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New Zealand life science and health IT companies to showcase their products in San Francisco

New Zealand is well known for its wines and stunning scenery, but the country is also a great source of innovation in the life sciences. A delegation of New Zealand life sciences companies who have reached key stages in their development are joining the throngs of international therapeutics, medical device and health IT companies in San Francisco, January 9 - 12 to showcase their products and capabilities to potential corporate partners and investors.

7 Jan 2012

Statin use may influence susceptibility to ILD in smokers

Use of statins may influence susceptibility to or the progression of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in smokers, according to a new study.

6 Jan 2012

Study shows how Epstein-Barr virus triggers MS

A new study from researchers at Queen Mary, University of London shows how a particular virus tricks the immune system into triggering inflammation and nerve cell damage in the brain, which is known to cause MS.

6 Jan 2012

Celtaxsys announces acquisition of CTX-4430 from Estrellita

Celtaxsys, Inc. a privately held biotechnology company, announced today that it has acquired CTX-4430 (formerly EP-501), a clinical stage drug candidate that inhibits the pro-inflammatory enzyme Leukotriene A4 Hydrolase (LTA4H), from Estrellita Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

6 Jan 2012

New laboratory approach could aid brain recovery

In humans, active periods of the debilitating disease Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can last for mere minutes or extend to weeks at a time. They're caused by lesions in the brain that develop, partly heal, and then recur. Research into a cure has been difficult, because to date scientists have not been able to replicate these brain recurring symptoms in laboratory mice. That's frustrating because these lab animals, known as animal "models," are the primary tool for research into the mechanisms and potential treatments for MS.

6 Jan 2012

Repeated episodes of depression contribute to inflammation

An important ongoing debate in the field of psychiatry is whether inflammation in the body is a consequence of or contributor to major depression. A new study in Biological Psychiatry has attempted to resolve the issue.

5 Jan 2012

Vitamin D may stop conferring cardiovascular benefits: Study

New research by Johns Hopkins scientists suggests that vitamin D, long known to be important for bone health and in recent years also for heart protection, may stop conferring cardiovascular benefits and could actually cause harm as levels in the blood rise above the low end of what is considered normal.

5 Jan 2012

Free public lecture to look at role of stents in treating coronary artery diseases

State-of-the art treatments for patients with heart problems are the theme of a public lecture at the University of Greenwich this month. The lecture, which is free and open to all, will look at the role of stents in treating coronary artery diseases. A stent is a tiny, artificial tube which is placed in the coronary arteries that supply the heart: by keeping the arteries open, the stent combats the effects of reduced blood flow, such as blood clots.

5 Jan 2012

Rilonacept appears safe and well-tolerated in patients with gout

A phase II clinical trial found that rilonacept, an inhibitor of the protein interleukin-1 (IL-1), significantly reduced acute gout flares that occur when initiating uric acid-lowering therapy. Results of the trial—the first placebo-controlled study investigating IL-1 targeted therapy in prevention of gout flares—show rilonacept to be generally well tolerated with no serious infections or treatment-related serious adverse events reported.

5 Jan 2012

Study finds increase in incidence and prevalence of IBD

The incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are increasing with time and in different regions around the world, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

5 Jan 2012

IQWiG examines added benefit of pirfenidone for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Pirfenidone inhibits the development of inflammation and scarring (fibrosis) in pulmonary tissue and has been approved for the treatment of mild to moderate idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) since the beginning of 2011.

4 Jan 2012

Researchers discover culprit that leads from heart failure to diabetes

Either heart failure or diabetes alone is bad enough, but oftentimes the two conditions seem to go together. Now, researchers reporting in the January Cell Metabolism appear to have found the culprit that leads from heart failure to diabetes and perhaps a novel way to break that metabolic vicious cycle.

4 Jan 2012

Losartan may help prevent smoking-related COPD

Working with mice, scientists at Johns Hopkins have successfully used a commonly prescribed blood pressure medicine, losartan (Cozaar), to prevent almost all of the lung damage caused from two months of exposure to cigarette smoke. The treatment specifically targeted lung tissue breakdown, airway wall thickening, inflammation and lung over-expansion.

4 Jan 2012

Quantitative CT can offer valuable prognostic information for COPD patients

National Jewish Health researchers and their colleagues in the COPDGene research consortium report that a computerized form of radiology, known as quantitative CT, can offer valuable prognostic information for patients and doctors beyond the standard breathing tests most commonly used to evaluate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

4 Jan 2012

Adiponectin may play a role in development of all-cause dementia and AD in women

A hormone derived from visceral fat called adiponectin may play a role as a risk factor for development of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer disease (AD) in women, according to a study published Online First by the Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

3 Jan 2012

Tips on how to avoid the misery of New Year's hangover

Loyola University Health System family physician Dr. Aaron Michelfelder offers tips on how to avoid the misery of a New Year's hangover.

30 Dec 2011

Venezuela offers to pay for removal of faulty breast implants

Venezuela's government has offered to pay for the removal of PIP breast implants feared to be at risk of rupture. They would cover the cost of the surgery for Venezuelan women but would not pay for replacement implants, Health Minister Eugenia Sader said. Ms Sader said many implants made by French firm Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) had been imported illegally.

29 Dec 2011

Fatty food and brain damage: Study finds connection

US scientists found a sudden change to a high-fat diet triggered inflammation in a key area of rodent brains responsible for regulating body weight. The inflammation produced distinctive scarring similar to that seen in stroke patients - and that brain scarring was then observed in humans who were overweight.

28 Dec 2011

New approach may prevent septic shock

Researchers of VIB and UGent have discovered a new approach to preventing septic shock, an often fatal extreme inflammatory reaction of the body. It is the most frequent cause of death at intensive care departments in hospitals.

28 Dec 2011