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Gene therapy increases muscle size and strength with no adverse effects in monkeys: MDA

Four macaque monkeys that received injections of genes for a protein called follistatin into upper leg muscles experienced pronounced and durable increases in muscle size and strength and no adverse effects, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) announced today. The findings could have implications particularly for injured and aging people worldwide; and for tens of millions experiencing muscle loss associated with cancer, AIDs and muscle diseases.

12 Nov 2009

First pediatric hospital to discharge child with mechanical heart assist device

Texas Children's Hospital is the nation's first pediatric hospital to discharge a child while on an intracorporeal ventricular assist device (VAD), a feat previously accomplished only at adult institutions. The patient, 16-year-old Francisco "Frank" De Santiago, who was implanted with a mechanical heart pump called the HeartMate II on May 19, 2009, was discharged on Oct. 29, 2009.

12 Nov 2009

AVMA confirms that a household cat in Iowa showed signs of H1N1 influenza

Amarillo Biosciences, Inc. reported that the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recently confirmed that a household cat in Iowa developed signs of respiratory infection caused by H1N1 influenza virus.

12 Nov 2009

Series of holiday cards to help build ORBIS Kids Sight treatment centres launched

ORBIS Canada, a non-profit global development organization dedicated to saving sight worldwide, is launching a series of holiday cards available for purchase this season. Proceeds of these cards will be used to build ORBIS Kids Sight treatment centres in the developing world.

12 Nov 2009

FDA approves CSL Biotherapies' seasonal flu vaccine, Afluria for children

CSL Biotherapies, a subsidiary of CSL Limited, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of influenza vaccine, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the company’s application for accelerated approval of its seasonal flu vaccine, Afluria® (Influenza Virus Vaccine) for use in the pediatric population aged 6 months and older.

12 Nov 2009

Religion and spirituality: Barrier and bridge to medical care

Pediatricians and pediatric oncologists express differing views on religion and spirituality, largely based on the types of patients they treat, according to a survey that will appear in the current edition of the journal Social Problems.

12 Nov 2009

Children with developmental dyslexia have difficulties separating relevant auditory information from irrelevant noise

The vast majority of school-aged children can focus on the voice of a teacher amid the cacophony of the typical classroom thanks to a brain that automatically focuses on relevant, predictable and repeating auditory information, according to new research from Northwestern University.

12 Nov 2009

Updated WHO data finds deaths caused by tainted food are underestimated

New WHO data finds that unsafe food kills an estimated 1.2 million people over the age of five in Southeast Asia and Africa each year, including three times more adults than previously thought, Reuters reports. "It is a picture that we have never had before," WHO Food Safety Director Jorgen Schlundt said. "We now have documentation of a significant burden outside the less than five group, that is major new information."

12 Nov 2009

Gene delivery strategy to help improve muscle mass in patients with degenerative muscle disorders

Severe weakness of the quadriceps is a defining feature of several neuromuscular disorders. Researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital have shown that a gene delivery strategy that produces follistatin - a naturally occurring protein that inhibits myostatin, a growth factor expressed specifically in skeletal muscle - directly to the quadriceps of non-human primates results in long-term gene expression with muscle enhancing effects, including larger muscles with greater strength.

12 Nov 2009

Physicians and researchers to develop kidney replacement device for children

When children need kidney dialysis because of disease or congenital defects, doctors are forced to adapt adult-size dialysis equipment. No FDA-approved kidney replacement devices exist that are specifically designed for children.

12 Nov 2009

3-D software uses real patient data; offers virtual reality technology for doctors and students

James Oliver picked up an Xbox game controller, looked up to a video screen and used the device's buttons and joystick to fly through a patient's chest cavity for an up-close look at the bottom of the heart.

12 Nov 2009

Malfunctioning circadian clock genes may be associated with bipolar disorder in children

Malfunctioning circadian clock genes may be responsible for bipolar disorder in children. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry found four versions of the regulatory gene RORB that were associated with pediatric bipolar disorder.

11 Nov 2009

Report predicts Africa's tobacco use will double within 12 years without intervention

"Africa faces a surge in cancer deaths unless action is taken in the next decade to stem rising smoking levels in a continent where anti-tobacco laws remain rare, U.S. scientists said Wednesday," Reuters reports (Kelland, 11/11).

11 Nov 2009

CHF commends the passage of health reform bill; disapproves move to eliminate CHIP

Children's Health Fund (CHF), a national organization that advocates for and provides clinical care to disadvantaged and medically underserved children, today issued a Report Card that graded the child health provisions in the Congressional Health Reform bill that was passed in the House of Representatives on November 7.

11 Nov 2009

Online patient support program for ADHD patients taking Vyvanse Capsules CII medication

Shire plc (LSE: SHP, Nasdaq: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced the re-launch of FOCUS (http://www.vyvanseFOCUS.com), a free, online patient support program for adults taking once-daily Vyvanse® (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) Capsules CII for the treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and the only online, branded personalized patient support program providing tips and tools for adults diagnosed with ADHD taking a prescription medication.

11 Nov 2009

Also in global health news: RUTF; global hunger; preventing natural disasters; El Salvador floods

"Rich nations should do more to help vulnerable countries prepare for natural disasters if they want their stretched humanitarian funds to go further during the economic downturn, a report said Tuesday," Reuters/New York Times reports

11 Nov 2009

Congress urged to consider alternative approaches to workplace leave policies

In testimony today before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee on Children and Families, Elissa O'Brien, SPHR, vice president of human resources for Wingate Healthcare, urged Congress to consider alternative approaches to policies governing workplace leave that reflect the needs of today's workforce.

11 Nov 2009

World's poorest countries fail to address HIV despite low cost and effective preventive health efforts

A proven and cost-effective strategy for turning the tide on global AIDS still remains significantly underutilized, World Vision warned in advance of World AIDS Day. Efforts to prevent mother-to-baby transmission of HIV must be urgently scaled up in high-prevalence countries to avoid needless infection of children, the Christian humanitarian organization said.

11 Nov 2009

Healthpoint to launch ULTRACEPT Antiseptic Handwash

A new antiseptic handwash, based on a formula previously used only by surgeons and other clinicians, will soon be available to consumers and provides up to six hours of prolonged germ kill with repeated use.

11 Nov 2009

New visitation guidelines to prevent novel flu spread

The New Jersey Hospital Association has issued new visitation guidelines for the state's hospitals to help them protect patients, staff and visitors from H1N1 influenza.

11 Nov 2009

Children News and Research

Gene therapy increases muscle size and strength with no adverse effects in monkeys: MDA

First pediatric hospital to discharge child with mechanical heart assist device

AVMA confirms that a household cat in Iowa showed signs of H1N1 influenza

Series of holiday cards to help build ORBIS Kids Sight treatment centres launched

FDA approves CSL Biotherapies' seasonal flu vaccine, Afluria for children

Religion and spirituality: Barrier and bridge to medical care

Children with developmental dyslexia have difficulties separating relevant auditory information from irrelevant noise

Updated WHO data finds deaths caused by tainted food are underestimated

Gene delivery strategy to help improve muscle mass in patients with degenerative muscle disorders

Physicians and researchers to develop kidney replacement device for children

3-D software uses real patient data; offers virtual reality technology for doctors and students

Malfunctioning circadian clock genes may be associated with bipolar disorder in children

Report predicts Africa's tobacco use will double within 12 years without intervention

CHF commends the passage of health reform bill; disapproves move to eliminate CHIP

Online patient support program for ADHD patients taking Vyvanse Capsules CII medication

Also in global health news: RUTF; global hunger; preventing natural disasters; El Salvador floods

Congress urged to consider alternative approaches to workplace leave policies

World's poorest countries fail to address HIV despite low cost and effective preventive health efforts

Healthpoint to launch ULTRACEPT Antiseptic Handwash

New visitation guidelines to prevent novel flu spread

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

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