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Scientists discover hormone pathway that can lead to new diabetes treatment

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered a hormone pathway that potentially could lead to new ways of treating type 1 diabetes independent of insulin, long thought to be the sole regulator of carbohydrates in the liver.

25 Mar 2011

Sitagliptin drug can slow onset of diabetes

Diabetes type 2 is caused by insufficient levels of insulin to keep blood glucose under control. Excessive levels of another hormone, glucagon, can also contribute to diabetes type 2 by causing the liver to flood the body with stored glucose.

25 Mar 2011

Zebrafish model of human melanoma reveals new cancer gene

Looking at the dark stripes on the tiny zebrafish you might not expect that they hold a potentially important clue for discovering a treatment for the deadly skin disease melanoma. Yet melanocytes, the same cells that are are responsible for the pigmentation of zebrafish stripes and for human skin color, are also where melanoma originates.

24 Mar 2011

MicroRNAs may play a key role in future medicine

Since their discovery in the 1990s, microRNAs have proven to play a complex role in normal and abnormal functioning of many organ systems. In the April issue of Translational Research, entitled "MicroRNAs: A Potential New Frontier for Medicine," an international group of medical experts explores several themes related to our current understanding of microRNAs and the role they may play in the future of medicine.

24 Mar 2011

FDA approves Nordion's TheraSphere IDE for Phase III trial to treat HCC

Nordion Inc., a leading provider of products and services to the global health science market, today announced that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to conduct a Phase III clinical trial for TheraSphere® under an Investigational Device Exemption.

23 Mar 2011

Researchers discover novel gene regulation mechanism that contributes to HCC development

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine have discovered a novel mechanism in gene regulation that contributes to the development of a form of liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma.

23 Mar 2011

PRWP receives two new patents for Galectin-targeting compounds in the U.S., Australia

Pro-Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leading developer of therapeutics that target Galectin receptors to treat cancer and fibrosis, today announced that the Company has been granted two new patents, "Co-administration of a Polysaccharide with a Chemotherapeutic Agent for the Treatment of Cancer" in Australia and "Selectively Depolymerized Galactomannan Polysaccharide" in the United States.

23 Mar 2011

Genetic errors in women linked to increased risk of preeclampsia

Scientists have identified genetic errors in women with autoimmune diseases that increase the risk of preeclampsia, a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs in 10 percent of all pregnancies.

23 Mar 2011

FDA accepts Arisaph's ARI-3037MO IND for phase I human clinical trial

Arisaph Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held drug discovery biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted the Company's recently submitted Investigational New Drug application to evaluate ARI-3037MO in a phase I human clinical trial in healthy volunteers.

22 Mar 2011

NasVax reports positive results from Phase 2a trial of oral immunotherapy for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

NasVax announces the success of a Phase 2a clinical trial of a new oral immunotherapy for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), an inflammatory disease associated with fatty liver disease and the metabolic syndrome.

21 Mar 2011

Research roundup: Successful medical homes; shortage of HIV doctors; boosting use of $4 generic drugs

Every Friday, Jennifer Evans compiles this selection of recently-released health policy studies and briefs.

19 Mar 2011

Cognitive impairment may not be fully reversible in patients with liver disease: Study

There are potential legal ramifications for physicians of patients who drive with cognitive impairment, according to a study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association Institute.

19 Mar 2011

Researchers discover process that regulates DNA maintenance

DNA contains all of the genetic instructions that make us who we are, and maintaining the integrity of our DNA over the course of a lifetime is a critical, yet complex part of the aging process.

19 Mar 2011

U-M researcher endorses new concepts designed to improve kidney allocation

Providing kidney transplants to patients with the best probability of longer survival would reduce repeat transplant operations and improve life span after kidney transplant, says a U-M researcher in a commentary published in the New England Journal of Medicine March 16.

18 Mar 2011

New drug can aid in smoking reduction therapy

Researchers working in a research project within the Academy of Finland's Research Programme on Substance Use and Addictions have been developing a targeted drug that could aid in smoking reduction therapy. The new drug slows down the metabolism of nicotine, which would help smokers to cut down their smoking.

18 Mar 2011

Next-generation sequencing can improve infant microbiota

Sequencing technology has advanced significantly since the race to sequence the human genome first began. As part of the Teagasc Vision Programme a 'next generation sequencer', the only one of its kind in Ireland, was installed at Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark.

17 Mar 2011

Digna Biotech and Biotecnol to begin CT-I Phase I trial in healthy volunteers

Digna Biotech and Biotecnol announced today that the Spanish Regulatory Medicine Agency has authorized the start of a Phase I Clinical Trial in healthy volunteers for Cardiotrophin-I.

17 Mar 2011

Study suggests dissolvable tobacco products may cause mouth diseases

The first study to analyze the complex ingredients in the new genre of dissolvable tobacco products has concluded that these pop-into-the-mouth replacements for cigarettes in places where smoking is banned have the potential to cause mouth diseases and other problems.

17 Mar 2011

Hospitals with higher diagnosis frequency for chronic conditions have lower case-fatality rate

An examination of data for more than 5 million Medicare beneficiaries finds that hospital regions that have a greater frequency of diagnoses have a lower case-fatality rate for chronic conditions such as coronary artery disease and kidney failure, according to a study in the March 16 issue of JAMA.

16 Mar 2011

Montreal Heart Institute and Cerenis commence CER-001 Phase 2 study in acute coronary syndrome

The Montreal Heart Institute today announced the start of the Phase 2 CHI-SQUARE (Can HDL Infusions Significantly QUicken Atherosclerosis REgression?) study of CER-001 in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), in collaboration with Cerenis Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel high-density lipoprotein (HDL) therapies to treat cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

16 Mar 2011