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Link between Olmesartan drug and severe GI issues

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered an association between a commonly prescribed blood pressure drug, Olmesartan, and severe gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss and electrolyte abnormalities -- symptoms common among those who have celiac disease.

22 Jun 2012

Patients with MS appear to have reduced risk of cancer

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients appear to have a lower cancer risk, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health.

22 Jun 2012

New signal transduction pathway might be fruitful target for cancer drugs

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have uncovered a new signal transduction pathway specifically devoted to the regulation of alternative RNA splicing, a process that allows a single gene to produce or code multiple types of protein variants. The discovery, published in the June 27, 2012 issue of Molecular Cell, suggests the new pathway might be a fruitful target for new cancer drugs.

22 Jun 2012

Study: Unexpected activity of estrogenic compounds during early stages of embryonic development

Chemicals in the environment that mimic estrogen can strongly influence the development of humans and other animals. New research to be presented at the 2012 International Zebrafish Development and Genetics Conference, held June 20-24 in Madison, Wisconsin, reveals that these substances may act even earlier than previously realized, at the very beginning stages of embryonic development.

22 Jun 2012

Iroko announces results from diclofenac Phase 3 study on post-surgical pain

Iroko Pharmaceuticals, LLC today announced Phase 3 study results that showed patients treated with the company's novel, submicron particle, lower-dose diclofenac (18mg and 35mg), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), experienced significant pain relief post surgery compared with placebo>0.01 and P<0.001 respectively).

22 Jun 2012

DBS can improve muscle symptoms in patients with Parkinson's

Patients with Parkinson's disease who undergo deep brain stimulation (DBS)—a treatment in which a pacemaker-like device sends pulses to electrodes implanted in the brain—can expect stable improvement in muscle symptoms for at least three years, according to a Department of Veterans Affairs study appearing in the most recent issue of the journal Neurology.

22 Jun 2012

REG3A molecule may lead to new treatments for psoriasis, wound-healing

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder in which skin cells proliferate out of control. For some hard-to-heal wounds, the problem is just the opposite: Restorative skin cells don't grow well or fast enough. In a paper published in the June 21, 2012 issue of Immunity, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine describe a molecule that may lead to new treatments for both problems.

22 Jun 2012

IU receives CMS grant to expand Aging Brain Care model

A $7.8 million Health Care Innovation Award to Indiana University from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), will expand the Aging Brain Care model developed by researcher-clinicians from the IU Center for Aging Research and the Regenstrief Institute.

22 Jun 2012

Lead 8A analog can treat osteosarcoma in children

Jiayuh Lin, PhD, and colleagues at Nationwide Children's Hospital have developed a drug to target the most common cancerous bone tumor in children, osteosarcoma, using a version of the FDA-approved drug, Celebrex. The team will soon begin testing the drug using human and canine tumor cell lines thanks to a two-year, $200,000 grant from Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer.

22 Jun 2012

Pfizer receives FDA approval for Lyrica to manage neuropathic pain associated with SCI

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Lyrica (pregabalin) capsules CV for the management of neuropathic pain associated with spinal cord injury.

22 Jun 2012

Connexin 43 deficiency may protect against bed rest-associated bone loss

Mice lacking connexin 43, the most abundant gap junction protein in bone, have a decreased susceptibility to the effects of mechanical unloading on bone, US researchers report.

21 Jun 2012

$Hip fracture type may determine regional anesthesia benefits$

Hip fracture type may determine regional anesthesia benefits

Use of regional anesthesia may reduce the risk for mortality and pulmonary complications among patients undergoing surgery for hip fracture, research shows.

21 Jun 2012

Midurethral slings can prevent pre-operative urinary incontinence in women with vaginal prolapse

A multicenter study involving a UT Southwestern Medical Center urogynecologist will eliminate some of the guesswork physicians face about whether to use a sling during vaginal prolapse repair to prevent urinary incontinence.

21 Jun 2012

Levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel reduces 'off' time in people with advanced PD

A new delivery method for levodopa/carbidopa, a common dual-drug Parkinson's disease (PD) regimen, significantly improved the duration of the drugs' effectiveness in people with advanced PD, according to research by Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

21 Jun 2012

Genetics play a significant role in determining side effects of opiates

Genetics play a significant role in determining which patients will suffer the most from the disturbing side effects of opiates, commonly prescribed painkillers for severe to moderate pain, according to a new Stanford University School of Medicine study, which pinpoints nausea, slowed breathing and potential for addiction as heritable traits.

21 Jun 2012

New understanding of how motor neurons die in spinal muscular atrophy patients

Cedars-Sinai's Regenerative Medicine Institute has pioneered research on how motor-neuron cell-death occurs in patients with spinal muscular atrophy, offering an important clue in identifying potential medicines to treat this leading genetic cause of death in infants and toddlers.

21 Jun 2012

Examining the threat of multi-drug resistant TB in India

The Wall Street Journal reports on a rise of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (TB) in India, writing, "India's slow response to years of medical warnings now threatens to turn the country into an incubator for a mutant strain of tuberculosis that is proving resistant to all known treatments, raising alarms of a new global health hazard."

21 Jun 2012

Largest study to examine impact of gastric sleeve surgery on pre-transplant obese patients

Morbidly obese patients with end-stage organ failure may improve their chances for successful organ transplantation after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, according to a new study presented here at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

21 Jun 2012

GBM patients with CNP subtype may have less aggressive subtype of cancer

A diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is generally a death sentence, but new research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison lab of Dr. John Kuo shows that at least one subtype is associated with a longer life expectancy. This discovery could help with better patient prognoses and lead to targeted drug treatments for GBM subtypes.

21 Jun 2012

Long QT Syndrome may cause unexplained ExD deaths

The headlines are often filled with this scenario: a person displaying violent, bizarre and agitated behavior is subdued by law enforcement personnel and later dies in custody. It appears to be a case of police brutality - but is it? According to William P. Bozeman, M.D., an emergency medicine physician at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, some of these deaths may be caused by an abnormal cardiac condition called Long QT Syndrome, compounded by a situation of Excited Delirium (ExD) Syndrome.

21 Jun 2012