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Signaling pathway inhibition enhances autologous bone marrow transplant: Research

Identification of a molecular communications pathway that influences the mobilization of hematopoietic (blood) stem cells could lead to targeted therapies for improving bone marrow transplant success rates.

27 Sep 2010

NIH awards $2.4 million to help disabled students for careers in neuroscience

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded nearly $2.4 million Friday to University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus researcher Diego Restrepo and Elba Serrano of New Mexico State University Las Cruces to help them prepare minority students and those with disabilities for careers in neuroscience.

27 Sep 2010

Double-Balloon Enteroscopy shows potential benefits in children

The use of device assisted enteroscopy, a technique that allows complete examination of the small bowel, may be just as successful pediatrics as it has been in adult medicine, according to a study from Nationwide Children's Hospital.

27 Sep 2010

Researchers synthesize molecule to block abnormal protein in cancer cells

In the quest to arrest the growth and spread of tumors, there have been many attempts to get cancer genes to ignore their internal instruction manual. In a new study, a team led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists has created the first molecule able to prevent cancer genes from "hearing" those instructions, stifling the cancer process at its root.

27 Sep 2010

Democrats tout health reform achievements, GOP lashes back

The Hill reports that as Republicans call for repeal of the law, the Obama administration is quick to push back. Writing Thursday on the White House blog, Stephanie Cutter, the president's communications guru, noted that repealing the reforms would eliminate all the patient protections that just took effect.

27 Sep 2010

Insurer’s reaction to kids’ coverage protections continues to unwind

Insurers are fleeing the market for children only health plans because of a new requirement that forces them to take on new policy holders, even if they are already sick.

27 Sep 2010

Media outlets examine reaction to MDGS summit

Reuters AlertNet examines reactions by development experts and advocates to the U.N. Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which wrapped up Wednesday, after world leaders adopted a declaration that promised intensified efforts by the 192 U.N. member states to achieve the eight goals by 2015.

27 Sep 2010

Endothelial progenitor cells predict metastatic disease in children with cancer: Study

Endothelial progenitor cells may play a role in the start and progression of metastatic disease in children with cancer, according to study results published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

27 Sep 2010

Health law affecting insurers, employers and comparative effectiveness research

Kaiser Health News has a list of eight provisions in the new health law that took effect this week as insurers, businesses and employers sort out what the new changes mean for them.

27 Sep 2010

Study finds inconsistent surveillance method for CA-BSI infections

A new study looking at how hospitals account for the number of pediatric patients who develop catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CA-BSIs) found substantial inconsistencies in the methods used to report the number of patients who develop these infections.

27 Sep 2010

U.S. Department of State joins 'Together for Girls' to end sexual violence

The U.S. Department of State became an official partner of Together for Girls the global partnership to end sexual violence against girls announced last year by President William J. Clinton at the Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative.

From BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) 27 Sep 2010

Key pathway used by malaria parasite to infect human cells identified

Development of an effective vaccine for malaria is a step closer following identification of a key pathway used by the malaria parasite to infect human cells. The discovery, by researchers at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, Australia, provides a new vaccine target through which infection with the deadly disease could be prevented.

24 Sep 2010

Maine receives federal grants to upgrade electronic public health systems, scores of criminals provide home health care in Cal.

The Boston Globe: "Caritas Christi Health Care executives have told union negotiators they will shutter St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton and Carney Hospital in Dorchester if they can't close a deal for the six-hospital chain to be bought by a New York private equity firm. The warning was made during contract talks last week with the Massachusetts Nurses Association, according to two people who attended the meeting.

24 Sep 2010

Playing video games may help children become laparoscopic surgeons

Playing video games for hours on end may prepare your child to become a laparoscopic surgeon one day, a new study has shown. Reorganisation of the brain's cortical network in young men with significant experience playing video games gives them an advantage not only in playing the games but also in performing other tasks requiring visuomotor skills. The findings are published in the October 2010 issue of Elsevier's Cortex.

24 Sep 2010

Researchers create device to find ways to improve commonly used treatment for 'water on the brain'

Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) scientists participated in a study with researchers from the University of Utah that could help find ways to improve shunt systems used to treat the neurological disorder hydrocephalus, or "water on the brain," the leading cause of brain surgery for children in the United States. Researchers studied the shunt systems under a variety of conditions by creating a bioreactor that mimics the environment inside patients.

24 Sep 2010

Critics say school lunch bill could damage food stamp program

The New York Times: "In her campaign to reduce childhood obesity and improve school nutrition, Michelle Obama has become entangled in a fight with White House allies, including liberal Democrats and advocates for the poor." The bill, which the House is expected to consider in the next few days, "would come up with some of the money by cutting future food stamp benefits. When the Senate passed the bill in early August, Mrs. Obama said she was thrilled. But anti-hunger groups were not.

24 Sep 2010

Enobia announces positive results from ENB-0040 Phase II juvenile clinical trial for hypophosphatasia

Enobia Pharma today announced positive results for its Phase II juvenile clinical trial of ENB-0040 (asfotase alfa), an experimental bone-targeted enzyme replacement therapy intended for the treatment of hypophosphatasia (HPP). Hypophosphatasia is a rare, inherited, and sometimes fatal metabolic bone disease that affects individuals of all ages.

24 Sep 2010

Microfluidic Systems ranked #3035 on Inc. 5000

Microfluidic Systems, a privately-held company, announced today that they received an award from Inc. Magazine. The Fourth Annual Exclusive List of America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies—the Inc. 5000 ranked Microfluidic Systems number 3035 with a growth rate of 68%. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy—America's independent-minded entrepreneurs.

24 Sep 2010

Task of catastrophe data collection in hands of ordinary citizens

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $65,000 grant to a newly hired Virginia Tech College of Engineering assistant professor who wants to put the task of data collection during a catastrophe such as the recent Gulf Coast oil spill into the hands of ordinary citizens.

24 Sep 2010

Objective of WHO and health partners in Pakistan is to reduce avoidable death and illness

In a massive health relief effort underway in the flood-affected parts of Pakistan, nearly six million people have been treated for health conditions since the floods began in late July; but there are urgent needs to prevent further health crises or food insecurity caused by large-scale damage to crops and agricultural land.

24 Sep 2010