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Nearly 85% of adolescents at risk of overdosing on acetaminophen: Study

The majority of teens say they have never heard of acetaminophen - or what the appropriate dosing of it is even with access to the label instructions - despite having taken the medication recently, according to a new University of Rochester Medical Center Study assessing teens' health literacy. More than 60 percent of the teens in the study had never before heard of acetaminophen despite 21 percent of them having taken it within the previous month.

3 May 2010

Heart and liver transplant recipients at higher risk of developing lung cancer: Researchers

Heart and liver transplant recipients are at particularly high risk of developing lung cancer after receiving the donated organ, researchers report at the 2nd European Lung Cancer Conference. They are advising doctors to screen for such cancers in these patients to maximize the chance of detecting the malignancy early.

3 May 2010

Health outcomes explored at DDW 2010

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which may soon be the leading indication for liver transplant, is found to be significantly associated with worse transplant outcomes. In addition, a new tool for diagnosing NAFLD represents an alternative to liver biopsy, which is more expensive and prone to complications, and ultrasound and alfafeprotein blood test screening are an effective alternative to CT scan and MRI for patients with cirrhosis at high risk for hepatocellular cancer.

3 May 2010

Vitamin E effective in treating NASH: Study

Vitamin E has been shown effective in treating nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, an obesity-associated chronic liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and death. NASH also is related to or a part of type 2 diabetes, lipid disorders and cardiovascular disease.

3 May 2010

Codeine containing preparations lose their OTC status

It will get more difficult to procure Codeine based pain killers, cough syrups etc. from the local pharmacists from now on. There have been new restrictions over codeine based drugs like Nurofen Plus, Panadeine and Mersyndol which were initially sold over the counter but lost this OTC status with effect from May 1st 2010. The National Drugs and Poisons Schedule Committee formulated the changes during meetings in June and October last year.

2 May 2010

Liver transplant recipients develop premature immune senescence: Researchers

Researchers at the University of Cambridge found that liver transplant recipients develop premature immune senescence, the normal process by which the immune system ages and becomes less effective. Full details appear in the May issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

30 Apr 2010

Repros Therapeutics receives FDA guidance for lifting clinical hold status of Proellex

Repros Therapeutics Inc. today announced that a teleconference was held with the FDA to review the clinical hold status of Proellex®. Previously clinical studies were stopped due to findings of changes in liver enzymes at higher doses of the oral drug resulting in serious adverse events. Proellex is being studied as a treatment for uterine fibroids and endometriosis.

30 Apr 2010

Hormone mimic Octreotide promising for treatment of polycystic liver disease caused by ADPKD: Study

A hormone mimic called Octreotide may be effective for treating polycystic liver disease (PLD) caused by ADPKD, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The study is the first clinical trial performed in the United States to test the effects of this agent in PLD.

30 Apr 2010

Daily intake of vitamin E may help improve fatty liver disease: Study

In an NIH-funded study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, research found that daily vitamin E improved the livers of patients who have a type of liver disease known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

30 Apr 2010

Bristol-Myers Squibb reports 11% increase in first-quarter 2010 revenue

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today reported strong sales and earnings growth for the first quarter of 2010.

30 Apr 2010

BioTime to acquire Singapore-based company, ES Cell International

BioTime, Inc., a biotechnology company that develops and markets products in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine, today announced that it has agreed to acquire the Singapore-based company ES Cell International Pte Ltd.

30 Apr 2010

OSI Pharmaceuticals announces European Commission's approval of Tarceva for NSCLC

OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that its international partner for Tarceva® (erlotinib), Roche, received approval from the European Commission for Tarceva as a monotherapy maintenance treatment in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease remains largely unchanged (stable disease) after platinum-based initial chemotherapy.

29 Apr 2010

Study examines lifestyle-related causes of death in AIDS patients

The study, by researchers from the University of Bristol and a large group of international collaborators, examined data from the Antiretroviral Therapy Cohort Collaboration (ART-CC) which involved nearly 40,000 patients who started ART between 1996 and 2006 in Europe and North America.

29 Apr 2010

Presence and type of cirrhosis complications are strong predictors of mortality: Study

A recent study by Danish researchers discovered patients with alcoholic cirrhosis had a high prevalence of complications at the time of the disease diagnosis.

29 Apr 2010

Investigators study Pioglitazone and Vitamin E for treatment of NASH

A daily dose of a specific form of vitamin E significantly improved the liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, according to a study funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health. Results were published April 28 online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

29 Apr 2010

SBRT shows promise in treatment of lung, liver and spinal tumors: Clinical experts

Radiosurgical approaches to cancer treatment are showing promise in the treatment of lung, liver, and spinal tumors, according to four leading clinical experts who presented at a symposium in New York earlier this month.

28 Apr 2010

FDHN announces 2010 AGA Research Scholars

The Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition has announced the 2010 American Gastroenterological Association Foundation research scholars. The grants have been awarded to seven outstanding young gastroenterologists who promise to make significant strides in the field of gastrointestinal research.

28 Apr 2010

FXR can slow proliferation of tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer cells: Study

A receptor that is present in the nucleus of cells can, when activated, slow the growth of tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer cells, a new study found. The study built on the recent discovery that farnesoid X receptor — a nuclear receptor found mainly in the liver — is found in breast cancer tissue.

28 Apr 2010

Causes of death in AIDS patients

New research shows that Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) continues to dramatically reduce rates of mortality from HIV infection in high-income countries, such that non-AIDS-related deaths exceed AIDS deaths after approximately four years of taking ART.

28 Apr 2010

Transplanted pig cells may bring relief from insulin injections in type I diabetics

Living Cell Technologies, a New Zealand based biotechnology company that is investigating the use of living pig cells in the treatment of diabetes has now received $700,000 (US$500,000) grant from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International for further human trials.

28 Apr 2010