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RNA-based drugs may prevent premature birth: Research

Tiny molecules called microRNAs act together with hormones to control the onset of labor, raising the prospect that RNA-based drugs might be able to prevent premature labor, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered in a preclinical study.

15 Nov 2010

Scientists uncover DNA sequence variations associated with cardiac electrical activity

Scientists studying genetic data from nearly 50,000 people have uncovered several DNA sequence variations associated with the electrical impulses that make the heart beat. The findings, reported in Nature Genetics, may pave the way for a greater understanding of the mechanisms for abnormal heart rhythms and sudden cardiac death.

15 Nov 2010

New report highlights effectiveness of bed rest for pregnant women

Despite lack of evidence about bed rest's effectiveness, doctors annually prescribe it for roughly 1 million pregnant women to delay preterm births. Judith Maloni, professor at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University, said a comprehensive review of more than 70 evidence-based research articles challenges whether this is healthy for mothers or their babies.

12 Nov 2010

Bed rest may not delay preterm births, says Frances Payne professor

Despite lack of evidence about bed rest's effectiveness, doctors annually prescribe it for roughly 1 million pregnant women to delay preterm births.

11 Nov 2010

Coherex achieves two milestones in structural heart disease field

In honor of World Stroke Day (October 29, 2010), Coherex Medical, Inc. today announced it has achieved two milestones that further strengthen its position as an emerging medical device company in the field of structural heart disease.

29 Oct 2010

Anticoagulant Pradaxa receives FDA approval for prevention of stroke in atrial fibrillation patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Pradaxa capsules (dabigatran etexilate) for the prevention of stroke and blood clots in patients with abnormal heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation).

20 Oct 2010

Study: Women's labor experience tied to ethnicity and genetics

Results from a clinical study presented at ANESTHESIOLOGY 2010 suggest that a women's labor experience is tied to her ethnicity as well as genetics.

19 Oct 2010

Optogenetics helps to restore optimal movement in people with physical disabilities

Researchers at Stanford University were able to use light to induce normal patterns of muscle contraction, in a study involving bioengineered mice whose nerve-cell surfaces are coated with special light-sensitive proteins.

28 Sep 2010

Protein zyxin necessary for maintenance and repair of cell's cytoskeleton

Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah have discovered that a protein, zyxin, is necessary for the maintenance and repair of the cell's cytoskeleton, or internal framework, which serves as the muscle and bone of the cell. The research has implications for cancer, as well as other diseases, since alterations in the cytoskeleton are often associated with disease. The research was published in the Sep. 14, 2010, issue of the journal Developmental Cell.

22 Sep 2010

Zyxin protein is critical to maintain and repair internal framework

22 Sep 2010

Disruption of structural component in heart muscle cells occurs before decline in heart function

The disruption of a structural component in heart muscle cells, which is associated with heart failure, appears to occur even before heart function starts to decline, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine.

31 Aug 2010

Afferent Pharmaceuticals' P2X3 receptor antagonist reduces bladder hyperactivity

Afferent Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class, small molecule compounds that target P2X3 receptors, today announced preclinical in vivo results demonstrating that an investigational P2X3 receptor antagonist reduced experimentally induced bladder hyperactivity.

26 Aug 2010

Menopause is not the end of women's love life

Menopause doesn't have to signal the end of a woman's love life. In fact, most women can enjoy even better sex after their reproductive years if they follow some healthy advice. Sex is good exercise and slows the aging process, so it's not only permissible but also smart to keep it a central part of one's lifestyle.

16 Aug 2010

Researchers pace embryonic heart with laser

Scientists at Case Western Reserve University and Vanderbilt University found that pulsed light can pace contractions in an avian embryonic heart, with no apparent damage to the tissue. The work, "Optical pacing of the embryonic heart," will be published in the advanced online issue of Nature Photonics on Aug. 15, 2010.According to the scientists, this non-invasive device may prove an effective tool in understanding how environmental factors that alter an embryo's heart rate lead to congenital defects. It may also lead to investigations of cardiac electrophysiology at the cellular, tissue and organ levels, and possibly the development of a new generation of pacemakers.

16 Aug 2010

Study tests new performance intervention to improve heart failure patients in outpatient setting

A study led by UCLA tested a new performance intervention to help improve adherence to national guideline-recommended therapies for heart failure patients in an outpatient setting.

27 Jul 2010

Choice between late-term abortion or keeping an unhealthy foetus

Most pregnant women whose foetus is proven to have a genetic abnormality choose to have an abortion, but reaching that decision is a painful, exhausting process for most of them. "The women's doubt, pain and sorrow make abortion more moral - in the eyes of society as well as her own," says Sølvi Marie Risøy, a researcher at the Stein Rokkan Centre for Social Studies, University of Bergen.

23 Jul 2010

Prototype ring with sensors helps to detect, prevent preterm labor

The birth of a baby is usually a joyous event, but when a child is born too early, worrisome complications can occur, including serious health problems for the baby and steep medical bills for the family. To address this, Johns Hopkins graduate students and their faculty adviser have invented a new system to pick up very early signs that a woman is going into labor too soon.

22 Jul 2010

Children of unemployed Americans experience avoidable loss of healthcare coverage: Research

Not only are the children of the 15.3 million unemployed Americans feeling the impact of financial hardship brought on by the economic recession, many of their children may be experiencing an avoidable loss of healthcare coverage, according to new research by the Child Policy Research Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center published in the July issue of Health Affairs.

8 Jul 2010

Cytokine PharmaSciences completes misoprostol vaginal insert Phase II study

Cytokine PharmaSciences, Inc. today announced the completion of a Phase II study of the misoprostol vaginal insert (MVI), a proprietary, controlled-release and retrievable polymer chip containing prostaglandin E(1) (PGE1). Results of the dose-finding study in pregnant women at term gestation confirm the efficacy and safety of this investigational product and suggest that the MVI may reduce time to delivery after induction, support more natural labor, and reduce the rate of cesarean delivery.

16 Jun 2010

Canadian researchers: Probiotic found in breast milk reduces painful cramping in gut

Here's another reason to breast feed your baby: Canadian researchers have discovered how a probiotic found in breast milk reduces or eliminates painful cramping in the gut. In a new research report published online in the FASEB Journal, these scientists use mice to show that a specific strain of Lactobacillus reuteri decreases the force of muscle contractions in the gut within minutes of exposure.

3 Jun 2010