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Austrian researchers receive $7.4 million award to verify new breast cancer pathways

The innovator's award recognises Josef Penninger's work in identifying a key molecular pathway how hormone replacement therapies and contraceptive pills can lead to breast cancer. His team provided the first genetic proof that a protein called RANKL is the master regulator of bone loss, which has contributed to the development of a novel drug already approved for the treatment of osteoporosis and skeletal related events in multiple cancers.

23 Oct 2012

U.N. official calls food shortages in Southern Africa 'a chronic problem'

U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Catherine Bragg on Saturday said food shortages are "a chronic problem" in southern Africa, "where more than 5.5 million people in eight countries need aid this year, a 40 percent increase compared to 2011," according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Associated Press reports.

23 Oct 2012

Most pediatric hospital physicians communicate through cell phone text messaging

More pediatric hospital physicians are communicating through cell phone text messaging, rather than the traditional pager method, according to research presented Oct. 21 at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans.

23 Oct 2012

Romney, Ryan would support U.S. cuts in international family planning aid

"If Republican presidential nominee Gov. Mitt Romney and his vice-presidential running mate, Representative Paul Ryan, were to win next month's election, the harm to women's reproductive rights would extend far beyond the borders of the United States," a New York Times editorial says.

23 Oct 2012

Magnet hospitals reduce rates of patient death

Patients treated in magnet hospitals (specially designated for their nursing excellence) had 14 percent lower odds of death than those in non-magnet hospitals in a four-state study of 564 hospitals led by the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

23 Oct 2012

Abbott announces results from HUMIRA clinical studies on ulcerative colitis

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced results from an analysis of three-year long-term data from an ongoing open-label extension of the HUMIRA (adalimumab) ULTRA 1 and ULTRA 2 studies.

23 Oct 2012

Presidential candidates must discuss food, hunger in foreign policy debate

"What should President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Gov. Mitt Romney talk about during Monday's foreign policy debate? The force that can make or break a foreign policy: food," author William Lambers, who partnered with the U.N. World Food Programme on the book "Ending World Hunger: School Lunches for Kids Around the World," writes in a Tennessean opinion piece.

23 Oct 2012

Study looks at DNA sequences for receptors in T lymphocytes

Our immune system must be tremendously complex to respond to the unending assault of viruses, bacteria and cancerous cells. One of the mechanisms used by the immune system to cope with the huge variety of possible threats is to randomly combine DNA segments for the production of receptors on lymphocytes - a type of white blood cell.

23 Oct 2012

Examining ethics surrounding Taliban's ban on polio vaccination in Pakistan

Writing in the Global Bioethics Blog, Stuart Rennie, a bioethics researcher and professor, notes another polio worker was killed in Pakistan last week and describes Taliban opposition to U.S.-supported polio vaccination efforts in Pakistan.

23 Oct 2012

Combining distal protection devices with nicardipine improves post-PCI outcomes

Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital have shown that combining distal protection devices with the prophylactic use of the drug nicardipine is more effective at preventing life-threatening complications following a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (angioplasty, stenting) on patients who have undergone previous bypass surgery than distal protection devices alone.

23 Oct 2012

States facing, making health law decisions that could all change post-election

While next month's election will likely affect how states implement the health law's insurance exchange and Medicaid expansion provisions, state legislators are facing -- and making -- decisions on them now.

23 Oct 2012

X-ray technology improves early detection of pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is considered the fourth most common cause of death in the United States. Usually the precursor to this life-threatening lung disease is a chronic bronchitis. Partially destroyed alveoli and an over-inflation of the lungs, known as emphysema, are serious side effects. However, the subtle differences in the tissue are barely discernable in standard X-ray images.

23 Oct 2012

Reuters special report examines PAHO's 'partnership' with food, beverage industry

To fight chronic "diseases in Mexico, the nation with the world's highest rate of obese and overweight adults, a Reuters investigation found that WHO's regional office has turned to the very companies whose sugary drinks and salty foods are linked to many of the maladies it's trying to prevent," the news service reports.

23 Oct 2012

Experts discuss ways to improve outcomes in patients with acute cardiac disease

Experts in emergency cardiac care from around the world met in Istanbul to discuss ways to improve outcomes in patients with acute cardiac disease. This was the first annual meeting of the newly launched Acute Cardiovascular Care Association (ACCA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

23 Oct 2012

Sierra Leone kicks off four-day polio vaccination drive targeting 1.3M children under 5

"Over 70,000 health workers and community volunteers were combing the streets and jungle paths in Sierra Leone Friday at the start of a vaccination program targeting young children in the West African country," Agence France-Presse reports.

23 Oct 2012

Blood-circulating monocytes can replace brain resident microglia

The immune system is comprised of multiple cell types each capable of specialized functions to protect the body from invading pathogens and promote tissue repair after injury. One cell type, known as monocytes, circulates throughout the organism in the blood and enters tissues to actively phagocytose (eat!) foreign cells and assist in tissue healing.

23 Oct 2012

Senate control, outcome of congressional and state races tied to presidential contest

In many battleground states, Senate contests are tracking closely the tight presidential race. News outlets are also reporting on how the federal health law is emerging as an important issue in the Massachusetts Senate campaign and the New Hampshire governor's contest.

23 Oct 2012

Researchers discover how HIV-infected people develop very powerful antibody responses

Wits researchers have played a pivotal role in an AIDS study published today in the journal, Nature Medicine, which describes how a unique change in the outer covering of the virus found in two HIV infected South African women enabled them to make potent antibodies which are able to kill up to 88% of HIV types from around the world.

23 Oct 2012

Non-profit consortium, USAID announce new agreement focusing on African food security

The non-profit Partners in Food Solutions (PFS), a consortium of General Mills, Cargill and DSM, on Thursday announced a new agreement with USAID that "will enable PFS to expand the reach of the technical and business expertise it provides to small and growing food processors in sub-Saharan Africa," according to a PFS press release.

23 Oct 2012

Bodyguard macrophages protect stem cells from over-differentiation

Hiding deep inside the bone marrow are special cells. They wait patiently for the hour of need, at which point these blood forming stem cells can proliferate and differentiate into billions of mature blood immune cells to help the body cope with infection, for example, or extra red blood cells for low oxygen levels at high altitudes. Even in emergencies, however, the body keeps to a long-term plan: It maintains a reserve of undifferentiated stem cells for future needs and crises.

23 Oct 2012