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European CHMP issues positive opinion to Vertex's KALYDECO for treatment of CF

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced today that the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has issued a positive opinion by consensus recommending the approval of KALYDECO (ivacaftor) for people with cystic fibrosis (CF) ages 6 and older who have at least one copy of the G551D mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene.

25 May 2012

Gene therapy can effectively treat ADA-deficient severe combined immunodeficiency

Severe combined immunodeficiency is defect in the immune system that results in a loss of the adaptive immune cells known as B cells and T cells. Mutations in several different genes can lead to the development of severe combined immunodeficiency, including mutation of the adenosine deaminase (ADA) gene. Traditional treatment options, such as enzyme replacement therapy, are of limited efficacy, but bone marrow transplant from a compatible donor leads to a better response.

25 May 2012

Study examines effects of UV-blocking contact lenses on macular pigment density

Blocking the transmission of ultraviolet light (UV) through a contact lens may have an effect in maintaining the eye's macular pigment density, according to new research presented today at the 2012 British Contact Lens Association Clinical Conference. Existing research suggests that a higher level of macular pigment appears to have a protective effect against age-related macular degeneration, a major cause of severe vision loss for people over the age of 55.

25 May 2012

University of Kentucky researcher receives $1.8M NIH grant to study CF

David Feola, a University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy faculty member in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, received a five-year, $1.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue his research investigating immune responses in the lungs that will potentially lead to the discovery of medical treatments for patients with cystic fibrosis and other chronic pulmonary inflammatory conditions.

25 May 2012

Thioridazine drug successfully kills human cancer stem cells

A team of scientists at McMaster University has discovered a drug, thioridazine, successfully kills cancer stem cells in the human while avoiding the toxic side-effects of conventional cancer treatments.

25 May 2012

Cyanobacterium produces compounds that could treat chronic inflammatory conditions

A seaweed considered a threat to the healthy growth of coral reefs in Hawaii may possess the ability to produce substances that could one day treat human diseases, a new study led by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego has revealed.

25 May 2012

$IOF report predicts dramatic rise in osteoporosis-related fractures in Brazil$

IOF report predicts dramatic rise in osteoporosis-related fractures in Brazil

A new Audit report on fragility fractures, issued today by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), predicts that Brazil will experience an explosion in the number of fragility fractures due to osteoporosis in the coming decades.

25 May 2012

Researchers uncover series of biological events that implicate stem cells' surroundings

Stem cells are essential building blocks for all organisms, from plants to humans. They can divide and renew themselves throughout life, differentiating into the specialized tissues needed during development, as well as cells necessary to repair adult tissue.

25 May 2012

Scientists identify new reason why some curry dishes might be good for you

Scientists have just identified a new reason why some curry dishes, made with spices humans have used for thousands of years, might be good for you.

25 May 2012

$Fragility fractures predicted to more than double in Latin America$

Fragility fractures predicted to more than double in Latin America

The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), in cooperation with medical and patient societies from throughout Latin America, has today published a landmark report which compiles osteoporosis-related data on 14 countries and the region as a whole. The report shows that fragility fractures due to osteoporosis are predicted to more than double in some countries in the coming decades.

25 May 2012

Study reveals why people develop life-threatening drug allergies

A research team led by the University of Melbourne and Monash University, Australia, has discovered why people can develop life-threatening allergies after receiving treatment for conditions such as epilepsy and AIDS.

25 May 2012

NIH Consortium selects UBM among 11 CoEPEs

With more Americans than ever living with chronic pain, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pain Consortium wants the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and 10 other health professional schools to teach the next generation of health care providers to be better equipped to manage and treat such patients.

25 May 2012

Study says most insurance sold to individuals doesn't meet health law standards

A new report in Health Affairs finds that more than half of individual policies could not be sold on state health exchanges because they fail to meet the law's criteria for coverage.

25 May 2012

UCSF receives $20M Sandler Foundation gift for neuroscience research and care

UCSF has received a challenge gift of $20 million from the Sandler Foundation that will provide major support for the university's groundbreaking research and clinical care efforts regarding neurological diseases.

25 May 2012

Experts address main barriers to hearing aid use

The main barriers to hearing aid use are being addressed by experts in Nottingham as part of an innovative research project.

25 May 2012

RUB researchers gain new insights into mechanisms of cardiovascular disease

Malformed desmin proteins aggregate with intact proteins of the same kind, thereby triggering skeletal and cardiac muscle diseases, the desminopathies. This was discovered by researchers from the RUB Heart and Diabetes Center NRW in Bad Oeynhausen led by PD Dr. Hendrik Milting in an interdisciplinary research project with colleagues from the universities in Karlsruhe, Würzburg and Bielefeld. They report in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

25 May 2012

New treatment model of psychotherapy now listed on SAMHSA's national registry

A new treatment model of psychodynamic psychotherapy pioneered at Upstate Medical University for symptoms of borderline personality disorder, depression, heavy drinking, suicide attempts and self-harm behaviors is now listed on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Registry of Evidence-based Practices and Programs.

25 May 2012

Nuclear radiation exposure more serious than previously believed

Recent news reports and scientific reviews warn that nuclear radiation exposure is more serious than we believed. Just recently, the UK Guardian published an article titled, "Fukushima reactor shows radiation levels much higher than thought."

25 May 2012

UCSF scientists aim to use embryonic stem cells for treatment of neuropathic pain

Chronic pain, by definition, is difficult to manage, but a new study by UCSF scientists shows how a cell therapy might one day be used not only to quell some common types of persistent and difficult-to-treat pain, but also to cure the conditions that give rise to them.

25 May 2012

New compound can enhance apoptosis in cancer cells

The BCL-2 protein family plays a large role in determining whether cancer cells survive in response to therapy or undergo a form of cell death known as apoptosis.

25 May 2012