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MSF, DNDi analysis shows increased investment in NTDs but low number of new therapy approvals

"Over the past decade, neglected diseases have attracted increased attention and larger investments in research," but "a new analysis by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) finds that the rate of approvals for new compounds over the past decade is roughly the same as it was during the previous two-and-a-half decades, when the diseases received little attention," Nature Medicine reports.

10 Jan 2013

Tips to keep kids safe while playing outside in the cold

Cold winds, icy rain and, in some places, snow—Old Man Winter is here. With the snowball fights, snow forts and snowy hills come some serious dangers. In addition to ducking from flying snow balls and avoiding out-of-control skiers, parents need to be on the lookout for dangerously low body temperatures and frostbite related to cold weather exposure.

10 Jan 2013

Fingolimod could potentially eliminate or reduce progression of colitis-associated cancer

After uncovering a mechanism that promotes chronic intestinal inflammation and the development of colorectal cancer, scientists from Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center have found that fingolimod, a drug currently approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, could potentially eliminate or reduce the progression of colitis-associated cancer (CAC).

10 Jan 2013

New publication focuses on microbiome research in environmental, agricultural and biomedical areas

Two prominent microbiologists have launched a new peer-reviewed publication focusing on microbiome research in environmental, agricultural, and biomedical areas. Eric Wommack, from the University of Delaware's College of Earth, Ocean and Environment and Jacques Ravel, from the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Institute for Genome Sciences are the Editors-in-Chief of Microbiome, a BioMed Central (BMC) publication, which launched its first issue this week.

9 Jan 2013

Leptin hormone also regulates airway diameter

A new study led by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers has found that leptin, a hormone that plays a key role in energy metabolism, fertility, and bone mass, also regulates airway diameter.

9 Jan 2013

Glycan released by parasites might help treat metabolic disorders associated with obesity

On the list of undesirable medical conditions, a parasitic worm infection surely ranks fairly high. Although modern pharmaceuticals have made them less of a threat in some areas, these organisms are still a major cause of disease and disability throughout much of the developing world.

9 Jan 2013

Bilingual older people reap neural rewards

Older bilingual people are faster than their monolingual peers in switching from one task to another, show researchers.

9 Jan 2013

Risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity identified

Birthweight and gestational age are risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity and should be considered when screening infants for the condition, a study by Turkish researchers shows.

9 Jan 2013

Study shows troubling racial disparities in completion of alcohol and drug abuse programs

Roughly half of all black and Hispanic patients who enter publicly funded alcohol treatment programs do not complete treatment, compared to 62 percent of white patients, according to a new study from a team of researchers including the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

9 Jan 2013

Immigrants from Italy live longer than Swiss people

Although immigrants from Italy and their offspring form one of the largest demographic groups in Switzerland, there are hardly any studies on their state of health and risk of mortality. In a first for Switzerland, Silvan Tarnutzer and Matthias Bopp from the University of Zurich's Institute of Social and Preventative Medicine calculated unbiased mortality risks for people with an Italian migrant background.

9 Jan 2013

Body's sodium levels fluctuate rhythmically with 7-day and monthly cycles

Clinical pharmacologist Jens Titze, M.D., knew he had a one-of-a-kind scientific opportunity: the Russians were going to simulate a flight to Mars, and he was invited to study the participating cosmonauts.

9 Jan 2013

Researchers develop new materials to support stem cell growth

Stem cell manufacturing for drug screening and treatments for diseases such as Huntington's and Parkinson's could be boosted by a new method of generating stem cells, a study suggests.

9 Jan 2013

Flusurvey: an interview with Dr Alma Adler

Flusurvey is an online system of tracking influenza across the UK. We are linked to other flu surveys across Europe, so there are about 12 flu surveys across Europe in total.

9 Jan 2013

New scoring system can help clinicians better identify non-ICU patients at risk for GI bleeding

Critically ill patients in hospital intensive care units (ICUs) are routinely prescribed acid-suppressive medications to reduce their risk of developing stress ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding, both of which can result from being in a stressful environment and from being intubated. Over the years, this routine practice has often been extended to patients outside the ICU, despite a lack of evidence that this population is at significant risk of these complications.

9 Jan 2013

NEJM examines global disease eradication efforts

"Since the last case of naturally occurring smallpox, in 1977, there have been three major international conferences devoted to the concept of disease eradication," an article in the New England Journal of Medicine reports and includes "a brief review of five diseases selected for eradication or elimination that illustrate the potential benefits of such efforts and some of the challenges they pose."

9 Jan 2013

Brown University receives Irene Diamond Fund gift to launch major initiative on healthy aging

Brown University's Program in Public Health has received a gift from the Irene Diamond Fund to launch a major initiative on healthy aging.

9 Jan 2013

Patient requests, drug company ties likely to influence doctors' decision to prescribe name-brand drugs

When patients ask for a brand-name drug, many physicians give in rather than prescribe a generic, according to a nationwide survey, and in-office promotions to doctors increase the likelihood.

9 Jan 2013

Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim announce top-line results from empagliflozin Phase III trials on T2D

Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company today announced top-line results for four completed Phase III clinical trials for empagliflozin, an investigational sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor being studied for treatment of patients with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D).

9 Jan 2013

Combination of pazopanib and paclitaxel shows promise in slowing anaplastic thyroid cancer

A combination of the drugs pazopanib and paclitaxel shows promise in slowing anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC), according to a Mayo Clinic-led study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

9 Jan 2013

Key link between stem cell factors that fuel ovarian cancer's growth and patient prognosis

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have identified a key link between stem cell factors that fuel ovarian cancer's growth and patient prognosis. The study, which paves the way for developing novel targeted ovarian cancer therapies, is published online in the current issue of Cell Cycle.

9 Jan 2013

Medicine News and Research

MSF, DNDi analysis shows increased investment in NTDs but low number of new therapy approvals

Tips to keep kids safe while playing outside in the cold

Fingolimod could potentially eliminate or reduce progression of colitis-associated cancer

New publication focuses on microbiome research in environmental, agricultural and biomedical areas

Leptin hormone also regulates airway diameter

Glycan released by parasites might help treat metabolic disorders associated with obesity

Bilingual older people reap neural rewards

Risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity identified

Study shows troubling racial disparities in completion of alcohol and drug abuse programs

Immigrants from Italy live longer than Swiss people

Body's sodium levels fluctuate rhythmically with 7-day and monthly cycles

Researchers develop new materials to support stem cell growth

Flusurvey: an interview with Dr Alma Adler

New scoring system can help clinicians better identify non-ICU patients at risk for GI bleeding

NEJM examines global disease eradication efforts

Brown University receives Irene Diamond Fund gift to launch major initiative on healthy aging

Patient requests, drug company ties likely to influence doctors' decision to prescribe name-brand drugs

Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim announce top-line results from empagliflozin Phase III trials on T2D

Combination of pazopanib and paclitaxel shows promise in slowing anaplastic thyroid cancer

Key link between stem cell factors that fuel ovarian cancer's growth and patient prognosis

Everything there is to know about biosimilars eBook

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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