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New study: Enzyme that metabolizes vitamin D can predict lung cancer survival

Recent research suggests vitamin D may be able to stop or prevent cancer. Now, a new study finds an enzyme that plays a role in metabolizing vitamin D can predict lung cancer survival.

1 Mar 2011

FDA approves roflumilast to treat COPD

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved roflumilast, a pill taken daily to decrease the frequency of flare-ups or worsening of symptoms from severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

1 Mar 2011

High blood pressure medications useful even in those without hypertension: Study

Researchers have studied existing evidence to suggest that people who have had a stroke or a heart attack might benefit from taking blood pressure medications, even if they do not have high blood. They noted that for every 1,000 people taking the drugs in clinical trials, on average 15 fewer died from heart disease than when the patients got dummy treatment. The study however could not explain the cause for this benefit. The study, which was funded by Tulane University and the National Institutes of Health, was published in the March 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

1 Mar 2011

New drug approved for COPD by the FDA

The U.S. FDA has approved a new treatment for people with worsening symptoms of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD affects smokers and the elderly and leads to severe difficulty in breathing, chronic cough and excessive mucus production. An exacerbation can last up to several weeks and result in a decline in lung function and increased risk of death, and it may be associated with severe anxiety, the FDA says.

1 Mar 2011

Rise of the female smoker in developing world

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1 Mar 2011

Brain's reward/motivation circuits linked to compulsive overeating

A brain imaging study at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory reveals a subtle difference between ordinary obese subjects and those who compulsively overeat, or binge: In binge eaters but not ordinary obese subjects, the mere sight or smell of favorite foods triggers a spike in dopamine - a brain chemical linked to reward and motivation.

1 Mar 2011

Two genes linked to binge drinking

University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers have identified two genes associated with binge drinking that may open doors to new, more effective treatments for excessive alcohol drinking. The scientists found that manipulating two receptors in the brain, GABA receptors and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), "caused profound reduction" of binge drinking for two weeks in rodents that had been bred and trained to drink excessively. The study was published online the week of Feb. 28 in the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

1 Mar 2011

Daytime sleep can have cardiovascular benefits: New research

A daytime sleep could have cardiovascular benefits according to new research by Ryan Brindle and Sarah Conklin, PhD, from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania in the US.

28 Feb 2011

IARP introduces platform to provide centralized decision support system for scientists and policy makers

The International Aging Research Portfolio is an independent non-profit initiative serving the aging research community. As the only centralized knowledge management system containing international grant databases, publications and project information, IARP provides highly granular relevant information to scientists, funding organizations and policymakers, as well as serving as a platform for collaboration and research.

28 Feb 2011

New study: Little historical evidence justifies economic downturns linked with large cuts in health aid

The World Bank and World Health Organization have voiced fears that policymakers will break their commitments to support desperately needed global health services in low- and middle-income countries because of the ongoing global economic downturn. Yet, according to a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health, there is surprisingly little historical evidence to justify reversing these commitments.

28 Feb 2011

Scientists identify new pathogen linked to childhood dental disease

Researchers at The Forsyth Institute have made a significant discovery about the nature of childhood dental disease. The scientific studies led by Anne Tanner, BDS, Ph.D., identified a new pathogen connected to severe early childhood caries.

28 Feb 2011

New study: Black elders seem to have protective effect against hearing loss

Nearly two-thirds of Americans age 70 and older have hearing loss, but those who are of black race seem to have a protective effect against this loss, according to a new study led by Johns Hopkins and National Institute on Aging researchers.

28 Feb 2011

Scripps Health offers genetic testing to patients with Hepatitis C

Scripps Health is one of the first health systems in the United States to offer genetic testing as part of its care for hepatitis C patients planning to undergo drug treatment.

28 Feb 2011

Well-being in adolescence linked to life satisfaction in adulthood

Being a 'happy' teenager is linked to increased well-being in adulthood, new research finds.

25 Feb 2011

Meditation leads to stronger mind-body connection than dancing

The body is a dancer's instrument, but is it attuned to the mind? A new study from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that professional ballet and modern dancers are not as emotionally in sync with their bodies as are people who regularly practice meditation.

25 Feb 2011

Research sheds new light on problem of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes

A research team, led by La Jolla Institute scientist Joel Linden, Ph.D., has shed new light on the problem of insulin resistance, and identified the key participants in a molecular pathway that holds therapeutic promise for reducing the severity of type 2 diabetes.

25 Feb 2011

Study demonstrates ability of cobas HPV Test to detect HPV-16, HPV-18 genotypes linked to cervical cancer

Roche announced that a study published online today in the American Journal of Clinical Pathology demonstrated the ability of the cobas HPV Test to individually detect HPV-16 and HPV-18, two of the highest risk HPV genotypes causing 70 percent of cervical cancer cases.

From Roche Sequencing and Life Science 25 Feb 2011

Strategies to minimize medical radiation exposure

Representatives from the American College of Radiology outlined strategies for transforming computed tomography technology and its use to minimize medical radiation exposure today at the National Institutes of Health "Summit to Focus on Management of Radiation Dose in Computerized Tomography – Emphasis Toward the Sub-mSv CT Exam."

25 Feb 2011

PACAP hormone levels linked to post-traumatic stress disorder

High blood levels of a hormone produced in response to stress are linked to post-traumatic stress disorder in women but not men, a study from researchers at Emory University and the University of Vermont has found.

25 Feb 2011

Next-generation sequencing provides important clues to traceback foodborne illness outbreak

FDA scientists successfully used a new genome sequencing test to retrospectively examine a 2009-10 foodborne illness outbreak to help trace the source of the infection.

25 Feb 2011