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Discovery of new mechanism for the processing of endocannabinoids

New research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, has identified a new mechanism for the processing of endocannabinoids, natural brain compounds similar to THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

17 Mar 2009

Obama nominates former New York City health chief Hamburg as FDA commissioner, Baltimore Health Commissioner Sharfstein as Deputy

President Obama in his weekly radio and Internet address on Saturday said that he would nominate former New York City Health Commissioner Margaret Hamburg as FDA commissioner and Baltimore Health Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein as the agency's principal deputy commissioner, the New York Times reports (Harris, New York Times, 3/15).

16 Mar 2009

New HHS grant will allow Pennsylvania HIV, STI education program to continue

The Community Prevention Partnership of Berks County, Pa. -- which runs a program that provides Hispanic women with education about HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention, as well as domestic violence -- has received a five-year, $335,000 grant from HHS to continue the program, the Reading Eagle reports.

16 Mar 2009

SOX9 protein may be a potential target for melanoma treatment

In a new study released today, researchers have shown that a specific protein plays an important role in inhibiting the development and spread of melanoma tumors in mouse and in human skin models.

11 Mar 2009

Kansas lawmakers to examine increase in payments to group with ties to HHS Secretary-Designee Sebelius

Kansas lawmakers on Wednesday announced that they plan to hold hearings to examine a decision made by the administration of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D), whom President Obama has nominated as HHS secretary, to increase state payments to a social services group whose board of directors included members with close ties to the governor, the AP/Kansas City Star reports.

5 Mar 2009

Combination of genes and prenatal exposure to smoking increases teens' risk of disruptive behavior

A study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a component of the National Institutes of Health, shows that prenatal exposure to smoking combined with a specific genetic variant places children at greatest risk for behavioral problems.

5 Mar 2009

Texas Senate Committee approves bill to protect needle-exchange programs

The Texas Senate's Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday voted 5-1 to approve a bill (S.B. 188) that would protect needle-exchange programs run by local health departments, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports.

4 Mar 2009

Federal health officials, prosecutors switch focus to physicians in illegal kickback cases

Federal health officials and prosecutors have begun to investigate physicians who receive money from drug and medical device makers for using their products, in an attempt to halt the illegal kickbacks, the New York Times reports.

4 Mar 2009

Molecule provides clues about how HPV may lead to cancer

New research shows for the first time that certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV), which cause cervical and some other types of cancer, can inhibit the production of a tiny single-stranded RNA called microRNA 34a, or miR-34a.

4 Mar 2009

United States files complaint against Forest Labs for allegedly violating the false claims act with Celexa and Lexapro

A Complaint was unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts against a New York pharmaceutical company for alleged False Claims Act violations arising from the company's marketing the drugs Celexa and Lexapro for unapproved pediatric use and for paying kickbacks to induce physicians to prescribe the drugs.

25 Feb 2009

Scientists identify lab-made proteins that neutralize a broad range of influenza A viruses

Scientists have identified a small family of lab-made proteins that neutralize a broad range of influenza A viruses, including the H5N1 avian virus, the 1918 pandemic influenza virus and seasonal H1N1 flu viruses.

23 Feb 2009

Experts say multivitamins have no impact on older women's risk of cancer or heart disease

A study by scientists in the United States has found that the long-term use of multivitamins have no impact on a postmenopausal woman's risk of cancer or heart disease.

10 Feb 2009

Medications control metabolism dominate spending for prescription meds

Medications that affect a person's metabolism by helping to lower cholesterol, control diabetes and control weight accounted for $38 billion of the $208.1 billion that American adults spent on medications in 2006, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

8 Feb 2009

Study tests salsalate anti-inflammatory for poorly controlled type 2 diabetes

Researchers in 20 medical centers across the country are enrolling adults with type 2 diabetes who have poorly controlled blood glucose to participate in a clinical study, Targeting Inflammation with Salsalate in Type 2 Diabetes (TINSAL-T2D).

5 Feb 2009

HIPAA privacy rule fails to adequately protect patient privacy and hampers health research

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule does not adequately protect the privacy of people's personal health information and hinders important health research discoveries, concludes a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

5 Feb 2009

Discovery of new cause of ozone wheezing and potential treatments

Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, and Duke University have discovered a cause of airway irritation and wheezing after exposure to ozone, a common urban air pollutant.

3 Feb 2009

Brain cells called astrocytes, not neurons, lull the brain to sleep

Brain cells called astrocytes help to cause the urge to sleep that comes with prolonged wakefulness, according to a study in mice, funded by the National Institutes of Health.

2 Feb 2009

Waging war on tropical diseases may be key to U.S. foreign policy

Stating that neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) not only promote poverty but also destabilize communities, former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson and Sabin Vaccine Institute President Peter Hotez call upon the public-health and foreign-policy communities to embrace medical diplomacy and NTD control as a means to combat terrorism in an article published January 27 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

27 Jan 2009

Healthcare will be a headache for Obama

Among industrialised nations, the US spends well over twice the per capita average on health care and soaring health costs are expected to reach 20 per cent of Gross Domestic Product by 2015.

23 Jan 2009

Eli Lilly to pay $1.415 billion for off-label promotion of Zyprexa

American pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company today agreed to plead guilty and pay $1.415 billion for promoting its drug Zyprexa for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Justice announced today.

19 Jan 2009

Health and Human Services News and Research

Discovery of new mechanism for the processing of endocannabinoids

Obama nominates former New York City health chief Hamburg as FDA commissioner, Baltimore Health Commissioner Sharfstein as Deputy

New HHS grant will allow Pennsylvania HIV, STI education program to continue

SOX9 protein may be a potential target for melanoma treatment

Kansas lawmakers to examine increase in payments to group with ties to HHS Secretary-Designee Sebelius

Combination of genes and prenatal exposure to smoking increases teens' risk of disruptive behavior

Texas Senate Committee approves bill to protect needle-exchange programs

Federal health officials, prosecutors switch focus to physicians in illegal kickback cases

Molecule provides clues about how HPV may lead to cancer

United States files complaint against Forest Labs for allegedly violating the false claims act with Celexa and Lexapro

Scientists identify lab-made proteins that neutralize a broad range of influenza A viruses

Experts say multivitamins have no impact on older women's risk of cancer or heart disease

Medications control metabolism dominate spending for prescription meds

Study tests salsalate anti-inflammatory for poorly controlled type 2 diabetes

HIPAA privacy rule fails to adequately protect patient privacy and hampers health research

Discovery of new cause of ozone wheezing and potential treatments

Brain cells called astrocytes, not neurons, lull the brain to sleep

Waging war on tropical diseases may be key to U.S. foreign policy

Healthcare will be a headache for Obama

Eli Lilly to pay $1.415 billion for off-label promotion of Zyprexa

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