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Wyss Founding Director receives NC3Rs 3Rs Prize for Lung-on-a-Chip

In a London ceremony today, Wyss Founding Director Don Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., received the NC3Rs 3Rs Prize from the UK's National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) for his innovative Lung-on-a-Chip -- a microdevice lined by human cells that recapitulates complex functions of the living lung.

28 Feb 2013

Researchers identify 25 human proteins that may be crucial for HIV-1 infection and survival

Studying HIV-1, the most common and infectious HIV subtype, Johns Hopkins scientists have identified 25 human proteins "stolen" by the virus that may be critical to its ability to infect new cells. HIV-1 viruses capture many human proteins from the cells they infect but the researchers believe these 25 proteins may be particularly important because they are found in HIV-1 viruses coming from two very different types of infected cells.

28 Feb 2013

Survival following heart transplantation associated with several patient characteristics

Survival following heart transplantation is associated with several patient characteristics, including patient education, higher social and economic satisfaction, and patient adherence with medications, according to a study published in the March 2013 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

28 Feb 2013

Scientists identify two populations of human cells that migrate to the intestine

Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and colleagues have identified a special population of adult stem cells in bone marrow that have the natural ability to migrate to the intestine and produce intestinal cells, suggesting their potential to restore healthy tissue in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

28 Feb 2013

Study findings call for major change in approach to syphilis testing

Syphilis is on the rise worldwide and there is an urgent need for reliable and rapid screening, particularly for people who live in areas where access to healthcare is limited. An international research team, led by scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) in Montreal, has demonstrated that rapid and point-of-care tests (POC) for syphilis are as accurate as conventional laboratory tests.

28 Feb 2013

Novel immunotherapy could potentially work like a vaccine against metastatic cancers

Preclinical, laboratory studies suggest a novel immunotherapy could potentially work like a vaccine against metastatic cancers, according to scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center.

28 Feb 2013

National Birth Defects Prevention Network honors BU researcher with Godfrey P. Oakley, Jr., Award

Allen A. Mitchell, MD, a professor of public health (epidemiology) and professor of pediatrics at the Boston University Schools of Public Health and Medicine, recently received the Godfrey P. Oakley, Jr., Award at the annual meeting of the National Birth Defects Prevention Network. Mitchell, who is also the director of Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center (SEC), was recognized for his significant lifetime contributions to the field of birth defects.

28 Feb 2013

Einstein researchers to investigate consequences of soccer heading on the brain

Sports-related concussion is an increasingly recognized public health problem. At least 1.6 million sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries occur in the United States annually. While the primary focus has been on football, soccer has come under greater scrutiny.

28 Feb 2013

Herceptin may have greater role in treating HER2-negative breast cancer

New research from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center finds that the protein HER2 plays a role even in breast cancers that would traditionally be categorized as HER2-negative - and that the drug Herceptin, which targets HER2, may have an even greater role for treating breast cancer and preventing its spread.

28 Feb 2013

ECGs show structural difference in brain connections among children with autism

A look at how the brain processes information finds a distinct pattern in children with autism spectrum disorders. Using EEGs to track the brain's electrical cross-talk, researchers from Boston Children's Hospital have found a structural difference in brain connections. Compared with neurotypical children, those with autism have multiple redundant connections between neighboring brain areas at the expense of long-distance links.

27 Feb 2013

Viewpoints: Former Sen. Gramm criticizes Obama on budget cuts; Debate on revamping Medicare needs less heat, more deliberation

While history shows that a divided government can enact significant spending cuts as an alternative to sequesters, that doesn't appear to be the path Mr. Obama intends to follow. Instead of protecting civilian defense workers, the president will continue to force the Pentagon to buy biofuels at $27 per gallon to promote his green agenda.

27 Feb 2013

Methodology masking true variations in Medicare spend

Variations in regional mortality and spending rates in the US Medicare system are being blurred by inadequate risk adjustment methodology, researchers suggest.

27 Feb 2013

Syphilis in pregnancy widespread but preventable

Syphilis is still a widespread problem among pregnant women worldwide, despite tests and treatment being inexpensive and readily available, show study findings.

27 Feb 2013

FDA's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee to review NDA for tivozanib

AVEO Oncology and Astellas Pharma Global Development, Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc., today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee will review the company's New Drug Application for tivozanib for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma during the morning session of its meeting on May 2, 2013.

27 Feb 2013

Recommendations for PEPFAR to improve data collection, use, distribution

Noting the release of the Institute of Medicine PEPFAR evaluation and an October 2012 report of the Data Working Group of PEPFAR's Scientific Advisory Board, Mead Over and Rachel Silverman of the Center for Global Development propose in the group's "Global Health Policy" blog "four recommendations where there seems to be agreement and feasible opportunities to improve PEPFAR's collection, utilization, and dissemination of data and knowledge."

27 Feb 2013

Is avoiding sequestration possible?

Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., told the Wall Street Journal that he would consider a tax increase if it is accompanied by reductions in entitlement spending.

27 Feb 2013

Smoking prevention and cessation campaigns: an interview with Dr DePinho, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Dr Mohar, National Cancer Institute of Mexico

There are more than 94 million former and current smokers in the United States, and more than 21 million in Mexico, according to the 2009 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) Fact Sheet.

27 Feb 2013

Using smart phones to manage HIV treatment in rural Virginia

An innovative plan developed at the University of Virginia School of Medicine will use smart phones to improve care for people recently diagnosed with HIV in rural Virginia.

27 Feb 2013

Research shows many cancers can be prevented with healthy lifestyle choices

Each year more individuals worldwide die from cancer than malaria, tuberculosis and HIV combined. With research showing that many cancers can be prevented with healthy lifestyle choices, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance is working to raise awareness of preventive tactics in honor of National Cancer Prevention Month.

27 Feb 2013

PEPFAR has helped millions, but 'hard work' lies ahead to sustain gains

PEPFAR, initiated in 2003, is "the largest global health initiative ever undertaken focused on a single disease," a Washington Post editorial writes, noting, "Now, after four years of work, some 400 interviews and visits to 13 nations, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences has provided [an] examination of this incredibly ambitious program."

27 Feb 2013