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Hypertension linked to severity of bipolar disorders

Nearly half of patients hospitalized with bipolar disorder may suffer from hypertension, and the younger a person is diagnosed with the psychiatric condition the more likely they are to develop high blood pressure, according to a recent Michigan State University study.

11 Jun 2010

Bevacizumab effective for treatment of wet AMD: Study

An inexpensive, but unlicensed drug to help prevent severe sight loss in older people has been shown to be safe and effective, finds a study published on bmj.com today.

11 Jun 2010

Type 2 diabetes doubles risk of cancer in women

Type 2 adult-onset diabetes causes insulin-like hormones to circulate through the body. A new study finds this has a surprisingly positive effect on reducing the rate of prostate cancer in men, but is bad news for women: Type 2 diabetes may double the risk of female genital and other cancers.

11 Jun 2010

AFREZZA non-inferior to standard therapy insulin lispro in reducing HbA1c levels of Type 1 diabetics

MannKind Corporation today announced that results of a new 16-week trial show that the investigational ultra rapid acting mealtime insulin, AFREZZA™ (insulin human [rDNA origin]) Inhalation Powder, combined with basal insulin, is clearly non-inferior to standard therapy insulin lispro, a rapid acting insulin, also combined with basal insulin, in reducing HbA1c levels in subjects with inadequately controlled Type 1 diabetes.

11 Jun 2010

Bevacizumab increases risk for proteinuria in cancer patients

Cancer patients treated with the chemotherapy agent bevacizumab (Avastin) may be at an increased risk of severe loss of protein from the kidney into the urine that can lead to significant kidney damage and can compromise the efficacy of cancer treatment. This conclusion stems from a study of more than 12,000 patients by Shenhong Wu, M.D., Ph.D., Principal Investigator, and colleagues at Stony Brook University Medical Center. Their findings are reported in online June 10 in the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).

11 Jun 2010

Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology forms joint venture with SiriCell Technologies

Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology Co. Ltd., China's leading stem cell research and regenerative medicine company, announced the formation of Beike Holdings Limited a joint venture with Bangkok-based SiriCell Technologies, Inc. Beike Holdings, which is headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand, will focus primarily on the establishment of new international subsidiaries and the development of collaborative hospital partnerships with Southeast Asia's leading healthcare providers.

11 Jun 2010

FDA advisory committee recommends approval of Novartis' FTY720 for relapsing MS

Today, an advisory committee of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended approval of FTY720 (fingolimod) for the treatment of patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis, the most common form of the disease. The FDA has the option of seeking the advice of one of its advisory committees as it reviews and decides whether to approve a new treatment. The committee voted unanimously that FTY720 demonstrated substantial efficacy in treating relapsing remitting MS and that safety of the proposed 0.5 mg dose justified approval.

11 Jun 2010

Remote monitoring and nurse case management combined improve health of Medicare beneficiaries with CHF

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is one of the most common causes of hospitalization for elderly Americans, and is also one of the nation's most costly conditions to treat.

10 Jun 2010

BMEYE receives European Red Herring Top 100 Award

BMEYE B.V., the innovator of combined noninvasive, beat-to-beat blood pressure and cardiac output monitoring received the prestigious European Red Herring Top 100 Award 2010. Red Herring's Top 100 Europe list has become a mark of distinction for identifying promising new companies and entrepreneurs.

10 Jun 2010

Gamma interferon wakes-up sleeping stem cells to produce immune system cells to fight invading bacteria

Most of the time, the body's blood-forming (hematopoietic) stem cells remain dormant, with just a few producing blood cells and maintaining a balance among the different types.

10 Jun 2010

Nativis awarded patents in Japan, China, India for drug signal technology

Nativis, Inc., a La Jolla, Calif.-based life science company, has been issued patents in Japan, China and India for its innovative technology that captures the unique signals of approved drugs at the atomic level and then delivers the signal in a solution to treat serious illnesses. The technology, which also has U.S., Canadian and Australian patents, promises to transform the treatment of diseases, including those for which there are no known cures, such as brain cancer.

10 Jun 2010

Gallup-Healthways U.S. Well-Being Report for May 2010

Please be advised that Gallup and Healthways, Inc. today released the Gallup-Healthways Monthly U.S. Well-Being Report for May 2010. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index measurement of U.S. well-being reached 67.4 in May, surpassing the record of 67.0 documented last month and in August of 2009. The record high WBI score in consecutive months suggests ongoing recovery of American well-being despite challenges such as high unemployment.

10 Jun 2010

Allopurinol exhibits potential benefits for CKD patients

A drug commonly used to treat gout may help maintain kidney disease patients' health, according to an analysis appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). The research is the first to show that allopurinol treatment in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) decreases inflammation, slows the progression of kidney disease, and reduces patients' risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event or being hospitalized.

10 Jun 2010

AACN endorses scientific statement on prevention of TdP

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses recently endorsed "Prevention of Torsades de Pointes in Hospital Settings," a scientific statement from the American Heart Association, Dallas, and American College of Cardiology Foundation, Washington, D.C.

10 Jun 2010

Effectiveness of combination band ligation and nadolol for first variceal bleeding not established

A controlled trial conducted by researchers at the E-DA Hospital in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, suggests that a combination of band ligation and nadolol may not be the most effective prophylaxis for first variceal bleeding resulting from cirrhosis. Results of this study appear in the July issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

10 Jun 2010

People who smoke immediately after waking may be at risk for lung cancer: Study

People who smoke their first cigarette within minutes after waking up have much higher levels of cotinine, a by-product of nicotine when processed by the body, than those who wait to smoke, regardless of the number of cigarettes smoked.

10 Jun 2010

World's largest DNA scan reveals new genetic changes in autistic children

The world's largest DNA scan for familial autism has uncovered new genetic changes in autistic children that are often not present in their parents. Identified in less than 1 percent of the population, these rare variants occur nearly 20 percent more in autistic children.

10 Jun 2010

Free education program highlights advancements in treatment of blood cancers, importance of clinical trials

The John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society have come together to host Partners in Progress: An Expert Panel Discussion on Advancing Therapies for Blood Cancers on Tuesday, June 22 in Hackensack, NJ. This free educational program is for patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers.

10 Jun 2010

Protagen, Bayer Schering Pharma close cooperation contract for biomarker discovery in Endometriosis

Protagen AG, a specialist for in-vitro diagnostics and GMP-compliant protein analysis, and Bayer Schering Pharma AG, a global leading specialty pharmaceuticals company, announced today the closing of a cooperation contract for discovery of novel biomarkers in Endometriosis.

10 Jun 2010

Sialidase improves nerve regrowth, motor recovery and nervous system function: Researchers

Once damaged, nerves in the spinal cord normally cannot grow back and the only drug approved for treating these injuries does not enable nerve regrowth. Publishing online this week in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine show that treating injured rat spinal cords with an enzyme, sialidase, improves nerve regrowth, motor recovery and nervous system function.

10 Jun 2010