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Micronutrients affect methylation, linked to changes in the immune system

The offspring of women who were given micronutrient supplements (minerals needed in small quantities, such as iron, iodine and vitamin A) before they became pregnant had gene modifications at birth as well as when they were tested at 9 months.

23 Feb 2012

South Asia makes little progress in meeting maternal, child mortality MDGs, U.N. report says

"South Asian nations are making the least progress in the Asia-Pacific region on meeting key development goals, which they pledged to achieve by 2015," Bindu Lohani, vice president for sustainable development at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), said on Friday at the launch of a U.N. progress report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Reuters reports.

23 Feb 2012

Scientists design compounds that act against myotonic dystrophy type 1 RNA

While RNA is an appealing drug target, small molecules that can actually affect its function have rarely been found. But now scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have for the first time designed a series of small molecules that act against an RNA defect directly responsible for the most common form of adult-onset muscular dystrophy.

23 Feb 2012

Viewpoints: Real 'doc fix,' Saint Santorum and why Supreme Court TV is 'a bad idea'

In last week's flurry of budget deals, Congress patched together yet another temporary fix for a flawed formula used to calculate the fees paid to doctors by Medicare. It will hold payments flat for the next 10 months instead of cutting them by 27 percent as the formula required, and the $18 billion to pay for it will be taken from other health care programs. But the fix only lasts until the end of the year. On Jan. 1, doctors will face another big cut unless Congress again steps in.

23 Feb 2012

Varenicline improves walking ability in patients with SCA3

A nicotinic drug approved for smoking cessation significantly improved the walking ability of patients suffering from an inherited form of ataxia, reports a new clinical study led by University of South Florida researchers.

23 Feb 2012

Cholera epidemic spreads in DRC; Efforts to combat disease remain underfunded, U.N. reports

"A cholera epidemic has spread to nine out of 11 provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations said on Tuesday," SAPA/News24 reports.

23 Feb 2012

Inven2, OGT enter license agreement for 12 colorectal cancer biomarkers

Oxford Gene Technology (OGT), provider of innovative clinical genetics and diagnostic solutions to advance molecular medicine, announced today that it has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Inven2, the technology transfer office at Oslo University Hospital (OUS) and University of Oslo (UiO), for 12 highly promising colorectal cancer tissue biomarkers.

From Oxford Gene Technology 23 Feb 2012

Dems schedule own contraception hearing

House Democrats have scheduled their own hearing in response to last week's all-male panel organized by House Republicans on the Obama administration's contraception rule. The Dems have invited a young woman to testify, but say that GOP leaders won't allow them to televise it.

23 Feb 2012

New Herman & Walter Samuelson Children's Hospital at Sinai to be dedicated on March 1

The new Herman & Walter Samuelson Children's Hospital at Sinai will be dedicated on Thursday, March 1. The 23,200-square-foot facility features 26 all-private rooms that support the very heart of the family-centered care philosophy. This method of care embraces the family as an integral part of the child's treatment and recovery. The family works alongside the clinical team to ensure the best outcomes for their sick child.

23 Feb 2012

USAID funding cookstove initiative in Haiti

In an effort "to establish a sustainable local market and industry for clean cooking solutions in Haiti," "USAID recently announced an award to Chemonics International to implement the three-year Improved Cooking Technology Project" to "establish a thriving local market -- on both the supply and demand sides -- as well as a sustainable industry for clean cooking solutions, including Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and more efficient biomass cookstoves," according to a USAID press release.

23 Feb 2012

Vemurafenib nearly doubles survival for patients with metastatic melanoma

Investigators from Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) and 12 other centers in the United States and Australia have found that a new drug for patients with metastatic melanoma nearly doubled median overall survival.

23 Feb 2012

Burma unable to expand HIV, TB treatment programs without more donor support, MSF report says

Approximately 85,000 HIV-positive people in Burma, also known as Myanmar, are in need of antiretroviral treatment (ART) and cannot access it "due to a lack of funding, despite renewed international engagement with the government amid a wave of political reform, according to a report released Wednesday" by the medical aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the Associated Press/CBS News reports.

23 Feb 2012

Actelion, Auxilium partner to develop and commercialize XIAFLEX

Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd. announced today that they have entered into a long-term partnership for the development, supply and commercialization of XIAFLEX (collagenase clostridium histolyticum), a novel, first-in-class biologic for the potential treatment of Dupuytren's contracture and Peyronie's disease.

23 Feb 2012

State roundup: Calif. HMO report cards, Ore. family planning bills challenged, Texas managed care

Gov. Corbett's new budget proposal would cost the city $42 million in mostly mental health and addiction treatment funding, but city officials say the impact will be worsened by ensuing needs for emergency shelter, child welfare, and other services. … The city Health Department faces an additional $7 million in state cuts. That would reduce the number of beds in the city nursing home and cost hospice beds for AIDS victims, officials said.

23 Feb 2012

New kind of on-off switch for cortisol release in the brain discovered

After we sense a threat, our brain center responsible for responding goes into gear, setting off a chain of biochemical reactions leading to the release of cortisol from the adrenal glands.

23 Feb 2012

Birth control mandate, abortion draw lines in presidential debate

Democrats successfully shifted a debate over religious liberty to birth control last week, but opponents of the contraception mandate are trying to shift it right back. The political debate over the birth-control mandate in the health care law is largely a fight over how to frame the issue.

23 Feb 2012

NK cells play an important role in rejection of porcine chondrocytes transplantation

Researchers from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) have studied for the first time the response of human NK cells (Natural Killer) against porcine chondrocytes (cartilage cells).

23 Feb 2012

Surgical instruments, CT pan-scans under scrutiny

Filthy, dangerous medical implements have been showing up in hospitals and outpatient surgery centers with alarming regularity. In 2009, the Department of Veterans Affairs admitted that 10,737 veterans in Florida, Tennessee and Georgia were given endoscopies or colonoscopies between 2002 and 2009 with endoscopes that may have been improperly cleaned.

23 Feb 2012

U.S. Surgeon General, SEMBC join to launch Fighting D in the D campaign

In her advocacy for effective disease prevention and health promotion programs, U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin, M.D., joined the Southeast Michigan Beacon Community (SEMBC) today to launch the "Fighting D in the D" campaign during a kickoff event, attended by over 225 guests, at the Westin Book Cadillac in downtown Detroit.

23 Feb 2012

WoW improves cognitive function among the elderly

For some older adults, the online video game World of Warcraft (WoW) may provide more than just an opportunity for escapist adventure. Researchers from North Carolina State University have found that playing WoW actually boosted cognitive functioning for older adults - particularly those adults who had scored poorly on cognitive ability tests before playing the game.

23 Feb 2012

Medical News

Micronutrients affect methylation, linked to changes in the immune system

South Asia makes little progress in meeting maternal, child mortality MDGs, U.N. report says

Scientists design compounds that act against myotonic dystrophy type 1 RNA

Viewpoints: Real 'doc fix,' Saint Santorum and why Supreme Court TV is 'a bad idea'

Varenicline improves walking ability in patients with SCA3

Cholera epidemic spreads in DRC; Efforts to combat disease remain underfunded, U.N. reports

Inven2, OGT enter license agreement for 12 colorectal cancer biomarkers

Dems schedule own contraception hearing

New Herman & Walter Samuelson Children's Hospital at Sinai to be dedicated on March 1

USAID funding cookstove initiative in Haiti

Vemurafenib nearly doubles survival for patients with metastatic melanoma

Burma unable to expand HIV, TB treatment programs without more donor support, MSF report says

Actelion, Auxilium partner to develop and commercialize XIAFLEX

State roundup: Calif. HMO report cards, Ore. family planning bills challenged, Texas managed care

New kind of on-off switch for cortisol release in the brain discovered

Birth control mandate, abortion draw lines in presidential debate

NK cells play an important role in rejection of porcine chondrocytes transplantation

Surgical instruments, CT pan-scans under scrutiny

U.S. Surgeon General, SEMBC join to launch Fighting D in the D campaign

WoW improves cognitive function among the elderly

How real-time off-gas analysis improves fermentation process control

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AI-powered analytics and experimental validation

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