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Five recent Science and Nature papers shed light on elusive 'GPCRs'

Readers of the top-ranked scientific journals Science and Nature might have noticed a recent wave of articles, most recently in the July 13, 2012 issue of Science, with deep importance for biology and medicine.

14 Jul 2012

Malpractice payments decline for eighth consecutive year

The number and total value of malpractice payments made on behalf of physicians declined in 2011 for the eighth consecutive year, according to a new study released yesterday by the consumer group Public Citizen. The study analyzes information from the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB), a federal clearinghouse on malpractice payments.

14 Jul 2012

Scientists clone tannin gene in sorghum

They might be called a blessing or a curse -- tannins, which are present in certain sorghums, contain health-promoting antioxidant properties, but also provide a bitter taste and decreased protein digestibility. To better understand tannins, their role in sorghum and how they can be altered to improve sorghum's use as food and feed, a team of scientists led by Kansas State University and U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers, has cloned the tannin gene in sorghum.

14 Jul 2012

New noninvasive imaging technique may help detect heart transplant rejection in children

Cardiologists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a noninvasive imaging technique that may help determine whether children who have had heart transplants are showing early signs of rejection. The technique could reduce the need for these patients to undergo invasive imaging tests every one to two years.

14 Jul 2012

GlobalPost blog interviews head of WHO's Stop TB Department

GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog interviews Mario Raviglione, the director of the WHO's Stop TB Department since 2003, "about the progress and frustrations with detection and treatment of tuberculosis [TB]."

14 Jul 2012

Financial boost to malaria fight would result in beneficial gains

"[A] surge in money for insecticide-treated nets and other interventions" to fight malaria over the past decade has reduced the malaria-related death rate by 26 percent since 2000, and a "new push" to fight the disease, which killed 655,000 people in 2010, would have beneficial results, according to a report set to be released by Ray Chambers, the U.N. special envoy for malaria, an Economist editorial notes.

14 Jul 2012

UCLA pediatrician receives 2012 Nemours Child Health Services Research Award

Dr. Tumaini Rucker Coker, assistant professor of pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA was honored with the 2012 Nemours Child Health Services Research Award at the Academy Health annual research meeting in Orlando on June 23.

14 Jul 2012

CDC releases Global Health Strategy 2012-2015

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released its Global Health Strategy 2012-2015, which "outlines how CDC will leverage its core strengths to advance four overarching global health goals: improving the health and well-being of people around the world, improving capabilities for preparing and responding to infectious diseases and emerging health threats, building country public health capacity and maximizing organizational capacity," according to the strategy website.

14 Jul 2012

James J. Peters Veterans Hospital actively enrolls participants for NIC5-15 phase IIb trial in AD

The James J. Peters Veterans Hospital in Bronx, New York, is actively recruiting participants for a phase IIb clinical trial testing NIC5-15, a disease modifying candidate for Alzheimer's disease.

14 Jul 2012

Governments should mobilize to address drowning deaths worldwide

"In an age of ethnic conflict, fatal disease and chronic malnutrition, it seems strange to stumble across figures such as this: 388,000 people die every year from drowning, according to the World Health Organization," a Washington Post editorial writes.

14 Jul 2012

Polls: Public views health law as a tax, opinions divided along party lines

A Quinnipiac poll finds that most people view the health law as a tax increase, while a survey by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press not only found that the public is sharply divided over the law, but in regard to the court, too.

14 Jul 2012

MedStar NRH, Georgetown University create new Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery

Georgetown University and MedStar National Rehabilitation Network announced today a new research and patient care partnership that extends the boundaries of neuroscience. The new Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery marks the launch of a rare research continuum spanning basic and translational science in brain recovery.

14 Jul 2012

Health groups brace for sequester, ask Congress to undo scheduled cuts

Hospital groups are planning lobbying efforts to convince lawmakers to cancel a 2 percent Medicare cut that would kick in next January. Meanwhile, 3,000 groups signed a 64-page letter expressing concern about the impact of non-defense discretionary spending reductions.

14 Jul 2012

Ariz. abortion law challenged in lawsuit; Mo. Gov. vetoes contraception bill

News outlets look at these developments in states and also assess overall efforts this year by state legislatures to restrict abortions as some states to continue to press against the Obama administration's contraceptive coverage mandate.

14 Jul 2012

Trade agreements could harm access to antiretroviral drugs in Asia, Pacific, experts and activists warn

"Pressure on developing countries to adopt clauses affecting intellectual property rights could limit access to generic antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in Asia and the Pacific, experts and activists warn," PlusNews reports.

14 Jul 2012

Governors' concerns continue to surface about health law's Medicaid expansion

Though much of the dust-up following the Supreme Court's Medicaid decision has come from Republican governors vowing to opt out of the expansion, news outlets report that some Democratic governors also have concerns. Meanwhile, Kentucky became the 13th state to say it would set up its own online insurance exchange where individuals and small businesses could shop for coverage beginning in 2014.

14 Jul 2012

Ajuba protein plays a central role in regulating function of heart stem cells

It is not unusual for babies to be born with congenital heart defects. This is because the development of the heart in the embryo is a process which is not only extremely complex, but also error-prone. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim have now identified a key molecule that plays a central role in regulating the function of stem cells in the heart.

14 Jul 2012

Minn. attorney general adds 10 more patient claims to lawsuit against Accretive

The Minnesota attorney general, who is suing Accretive Health over its patient bill-collection practices. added more patient claims to the case this week in an effort to buttress the action against the debt-collector.

14 Jul 2012

New paper documents discovery of novel lipids, including MC3

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, a leading RNAi therapeutics company, and collaborators announced today the publication of a scientific paper documenting the discovery of novel lipids used in second generation lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics.

14 Jul 2012

amfAR analysis examines impact of potential budget sequestration on global health

In this guest post on the Global Health Technologies Coalition's "Breakthroughs" blog, George Fistonich, a research and policy fellow at amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, examines a new amfAR analysis that "outlines the potential effects of budget sequestration on global health programs, using updated figures to reflect recent and accurate estimates."

14 Jul 2012