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Blood levels of PCBs in polar bear cubs appear to have dropped

It's never been easy to be a polar bear. They may have to go months without eating. Their preferred food, seal, requires enormous luck and patience to catch. Add to that the melting of Arctic sea ice due to climate change, and the poisoning of the Arctic by toxic chemicals, and it's easy to see why polar bears worldwide are in trouble.

30 Mar 2012

BPA shows tangible effects on health endpoints at high dosage levels

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs)-such as BPA-can show tangible effects on health endpoints at high dosage levels, yet those effects do not predict how EDCs will affect the endocrine system at low doses, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Endocrine Reviews.

30 Mar 2012

Scientists reveal powerful role of astrocytes in the brain

A type of cell plentiful in the brain, long considered mainly the stuff that holds the brain together and oft-overlooked by scientists more interested in flashier cells known as neurons, wields more power in the brain than has been realized, according to new research published today in Science Signaling.

30 Mar 2012

Small electrical sensors can quickly detect MRSA infection

A simple test to identify MRSA in wounds could identify the superbug quickly and help prevent infection from spreading.

30 Mar 2012

Cyberplasm could pinpoint diseases within the human body

A tiny prototype robot that functions like a living creature is being developed which one day could be safely used to pinpoint diseases within the human body.

30 Mar 2012

Myths and facts about concussion

Suppose your son or daughter has just been brought home from an athletic field with a concussion, complains of being tired and wants to go to sleep. Should you let that happen? "There was a time when it was considered life-threatening to let someone suffering from a concussion to fall asleep," said Chris Hummel, a certified athletic trainer and clinical associate professor in Ithaca College's Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences.

30 Mar 2012

Green Coffee beans - the new weight loss formula

Green coffee beans could be the newest weight-loss fad as a new study finds that the bean extract may help people lose weight. When roasted at 475 degrees, coffee beans are sometimes described as rich and full-bodied. Before that they are termed green.

29 Mar 2012

Regulatory fight could turn ugly as Congress seeks to overhaul cosmetics regulations

In response to public pressure from recent scandals including mercury in face cream, lead in lipstick and formaldehyde in hair products, the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee yesterday convened the first Congressional hearing in 30 years on the safety of cosmetics and personal care products.

29 Mar 2012

Identity of probiotics a key factor in determining safety, efficacy of popular ingredient

Regulators, manufacturers and academic researchers from around the world will convene for a two-day workshop on the scientific and regulatory challenges posed by the use of probiotic ingredients in food products. Discussions will focus on how public standards can assist in supporting transparency, consistency and competitiveness of ethical industry players as health claims surrounding probiotic products undergo increased scrutiny.

28 Mar 2012

Gold nanoparticles used to introduce chemical residues into the immune system

Developing a drug or vaccine requires a delicate balancing act with the immune system. On one hand, medications need to escape detection by the immune system in order to perform their function. But vaccinations - de-activated versions of a disease or virus - need to do the reverse. They prompt the immune system to create protective antibodies.

27 Mar 2012

UC professor to show new anticancer agent at ACS Spring 2012 meeting

Advances in chemotherapy have dramatically improved the outlook for many cancer patients, but the side effects of this treatment are daunting. A new generation of chemotherapy drugs with fewer side effects is the goal of Edward J. Merino, assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Cincinnati.

27 Mar 2012

Scientists create first full 3-D images of vitamin B12

In a paper published recently in the journal Nature, scientists from the University of Michigan Health System and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report they have created the first full 3-D images of B12 and its partner molecules twisting and contorting as part of a crucial reaction called methyltransfer.

27 Mar 2012

Asahi Kasei announces commencement of tender offer for ZOLL

Asahi Kasei Corporation, Japan's leading diversified chemical manufacturer with businesses in the health care, chemicals & fibers, homes & construction materials, and electronics sectors, announced today the commencement of a tender offer through its indirect wholly owned U.S. subsidiary Asclepius Subsidiary Corporation for all outstanding shares of common stock of ZOLL Medical Corporation for $93 per share, net to the seller in cash, without interest and less any required withholding taxes.

26 Mar 2012

Dissolvable tobacco harmless finds FDA panel but promises detailed review

An advisory panel to the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) said Thursday that people who exclusively use dissolvable tobacco products have a greatly reduced risk of cancer and respiratory illness compared with those who regularly smoke cigarettes.

25 Mar 2012

National Colon Cancer Awareness Month attempts to widen screening efforts

March is the National Colon Cancer Awareness Month and to mark it Ferrell Hospital and Harrisburg Medical Center have teamed up with the American Cancer Society to provide free take-home colon cancer tests to anyone who is interested.

25 Mar 2012

Africa must develop its own pharmaceutical pipeline through creation of policy frameworks

"To break free of its dependence on donor money and supplies from India, Africa must develop its own pharmaceutical pipeline by creating policy frameworks that encourage a fledgling drug industry," journalist Priya Shetty argues in this SciDev.Net opinion piece.

23 Mar 2012

UI receives three grants to hasten discovery of new TB therapeutics

Forty-five years. That's how long it's been since the last drug - rifampin - hit the market to treat tuberculosis, an infection that affects nearly one third of the world's population and causes 1.8 million deaths annually. The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy has received three new federally-funded grants to hasten the discovery of new therapeutic treatments.

23 Mar 2012

WCI technique uses MRS to detect oncometabolites

Researchers at Winship Cancer Institute have developed a technique for detecting an "oncometabolite", a chemical produced by some brain tumors' warped metabolism, via non-invasive imaging.

23 Mar 2012

Endo acquires oxymorphone hydrochloride patent from Johnson Matthey

Endo announced today that it has acquired U.S. patent 7,851,482 B2 for oxymorphone hydrochloride, the key API in all formulations of OPANA, from Johnson Matthey plc.

23 Mar 2012

Opioids may influence breast cancer survival

A new study in the April issue of Anesthesiology analyzed inherited (genetic) differences in how the body responds to its own morphine-like chemicals and pain-relieving opioid drugs, and whether they influence breast cancer survival. Preclinical animal studies have suggested that opioids may promote tumor growth.

22 Mar 2012