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Two new methods could accelerate development of improved antisense drugs

Powerful antisense drugs that target disease-associated genes to block their expression can be used to treat a broad range of diseases. Though antisense therapy has been proven effective, challenges remain in ensuring that the drugs reach their intended targets.

2 Feb 2013

Two new studies examine causes, treatment of severe malnutrition

"Two studies of malnourished children offer the first major new scientific findings in a decade about the causes and treatment of severe malnutrition, which affects more than 20 million children around the world and contributes to the deaths of more than a million a year," the New York Times reports.

2 Feb 2013

Scientists produce monoclonal antibody in tobacco plants that neutralizes rabies viruses

Smoking tobacco might be bad for your health, but a genetically altered version of the plant might provide a relatively inexpensive cure for the deadly rabies virus. In a new research report appearing in The FASEB Journal, scientists produced a monoclonal antibody in transgenic tobacco plants that was shown to neutralize the rabies virus.

2 Feb 2013

Experts contemplate whether Medicare should pay for Alzheimer's test

Also in the news, Astra Zeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb step up their diabetes-drug partnership.

2 Feb 2013

Researchers create high-resolution map of gene regulatory elements in the brain

Future research into the underlying causes of neurological disorders such as autism, epilepsy and schizophrenia, should greatly benefit from a first-of-its-kind atlas of gene-enhancers in the cerebrum (telencephalon).

2 Feb 2013

Overbilling and out-of-network care contribute to marketplace tension

Though he was living on $18,000 a year as a graduate student, [Angel] Gonzalez had good insurance and the hospital, St. Charles in Port Jefferson, N.Y., was in his network. But the surgeon who came in to remove Mr. Gonzalez's gallbladder that Sunday night was not.

2 Feb 2013

PKCζ protein plays a critical role in regulating tumor metabolism

Cancer cells need food to survive and grow. They're very good at getting it, too, even when nutrients are scarce. Many scientists have tried killing cancer cells by taking away their favorite food, a sugar called glucose. Unfortunately, this treatment approach not only fails to work, it backfires-glucose-starved tumors actually get more aggressive.

2 Feb 2013

Alleviation of global hunger an urgent agenda for world leaders in 2013

"The fact that an inexpensive and readily treatable condition that affects 868 million people, kills 2.3 million children per year, and was targeted as a Millennium Development Goal, should remain uncontrolled year after year is as shocking as it is shameful," a Lancet editorial writes about global hunger.

2 Feb 2013

Modafinil may help some people to reduce drinking by improving their impulse control

Poor impulse control contributes to one's inability to control the consumption of rewarding substances, like food, alcohol, and other drugs. This can lead to the development of addiction. FDA-approved medications for alcoholism, like naltrexone (Revia) and disulfiram (Antabuse), are thought to reduce alcohol consumption by curbing cravings and creating unpleasant reactions to alcohol, effects which reduce the desire to drink alcohol.

2 Feb 2013

Guardian reports on HIV-related employment discrimination case in China

"An aspiring teacher in south-east China has become the country's first person to win compensation for an HIV-related employment discrimination, according to state media reports," the Guardian writes.

2 Feb 2013

Debate about health law's Medicaid expansion is hot topic in state Capitols

Lawmakers, officials and health advocates continue to press their policy positions on the pros and cons of expanding the Medicaid program.

2 Feb 2013

New drug to prevent early stages of Alzheimer's could enter clinical trials soon

A new drug to prevent the early stages of Alzheimer's disease could enter clinical trials in a few years' time according to scientists.

2 Feb 2013

'Impatient Optimists' blog reflects on recent Global Maternal Health Conference

In this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Mariam Claeson, deputy director of maternal, newborn, and child health at the foundation; France Donnay, senior program officer for maternal, neonatal and child health at the foundation; and Melanie Walker, deputy director of global development special initiatives at the foundation, reflect on the Global Maternal Health Conference 2013, which took place recently in Arusha, Tanzania.

2 Feb 2013

Survey finds few states have laws to enforce new consumer health protections

A report by the Commonwealth Fund finds that 39 states do not have measures to allow officials to enforce some key insurance regulations from the federal health law.

2 Feb 2013

Potential connection between autism and insulin-like growth factor

A New York-based physician-researcher from Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, best known for his research into fertility and twinning, has uncovered a potential connection between autism and a specific growth protein that could eventually be used as a way to predict an infant's propensity to later develop the disease.

2 Feb 2013

Kaiser Family Foundation releases primer on U.S. engagement in global health issues

A new Kaiser Family Foundation primer "provides a comprehensive overview of the U.S. government's engagement in global health issues, including a look at the federal programs that support these efforts," according to an email alert from the foundation.

2 Feb 2013

Scientists report first generation of hiPSCs from patients with maturity onset diabetes of the young

Joslin scientists report the first generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells from patients with an uncommon form of diabetes, maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY). These cells offer a powerful resource for studying the role of genetic factors in the development of MODY and testing potential treatments.

2 Feb 2013

Medicare expands competitive bidding program

The new prices will kick in July 1 and are expected to save on average 45 percent for products such as walkers, wheelchairs, oxygen equipment and other medical products.

2 Feb 2013

Study shows how female steroid hormones can make changes to the breast genetic material

Melbourne scientists have discovered how female steroid hormones can make dramatic changes to the genetic material in breast cells, changes that could potentially lead to breast cancer.

2 Feb 2013

Researchers await clinical trial results of potential TB vaccine, expected early next week

"After nearly 100 years, researchers could be on the verge of finding a vaccine that would eradicate tuberculosis [TB] infections," Reuters reports, noting, "Global health experts are eagerly awaiting clinical trial results, expected early next week, of the first new vaccine in 90 years designed to prevent tuberculosis infections."

2 Feb 2013

Research News and Research

Two new methods could accelerate development of improved antisense drugs

Two new studies examine causes, treatment of severe malnutrition

Scientists produce monoclonal antibody in tobacco plants that neutralizes rabies viruses

Experts contemplate whether Medicare should pay for Alzheimer's test

Researchers create high-resolution map of gene regulatory elements in the brain

Overbilling and out-of-network care contribute to marketplace tension

PKCζ protein plays a critical role in regulating tumor metabolism

Alleviation of global hunger an urgent agenda for world leaders in 2013

Modafinil may help some people to reduce drinking by improving their impulse control

Guardian reports on HIV-related employment discrimination case in China

Debate about health law's Medicaid expansion is hot topic in state Capitols

New drug to prevent early stages of Alzheimer's could enter clinical trials soon

'Impatient Optimists' blog reflects on recent Global Maternal Health Conference

Survey finds few states have laws to enforce new consumer health protections

Potential connection between autism and insulin-like growth factor

Kaiser Family Foundation releases primer on U.S. engagement in global health issues

Scientists report first generation of hiPSCs from patients with maturity onset diabetes of the young

Medicare expands competitive bidding program

Study shows how female steroid hormones can make changes to the breast genetic material

Researchers await clinical trial results of potential TB vaccine, expected early next week

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