Medical School News and Research

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State roundup: Calif. retirees to retain health benefits; Emory, MinuteClinic partner in Ga.; Free services in Md.

Health benefits for government retirees may not be eliminated if state and local governments had clearly promised workers those benefits, the California Supreme Court ruled in an Orange County case Monday. The unanimous ruling is expected to make it more difficult for state and local governments to shave costs by cutting health benefits to retirees if elected officials in previous years made it clear that those benefits would last a lifetime.

23 Nov 2011

New device safe, more effective for patients with chronic neurological conditions

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) was developed to help return lost function to patients with upper and lower extremity injuries and spinal cord injuries, among other applications. However, the devices, which work by stimulating neuronal activity in nerve-damaged patients, have a potential shortcoming in that the electrical currents needed for the treatment to work can also send errant signals to surrounding nerves, resulting in painful side effects.

22 Nov 2011

U-M ranks sixth among all medical schools in NIH funding

Research at the University of Michigan Medical School brought hundreds of millions of dollars into the state of Michigan in the last year - and could have a total economic impact of nearly $1.2 billion, new data show.

22 Nov 2011

Titanium particles from artificial joints may play a direct role in painful inflammation

Many people with painful, creaky knees and hips find relief after replacing their bad joints with new artificial joints made from titanium. But some of these people develop painful inflammation that can lead to bone destruction and loosening of the new joint. A new study led by researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and published by the Journal of Immunology suggests that tiny titanium particles that flake away from the artificial joints through normal wear and tear may play a direct role in that inflammation.

22 Nov 2011

Decanoic acid can modulate glucose control

A Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) study published recently in the Journal of Biological Chemistry reveals that a natural fatty acid can serve as a regulator of blood sugar levels, which may have important applications in designing better and safer drugs for diabetes treatment.

22 Nov 2011

Study reveals specific functional deficit in inner ear mechanotransduction channels

National Institutes of Health-funded researchers have identified two proteins that may be the key components of the long-sought after mechanotransduction channel in the inner ear-the place where the mechanical stimulation of sound waves is transformed into electrical signals that the brain recognizes as sound.

22 Nov 2011

MedImmune, U-M to work toward new biologic options for cancer and other diseases

Leaders from the University of Michigan Medical School and MedImmune, the global biologics arm of AstraZeneca, have signed a new agreement to work together on a broad range of projects.

22 Nov 2011

MIT, Pfizer announce new location for CVMED and Neuroscience research units

Pfizer Inc. and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) today held the official groundbreaking of the new location of Pfizer's Cardiovascular, Metabolic and Endocrine Diseases (CVMED) and Neuroscience research units at 610 Main Street, Cambridge, MA.

22 Nov 2011

Novel antibacterial protein could prevent or treat E. coli O157:H7-induced food-borne infections

A novel antibacterial protein targeted against E. coli O157:H7 may offer a way to prevent or treat serious food-borne bacterial infections, as demonstrated in a study published in the December issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

21 Nov 2011

UTHealth and Memorial Hermann HVI first in Houston to implant FDA approved artificial heart valve

Cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute are the first in Houston to implant the artificial heart valve recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, as well as a newer, smaller version that is part of a clinical trial.

21 Nov 2011

Selecta commences SEL-068 Phase 1 clinical trial for smoking cessation and relapse prevention

Selecta Biosciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of synthetic vaccines and immunotherapies, today announced that it has initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial to assess the safety, tolerability and pharmacodynamic profile of SEL-068, a nicotine vaccine candidate for smoking cessation and relapse prevention.

21 Nov 2011

Avidocin protein could prevent or treat E. coli O157:H7-induced diarrhea

21 Nov 2011

Promising results from dexpramipexole phase 2 trial on ALS

Treatment with dexpramipexole - a novel drug believed to prevent dysfunction of mitochondria, the subcellular structures that provide most of a cell's energy - appears to slow symptom progression in the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Promising results of a phase 2 trial of dexpramipexole are receiving advance online publication in Nature Medicine.

20 Nov 2011

Two genetic rearrangements may trigger 5 to 7% of breast cancers

Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered two cancer-spurring gene rearrangements that may trigger 5 to 7 percent of all breast cancers.

20 Nov 2011

Outreach program director at CINJ to take part in unique cancer control program

Kiameesha Evans, MPH, MCHES, program director of the Office of Community Outreach at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ), has been selected to take part in a unique pilot program for cancer control practitioners through the National Cancer Institute.

19 Nov 2011

Aid targeting high mortality diseases 'lays the groundwork' for improving primary health care services

"In recent years, initiatives such as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria have helped rein in some of the biggest scourges," Paul Farmer, co-founder of Partners in Health and chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, writes in a Washington Post opinion piece.

19 Nov 2011

FDA approves EUSA's orphan drug ERWINAZE for acute lymphoblastic leukemia

EUSA Pharma, a transatlantic specialty pharmaceutical company focused on oncology, oncology supportive care and critical care, today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its orphan drug ERWINAZE (asparaginase Erwinia chrysanthemi) for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in patients with hypersensitivity to E. coli-derived asparaginase.

19 Nov 2011

Overlake acquires Issaquah Medical Group

Overlake Hospital Medical Center is continuing to grow its network of primary care medical clinics on the Eastside with the acquisition of Issaquah Medical Group, now named Overlake Medical Clinics Gilman.

18 Nov 2011

CINJ experts available to comment on blood donations

Every two seconds, someone in the United States is in need of blood. According to the American Red Cross, more than 38,000 blood donations are needed each day. With just one donation of a pint of blood, up to three lives can be saved. In New Jersey, according to the state Department of Health and Senior Services, fewer than four percent of eligible residents donate regularly, resulting in the need for critical blood donations.

18 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: Paul Starr on Obama, Romney and health reform; Glenn close on the need for mental health services

As we testified on Nov. 1 before the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, the principal driver of long-term federal deficits is the rapidly mounting cost of healthcare, particularly Medicare. ... Solving the U.S. debt crisis requires structural changes to slow Medicare's cost growth plus significant new revenue to accommodate the retirement of the baby boomers. Any plan without those two essential components should go back to the drawing board.

17 Nov 2011

Medical School News and Research

State roundup: Calif. retirees to retain health benefits; Emory, MinuteClinic partner in Ga.; Free services in Md.

New device safe, more effective for patients with chronic neurological conditions

U-M ranks sixth among all medical schools in NIH funding

Titanium particles from artificial joints may play a direct role in painful inflammation

Decanoic acid can modulate glucose control

Study reveals specific functional deficit in inner ear mechanotransduction channels

MedImmune, U-M to work toward new biologic options for cancer and other diseases

MIT, Pfizer announce new location for CVMED and Neuroscience research units

Novel antibacterial protein could prevent or treat E. coli O157:H7-induced food-borne infections

UTHealth and Memorial Hermann HVI first in Houston to implant FDA approved artificial heart valve

Selecta commences SEL-068 Phase 1 clinical trial for smoking cessation and relapse prevention

Avidocin protein could prevent or treat E. coli O157:H7-induced diarrhea

Promising results from dexpramipexole phase 2 trial on ALS

Two genetic rearrangements may trigger 5 to 7% of breast cancers

Outreach program director at CINJ to take part in unique cancer control program

Aid targeting high mortality diseases 'lays the groundwork' for improving primary health care services

FDA approves EUSA's orphan drug ERWINAZE for acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Overlake acquires Issaquah Medical Group

CINJ experts available to comment on blood donations

Viewpoints: Paul Starr on Obama, Romney and health reform; Glenn close on the need for mental health services

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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