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Rate of small bowel biopsy is low in the U.S.

Under-performance of small bowel biopsy during endoscopy may be a major reason that celiac disease remains underdiagnosed in the United States, according to a new study published online recently in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

30 Jun 2012

Association between SCC and cutaneous HPV types

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues at the University of South Florida, the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, conducted a case control study and found associations between having antibodies to certain types of cutaneous human papillomavirus (HPV) and a kind of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

29 Jun 2012

HIV therapy: Interview with Joël Crouzet, CEO of InnaVirVax

HIV therapy has traditionally been associated with antiretrovirals, which considerably reduce the amount of virus present in the blood to nearly undetectable levels.

29 Jun 2012

Lexicon announces results from two initial trials of LX4211 for type 2 diabetes

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the publication of results from two initial trials of LX4211 in patients with type 2 diabetes in the online edition of the journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics.

29 Jun 2012

Researchers develop first real-time, brain-scanning speller

Researchers have come up with a device that may enable people who are completely unable to speak or move at all to nevertheless manage unscripted back-and-forth conversation. The key to such silent and still communication is the first real-time, brain-scanning speller, according to the report published online on June 28 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication.

29 Jun 2012

Researchers identify genes that influence degeneration of the hippocampus

In a genome-wide association (GWA) study, researchers from Boston University Schools of Medicine (BUSM) and Public Health (BUSPH) have identified several genes which influence degeneration of the hippocampus, the part of the brain most associated with Alzheimer disease (AD).

29 Jun 2012

Ovarian grafts can produce hormones for more than 7 years

Transplanting previously frozen ovarian tissue back into female cancer survivors can lead to long-term hormonal function and preservation of fertility, according to a new study by Samuel Kim from the University of Kansas Medical Center in the US. His work-, which shows that hormonal function was restored in five women 12-20 weeks after transplantation, and in one case lasted for more than seven years, appears online in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics-, published by Springer.

29 Jun 2012

Once-daily pill for HIV is a safe and effective alternative to traditional antiretroviral regimens

A new once-daily pill combining three antiretrovirals and a booster molecule is a safe and effective alternative to two widely used drug regimens for newly diagnosed HIV-positive adults who have had no previous treatment. The findings of two large international randomised trials published in this week’s Lancet also indicate that the new “Quad” pill is faster acting, doesn’t have the neuropsychiatric side effects associated with other combinations, and could improve compliance with treatment.

29 Jun 2012

New drug for Type 2 diabetes results in less hypoglycaemia, less weight gain and perhaps less cardiovascular risk for patients

A new drug could offer significant advantages over existing treatments for Type 2 diabetes patients who don’t respond to metformin, the most commonly prescribed initial drug treatment for the disease. The new drug, linagliptin, results in significantly less weight gain than the most common second-line treatments currently used, and may even carry a smaller risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke, according to an Article published Online First in The Lancet.

29 Jun 2012

Sinai Hospital begins to use Solitaire FR device for treatment of acute stroke

Sinai Hospital has begun use of a new device that provides timely live-saving treatment for acute stroke patients. The Solitaire FR revascularization device is designed to minimize damage caused by blockage of an artery to the brain by mechanically removing blood clots and restoring blood flow.

29 Jun 2012

Medifast to open first Rochester Weight Loss Center in July 2012

Medifast, the fast-growing weight loss system in Minnesota, is pleased to announce the opening of its first Rochester, MN Weight Loss Center in July 2012. The newest Medifast Weight Control Center will be conveniently located at 2048 Superior Dr NW, Suite 300 Rochester, MN 55901

29 Jun 2012

Astellas Pharma receives FDA approval for Myrbetriq to treat overactive bladder

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Myrbetriq (mirabegron) to treat adults with overactive bladder, a condition in which the bladder muscle cannot be controlled, squeezes too often or squeezes without warning.

29 Jun 2012

Social interactions during adolescence can affect health many years into adulthood

Social interactions during adolescence can affect health many years into adulthood, according to research published in the open access journal PLoS ONE.

29 Jun 2012

Gilead submits cobicistat NDA with FDA for treatment of HIV

Gilead Sciences, Inc. announced today it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing approval of cobicistat, a pharmacoenhancing or "boosting" agent that increases blood levels of certain commercially available protease inhibitors, including atazanavir and darunavir, in order to enable once-daily dosing.

29 Jun 2012

Ozone concerns aired over effect on cardiac biomarkers

Exposure to ozone for as little as 2 hours could induce physiologic changes associated with cardiovascular disease, say researchers.

28 Jun 2012

Why our eyes are bigger than our stomachs

Viewing images of high-calorie foods can trigger hunger cravings, suggests research presented at the Endocrinology Society’s annual meeting ENDO 2012 in Houston, Texas, USA.

28 Jun 2012

AHF urges Gilead to set initial price on latest HIV/AIDS drug combination

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) announced that California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer has sent a letter to California-based drug company, Gilead Sciences, Inc. urging the company to set an initial price on its latest HIV/AIDS drug combination—which is known as the 'Quad'—that is "…sensitive to ongoing state budget difficulties," and which will also "…provide the means to keep people with HIV/AIDS alive and as healthy as possible."

28 Jun 2012

UCLA Heart Transplant Program performs 2,000th heart transplant surgery

The UCLA Heart Transplant Program performed its 2,000th heart transplant surgery earlier this month, becoming the first program in the western United States and only the second in the world to achieve this remarkable milestone.

28 Jun 2012

Experts in fluid mechanics to study Chiari malformation

Expertise in fluid mechanics at The University of Akron has attracted funding for a new research center designed to help physicians better diagnose and treat an unusual cause of pain in the head, neck and shoulders. Chiari malformation is a disorder of the neurologic system caused in part by an imbalance in brain and spinal fluid.

28 Jun 2012