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Biomimetic bioartificial livers and cell toxicity assays: an interview with Dr. Joris Braspenning, CEO Medicyte

Biomimetic bioartificial livers are liver organoids based on synthetic equivalents of the human extracellular matrix (ECM) which will be seeded with human cells.

1 Aug 2012

Only 19% of seniors with lung disease quit smoking within two years

A recent study of adults age 50 to 85 found that only 19 percent of those diagnosed with lung disease quit smoking within two years.

1 Aug 2012

Scientists discover novel therapeutic target for advanced breast cancer

Scientists at Western University have identified a new therapeutic target for advanced breast cancer which has shown tremendous promise in mouse models.

1 Aug 2012

Viewpoints: States may not be up to the challenge of setting up exchanges; Post office's 'default day'

On the ever-lengthening fiasco list, the "exchange" problem is one of the worst. Congress told states to build these bureaucracies that will dispense health insurance subsidies and regulate coverage, but by and large the states aren't doing so. ... The exchanges do not merely subsidize but must verify who is eligible by income and residency, police compliance with the individual mandate and report scofflaws to the Internal Revenue Service; regulate insurers and enforce price controls; and penalize businesses that don't insure their employees.

1 Aug 2012

Freiburg scientist receives ERC Starting Grant for NutrImmune project

The microbiologist and immunologist Prof. Dr. Andreas Diefenbach, Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University of Freiburg Medical Centre, has been awarded a European Research Council "Starting Grant" for his project "NutrImmune". The ERC Starting Grant is one of Europe's most prestigious grants for young investigators.

1 Aug 2012

Head impacts, concussions may speed up brain's natural aging process

Concussions and even lesser head impacts may speed up the brain's natural aging process by causing signaling pathways in the brain to break down more quickly than they would in someone who has never suffered a brain injury or concussion.

1 Aug 2012

New drug may be useful in treating long QT syndrome

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a new drug that may be useful in treating a heart rhythm condition called long QT syndrome.

1 Aug 2012

People with mental health problems have lower life expectancy

People with mental health problems have a lower life expectancy, according to a large-scale population based study published today in the British Medical Journal. The findings may prompt further research into the way doctors treat patients with even mild psychological problems.

1 Aug 2012

Teplizumab type I diabetes prevention study now enrolls younger children

A type I diabetes prevention study that is part of the TrialNet program at Vanderbilt is now enrolling children as young as 8 years old, following an FDA decision allowing the drug Teplizumab (anti-CD3) to be used in younger children.

1 Aug 2012

Study aims to raise awareness of nerve transfer surgery among health care providers

A study in the August issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS) by Hospital for Special Surgery researchers aims to raise awareness of this type of surgery among health care providers.

1 Aug 2012

Link between maternal metabolic or psychological stress and obesity in offspring

A new report involving mice suggests that a relationship exists between maternal metabolic or psychological stress and the development of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome in her offspring. What's more, the report shows that if the stress cannot be reduced or eliminated, manipulating the neuropeptide Y (NPY) system in visceral fat may prevent maternal stress-induced obesity from occurring in the next generation.

1 Aug 2012

IL-10 may improve success rates of skin autografts

Scientists have found that the anti-inflammatory molecule, IL-10, may improve success rates of skin autografts (skin moved from one site of the body to another). This information provides a valuable drug target that may benefit burn and accident victims.

1 Aug 2012

Namibian High Court rules HIV-positive women were improperly counseled before sterilization procedures, but not based on HIV status

"The Namibian High Court has ruled that the human rights of three HIV-positive women were violated when they were coerced into being sterilized while they gave birth, but the judge dismissed claims that the sterilization amounted to discrimination based on their HIV status," PlusNews reports.

1 Aug 2012

Roundup: Most high-ranking Iowa gov't employees to pay more for health care; Federal judge strikes Fla. law on docs asking about guns

The New Jersey state Legislature endorsed a constitutional amendment Monday requiring judges to contribute more to their government benefits, sending to voters an issue that some consider a linchpin of judicial independence. In a rare midsummer voting session, lawmakers responded quickly and almost unanimously to a state Supreme Court decision last week that said judges can't be forced to pay more for pension and health benefits, as other government workers were in a historic 2011 law.

31 Jul 2012

Exactech second quarter revenue increases 7% to $55.2 million

Exactech, Inc., a developer and producer of bone and joint restoration products for hip, knee, shoulder, spine and biologic materials, announced today revenue of $55.2 million for the second quarter of 2012, a 7% increase over $51.7 million in the second quarter of 2011.

31 Jul 2012

New Oxford University Press book on hypochondria

The "hypochondriac" is a complicated figure, often treated with scorn and derision, resented for making excessive demands on attention and health care resources.

31 Jul 2012

Obesity also affects sexual and urinary health in men

As a man's waistline grows, so can his experience with sexual dysfunction and frequent urination, say researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The study, published in the August issue of the British Journal of Urology International (BJUI), is the first to comprehensively show that obesity in men affects not just their hearts and metabolism, but also their sexual and urinary health.

31 Jul 2012

Hyperion Therapeutics announces completion of initial public offering

Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc. announced today the completion of its initial public offering of 5,000,000 shares of common stock.

31 Jul 2012

Emergency Nurses Association praises NIH for new OECR

The following is a statement by Gail Lenehan, EdD, MSN, RN FAEN, FAAN, President of the Emergency Nurses Association, on the National Institutes of Health's New Office of Emergency Care Research: "As the national organization representing more than 40,000 emergency nurses, the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) applauds the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for establishing the new Office of Emergency Care Research (OECR).

31 Jul 2012

Specific autoantibodies associated with blood vessel damage in the brain

The presence of specific autoantibodies of the immune system is associated with blood vessel damage in the brain. These findings were made by Marion Bimmler, a graduate engineer of medical laboratory diagnostics at the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch and Dr. Peter Karczewski of the biotech company E.R.D.E.-AAK-Diagnostik GmbH in studies on a rat model.

31 Jul 2012