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Caffeine intake increases risk for recurrent gout attacks

Drinking caffeinated beverages may raise the risk for recurrent gout attacks, according to research presented at the Nov 2010, American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta.

8 Nov 2010

Political cartoon: 'Prescription Medicine"

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh look at health policy developments with "Prescription Medicine" by Mike Keefe.

8 Nov 2010

CardioNet to acquire Biotel

CardioNet, Inc., a leading wireless medical technology company with an initial focus on the diagnosis and monitoring of cardiac arrhythmias, announced today that the Company entered into a definitive merger agreement with Biotel, Inc. to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Biotel for $11 million, or $3.84 per share, before adjustments for working capital. In connection with the merger agreement, the parties entered into a settlement agreement to dismiss the outstanding litigation between them, which will be effective as of the close of the merger.

8 Nov 2010

FDA authorizes Athersys' MultiStem Phase II clinical trial for ulcerative colitis

Athersys, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized commencement of a Phase II clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of administration of MultiStem, Athersys' allogeneic investigational cell therapy product, for the potential treatment of ulcerative colitis.

8 Nov 2010

Gents renews distribution agreement for AcnEase with Herborium

Herborium Group, Inc., a Botanical Therapeutics™ company, during its shareholder conference call yesterday afternoon, announced that Gents, AB of Helsingborg, Sweden, renewed its distribution agreement to supply AcnEase® throughout Sweden.

8 Nov 2010

Special mobility shoes benefit people with osteoarthritis

The use of special mobility shoes can help ease knee pain and slow disease progression in people with osteoarthritis, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta.

8 Nov 2010

Tai Chi benefits individuals with arthritis

In the largest study to date of the Arthritis Foundation's Tai Chi program, participants showed improvement in pain, fatigue, stiffness and sense of well-being.

8 Nov 2010

Limiting inflammation can control accumulation of carotid atherosclerosis in RA patients

New data presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta show that systemic inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis disease activity may contribute to the progression of atherosclerosis in people with RA. The data also show that this progression may be modified favorably by TNF inhibitors and detrimentally by glucocorticoids.

8 Nov 2010

CMU receives $2.9 million DOD research grant to develop therapy for amputees

CMU's Jeffrey O. Hollinger, director of the center, and Professor Krzysztof Matyjaszewski have received a three-year, $2.9 million U.S. Department of Defense research grant to develop a therapy that would aid amputees, specifically wounded soldiers. The therapy aims to prevent bone nodules from forming in the muscle at the site of amputation, a painful condition that makes it difficult for amputees to wear limb prostheses.

8 Nov 2010

Maternal peanut consumption during pregnancy increases peanut allergy risk in children

Babies born to mothers who eat peanuts during pregnancy appear more prone to peanut allergy, according to research conducted by scientists at Johns Hopkins Children's Center and elsewhere and published online in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The research team was led by Scott Sicherer, M.D., of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

8 Nov 2010

Angioblast Systems receives $1.2 million in grants under QTDP program

Regenerative medicine company, Mesoblast Limited, today announced that its United States associate company, Angioblast Systems, has been awarded $1.2 million in grants under the United States Government's Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project (QTDP) program.

8 Nov 2010

Blocking beta glucuronidase enzyme could eliminate side effects of CPT-11 in colon cancer treatment

A debilitating side effect of a widely used but harshly potent treatment for colon cancer could be eliminated if a promising new laboratory discovery bears fruit.

8 Nov 2010

Vapor rub improves sleep for children with cold symptoms

Applying a vapor rub is effective for treating children with night-time cough and congestion and improves sleep for children with cold symptoms, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

8 Nov 2010

Research on immune system may help develop improved vaccines for cancer

Researchers at the University of Cambridge hope to revolutionise cancer therapy after discovering one of the reasons why many previous attempts to harness the immune system to treat cancerous tumours have failed.

8 Nov 2010

Medicare announces contracts for competitive bidding on equipment while docs worry about payment cuts

News outlets offer a variety of stories about Medicare, including details of a new bidding process for medical equipment and the scheduled cut in physician reimbursement.

8 Nov 2010

Research findings on RGL2 protein can lead to new therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer

One of the most frustrating problems faced by doctors who treat pancreatic cancer is the lack of effective therapeutic options. More than 38,000 people in the United States die of the disease each year, and new drugs and treatments are desperately needed.

8 Nov 2010

Brain training improves real-world activities of older adults

A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) proves that the right kind of brain training can produce cognitive improvements that transfer to real-world skills. The study, available online and in the November 2010 issue of JAGS found that older drivers who completed 10 sessions of speed-of-processing training or reasoning training had an approximately 50 percent reduction in at-fault motor-vehicle collisions (MVC) compared to the control group.

8 Nov 2010

TRPM7 protein plays a key role in maintenance of magnesium homeostasis

An international team led by researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has published new findings that demonstrate how a specific protein controls the body's ability to balance magnesium levels. Magnesium is an essential element for good health and is critical to more than 300 biochemical reactions that occur in the body.

8 Nov 2010

Plexxikon's PLX4032 shows positive data in patients with metastatic melanoma

Plexxikon today announced positive preliminary data from a pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial of PLX4032 (RG7204) in metastatic melanoma, showing significant tumor shrinkage in the majority of patients.

8 Nov 2010

Hydroxychloroquine may reduce cardiac neonatal lupus in subsequent pregnancies: Research

Women with anti-SSA/Ro antibodies and a previous child who has heart block a condition where the electrical signal that makes the heart beat is damaged may potentially decrease their risk of delivering another child with life threatening heart disease by taking hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta.

8 Nov 2010