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Researchers discover leptin hormone in fruit flies

Researchers have discovered in fruit flies a key metabolic hormone thought to be the exclusive property of vertebrates. The hormone, leptin, is a nutrient sensor, regulating energy intake and output and ultimately controlling appetite.

28 Sep 2012

Big employers change the way they provide health benefits

The Wall Street Journal reports on developments related to the health benefits provided by two large employers. Also, The Associated Press reports on how making smart decisions will be eaiser during the current open enrollment season.

28 Sep 2012

Melatonin supplementation improves sleep in hypertensive patients on beta-blockers

Over 20 million people in the United States take beta-blockers, a medication commonly prescribed for cardiovascular issues, anxiety, hypertension and more. Many of these same people also have trouble sleeping, a side effect possibly related to the fact that these medications suppress night-time melatonin production. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have found that melatonin supplementation significantly improved sleep in hypertensive patients taking beta-blockers.

28 Sep 2012

Viewpoints: Obama, Romney pitch health care plans in NEJM

Because of you, America is blessed with the world's most talented health care professionals, who do a heroic job serving and saving our citizens. But for years you have faced a health care system that was increasingly fractured. ... But after a century of trying, a broad coalition of doctors, nurses, hospitals, businesses, AARP, and patients helped me sign into law the Affordable Care Act.

28 Sep 2012

Molecular link between spinal muscular atrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Researchers of motor neuron diseases have long had a hunch that two fatal diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), might somehow be linked. A new study confirms that this link exists.

28 Sep 2012

Intellectual disability often results from genetic causes that are not inherited

New research published Online First in The Lancet suggests that a high proportion of severe intellectual disability results from genetic causes that are not inherited. These findings are good news for parents, indicating a low risk of passing on the disorder to further children.

28 Sep 2012

Reporting on progress of New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition

In this blog post on FeedtheFuture.gov, Tjada McKenna, deputy coordinator for development for Feed the Future, and Jonathan Shrier, acting special representative for global food security and deputy coordinator for diplomacy for Feed the Future, answer five questions about the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, which was established by the G8 in May 2012.

28 Sep 2012

Extend Health announces availability of two free guides for seniors

Extend Health, operator of the nation's largest private Medicare exchange and a Towers Watson company, announced today the availability of two free guides designed to help seniors who are turning 65 - and becoming eligible for Medicare for the first time - navigate the complexity of their health care options to make informed choices about Medicare coverage.

28 Sep 2012

HHS to states, lawmakers: Federal exchange will be ready on time

A pair of stories from CQ HealthBeat examines emerging issues in the implementation of health exchanges.

28 Sep 2012

Inhibiting TRPV4 protects against diet-induced obesity, inflammation and insulin resistance

Ember Therapeutics, Inc., a company harnessing breakthroughs in brown fat biology and insulin sensitization to revolutionize the treatment of metabolic disease, today announced the publication of key preclinical data demonstrating that inhibition of the Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid (TRPV) family of ion channels - specifically TRPV4 - resulted in activation of brown/beige fat and protection from diet-induced obesity, inflammation and insulin resistance. Ember holds an exclusive option to license these TRPV4 findings and technology.

28 Sep 2012

U.N. SG Ban urges international action to help West Africa's Sahel region

Speaking at the High-Level Meeting on the Sahel on the sidelines of the 67th U.N. General Assembly in New York, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday "called for urgent international support for the people and governments of West Africa's Sahel region, warning that the area is at a critical juncture with 18 million people affected by a severe food crisis," the U.N. News Centre reports.

28 Sep 2012

ACS, AGS issue new guidelines for pre-operative care of elderly patients

New comprehensive guidelines for the pre-operative care of the nation's elderly patients have been issued by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Geriatrics Society (AGS).

28 Sep 2012

USAID Office of Health Systems important for meeting global health goals

Ariel Pablos-Mendez, USAID assistant administrator for global health, writes in USAID's "IMPACTblog," "Recently, we reorganized the Global Health Bureau to establish an Office of Health Systems, which will be the hub for the Agency's worldwide leadership network of technical experts in health systems strengthening."

28 Sep 2012

Researchers solve key part of muscle regeneration mystery

Working with mice, Johns Hopkins researchers have solved a key part of a muscle regeneration mystery plaguing scientists for years, adding strong support to the theory that muscle mass can be built without a complete, fully functional supply of muscle stem cells.

28 Sep 2012

Obama's U.N. speech could be 'turning point' in fight against human trafficking

"When President Obama made a landmark speech against modern slavery on Tuesday, many of us in the news media shrugged," but women survivors of human trafficking "noticed," Nicholas Kristof writes in his New York Times column.

28 Sep 2012

UNMCC to investigate R-ketorolac use against ovarian cancer cells

Most drugs take ten years-and frequently, more-to go from concept to FDA approval. One way to reduce this time investment is to look for already-approved drugs that could be put to new uses. And that's just what Angela Wandinger-Ness, PhD, UNM Professor of Pathology, and Laurie Hudson, PhD, UNM Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, have done.

28 Sep 2012

Unclear whether Romney would increase or decrease current foreign aid budget

"In a speech to the Clinton Global Initiative on Tuesday, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney acknowledged the value of foreign aid and its purpose: providing humanitarian assistance, improving security and encouraging economic growth," but "we don't know whether he would really protect the current budget ... from further cuts if he is elected," a New York Times editorial states.

28 Sep 2012

Molecular link between thermogenesis and development of inflammation in fat cells

Flipping a newly discovered molecular switch in white fat cells enabled mice to eat a high-calorie diet without becoming obese or developing the inflammation that causes insulin resistance, report scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

28 Sep 2012

Large donors dictating direction of global health research, financing, essay says

"When it comes to getting aid right, an all-too-familiar problem seems to be balancing the priorities of rich governments with what communities actually want," AlertNet reports in an article examining an essay written by Oxford University researcher Devi Sridhar and published in PLOS Medicine.

28 Sep 2012

Alpha-glucosidases can be turned on and off, finds study

A study co-led by Simon Fraser University and Purdue University has found that the intestinal enzymes responsible for processing starchy foods can be turned on and off, helping to better control those processes in people with Type 2 diabetes.

28 Sep 2012