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CYP2C19 gene variant can increase risk of cardiovascular events in patients treated with clopidogrel

An analysis of data from previously published studies indicates that use of the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel for patients who have common genetic variants of a certain gene and are undergoing a procedure such as coronary stent placement have an associated increased risk for major adverse cardiovascular events, particularly development of blood clots in stents, according to a study in the October 27 issue of JAMA.

27 Oct 2010

Racial disparities among children with frequent ear infections can influence access to health care resources

Ear infections are one of the most common health problems for children, with most kids experiencing at least one by their third birthday. Annual costs in the United States alone are in the billions of dollars.

26 Oct 2010

Innovative program for new graduate doctors to ensure safety prescription

A new software based program has recently been created for new graduate doctors to ensure they prescribe safely from day one on the wards.

26 Oct 2010

CINJ researcher receives Clinical/Basic Science Research Award

Amar Rewari, MD, MBA, a researcher from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ), has been chosen to receive the Clinical Award in Clinical/Basic Science Research at the 52nd Annual Meeting of The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in San Diego next month. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

26 Oct 2010

Examining genetic material of egg cells may inform about embryos health

Fertility procedures such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) require a couple and the doctor to place the risky bet that the multiple eggs they choose to fertilize will produce an embryo that will thrive in the uterus. Researchers cannot biopsy eggs directly because that would destroy them, but a new discovery by professors at Brown University and Women & Infants Hospital could lead to new insights about how eggs develop and ultimately inform judgments about how the embryos they produce will fare. The idea is to examine the genetic material the egg cells discarded when they were first forming, to see which genes they were expressing.

26 Oct 2010

Pathogenic listeria tricks intestinal cells to cause sickness

Pathogenic listeria tricks intestinal cells into helping it pass through those cells to make people ill, and, if that doesn't work, the bacteria simply goes around the cells, according to a Purdue University study.

26 Oct 2010

Maven Semantic updates Lymphocyte Cell Biology research database

Maven Semantic announces updates to their Lymphocyte Cell Biology research database. The new database is now available to marketing, business development, competitor intelligence, KOL, medical affairs and related departments in the life sciences sector.

26 Oct 2010

Aspirin reduces risk of death from prostate cancer

Men with prostate cancer who take anticoagulants like aspirin in addition to radiation therapy or surgery may be able to cut their risk of dying of the disease by more than half, according to a large study presented on November 3, 2010, at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in San Diego. The study involved more than 5,000 men with localized cancer whose disease had not spread beyond the prostate gland.

26 Oct 2010

Dual antiplatelet therapy study expanded into Australia and New Zealand

The Harvard Clinical Research Institute (HCRI) announced today that the DAPT Study has expanded into Australia and New Zealand. Professor Ian Meredith, MBBS, Ph.D., interventional cardiologist at MonashHeart in Melbourne, Australia and National Coordinating Investigator for the DAPT Study in Australia, was the first Pacific Rim investigator to enroll patients into the study.

26 Oct 2010

Dietary intake of PUFAs associated with decreased prevalence of periodontitis

Periodontitis, a common inflammatory disease in which gum tissue separates from teeth, leads to accumulation of bacteria and potential bone and tooth loss. Although traditional treatments concentrate on the bacterial infection, more recent strategies target the inflammatory response.

26 Oct 2010

Doctors, nurses and urgent care centers address increasing demand

The (Lynchburg, Va.) News and Advance reports on doctor shortages in Virginia: "Attracting more physicians to the area, and keeping them, is a challenge that has become more urgent. So much so that Centra is in the midst of creating a formal Physician Recruiting Office, where staff will work to convince physicians to consider coming to Lynchburg for their residency or to practice.

26 Oct 2010

FlexBone shows potential replacement for current bone transplantations

With a failure rate as high as 50 percent, bone tissue grafts pose a significant obstacle to orthopedic surgeons attempting to repair complex fractures or large areas of bone loss, such as those often caused by trauma and cancer. Current synthetic substitutes rarely possess the bone-like properties needed for successful grafting and are often difficult for surgeons to manipulate in the operating room. In response to these challenges, researchers at UMass Medical School have developed an easy-to-produce, inexpensive, synthetic bone material called FlexBone.

25 Oct 2010

UC San Diego researchers receive two federal grants for biomedical informatics

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, led by Lucila Ohno-Machado, MD, PhD, chief of the Division of Biomedical Informatics in the Department of Medicine, have received two federal grants totaling more than $25 million to develop new ways to gather, analyze, use and share vast, ever-increasing amounts of biomedical information.

25 Oct 2010

Study on H1N1 virus to be presented at IDSA annual meeting

The 2009/2010 Influenza A (H1N1) is one of several viruses responsible for respiratory-related infections. A new study from Rhode Island Hospital examined patients with viruses and found distinguishing characteristics of the H1N1 virus in how it affects respiratory illness. Their findings will be presented at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America to be held in Vancouver, Canada on Friday, Oct. 22.

25 Oct 2010

UTHealth renewed as 'Center of Excellence' by NIDA

By delivering an innovative, interdisciplinary approach to drug abuse and addiction research, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) has been renewed as a "Center of Excellence" by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health.

22 Oct 2010

Study evaluates protective effect of airbags on kidneys, upper urinary tract

Occupants in motor vehicles with airbags are much less likely to suffer kidney or renal damage in a crash than are occupants in vehicles without airbags, according to a new study in the September Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

22 Oct 2010

TOBI reduces mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis, Pa lung infection

A new analysis of data from more than 12,000 people with cystic fibrosis (CF) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) lung infection in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Patient Registry shows that use of TOBI (Tobramycin Inhalation Solution, USP) was associated with a 21% reduction in mortality in the following year.

22 Oct 2010

New guidelines feature various key updates for stroke or TIA survivors

Treating metabolic syndrome and undergoing carotid angioplasty may prevent recurrent stroke or transient ischemic attack, according to revised American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines.

22 Oct 2010

New research center to study effects of BPA, phthalates on children

A new research center based at the University of Illinois will investigate whether regular exposure to bisphenol A and phthalates - chemicals widely used in plastics and other consumer products - can alter infant and adolescent development, cognition or behavior.

22 Oct 2010

Regulus present advancements in microRNA platform at Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society meeting

Regulus Therapeutics Inc. announced today that advancements from its leading microRNA platform and product pipeline were presented at the "6th Annual Meeting of the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society" held October 20 - 23, 2010 in Dana Point, California.

22 Oct 2010