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Political jockeying accelerates in anticipation of decision

News outlets report on how political leaders, interest groups and the presidential campaigns have stepped up their messaging strategies surrounding the long-awaited Supreme Court ruling.

22 Jun 2012

Iroko announces results from diclofenac Phase 3 study on post-surgical pain

Iroko Pharmaceuticals, LLC today announced Phase 3 study results that showed patients treated with the company's novel, submicron particle, lower-dose diclofenac (18mg and 35mg), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), experienced significant pain relief post surgery compared with placebo>0.01 and P<0.001 respectively).

22 Jun 2012

Contingency management programs an effective way to reduce smoking in pregnant women

Cigarette smoking among drug dependent pregnant women is alarmingly high, estimated at 77 to 99%. Programs that treat pregnant patients for substance use disorders often fail to address cigarette smoking despite the clear risks to both mother and child, including ectopic pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery, low birth weight, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. However, programs to help people quit smoking do not seem to interfere with drug abuse treatment, and may actually improve drug abstinence rates.

22 Jun 2012

Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle TN receives UnitedHealthcare donation to help eradicate hunger

UnitedHealthcare has donated $100,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee to aid in the fight against hunger. The donation is expected to help feed more than 10,000 hungry children, families and seniors by funding 40 Mobile Pantry deliveries throughout Middle and West Tennessee. Each Mobile Pantry will be coordinated with a local community organization, such as a church, senior center or help center.

22 Jun 2012

Report: Autoimmune diseases are all being diagnosed at rapid rates

There is a disturbing trend in autoimmune disease diagnosis; many are on the upswing. Recent reports show that type 1 diabetes (an autoimmune disease not related to obesity), celiac disease and lupus, among others autoimmune diseases, are all being diagnosed at rapid rates.

22 Jun 2012

U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee passes Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act

"In an exciting move for the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) community, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2011 (S 641), bringing the bill one step closer to becoming a law," PSI's "Healthy Lives" blog reports.

22 Jun 2012

DBS can improve muscle symptoms in patients with Parkinson's

Patients with Parkinson's disease who undergo deep brain stimulation (DBS)—a treatment in which a pacemaker-like device sends pulses to electrodes implanted in the brain—can expect stable improvement in muscle symptoms for at least three years, according to a Department of Veterans Affairs study appearing in the most recent issue of the journal Neurology.

22 Jun 2012

Data from MAP Pharmaceuticals’ LEVADEX clinical studies to be presented at AHS meeting

MAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the Company will present data on LEVADEX (formerly MAP0004), an orally inhaled investigational drug for the acute treatment of migraine, at the 54th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Headache Society (AHS) in Los Angeles, CA, June 21-24, 2012.

22 Jun 2012

RPCI shares information on two new electronic platforms

Embracing the expanded possibilities of how people are receiving their information in a technological age, Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) is sharing information on two new electronic platforms: a digital edition of its Roswellness consumer magazine and a mobile website optimized for smartphone users.

22 Jun 2012

Polio eradication efforts threatened by funding shortfall, vaccination resistance in some countries, experts say

Marking the 10th anniversary since Europe was declared polio-free, the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative on Wednesday released a report saying there is "a unique window of opportunity to stamp out polio for good," with the number of reported cases at historical lows, but a funding shortfall of about $1 million is threatening eradication progress, Reuters reports.

22 Jun 2012

Teva launches Olanzapine and Fluoxetine Capsules for treatment of depression

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today the launch of Olanzapine and Fluoxetine Capsules USP 6 mg/25 mg, 12 mg/25 mg, 6 mg/50 mg, and 12 mg/50 mg, the Company's generic equivalent of Symbyax.

22 Jun 2012

REG3A molecule may lead to new treatments for psoriasis, wound-healing

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder in which skin cells proliferate out of control. For some hard-to-heal wounds, the problem is just the opposite: Restorative skin cells don't grow well or fast enough. In a paper published in the June 21, 2012 issue of Immunity, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine describe a molecule that may lead to new treatments for both problems.

22 Jun 2012

IU receives CMS grant to expand Aging Brain Care model

A $7.8 million Health Care Innovation Award to Indiana University from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), will expand the Aging Brain Care model developed by researcher-clinicians from the IU Center for Aging Research and the Regenstrief Institute.

22 Jun 2012

Lead 8A analog can treat osteosarcoma in children

Jiayuh Lin, PhD, and colleagues at Nationwide Children's Hospital have developed a drug to target the most common cancerous bone tumor in children, osteosarcoma, using a version of the FDA-approved drug, Celebrex. The team will soon begin testing the drug using human and canine tumor cell lines thanks to a two-year, $200,000 grant from Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer.

22 Jun 2012

MCN Learning launches new Pain Scale app for Google Android users

MCN Learning, an internationally-recognized leader in healthcare education, announces the launch of the MCN Learning Pain Scale application for the Google Android mobile operating system.

22 Jun 2012

Biomimedica closes Series-B financing

Biomimedica, Incorporated, a medical device start-up company focused on the development and commercialization of its proprietary GRADION Total Cartilage Replacement technology, announced today that it has closed its Series-B financing, raising $11.9 million from a combination of new and existing investors, including conversion of approximately $2.8 million in bridge loans.

22 Jun 2012

Pfizer receives FDA approval for Lyrica to manage neuropathic pain associated with SCI

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Lyrica (pregabalin) capsules CV for the management of neuropathic pain associated with spinal cord injury.

22 Jun 2012

Researchers develop new mouse model to study supertasting

Supertasting describes the ability to strongly detect food flavors such as bitter and sweet, and it can affect a person's food preferences. For example, supertasters are often averse to green vegetables because their bitter taste is amplified. Supertasters may also prefer foods lower in sugar and fat. Approximately one out of four people is a supertaster, and a supertaster's avoidance of sweet and fatty foods may have protective cardiovascular effects.

22 Jun 2012

GlobalPost examines investment in community care workers in South Africa as PEPFAR moves toward local implementation of programming

"Nearly a decade after it came into being, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) ... is moving increasingly to support local leadership and implementation capacity" in South Africa, GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog reports.

22 Jun 2012

Fast food environment promotes obesity in deprived youth

Results from a study carried out in a deprived borough of London in the UK suggest that many children living there purchase food or drink from fast food outlets at least twice a week.

21 Jun 2012