates - drugs already taken by millions of healthy women to prevent bone-loss - for more than one year was associated with a 50 percent reduction in the risk of postmenopausal colorectal cancer. The results were published this week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

15 Feb 2011

Men going bald at young age more likely to develop prostate cancer in later life

Men who start to lose hair at the age of 20 are more likely to develop prostate cancer in later life and might benefit from screening for the disease, according to a new study published online in the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology today.

15 Feb 2011

Efficacy of zinc in common cold - Review of clinical trials

A new study has added to the existing literature that debates the role of zinc in combating the common cold. It suggests that the supplement might modestly reduce cold duration and severity or maybe even prevent it. The report was published as a Cochrane Review.

15 Feb 2011

First Edition: February 15, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about the health portion of the President's budget blueprint along with the politics that accompany it.

15 Feb 2011

ITM research provides deep insight into interactions between HIV virus and human cells

Over the years, the AIDS virus has increasingly adapted itself to humans. This is shown by the research of Youssef Gali at the Institute of Tropical Medicine.

15 Feb 2011

EMBL scientists reveal new insights into bacterial enzymes that causes tuberculosis

In a paper published today in PNAS, scientists from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Hamburg, Germany, reveal new insights into the workings of enzymes from a group of bacteria including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis.

15 Feb 2011

Drugs News and Research

Research: Whole genome sequencing on tumors can treat pancreatic cancer

New Rush clinic brings trained clinicians to care for patients with pulmonary hypertension

Also in global health news: Gates Foundation global health head to step down; drug, medical supply shortages in Gaza; food security in N. Korea

GAVI chair calls for greater reductions in vaccine prices for developing countries

AHF condemns budget move by House Republicans for global AIDS programs

Medicare pay cut for docs already drawing fire

Genetic proof for anti-cancer properties of antioxidants and autophagy inhibitors

Study finds worse outcomes in workers undergoing spinal fusion surgery

New study confirms effectiveness of inhaled epinephrine to treat croup

BCVI offers multidisciplinary approach to treat patients with atrial fibrillation

Pfenex enters strategic agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim for use of Expression Technology

Budget pushes health law implementation, provides some limited — but not easy — increases

Researchers identify cell of origin for sarcoma

Study: Overexpression of EZH2 protein promotes breast cancer progression

Bisphosphonates appear to reduce risk of postmenopausal colorectal cancer by 50%

Men going bald at young age more likely to develop prostate cancer in later life

Efficacy of zinc in common cold - Review of clinical trials

First Edition: February 15, 2011

ITM research provides deep insight into interactions between HIV virus and human cells

EMBL scientists reveal new insights into bacterial enzymes that causes tuberculosis

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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