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HHS awards $10M to support public health efforts for reducing tobacco use and obesity

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced awards of $10 million to 10 national non-profit organizations to support public health efforts to reduce tobacco use and reduce obesity through increased physical activity and improved nutrition.

8 Jul 2010

Overall cancer mortality rates continue to decrease, new report shows

The continued drop in overall cancer mortality rates over the last 20 years has averted more than three-quarters of a million (767,000) cancer deaths according to a new report from the American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Society's annual Cancer Statistics article reports that the overall death rate from cancer in the United States in 2007 was 178.4 per 100,000, a relative decrease of 1.3 percent from 2006, when the rate was 180.7 per 100,000, continuing a trend that began in 1991 for men and 1992 for women.

8 Jul 2010

Uptake Medical completes Series B financing led by Maverick Capital

Uptake Medical, a privately held interventional pulmonology company, announced today that it has concluded its Series B financing from an investment group led by Maverick Capital, a new investor. The company plans to use this capital to obtain the CE mark and introduce its unique proprietary Bronchoscopic Thermal Vapor Ablation (BTVA) technology outside of the U.S. The company also has begun its approval cycle with the FDA in the U.S.

7 Jul 2010

Interventions that help smokers quit before surgery can reduce risk of complications afterward: Review

It is well known that smokers are at an increased risk for post-surgical complications such as infections and poorly healing wounds. Likewise, smoking can contribute to lowered survival and delayed healing.

7 Jul 2010

Study: High concentrations of cocoa flavanols decrease blood pressure

A new study by UCSF cardiologists and researchers found that high concentrations of cocoa flavanols decrease blood pressure, improve the health of blood vessels and increase the number of circulating blood-vessel-forming cells in patients with heart disease. The findings indicate that foods rich in flavanols - such as cocoa products, tea, wine, and various fruits and vegetables - have a cardio-protective benefit for heart disease patients.

7 Jul 2010

Pfizer's new chewable Lipitor for children receives European Commission approval

Pfizer Inc. announced it has received European Commission approval of a new chewable form of Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) suitable for use in children aged 10 or older with high levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol and high triglycerides due to the inherited disorder familial hypercholesterolemia and other primary causes, which can increase the risk of heart disease and premature death. This pediatric indication has also been approved for the currently available tablet form of Lipitor.

7 Jul 2010

FDA grants Angion Biomedica's BB3 therapeutic Fast Track and Orphan Drug product designations

Angion Biomedica Corp., a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics that enhance quality of life, eradicate disease and save lives by modulating the body's protective, reparative and regenerative systems, announced today that its lead therapeutic BB3 was accepted into the Fast Track program of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has also been designated an Orphan Drug product by FDA.

7 Jul 2010

Adolescent cyber bullies and victims more likely to have psychiatric problems: Study

Adolescent victims and perpetrators of electronic bullying appear more likely to report having psychiatric and physical symptoms and problems, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

6 Jul 2010

Depression and dementia may go hand in hand: Study

A new study has found that depressive disorders raise the risk of dementia. The findings of this study were published in the journal Neurology. The study involved nearly 1,000 people who were studied for up to 17 years. Those who were depressed when first examined almost doubled their risk for dementia and also increased their risk for Alzheimer's disease the study authors wrote.

5 Jul 2010

People with high levels of vitamin B6 and methionine less likiely to develop lung cancer

People with higher blood levels of vitamin B6 and the amino acid methionine appear to have a lower risk of lung cancer, a French study has found. But more research is needed to understand if higher levels of the nutrients directly protect against the disease.

3 Jul 2010

Genentech's second Phase III ICON7 study of Avastin in ovarian cancer meets primary endpoint

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced today that a second large, Phase III, international study showed that the combination of Avastin® (bevacizumab) and chemotherapy, followed by the continued use of Avastin alone, increased the time women with previously untreated ovarian cancer lived without the disease worsening (progression-free survival or PFS, the primary endpoint), compared to chemotherapy alone.

2 Jul 2010

Small business says 10 percent tanning tax that starts today is overcooked

As of July 1, tanning salons have to charge customers a 10 percent tax on their services to help pay for part of the new health reform law and that requirement has attracted the howls of small business, NPR reports. "Tanning salon owners are outraged. They say the new tax is the last thing they need in a struggling economy.

2 Jul 2010

New formula may speed up organ allocation process, improve transplant outcomes

Only a small fraction of transplant centers nationwide are willing to accept and transplant deceased-donor kidneys that they perceive as less than perfect, leading to lengthy, organ-damaging delays as officials use a one-by-one approach to find a willing taker.

2 Jul 2010

Genes can predict longevity with 77% accuracy: Study

In an analysis of genes of more than 1,000 centenarians, American researchers have come to the conclusion that genes play a large role in completing a century in life. The research team studied 1,055 Caucasians born between 1890 and 1910 and compared them with 1,267 people born later. They claim that there are signatures in the genetic makeup of these people that have a possible link with their longevity.

2 Jul 2010

Secondhand smoke exposure during pregnancy causes permanent genetic damage in newborns

Newborns of non-smoking moms exposed to secondhand smoke during pregnancy have genetic mutations that may affect long-term health, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health study published online in the Open Pediatric Medicine Journal. The abnormalities, which were indistinguishable from those found in newborns of mothers who were active smokers, may affect survival, birth weight and lifelong susceptibility to diseases like cancer.

1 Jul 2010

Latest health disparity report examines trend of higher tobacco use among LGBT community

The American Lung Association's latest health disparity report, Smoking Out a Deadly Threat: Tobacco Use in the LGBT Community, examines the trend of higher tobacco use among the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the need for additional research specific to this community.

1 Jul 2010

Independence Blue Cross announces five new Personal Choice PPO plans

Beginning July 1, 2010, Independence Blue Cross (IBC) will offer five new Personal Choice® PPO plan options for individuals – expanding the range of individual plan choices for health care consumers in the region. These medically underwritten plans are available in three popular formats: copay, deductible and health savings account (HSA) plan designs that enable consumers to choose the type of plan and pricing that fits their specific needs.

30 Jun 2010

Smoking News and Research

HHS awards $10M to support public health efforts for reducing tobacco use and obesity

Overall cancer mortality rates continue to decrease, new report shows

Uptake Medical completes Series B financing led by Maverick Capital

Interventions that help smokers quit before surgery can reduce risk of complications afterward: Review

Study: High concentrations of cocoa flavanols decrease blood pressure

Pfizer's new chewable Lipitor for children receives European Commission approval

FDA grants Angion Biomedica's BB3 therapeutic Fast Track and Orphan Drug product designations

Adolescent cyber bullies and victims more likely to have psychiatric problems: Study

Depression and dementia may go hand in hand: Study

People with high levels of vitamin B6 and methionine less likiely to develop lung cancer

Genentech's second Phase III ICON7 study of Avastin in ovarian cancer meets primary endpoint

Small business says 10 percent tanning tax that starts today is overcooked

New formula may speed up organ allocation process, improve transplant outcomes

Genes can predict longevity with 77% accuracy: Study

Secondhand smoke exposure during pregnancy causes permanent genetic damage in newborns

Latest health disparity report examines trend of higher tobacco use among LGBT community

Independence Blue Cross announces five new Personal Choice PPO plans

Guidance on ways to protect protect unborn babies from secondhand smoke exposure

Smoking bans in two Minnesota cities not associated with significant economic impact

New policy monograph recommends necessary actions to control tobacco use

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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