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Scientists shed light on 3-D structure of olfactory receptor binding site

Banana, mango or apricot - telling these smells apart is no problem for the human nose. How the olfactory organ distinguishes such similar smells has been uncovered by an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the RUB. The scientists were the first to shed light on the dynamics of the three-dimensional structure of the binding site of an olfactory receptor. In so doing, they also found a characteristic pattern of hydrogen bonds between odorant and receptor, which accounts for the specificity of the olfactory sensors.

14 Dec 2011

Lobbying reports highlight focus on health care rules, calorie-count laws

The world's biggest burger chain lobbied Congress, the White House, the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services on the sweeping health care changes that were signed into law in March 2010. In general the new health care rules will require more companies to offer health care insurance to employees. McDonald's also homed in on a part in the law that would require more restaurants to add calorie information to their menus.

14 Dec 2011

New study: Insulin signaling is altered in human pancreas

Insulin signaling is altered in the pancreas, a new study shows for the first time in humans. The errant signals disrupt both the number and quality of beta cells - the cells that produce insulin.

14 Dec 2011

Canadian researchers develop portable device to monitor HIV in rural areas

A team of Canadian researchers has "created a portable device that uses a computer chip with software capable of analyzing blood tests outside the lab ... that could make it easier, faster and cheaper to track the progression of HIV in patients living in the developing world," Postmedia News/Vancouver Sun reports.

14 Dec 2011

RHUL researchers call for more unified lower back pain guidelines

Researchers at Royal Holloway, University of London are calling for more unified guidelines about returning back pain patients to work as currently the advice can be contradictory and confusing.

14 Dec 2011

U.S. investments in HIV treatment internationally, domestically 'should pay off'

"We welcome the Obama administration's announcement of a farsighted effort to treat millions more people living with HIV abroad, especially in sub-Saharan Africa," a New York Times editorial writes.

14 Dec 2011

ASM launches clinical microbiology web portal

The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) has launched a clinical microbiology web portal, that focuses all of ASM's clinical and external relevant content into one user-friendly site.

14 Dec 2011

People in Swaziland protesting shortages of ARVs amid government financial crisis

In Swaziland, where a "deepening financial crisis is taking a toll on service delivery, and the country is experiencing an unprecedented number of protests over issues such as school closures and a lack of HIV treatment," "a new wave of HIV activism is rising ... as people living with HIV take to the streets in protest, many for the first time in their lives, over continued shortages of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment," PlusNews reports.

14 Dec 2011

ACS revises guideline formation process for cancer screening

The American Cancer Society has revised its guideline formation process to achieve greater transparency, consistency, and rigor in creating guidance about cancer screening.

14 Dec 2011

Central African Republic in state of 'chronic medical emergency,' MSF report says

"The Central African Republic (CAR) is in the grips of a chronic medical emergency, according to a report released today by the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)," an MSF press release states.

14 Dec 2011

Children of childhood cancer survivors do not have increased risk for birth defects

A large, retrospective study of the children of childhood cancer survivors who were treated with radiation therapy and/or some forms of chemotherapy found that the offspring do not have an increased risk for birth defects compared to children of cancer survivors who did not receive such treatments.

14 Dec 2011

With federal court action looming, Sebelius says Plan B decision 'not about politics'

A federal judge in Brooklyn will hear arguments Tuesday afternoon on the constitutionality of the federal decision regarding the access teenage girls should have to morning-after contraceptive pills. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the decision about Plan B's over-the-counter status was not a political one.

14 Dec 2011

Promising results from Fate Therapeutics' ProHema Phase 1b trial on hematologic malignancies

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced today promising clinical results from a Phase 1b trial of ProHema (FT1050-enhanced umbilical cord blood) as part of double-umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplants in adult patients with hematologic malignancies who have undergone reduced-intensity conditioning therapy.

14 Dec 2011

GW scientist to identify molecular mechanisms that define embryonic OE stem cells

Anthony-Samuel LaMantia, PhD, professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and Director of the GW Institute for Neuroscience in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences has been awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health to identify molecular mechanisms that define embryonic olfactory epithelium (OE) stem cells.

14 Dec 2011

Viewpoints: The high cost of treating patients who may die; Young girls and Plan B

You've probably heard that we spend a lot of money on patients who die. It's true. ... But what about my patient? How could it be that we were prudent with health care dollars because he lived, but would have been described as wasteful had he died? Doctors in an emergency room cannot know which will occur. They do not have divining rods that direct them to patients they can save and away from those they can't. Rather, caring for the sick means caring for people who may die.

14 Dec 2011

Lifestyle and environmental factors may increase risk of cancer

It has been well established that certain lifestyle habits relate to the risk of certain cancers (e.g., smoking and lung cancer). In a well-done analysis, the authors estimate the proportion of cancer in the population associated with a variety of lifestyle and environmental factors. They find that smoking has, by far, the largest effect on the risk of cancer, with 19.4% of cancer cases in the UK attributable to tobacco use.

14 Dec 2011

Donors must continue funding R&D to bring new global health technologies to patients

In this post in the Hill's "Congress Blog," Kaitlin Christenson, the coalition director of the Global Health Technologies Coalition; Jim Connolly, president and CEO of Aeras; and Mel Spigelman, president and CEO of the TB Alliance, respond to a recently released G-FINDER report that shows "overall global investment in the research and development (R&D) of new global health technologies has declined for the first time since 2007, when the tracking of such funding began."

14 Dec 2011

CTI, Chroma announce final results from tosedostat phase II study on AML

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. and Chroma Therapeutics Ltd. announced that final results from the phase II OPAL study of tosedostat in elderly patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) were presented by Jorge Cortes, M.D. of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center during the Acute Myeloid Leukemia - Therapy, excluding Transplantation: Clinical Studies session at the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting.

14 Dec 2011

Medtronic agrees to $23.5 million settlement in Kickback case

Medtronic Inc. has agreed to pay $23.5 million to resolve allegations that it paid illegal kickbacks to physicians who participated in its postmarket studies and device registries to induce doctors to implant the company's pacemakers and defibrillators, the Department of Justice said Monday.

14 Dec 2011

FDA allows marketing of Infrascanner Model 1000 for intracranial hematomas diagnosis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today allowed marketing of the first hand-held device intended to aid in the detection of life-threatening bleeding in the skull called intracranial hematomas, using near-infrared spectroscopy.

14 Dec 2011

Medical News

Scientists shed light on 3-D structure of olfactory receptor binding site

Lobbying reports highlight focus on health care rules, calorie-count laws

New study: Insulin signaling is altered in human pancreas

Canadian researchers develop portable device to monitor HIV in rural areas

RHUL researchers call for more unified lower back pain guidelines

U.S. investments in HIV treatment internationally, domestically 'should pay off'

ASM launches clinical microbiology web portal

People in Swaziland protesting shortages of ARVs amid government financial crisis

ACS revises guideline formation process for cancer screening

Central African Republic in state of 'chronic medical emergency,' MSF report says

Children of childhood cancer survivors do not have increased risk for birth defects

With federal court action looming, Sebelius says Plan B decision 'not about politics'

Promising results from Fate Therapeutics' ProHema Phase 1b trial on hematologic malignancies

GW scientist to identify molecular mechanisms that define embryonic OE stem cells

Viewpoints: The high cost of treating patients who may die; Young girls and Plan B

Lifestyle and environmental factors may increase risk of cancer

Donors must continue funding R&D to bring new global health technologies to patients

CTI, Chroma announce final results from tosedostat phase II study on AML

Medtronic agrees to $23.5 million settlement in Kickback case

FDA allows marketing of Infrascanner Model 1000 for intracranial hematomas diagnosis

Advancing Menopause Care: Non-Hormonal Treatments for Vasomotor Symptoms

Building quality into drug development for safer, faster medicines

How Pulp Fixin Is Turning Paper into High-Performance Sustainable Labware

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