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Pulmokine receives NIH SBIR grants to develop novel treatments for PAH

YM BioSciences Inc., today reported that Pulmokine Inc. (Slingerlands, New York), a licensee of several small molecule compounds from YM, has been awarded two National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants. The grants, totaling more than US$650,000, are Phase I awards to develop novel treatments for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH).

29 Sep 2010

XOMA completes patient enrollment in XOMA 052 Phase 2a trial

XOMA Ltd., a leader in the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies, announced that patient enrollment was recently completed for the company's Phase 2a trial of XOMA 052 in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

29 Sep 2010

Significant progress made universally in increasing access to HIV/AIDS services: Report

Significant progress has been made in several low- and middle-income countries in increasing access to HIV/AIDS services, according to a new report released today. The report Towards universal access by WHO, the United Nations Children's Fund and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS is the fourth annual report for tracking progress made in achieving the 2010 target of providing universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care.

29 Sep 2010

Patients' right to be involved in own medical care

Twelve years ago, then 28-year-old graduate student Brian Zikmund-Fisher was forced into the toughest choice of his life: Die from a blood disorder within a few years or endure a bone marrow transplant that could cure him or kill him in weeks.

29 Sep 2010

Medical team uses LeadCare II blood-lead test to examine people exposed to lead poisoning in Nigeria

As part of the international response to the lead-poisoning crisis linked to small-scale gold-mining activities in this northwestern region of Nigeria, a medical crisis team is deploying Magellan's three-minute LeadCare II blood-lead test in the triage, assessment, and clinical follow-up of thousands of villagers who have been exposed to extremely high levels of lead in the soil and water.

29 Sep 2010

Predisposition of individuals from various ethnic groups to heart disease in later life: Study

Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire will carry our research into the predisposition of individuals from various ethnic groups to heart disease in later life when it carries out screening this week.

29 Sep 2010

Circulating tumor cells may be promising alternative for tumor biopsies

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) may be a promising alternative, noninvasive source of tumor materials for biomarker assessment, according to data presented at the Fourth AACR International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development.

29 Sep 2010

Scientists develop NIA assay to determine drug's differential effects in tumor cells

A novel technology can make nanoscale protein measurements, which scientists can use in clinical trials to learn how drugs work.We are making progress toward the goal of understanding how drugs work in different individuals, said Alice C. Fan, M.D., instructor in the division of oncology at Stanford University School of Medicine.

29 Sep 2010

Study finds naturally-derived trehalose inhibits fat cell hypertrophy

Hayashibara Biochemical Laboratories, Inc. based in Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, has confirmed that the naturally-derived functional saccharide trehalose has the effect of inhibiting fat cell hypertrophy.

29 Sep 2010

Study finds broader statin use as a cost-effective way to prevent heart attack and stroke

A new analysis suggests that broader statin use among adult patients may be a cost-effective way to prevent heart attack and stroke. The Stanford University School of Medicine study also found that using a popular test - a screening for high sensitivity C-reactive protein, or CRP - to identify patients who may benefit from statin therapy would be cost-effective, but only under certain scenarios.

29 Sep 2010

microRNA may provide quick diagnosis of bladder cancer

Scientists may have discovered a way to diagnose bladder cancer at its earliest and, therefore, most treatable stages by measuring the presence or absence of microRNA using already available laboratory tests.

29 Sep 2010

Ready-to-Use Cardene I.V. lowers acutely elevated blood pressure: CLUE study

Results from the CLUE study, a head-to-head comparison between Ready-to-Use Cardene I.V. (nicardipine) and labetalol in the emergency room, showed that Ready-to-Use Cardene I.V. lowers acutely elevated blood pressure more effectively than labetalol. These data were presented today at the annual meeting of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

29 Sep 2010

Most men unaware of breast cancer risk

A study, published in the October issue of the American Journal of Nursing (AJN), revealed that nearly 80% of men are unaware of their breast cancer risk despite having a family history of the disease. One hundred percent of respondents also reported that their healthcare provider did not discuss the disease with them.

29 Sep 2010

New genetic screening program to reduce risk associated with Plavix

Beginning this month, all patients undergoing cardiac catheterization at Vanderbilt University Medical Center will be tested for a genetic variation that can affect their response to Plavix, the most commonly prescribed clot-preventing drug for heart patients and one of the most commonly prescribed drugs worldwide.

29 Sep 2010

Researchers unveil mechanism of candida infections

More than half of all people are hosts to Candida albicans in their bodies. This species might be located on their skin or mucous membranes or in the intestines frequently without causing any symptoms. However, it can be dangerous to patients whose immunological system has been weakened such as after organ transplants or chemotherapy with cancer. Then, this fungus penetrates into deeper layers of tissue and uses the blood system to spread throughout the body. In Germany alone, several thousand people die from systemic candida infections every year.

29 Sep 2010

Researchers identify biomarker to predict tivozanib drug resistance

Researchers believe there may be a way to predict, based on individual tumors, those patients that are more likely to respond to the investigational new drug tivozanib.

29 Sep 2010

Intrauterine devices for treatment of endometrial cancer

Intrauterine devices, originally developed as contraceptives, can also be used to treat and cure cancer of the endometrium according to new research published online in the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology today (Wednesday 29 September). The finding opens the way for young women with the disease, which affects the lining of the womb, to be treated without the need for a hysterectomy, thus preserving their fertility until they have had all the children they want.

29 Sep 2010

Early initiation of ART may prevent immune system damage in HIV patients: Study

HIV-infected individuals who begin antiretroviral therapy (ART) soon after acquiring the virus may have stronger immune responses to other pathogens than HIV-infected individuals who begin ART later, a new study from the National Institutes of Health has found. This finding suggests that early initiation of ART may prevent irreversible immune system damage and adds to the body of evidence showing significant health benefits from early ART.

29 Sep 2010

Blood journal publishes GMI-1070 pre-clinical data in sickle cell disease model

GlycoMimetics, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing a new class of glycobiology based therapies for a broad range of indications, today announced that the journal Blood has published pre-clinical data on the company's lead compound GMI-1070 in a model of sickle cell disease.

29 Sep 2010

CRP levels vary between ethnically-diverse populations: Study

C-reactive protein (CRP) levels vary between ethnically-diverse populations, and are only partly due to known differences in heart risk among these groups.A single risk level of CRP at 2 mg/L may over or under estimate the need for statin medication in different ethnic groups, especially if other risk factors are not considered.

29 Sep 2010