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Tufts researchers gain new insight into protein associated with bipolar disorder

Researchers from Tufts have gained new insight into a protein associated with bipolar disorder. The study, published in the June 3 issue of Science Signaling, reveals that calcium channels in resting neurons activate the breakdown of Sp4, which belongs to a class of proteins called transcription factors that regulate gene expression.

12 Jun 2014

FDA approves Takeda's Entyvio for severe active ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc., has announced that the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) simultaneously approved a new biologic therapy, Entyvio™ (vedolizumab), for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD).

21 May 2014

Physician partner allows doctors to focus more on patients

Primary care physicians already have enough administrative duties on their plates, and the implementation of electronic medical records has only added to their burden. As a result, they have less time to spend with their patients.

16 May 2014

Bayer's Ciprofloxacin DPI receives FDA orphan drug designation for NCFB treatment

Bayer HealthCare today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of Orphan Products Development has granted orphan drug designation for its investigational Ciprofloxacin Dry Powder for Inhalation (Ciprofloxacin DPI) for the treatment of non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB).

23 Apr 2014

Researchers uncover mechanism that may help explain severe forms of schistosomiasis

Researchers at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts and Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) have uncovered a mechanism that may help explain the severe forms of schistosomiasis, or snail fever, which is caused by schistosome worms and is one of the most prevalent parasitic diseases in the world. The study in mice, published online in The Journal of Immunology, may also offer targets for intervention and amelioration of the disease.

17 Apr 2014

New analysis shows signs of emerging middle way toward reducing ranks of uninsured

With the political divide over health care reform still strong going into this year's elections, a new analysis of state-level decisions shows signs of an emerging middle way toward reducing the ranks of the uninsured.

8 Apr 2014

Study shows high-risk drinking may improve post weight loss surgery

Much has been reported about the potential for increased risk of alcohol misuse after weight loss surgery (WLS), with most theories pointing to lower alcohol tolerance and a longer time to return to a sober state after surgery, but a new study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center suggests that upwards of half of high-risk drinkers are actually less likely to report high-risk drinking behavior after weight loss surgery.

4 Apr 2014

Damage to brain cells plays role in development of epilepsy after traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury is a risk factor for epilepsy, though the relationship is not understood. A new study in mice, published in Cerebral Cortex, identifies increased levels of a specific neurotransmitter as a contributing factor connecting traumatic brain injury (TBI) to post-traumatic epilepsy. The findings suggest that damage to brain cells called interneurons disrupts neurotransmitter levels and plays a role in the development of epilepsy after a traumatic brain injury.

11 Mar 2014

Bayer and Onyx announce Phase 3 trial evaluating use of NEXAVAR for patients with HCC after local ablation

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an Amgen subsidiary (Nasdaq: AMGN), today announced that a Phase 3 trial evaluating the investigational use of NEXAVAR® (sorafenib) tablets as an adjuvant treatment for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or liver cancer, who had no detectable disease after surgical resection or local ablation, did not meet its primary endpoint of improving recurrence-free survival.

11 Mar 2014

Suicide risk greater with disturbed sleep than mental health disorders

Sleep disturbances are an important risk factor for suicide, say researchers, who found that disturbed sleep contributed more to the risk than mental health disorders in a Japanese population.

10 Mar 2014

TAZ gene represents potential target for drug therapies to treat aggressive types of breast cancer

Significance: Understanding more about how the different types of cells in breast tissue develop improves our knowledge of breast cancer. TAZ represents a potential new target for drug therapies to treat aggressive types of breast cancer.

7 Mar 2014

Cell-cycle arrest biomarkers validated for acute kidney injury

Saeed A. Jortani, Ph.D., associate clinical professor in the University of Louisville's Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, headed up one of three labs in the United States involved in determining two new markers for acute kidney injury (AKI). The research group's paper, "Validation of Cell-Cycle Arrest Biomarkers for Acute Kidney Injury Using Clinical Adjudication," was posted online Feb. 25 by the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

5 Mar 2014

Insomnia behaviours independently influence sleep in mood disorders

Behaviours associated with controlling sleep and managing the negative effects of insomnia are independently associated with disturbed sleep in patients with anxiety or depressive disorders, US research shows.

3 Mar 2014

Bayer HealthCare joins NORD to promote awareness of Rare Disease Day

Bayer HealthCare is joining the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) and others in raising awareness of Rare Disease Day, which is being celebrated today around the world.

3 Mar 2014

Penn research team discovers new cost-effective way to fight rare blood disorder

A University of Pennsylvania research team has defined a possible new way to fight a disease that is currently treatable only with the most expensive drug available for sale in the United States.

28 Feb 2014

Yangon General Hospital first to install Varian technology for cancer treatment

Yangon General Hospital has become the first clinical site in Myanmar to install new technology from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) for treating cancer with radiotherapy.

28 Feb 2014

Penn researchers identify possible new way to fight rare blood disorder

A University of Pennsylvania research team has defined a possible new way to fight a disease that is currently treatable only with the most expensive drug available for sale in the United States. In a study published this month in Blood, the Penn team describes the strategy, based on the oldest part of the human immune system - called "complement" -- that could turn out to be less costly and more effective for the majority of patients with a rare blood disorder.

27 Feb 2014

Waiting room time helps in effective screening for depression and anxiety

A new study in General Hospital Psychiatry finds patients visiting the hospital for a variety of ailments can be easily screened for depression and anxiety as they wait for care, information that can then be sent immediately to their doctor to address.

27 Feb 2014

Study suggests simple way for physicians to communicate treatment goals in type 2 diabetes patients

An editorial in a February issue of American Family Physician proposes a simple way for physicians to communicate with patients about the best treatments for diabetes. The "lending a hand" illustration reprioritizes treatment goals, based on research on mortality reduction, to convey that glycemic control is no longer the primary intervention.

24 Feb 2014

Bayer enrolls patients for Phase III trial of Stivarga (regorafenib) tablets in colorectal cancer

Bayer HealthCare today announced that the company has begun to enroll patients in the COAST trial studying Stivarga® (regorafenib) tablets in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with resected liver metastases.

20 Feb 2014