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Gamma-linoleic acid can inhibit growth of pancreatic cancer cells

The dietary supplement gamma-linoleic acid can inhibit the growth of a subset of pancreatic cancer cells and selectively promote cancer cell death in mice, a Mayo Clinic study has found.

4 Apr 2012

Stress-induced tolerance can prevent glaucoma

Working in mice, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have devised a treatment that prevents the optic nerve injury that occurs in glaucoma, a neurodegenerative disease that is a leading cause of blindness.

4 Apr 2012

Removing SR-BI receptor may help protect against breast cancer

Removing a lipoprotein receptor known as SR-BI may help protect against breast cancer, as suggested by new findings presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2012 by Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center researchers.

4 Apr 2012

Combination of carboplatin, paclitaxel and RT3D shows promise against head and neck cancer

A naturally-occurring harmless human virus may be able to boost the effects of two standard chemotherapy drugs in some cancer patients, according to early stage trial data published in Clinical Cancer Research.

4 Apr 2012

Parents can help autistic kids connect, communicate and learn

Does your baby take an interest in other children? Does he enjoy playing peek-a-boo and hide-and-seek? Does he smile when he sees your face? Does he respond to his name when you call? If you answered 'no' to these questions your baby may be displaying early signs of autism, which affects more than one in 110 children in the United States. But don't panic-cutting edge research reveals that parents can play a major role in teaching even the youngest children with autism spectrum disorders how to connect with others and live up to their potential.

4 Apr 2012

Amgen, UCB commence CDP7851/AMG 785 Phase 3 trial in postmenopausal osteoporosis

UCB and Amgen announced today the start of their sclerostin antibody (CDP7851/AMG 785) Phase 3 clinical trial program for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

4 Apr 2012

Researchers discover two optimal gene targets for new colorectal cancer test

A study presented today by Mayo Clinic researchers at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2012 in Chicago identified two genes that are optimal targets to be analyzed in a new noninvasive test for colorectal cancer developed by Mayo Clinic, in collaboration with Exact Sciences Corporation.

4 Apr 2012

High fat diets cause damage to blood vessels earlier than previously thought

High fat diets cause damage to blood vessels earlier than previously thought, and these structural and mechanical changes may be the first step in the development of high blood pressure.

4 Apr 2012

Preterm or post-term babies with autism more likely to self-injure

For children with autism, being born several weeks early or several weeks late tends to increase the severity of their symptoms, according to new research out of Michigan State University.

4 Apr 2012

Many RA patients more likely to develop lower GI disease

Add lower gastrointestinal (GI) problems such as ulcers, bleeding and perforations to the list of serious complications facing many rheumatoid arthritis patients. They are at greater risk for GI problems and gastrointestinal-related death than people without the disease, a Mayo Clinic study shows.

4 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Shouldering the health costs of the 'irresponsible'; Learning from the parallels between Obamacare and the 'war on terror'

The central idea of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - the formal name of the Obamacare law - emphasized in the hearings is to spread the cost of health care to ever-larger pools of Americans. In particular, to those who pay low health insurance premiums, the young who choose to have no insurance and the healthy.

4 Apr 2012

Vitamin D deficiency may increase risk of mortality in intensive care patients

Scientists have long believed that vitamin D, which is naturally absorbed from sunlight, has an important role in the functioning of the body's autoimmune system. Now Prof. Howard Amital of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sheba Medical Center has discovered that the vitamin may also affect the outcomes of patients in intensive care.

4 Apr 2012

Combination of gemcitabine and TH-302 improves survival in advanced pancreatic cancer

The combination of the novel drug TH-302 with the standard drug gemcitabine has shown early signs of delaying the worsening of cancer in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, a Mayo Clinic-led study has found.

4 Apr 2012

Navidea announces FDA extension of Lymphoseek PDUFA date by three months

Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that yesterday it received notification from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date for 99m-Tc-Tilmanocept, has been modified to September 10, 2012, a 90-day extension from the initial PDUFA date of June 10th.

4 Apr 2012

Researchers figure out how rapamycin causes diabetes

The drug known as rapamycin is widely used by cancer and transplant patients, and there are hints that it might even help us put off old age and live longer. But, it also comes with a downside: rapamycin leads to diabetes in as many as 15 percent of the people who take it.

4 Apr 2012

Blues insurers win antitrust case in Mich., see profits increase 20% in Minn.; HMO profit caps mean Minn. will get $8M back from another insurer

Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Michigan won a hospital pricing antitrust case. In Minnesota, nonprofit insurer UCare prepares to return $8 million to the state while Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota's profit rose 20 percent in 2011.

4 Apr 2012

Cruciferous vegetable intake may boost survival of breast cancer patients

A study by Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention investigators reveals that breast cancer survivors who eat more cruciferous vegetables may have improved survival.

4 Apr 2012

Hepatitis B-infected patients with longer telomeres more likely to develop HCC

Hepatitis B-infected patients with significantly longer telomeres—the caps on the end of chromosomes that protect our genetic data— were found to have an increased risk of getting liver cancer compared to those with shorter ones, according to findings presented by researchers at Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2012.

4 Apr 2012

Johns Hopkins devises new seizure detection software

Epilepsy affects 50 million people worldwide, but in a third of these cases, medication cannot keep seizures from occurring. One solution is to shoot a short pulse of electricity to the brain to stamp out the seizure just as it begins to erupt. But brain implants designed to do this have run into a stubborn problem: too many false alarms, triggering unneeded treatment. To solve this, Johns Hopkins biomedical engineers have devised new seizure detection software that, in early testing, significantly cuts the number of unneeded pulses of current that an epilepsy patient would receive.

4 Apr 2012

BioMed closes new $400M senior unsecured term loan facility

BioMed Realty Trust, Inc. announced today that the company has closed a new $400 million senior unsecured term loan facility. The new facility matures on March 30, 2017.

4 Apr 2012