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Harvard announces ExxonMobil Malaria Scholar in Residence

The Harvard School of Public Health announced on Thursday that Regina Rabinovich, former director of infectious diseases at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has been chosen to be the ExxonMobil Malaria Scholar in Residence, "where she will focus on innovative strategies to combat malaria," according to a Harvard press release.

8 Oct 2012

Morphine inhibits BDNF protein, whereas cocaine enhances BDNF

Chronic morphine exposure has the opposite effect on the brain compared to cocaine in mice, providing new insight into the basis of opiate addiction, according to Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers. They found that a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is increased in cocaine addiction, is inhibited in opioid addiction. The research is published in the October 5 issue of Science.

8 Oct 2012

Alzheimer's disease diagnosis within minutes using a simple brain scan

Groundbreaking research taking place at the University of York could lead to Alzheimer's disease being diagnosed in minutes using a simple brain scan.

8 Oct 2012

Presidential candidates focus message on Medicare, health law

GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney campaigned in Florida and blasted the health law as a threat to seniors while President Barack Obama attempted to highlight Romney's changes in position.

8 Oct 2012

Mindray's new DC-8 ultrasound system to be demonstrated at ACEP meeting

Mindray Medical International Limited, a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices worldwide, today announced that it will demonstrate the new DC-8 ultrasound system at the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) annual meeting being held in Denver October 8-10, 2012.

From Mindray 8 Oct 2012

FDA task force to examine solutions to improve, speed antibiotic research

"One of the most urgent global public health problems is the increasing capability of bacteria to resist antibiotic drugs," a Washington Post editorial states.

8 Oct 2012

Liquorice-based nanotech material for sterilizing medical devices

A nanotech material containing an extract from liquorice can be used to sterilize and protect medical devices and implants which include biological components, and protects these functional bio-components during the sterilization process.

8 Oct 2012

High levels of chronic and acute illnesses in Palestinian refugees

New research draws attention to the continuing and urgent health emergency facing Palestinians living under occupation, especially the health and wellbeing issues surrounding refugees from the occupied Palestinian territories. Abstracts of the research, which were presented at the fourth meeting of The Lancet Palestinian Health Alliance in March 2012, are published online in The Lancet.

8 Oct 2012

New neuroprotective agent for stroke patients potentially found

Scientists have shown that a drug called NA-1 results in fewer brain lesions in patients who have undergone surgery to repair a brain aneurysm, compared to placebo, and appears to be safe to use, according to an Article published Online First in The Lancet Neurology.

8 Oct 2012

CSIS report examines current, planned interventions aimed at improving maternal health

The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) on Friday released a report (.pdf) titled "Improving Maternal Mortality and Other Aspects of Women's Health," the center reports on its webpage.

8 Oct 2012

Merck receives non-exclusive license to use Delphi StabyExpress technology

Delphi Genetics SA has announced today a broad licensing agreement with a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, for the use of the StabyExpress technology, which allows high yield, cost effective protein expression without the use of antibiotics.

8 Oct 2012

Southern African leaders sign declaration on TB in mining sector

"In an attempt to tackle tuberculosis [TB] among current and former miners, their families, and affected communities, 15 southern African leaders signed a Declaration on TB in the Mining Sector, a legal instrument, at the recent summit meeting of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government in Maputo, Mozambique," the Lancet reports.

8 Oct 2012

ImaginAb enters into neurodegeneration research collaboration agreement with Lundbeck

ImaginAb, Inc., a clinical-stage company developing in vivo molecular imaging agents based on antibody fragment technology, today announced that it has entered into a collaboration and commercialization agreement with H. Lundbeck A/S.

8 Oct 2012

Loose oversight may be to blame in meningitis outbreak

The rising toll - 7 dead, 57 ill and thousands potentially exposed - has cast a harsh light on the loose regulations that legal experts say allowed a company to sell 17,676 vials of an unsafe drug to pain clinics in 23 states.

8 Oct 2012

More toilets would help save lives in India

The controversy in India over "a self-evident statement by the rural development minister that India needs toilets more than it does temples ... is a perfect example of the stupidity that too often dominates Indian politics," GlobalPost senior correspondent Jason Overdorf writes in his blog "On India."

8 Oct 2012

Standard red blood cell transfusion as good as fresh RBCs for premature infants

Among premature, very low-birth-weight infants requiring a transfusion, use of fresh red blood cells (RBCs) compared with standard RBC transfusion practice did not improve clinical outcomes that included rates of complications or death, according to a study in the October 10 issue of JAMA.

8 Oct 2012

NCI awards Cellerant SBIR contract to develop Megakaryocyte Progenitor Cell therapy for thrombocytopenia

Cellerant Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel hematopoietic stem cell-based cellular and antibody therapies for blood disorders and cancer, announced today that it has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 contract and a Phase 2 option from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) valued up to $1,683,503.

8 Oct 2012

UnitedHealth to buy Brazilian health insurer

UnitedHealth Group Inc., the biggest U.S. health insurance company, agreed to pay about $4.9 billion to buy 90 percent of Amil Participacoes SA (AMIL3), a Brazil-based insurer and hospitals operator that gives the American company a stake in the world's second-biggest emerging economy.

8 Oct 2012

New legislation proposed to improve seniors' care coordination

The bill backed by Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-Pa., and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., would promote better coordination between medical and social services for elderly people by building on the Older Americans Act.

8 Oct 2012

Scientists discover process by which vitamin B12 is made in cells

In a development that may lead to new drugs to treat cancer, scientists at the University of Kent have discovered the process by which a key vitamin (B12) is made in cells.

8 Oct 2012