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New MEDQUARG guidelines will help detect and study counterfeit medicines

New guidelines proposed by a group of international experts will help better study the prevalence and geography of counterfeit and other poor quality medicines that threaten public health across the world.

23 Mar 2009

Belfast gets new cancer centre

Belfast joins a unique chain of Cancer Research UK Centres that are being launched across the UK.

23 Mar 2009

Licorice may offer a new approach to preventing colorectal cancer

A chemical component of licorice may offer a new approach to preventing colorectal cancer without the adverse side effects of other preventive therapies, Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers report.

23 Mar 2009

p11 protein may lead to faster acting antidepressants

Research conducted by Nobel laureate Paul Greengard, Medical Director of The Michael Stern Parkinson's Research Center at The Rockefeller University, Dr. Jennifer L. Warner-Schmidt in New York and colleagues in Sweden, demonstrated in the Journal of Neuroscience that the brain protein called p11 could lead pharmaceutical companies to develop anti-depression drugs that begin working within hours or days rather than the weeks or even months required by current drugs.

23 Mar 2009

FDA approves Symbyax for treatment-resistant depression

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new indication for Symbyax (olanzapine and fluoxetine HCl capsules), Eli Lilly and Company has announced.

23 Mar 2009

Common gene variations found to influence risk factor for sudden cardiac death

A new study has identified several common genetic variants related to a risk factor for sudden cardiac death.

23 Mar 2009

Coenzyme rare to bacteria critical to Mycobacterium tuberculosis survival

Coenzyme F420, a small molecule that helps certain enzymes transfer electrons, is found in microorganisms known as methane-producing archaea, some of which thrive in extreme environments.

23 Mar 2009

Tiny genetic change keeps nicotine from binding to muscle cells

A tiny genetic mutation is the key to understanding why nicotine--which binds to brain receptors with such addictive potency--is virtually powerless in muscle cells that are studded with the same type of receptor.

23 Mar 2009

Distinct electric signature in brain predicts blunders

From spilling a cup of coffee to failing to notice a stop sign, everyone makes an occasional error due to lack of attention.

23 Mar 2009

Levels of PLTP enzyme in blood should be a consideration for potential statin treatment

In a patient study of over 1,000 individuals with coronary artery disease (CAD), researchers have found that high levels of an enzyme called PLTP significantly increased the risk of heart attack in the subset of patients taking statins.

23 Mar 2009

Asian countries should strengthen health systems to address increasing drug-resistant tuberculosis

World Health Organization officials on Monday ahead of World TB Day on March 24 said that Asian countries should increase efforts to strengthen health systems to address an increase in cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis, AFP/Google.com reports.

23 Mar 2009

Drug-resistant tuberculosis increasing among U.S. immigrant populations

Although tuberculosis rates have declined in the U.S., drug-resistant strains of the disease are becoming increasingly prevalent in states with large immigrant populations, the AP/Google.com reports.

23 Mar 2009

CQ's Armstrong discusses proposed public health plan option; new bill on FDA tobacco regulation

Drew Armstrong, a Congressional Quarterly staff reporter, discusses the latest developments in efforts to overhaul the U.S. health care system, legislation that would give FDA regulatory authority over tobacco products and a new bill that would allow FDA to approve generic versions of biotechnology drugs in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ."

23 Mar 2009

New York City public hospital system announces cuts targeting mental health, community clinics

New York City's public hospital system on Thursday said it will cut 400 jobs and close some children's mental health programs, pharmacies and community clinics that serve more than 11,000 residents, the New York Times reports.

23 Mar 2009

Key trends 'lost amid alarm' over District of Columbia HIV/AIDS report

A recent report that showed an HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of about 3% in the District of Columbia "brought new attention to AIDS" in the city, but several "key trends shown in the report got lost amid the alarm," Washington Post reporter Craig Timberg writes in a recent article.

23 Mar 2009