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Ixabepilone-sunitinib combination holds potential against chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer

The use of two drugs never tried in combination before in ovarian cancer resulted in a 70 percent destruction of cancer cells already resistant to commonly used chemotherapy agents, say researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida.

8 Dec 2011

Federal officials push greater medical use of gene sequencing

Almost a year after researchers in Wisconsin published a groundbreaking paper describing their use of genetic sequencing to diagnose and treat a 4-year-old boy, a national health agency is shifting its focus to put $416 million into making the secrets of our genetic script part of standard medical practice.

8 Dec 2011

Cubist, Adolor announce results of initial tender offer

Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Adolor Corporation today announced the results of Cubist's initial tender offer to purchase all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Adolor.

8 Dec 2011

MS may progress from outermost layers of brain to its deep parts

Multiple sclerosis (MS) may progress from the outermost layers of the brain to its deep parts, and isn't always an "inside-out" process as previously thought, reported a new collaborative study from researchers at the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic.

8 Dec 2011

Heart patients may experience fewer traumas with new invention

Heart patients may experience "a lot less" trauma with a new invention to mend leaky valves with minimum cutting, says inventor James Gammie, MD, an associate professor at the University of Maryland (UM) School of Medicine.

8 Dec 2011

NIH, EPA and FDA collaborate to move science forward

A high-speed robotic screening system, aimed at protecting human health by improving how chemicals are tested in the United States, begins today to test 10,000 compounds for potential toxicity. The compounds cover a wide variety of classifications, and include consumer products, food additives, chemicals found in industrial processes, and human and veterinary drugs.

8 Dec 2011

NSU's College of Dental Medicine to provide care for persons with special needs

Nova Southeastern University's (NSU) College of Dental Medicine recently received a two-year, $437, 616 grant from the DentaQuest Foundation to train practicing dentists in Florida to provide care for persons with special needs.

8 Dec 2011

Two new research studies to help colicky infant and their parents

The wail of a colicky baby can send parents into near panic and cause sleepless nights for all. Now, two innovative research studies are being conducted at the new UT Physicians Colic Clinic at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) to help both crying babies and their worried parents.

8 Dec 2011

Montefiore recognized among Leapfrog's 2011 Top Hospitals list

Montefiore Medical Center was recognized yesterday as one of the nation's 2011 Top Hospitals by The Leapfrog Group, a coalition of public and private purchasers of employee health coverage dedicated to improving healthcare safety, quality and affordability. Of the 65 hospitals chosen from nearly 1200 nationwide that participated in the annual survey, Montefiore was one of only two hospitals named from New York State.

8 Dec 2011

Viewpoints: Insurance safety net; Orszag on shift in health plans

In this country, three subjects that are guaranteed to generate a heated debate are religion, politics and, you guessed it, health insurance. Of the first two, Mark Twain observed that "people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand."

8 Dec 2011

New gene editing technique can heal sickle cell patients with their own cells

Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have developed a way to use patients' own cells to potentially cure sickle cell disease and many other disorders caused by mutations in a gene that helps produce blood hemoglobin.

8 Dec 2011

AIDS.gov blog posts mHealth Summit update

This post by AIDS.gov Director Miguel Gomez in the AIDS.gov blog provides an update on the second day of the mHealth Summit taking place in Washington, D.C.

8 Dec 2011

Treating 'brain tsunamis' could stop many victims of major head injury from further damage

Treating 'brain tsunamis' or 'killer waves' could stop many victims of major head injury from suffering additional brain damage, a study published in Lancet Neurology has found.

8 Dec 2011

Lawmakers debate value of cameras in the courtroom

A Democratic senator dismissed those fears Tuesday, saying cameras would not cheapen the high court's proceedings. "I'm trying to picture Ruth Bader Ginsburg turning into Judge Judy. I just don't think it's going to happen," Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said during a hearing on the subject Tuesday.

8 Dec 2011

Researchers determine planar nets to build self-assembling 3-D structures

Material chemists and engineers would love to figure out how to create self-assembling shells, containers or structures that could be used as tiny drug-carrying containers or to build 3-D sensors and electronic devices.

8 Dec 2011

Medicaid news: Ariz. appeals court upholds cuts; federal spending increases

In the Arizona decision, a three-judge panel allows an enrollment freeze to continue. Meanwhile, a new analysis finds federal spending on Medicaid nationwide increased 344 percent between 1990 and 2007.

8 Dec 2011

Animal study offers insights into possible drug targets to improve memory as we age

Drugs that affect the levels of an important brain protein involved in learning and memory reverse cellular changes in the brain seen during aging, according to an animal study in the December 7 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings could one day aid in the development of new drugs that enhance cognitive function in older adults.

8 Dec 2011

Court considers health care execs' liability

After decades in relative obscurity, a U.S. legal doctrine that holds corporate officers liable for company wrongdoing is finding its way back into some high-profile health care prosecutions.

8 Dec 2011

Massive and consistent changes in inflammatory gene expression seen in trauma, burns

Serious traumatic injuries, including major burns, set off a "genomic storm" in human immune cells, altering around 80 percent of the cells' normal gene expression patterns. In a report to appear in the December Journal of Experimental Medicine, members of a nationwide research collaborative describe the initial results of their investigation into the immune system response to serious injury, findings which have overturned some longstanding assumptions.

8 Dec 2011

Medicare enrollment deadline extended — for some

Kaiser Health News reports that federal officials are extending this Dec. 7 deadline for at least two days -- but only to those seniors who contact any of several sources of assistance.

8 Dec 2011