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Viewpoints: Is Wyden-Ryan Medicare plan a game changer?; The GOP and the individual mandate

In the maelstrom of dysfunction and partisanship better known as the 112th Congress, it is always surprising and gratifying when lawmakers from opposing parties manage to work together. That is particularly true when their collaboration involves an issue as politically charged and substantively complex as Medicare. So we begin by congratulating Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) for having the tenacity to try again, with a revamped version of Medicare reform unveiled last week.

20 Dec 2011

First nutrition and cognition research center

Abbott and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign announced today they have established the first-ever multi-disciplinary nutrition and cognition research center, which will be located on the Urbana campus. The Center for Nutrition, Learning, and Memory will lead directed and-solicited research on the impact of nutrition on learning and memory in the human brain.

19 Dec 2011

Weight loss pill without major side effects coming soon

Scientists are on their way to develop a perfect diet pill. The drug, which switches off appetite using hormones that are created naturally in the stomach when it is full, could be the first to be effective in weight loss without side effects.

19 Dec 2011

Gardasil – cervical cancer vaccine offered to all boys as well

Soon all adolescent boys may be vaccinated against the sexually transmitted disease that causes some forms of cancer under an extension of a scheme now available to girls, the Australian government's expert panel has recommended. The committee adds that the shots would also widen immunity to the virus, which would further reduce the risk to women and stem the spread of genital warts in both sexes.

19 Dec 2011

Smoking in women associated with skin cancer: Study

A new study has found a link between tobacco use and skin cancer especially in women. The study found that women who had squamous cell skin cancer were more likely to have smoked than those who were free from the disease. And those who smoked at least 20 years were twice as likely to develop squamous cell skin cancer - a less aggressive form of skin cancer as melanoma.

19 Dec 2011

Same sex marriage legalization improves health, reduces stress among gay men: Study

According to US researchers legalizing same-sex marriage may create a healthier environment for gay men. The number of visits by gay men to health clinics dropped significantly after same-sex unions were allowed in the state Massachusetts. This was regardless of whether the men were in a stable relationship, reported the American Journal of Public Health.

19 Dec 2011

Yissum introduces novel technology for manufacturing an anti-malaria drug in tobacco

Combating malaria is one of the eight Millennium Development Goals described in the United Nations Millennium Declaration signed by all UN members at the year 2000. A key intervention to control malaria is prompt and effective treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapies.

19 Dec 2011

FDA nod for pediatric Berlin heart

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Berlin Heart for pediatric patients waiting for heart transplants. The ventricular assist device is similar to the one worn by former Vice President Dick Cheney but scaled down in size for children and babies.

19 Dec 2011

Atox Bio to advance AB103 Phase 2 study with $3.25M financing

Atox Bio, developer of therapeutics for diseases mediated by an excessive inflammatory response, today announced that it has raised $3.25 million in an initial closing. The investment was co-led by Esperante and a private US-based investor and will be used to advance AB103, currently in phase 2 clinical studies for the treatment of Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections (NSTI).

19 Dec 2011

Chindex opens Tianjin United Family Hospital in China

Chindex International, Inc., an American health care company providing health care services in China through the operations of United Family Healthcare, a network of private primary care hospitals and affiliated ambulatory clinics, today announced the official opening of its Tianjin United Family Hospital, one of the latest development projects of the United Family Healthcare network.

19 Dec 2011

Cohera Medical secures over $25 million in Series C financing through private investors

Cohera Medical, a leading innovator and developer of absorbable surgical adhesives and sealants, announced today that it has secured over $25 million Series C financing through private investors. A total of $16.5 million was raised through existing investors and over $9 million was raised through new investors, which significantly bolstered the round.

19 Dec 2011

India's cabinet passes food security bill

"India's cabinet agreed on Sunday to tackle widespread malnutrition with food subsidies for two-thirds of the country's 1.2 billion population, a move that may shore up support for the government but carries risks for the faltering economy," Reuters reports.

19 Dec 2011

Phase I clinical study of Selexys SelG1 for sickle cell disease completed

Selexys Pharmaceuticals announced today that it has completed a Phase I clinical study of its lead compound SelG1, an antibody specific for the pro-inflammatory cell adhesion molecule P-selectin.

19 Dec 2011

U.N. asks for $447M in humanitarian aid for Yemen

The U.N. on Sunday released its Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan 2012, asking for $447 million in humanitarian assistance targeted toward four million vulnerable people in the country, Reuters reports (Fuchs, 12/18).

19 Dec 2011

Individualised approach to cancer medicine considering genetic variations

A new cancer research centre established at the University of Adelaide will focus on treatment options tailored to the individual, taking into account DNA and genetic variations between people.

19 Dec 2011

Bloomberg TV to air segment on Antigen Express' immunotherapeutic breast cancer vaccine

Generex Biotechnology Corporation today announced that Bloomberg Television is scheduled to air a segment on the immunotherapeutic breast cancer vaccine being developed by its wholly-owned subsidiary, Antigen Express, Inc.

19 Dec 2011

St. Vincent's HealthCare to implement Orion Health HIE

Orion Health, the leader in health information exchange (HIE) and healthcare integration solutions, today announced that St. Vincent's HealthCare, a faith-based, not-for-profit health system in Jacksonville, Fla., has selected Orion Health HIE to connect disparate software systems and enable enterprise-wide sharing of clinical data as well as communications with community physicians.

19 Dec 2011