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Research suggests potential new treatment for anxiety disorders and depression

New research on a brain chemical involved in development sheds light on why some individuals may be predisposed to anxiety. It also strengthens understanding of cellular processes that may be common to anxiety and depression, and suggests how lifestyle changes may help overcome both

12 May 2009

Simple interventions could contain flu spread – focus on children

Although many have touted strategies from travel avoidance to Tamiflu to halt the spread of H1N1 flu or swine flu, a large body of evidence from the Cochrane Library suggests that concentrating on children's hygiene might be the best way to reduce the spread of respiratory illnesses.

12 May 2009

Early Alzheimer's diagnosis could reduce fiscal burden

Early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease could save millions or even billions of dollars while simultaneously improving care, according to new work by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers.

12 May 2009

Participants in antidepressant drug trials are atypical patients

One reason antidepressant medication treatments do not work as well in real life as they do in clinical studies could be the limited type of study participants selected, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

12 May 2009

Sinobiopharma announces Chinese approval of Perindopril

Sinobiopharma, Inc. has announced that it has received approval from the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) to manufacture and market its formulation of Perindopril, an anti-hypertension drug.

12 May 2009

DHEA supplement combined with vitamin D and calcium significantly improves spinal bone density in older women

"The results of our study are very promising. Similar studies have demonstrated much smaller benefits for bone than we found. However, calcium and vitamin D deficiencies, which are present in half of older adults, may have prevented DHEA from improving bone density in the earlier studies," said Edward Weiss, Ph.D., associate professor of nutrition and dietetics at Saint Louis University's Doisy College of Health Sciences and lead author of the study.

12 May 2009

Health industry members vow to reduce spending by $2 trillion over next 10 years; savings could help finance reform

Leading health care industry groups on Monday are expected to pledge to President Obama that they will attempt to reduce $2 trillion in expected health care spending increases over the next 10 years, Obama administration officials said on Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reports (Adamy, Wall Street Journal, 5/11).

12 May 2009

Africa should manufacture its own antiretrovirals, A.U. official says

African countries should produce their own generic antiretroviral drugs in order to continue the fight against HIV/AIDS during the global economic crisis, African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs Bience Gawanas said recently during a conference for health ministers in Ethiopia, Reuters UK reports.

12 May 2009

New evidence of how high glucose damages blood vessels could lead to new diabetes treatments

New evidence of how the elevated glucose levels that occur in diabetes damage blood vessels may lead to novel strategies for blocking the destruction, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.

12 May 2009

More patients needed in clinical trials to find treatment for patent foramen ovale (PFO)

The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology are calling on doctors to enroll more patients in clinical trials for catheter-based closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO), a condition caused when an opening between the two chambers of the heart fails to close at birth.

12 May 2009

Discovery of major new treatment target in diseased arteries

Removing a single protein prevents early damage in blood vessels from triggering a later-stage, frequently lethal complication of atherosclerosis, according to research published online today in the journal Nature Medicine. By eliminating the gene for a signaling protein called cyclophilin A (CypA) from a strain of mice, researchers were able to provide complete protection against abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).

11 May 2009

Swine flu could come round again!

The Centres for Disease Protection and Control (CDC) says outbreaks of the new H1N1 swine flu continue to spread across the United States and the swine influenza virus is expected to spread to all 50 states and to cause many infections ranging from mild to severe.

11 May 2009

Nowhere to go: How stigma limits the options of female drug users after release from jail

Punitive policies intended to reduce drug use by making life difficult for convicted users are counterproductive and actually lead to a vicious spiral of drug use and reincarceration.

7 May 2009

X-rays help predict permanent bone damage from bisphosphonates

Breast cancer patients, individuals at risk for osteoporosis and those undergoing certain types of bone cancer therapies often take drugs containing bisphosphonates. These drugs have been found to place people at risk for developing osteonecrosis of the jaws (a rotting of the jaw bones).

7 May 2009

Salad herb shows potential gastric anti-ulcer activity

Gastric ulcer is an illness that affects a considerable number of people worldwide. Although the introduction of proton-pump inhibitors to the classic anti-ulcer therapy has revolutionized treatment of peptic ulcers and other gastrointestinal disorders, there is still no complete cure for this disease.

7 May 2009

FDA approves Creon (pancrelipase) - designed to help those with cystic fibrosis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it has approved Creon (pancrelipase), a pancreatic enzyme replacement product designed to help patients with cystic fibrosis and others with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) digest and absorb nutrients from foods.

7 May 2009

Safety concerns over testosterone gel prompt FDA to require label changes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that it is requiring manufacturers of two prescription topical testosterone gel products, AndroGel 1% and Testim 1%, to include a boxed warning on the products' labels.

7 May 2009

2010 budget for FDA invests substantially in food and medical product safety

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is requesting a budget of $3.2 billion to protect and promote the public health as part of the President's fiscal year (FY) 2010 budget - a 19 percent increase over the current FDA fiscal year budget.

7 May 2009

Pandemic influenza preparedness in Latin America: analysis of national strategic plans, health policy and planning

An analysis of pandemic preparedness plans from Latin American countries has indicated that although most now have national strategic plans in place, it is the wealthiest countries that tend to have the most complete plans.

7 May 2009

Merck Serono starts second phase III trial of Safinamide in advanced Parkinson's

Merck Serono announced today the initiation of the SETTLE study. This study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of a dose range of safinamide (50-100 mg once daily) as add-on therapy to a stable dose of levodopa, in mid- to late-stage Parkinson's disease patients with motor fluctuations compared to placebo.

7 May 2009