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Mother's exposure to air pollution increases risk of obesity and insulin resistance in offspring

Pregnant mice exposed to high levels of air pollution gave birth to offspring with a significantly higher rate of obesity and insulin resistance in adulthood than those that were not exposed to air pollution. This effect seemed especially prevalent in male mice, which were heavier regardless of diet. These findings, published online in the FASEB Journal, suggests a link between diesel exhaust exposure in utero and bulging waistlines in adulthood.

20 Jul 2012

Study on relationship between pain and higher brain functions

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston professor Volker Neugebauer has been awarded a four-year, $1.36 million grant by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to conduct an innovative study of the relationship between pain and parts of the brain associated with cognitive thought and emotional response.

20 Jul 2012

Sanquin, Baxter enter manufacturing services agreement for plasma therapies

Baxter International Inc. today announced that it has entered into a manufacturing services agreement with Stichting Sanquin Bloedvoorziening (Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation) in the Netherlands that will provide Baxter up to 1.6 million liters of incremental plasma fractionation capacity annually to support global growth of plasma-derived treatments.

From Baxter International Inc. 20 Jul 2012

American leadership on HIV/AIDS making a difference in U.S. and abroad

"As two people who worked as physicians in the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic before the miracle of antiretroviral drug (ARV) therapy, and who now have the honor of leading the domestic and global HIV/AIDS programs for the Obama administration, we look back in awe of the American leadership that has transformed the epidemic in the 22 years since the International AIDS Conference was last held on U.S. soil," Grant Colfax, director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, and U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby write in a Washington Blade opinion piece.

20 Jul 2012

Natural compound can virtually eradicate HIV in infected culture cells

A new study by scientists on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute shows, in cell culture, a natural compound can virtually eliminate human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in infected cells. The compound defines a novel class of HIV anti-viral drugs endowed with the capacity to repress viral replication in acutely and chronically infected cells.

20 Jul 2012

EHR adoption by doctors reaches 55 percent

Physician adoption of the electronic health record (EHR) may be at - or even past - the proverbial tipping point, or so suggests a government study released yesterday that is a litany of progress. In 2011, 55% of physicians reported having adopted an EHR, and of those, 85% said they were either somewhat or very satisfied with the technology, according to the report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

20 Jul 2012

Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology receives Gates Foundation grant

Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology is pleased to announce that it has received a fourth grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to promote discoveries that will solve urgent global health problems via support of infectious disease conferences in the "Keystone Symposia Global Health Series."

20 Jul 2012

Gates Foundation blog posts reflect on London Summit on Family Planning

In this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Melinda Gates, co-chair of the foundation, reflects on the London Summit on Family Planning, which took place last week, writing, "I was humbled and thrilled by the world's commitment to put women and girls back at the heart of the global health agenda. ... Their enthusiasm shows that family planning is a high priority in the countries where many women and girls lack access, and that is the key to success in the long term."

20 Jul 2012

Editors of Writer's Web Watch honor Aesthetic Surgery Journal with APEX Award

Aesthetic Surgery Journal was recently honored by the editors of Writer's Web Watch with an Annual Awards for Publication Excellence Competition (APEX) award in the category of Magazines & Journals - Electronic & Web. APEX awards are open to communicators in corporate, nonprofit and independent settings across 11 different categories.

20 Jul 2012

House subcommittee approves spending bill that deletes health law funding

The measure, which is part of the GOP plan to defund the health overhaul, also deletes all federal funding for Planned Parenthood and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

20 Jul 2012

Silymarin does not offer significant improvements for patients with HCV

Silymarin, an extract of milk thistle commonly used to treat chronic liver disease by millions of people around the World, does not offer significant improvements for patients, according to a new study conducted by a nationwide group of researchers including faculty at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

20 Jul 2012

Maine governor's Medicaid plan could lead to 'direct confrontation' with feds

Gov. Paul LePage views the recent Supreme Court health law decision as license to make deep cuts to Maine's Medicaid rolls. Meanwhile, in news related to the Medicaid expansion, Arkansas officials estimate future savings of $372 million if it proceeds with the expansion.

20 Jul 2012

T2Hemostasis provides reliable and rapid results when compared to conventional systems

T2 Biosystems, a company developing direct detection products enabling superior diagnostics, today announced the presentation of new data on hemostasis monitoring at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry Annual Meeting, July 15-19, 2012, in Los Angeles, CA.

20 Jul 2012

UNAIDS releases report highlighting gains, gaps in global HIV/AIDS response

Ahead of the XIX International AIDS Conference next week, UNAIDS on Wednesday launched a new report, titled "Together we will end AIDS", "that shows that a record eight million people are now receiving antiretroviral therapy [ARVs], and that domestic funding for HIV has exceeded global investments," the U.N. News Centre reports.

20 Jul 2012

Moderate alcohol consumption may reduce risk of kidney cancer

A majority of previous epidemiologic studies have shown that moderate drinking is associated with a lower risk of kidney cancer, which may affect about 1% of the general population. In published prospective cohort studies, the risk for such cancer among moderate drinkers is usually about 25% less than the risk seen among non-drinkers.

20 Jul 2012

Family planning, equality for women essential for global development, experts say

"Improving family planning to avoid unwanted pregnancies in developing countries, as well as assuring girls' access to education, and women's participation in the economy, are essential components of a sound development policy, according to Western experts and African activists," Inter Press Service reports.

20 Jul 2012

ASA, Iowa Society of Anesthesiologists launch public education campaign

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and Iowa Society of Anesthesiologists (ISA) today launched a public education campaign to help put the minds of Iowa residents at ease about surgical procedures and the associated risks of anesthesia.

20 Jul 2012

HIV epidemic in MSM could be helped by better interaction with their health system

The second paper in The Lancet Series on HIV in MSM focuses on clinical care, and says that optimum clinical care for sexual and gender minorities is a fundamental human right. “MSM deserve to be treated with respect, and health-care providers need to interact with them in ways that promote disclosure of actionable health information,” say the authors, led by Dr Ken Mayer, Fenway Health, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

20 Jul 2012

HIV in MSM increasing in countries of all incomes

A new Lancet Series published to coincide with the AIDS2012 meeting highlights a population where the HIV epidemic is growing in countries of all incomes: men who have sex with men (MSM). The first paper in the Series charts the epidemiology of HIV among MSM, and is by Professor Chris Beyrer, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA, and colleagues.

20 Jul 2012

States draw starker lines on abortion: Lawsuits and legislation continue across U.S.

State laws -- 40 of them in 15 states -- are making it harder to get an abortion in the U.S., according to a new report. Meanwhile, a House panel approves new measure to curb abortion in the District of Columbia.

20 Jul 2012