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CSIS report examines reform in Liberia's health system

The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) on Tuesday released a report titled "Road to Recovery: Rebuilding Liberia's Health System," the center's "Smart Global Health" blog reports.

31 Aug 2012

Scientists identify specific role of RESA protein in modulating blood circulation

When the parasite responsible for malaria infects human red blood cells, it launches a 48-hour remodeling of the host cells. During the first 24 hours of this cycle, a protein called RESA undertakes the first step of renovation: enhancing the stiffness of the cell membranes.

31 Aug 2012

Blog examines study looking at role of stigma in HIV PMTCT

The Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog examines a recent study that found only slightly more than 44 percent of women in the Nyanza province of Kenya deliver their infants in a health care facility, with many women citing fear of stigma and discrimination as a reason for not attending clinics for prenatal care.

31 Aug 2012

Research identifies new pathway to target with anti-inflammatory drugs

Scientists' discovery of an important step in the body's process for healing wounds may lead to a new way of treating inflammation.

31 Aug 2012

New cholera cases after tropical storm do not amount to outbreak, Haitian officials say

Haiti has "reported new cases of cholera as aftermath of the tropical storm Isaac, but Public Health Ministry General Director Guirlene Raymond said that "so far the numbers do not match outbreak ratings," Prensa Latina reports.

31 Aug 2012

Researchers identify several genetic factors linked to C-reactive protein

African Americans have higher blood levels of a protein associated with increased heart-disease risk than European Americans, despite higher "good" HDL cholesterol and lower "bad" triglyceride levels. This contradictory observation now may be explained, in part, by a genetic variant identified in the first large-scale, genome-wide association study of this protein involving 12,000 African American and Hispanic American women.

31 Aug 2012

Ryan says GOP will protect Medicare

In speech to the Republican convention, the vice presidential candidate parried Democratic attacks on his Medicare proposals, saying, "The usual posturing on the Left isn't going to work. Mitt Romney and I know the difference between protecting a program and raiding it."

31 Aug 2012

Janssen submits bedaquiline MAA with EMA for treatment of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis

Janssen-Cilag International NV (Janssen) today announced it has submitted a Marketing Authorisation Application to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) seeking conditional approval for the use of the investigational drug bedaquiline (TMC207) as an oral treatment, to be used as part of combination therapy for pulmonary, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in adults.

31 Aug 2012

Astellas Pharma adopts Advantest’s terahertz spectroscopic imaging system TAS7500

Advantest Corporation today announced that its terahertz spectroscopic imaging system TAS7500, which utilizes Advantest's THz wave technology, has been adopted by Astellas Pharma Inc.

31 Aug 2012

Blog examines 3 maternal health programs in sub-Saharan Africa

"In developing countries where access to health care during pregnancy can be scarce or grossly underused due to lack of education, financial costs, and proximity to health centers, women die unnecessarily from pregnancy and birth complications," Jennifer James, founder of Mom Bloggers for Social Good, writes in this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog.

31 Aug 2012

Elan commences ELND005 Phase 2 study in Bipolar I Disorder

Transition Therapeutics Inc. today announced that its licensing partner, Elan Corporation, plc has commenced a Phase 2, placebo-controlled, safety and efficacy study of oral ELND005 as an adjunctive maintenance treatment in patients with Bipolar I Disorder (BPD 1) to delay the time to occurrence of mood episodes.

31 Aug 2012

Census Bureau releases new data on local uninsurance rates

Some local news outlets report on their rankings in a new federal report. In the meantime, Minnesota researchers examine the insurance status of children.

31 Aug 2012

Non-pain-related factors predict long-term opioid use after surgery

Non-pain-related factors—including previous use of pain medications, high perceived risk of addiction, and symptoms of depression—increase the risk of continuing to use strong pain-relieving drugs several months after surgery, reports a study in the September issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

31 Aug 2012

U.S. behind France, Germany, U.K. in stopping preventable deaths

The study, published in Health Affairs, pointed the finger at the lack of health insurance -- as well as conditions such as hypertension and medical errors -- in the U.S. as part of the problem.

31 Aug 2012

Study explains why some cancer vaccines are not as effective as hoped

A research report published in the September 2012 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology offers a possible explanation of why some cancer vaccines are not as effective as hoped, while at the same time identifies a new therapeutic strategy for treating autoimmune problems. In the report, scientists suggest that cancer, even in the very early stages, produces a negative immune response from dendritic cells, which prevent lymphocytes from working against the disease.

31 Aug 2012

Ga. Gov. signals willingness to discuss Medicaid expansion compromise

After the Georgia governor seemed to rule out Medicaid expansion in a convention speech, a spokesman qualified that it might change if the state had options not now on the table.

31 Aug 2012

Scientists establish genetic mouse model for primary ovarian insufficiency

Scientists have established a genetic mouse model for primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), a human condition in which women experience irregular menstrual cycles and reduced fertility, and early exposure to estrogen deficiency.

31 Aug 2012

Addressing growing challenge of counterfeit drugs in developing world

"Many innovative solutions are being proposed to help tackle the spread of counterfeit drugs in developing countries," GlobalVoices reports. The blog includes highlights from several news articles and blog posts on the topic, including a number of solutions used to identify such drugs.

31 Aug 2012

Dark chocolate lovers can handle wide range of bitter tastes before rejection

Dark chocolate lovers can handle a wider range of bitter tastes before rejection compared to milk chocolate fans, according to Penn State food scientists.

31 Aug 2012

Blog reflects on London Summit on Family Planning

Noting that a "thin place" is "a place or situation that Celtic Mystics believed to be a coming together of heaven and earth," Gary Darmstadt, head of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Family Health Division, and Wendy Prosser, a research analyst with the Family Health Division, write in the foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, "The London Summit on Family Planning was a 'thin place' for the global health community and for millions of women around the world who want to plan their families. It was transformational for so many reasons."

31 Aug 2012