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INT-777 shows promise against metabolic syndrome

Heart disease is a major cause of death in industrialised countries, and is strongly associated with obesity and diabetes. Many scientists believe that what links these conditions is a chronic, low-grade inflammation.

7 Dec 2011

Integration of family planning, HIV programs 'makes sense'

In this Knowledge for Health (K4Health) blog post, Elsie Mwaniki, a communication specialist at K4Health, reflects on the integration of family planning and HIV services, writing, "Many HIV-positive women have an unmet need for family planning (FP) services," so providing these services together (FP/HIV integration) "makes sense."

7 Dec 2011

Mayo Clinic in Florida now offers kidney and pancreas transplants for HIV-positive patients

Mayo Clinic in Florida is now offering kidney and pancreas transplants to HIV positive patients with advanced kidney disease and diabetes. Evidence is now solid that HIV-positive patients have the same favorable outcome in terms of patient and allograft survival as non-HIV positive organ transplant recipients, says Mary Prendergast, M.D., a kidney specialist whose focus is the care of patients who receive kidney and pancreas transplants.

7 Dec 2011

Circadian activity rhythm linked to subsequent development of dementia or MCI

Older women with weaker circadian rhythms, who are less physically active or are more active later in the day are more likely to develop dementia or mild cognitive impairment than women who have a more robust circadian rhythm or are more physically active earlier in the day. That's the finding of a new study in the latest issue of the Annals of Neurology.

7 Dec 2011

Report shows how mutant gene influences lipid metabolism

People who carry a malfunctioning copy of a particular gene are especially good at clearing fat from their systems. The report in the December Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, shows how the mutant gene influences metabolism in this way.

7 Dec 2011

Obese, overweight people at increased risk of cancer

More than a quarter of obese and overweight people do not want to lose weight and many more are unaware of the benefits brought by a healthy lifestyle, a new survey by Cancer Research UK reveals..

7 Dec 2011

UNAIDS, PEPFAR announce 5-year action framework to scale up voluntary medical male circumcision for HIV prevention

UNAIDS and PEPFAR on Monday at the 16th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in Africa (ICASA) "launched a five-year action framework to accelerate the scale-up of voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) for HIV prevention," according to a UNAIDS press release.

7 Dec 2011

Smoking, excess weight, unhealthy diets and alcohol cause cancer

More than 100,000 cancers - equivalent to one third of all those diagnosed in the UK each year - are being caused by smoking, unhealthy diets, alcohol and excess weight, according to new research by Cancer Research UK.

7 Dec 2011

$Study: Dental x-rays can investigate bone structure and predict fractures$

Study: Dental x-rays can investigate bone structure and predict fractures

It is now possible to use dental X-rays to predict who is at risk of fractures, reveals a new study from researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy reported in the journal Nature Reviews Endocrinology.

6 Dec 2011

Fatty livers burn more fat, not less

When our livers become loaded with fat, it isn't because they are slacking. A new study of human patients in the December Cell Metabolism shows that fatty livers actually burn more fat, not less. All that "hard work" may be at the root of the organ damage that comes with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a condition associated with insulin resistance that affects about one in three in the U.S. population.

6 Dec 2011

Study evaluates whether genetic GST polymorphisms increase risk of ALD in alcoholics

It has been widely observed that only a small percentage of alcoholics develop cirrhosis of the liver, the most advanced form of alcoholic liver disease (ALD); the reason why all alcoholics do not develop such disease is not known. The present study from Spain, that includes original work and a meta-analysis, evaluates whether genetic polymorphisms that determine levels of glutathione-S-transferases (GST) relate to the risk of developing ALD among alcoholics.

6 Dec 2011

Low vaccination rate for flu vaccines in diabetic patients

"The vaccination rate for flu vaccines in diabetic patients in Austria is unfortunately particularly low," says study leader Thomas Dorner from the Institute of Social Medicine (Public Health Centre) at the Medical University of Vienna. An "unsettling gender difference" has also been noted, with men in this case taking the lead: 39 per cent of male diabetics are vaccinated against flu, whereas only 30 per cent of female diabetics are.

6 Dec 2011

Infants can differentiate between credible and un-credible sources

Babies love to imitate. Ask any parent and they'll report how infants mimic sounds, facial expressions and actions they observe. Now new research from Concordia University, published in the journal Infant Behavior and Development, has found that infants can even differentiate between credible and un-credible sources. Simply put, most babies won't follow along if they have been previously tricked by an adult.

6 Dec 2011

Study reveals previously unseen details of SBP8a anthrax bacteriophage

A new study has shown previously unseen details of an anthrax bacteriophage - a virus that infects anthrax bacteria - revealing for the first time how it infects its host, and providing an initial blueprint for how the phage might someday be modified into a tool for the detection and destruction of anthrax and other potential bioterror agents.

6 Dec 2011

Ranbaxy introduces Atorvastatin-Amlodipine besylate tablets in the U.S.

Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd., has launched an authorized generic version of Caduet in the U.S. market, as part of an agreement with Pfizer Inc.

6 Dec 2011

Special 'ribbon cutting' event of new Rush University Medical Center on Dec. 8, 2011

Leading Chicago area government officials and other dignitaries will join Rush University Medical Center trustees, leadership, doctors and nurses on Thursday, Dec. 8 at 11 a.m. for a special "ribbon cutting" event, signifying the completion of the new hospital building at Ashland Avenue and the Eisenhower Expressway. Attendees will also receive a tour of key components of the new hospital.

6 Dec 2011

Roundup: Ariz. examines complaints of prisoners' medical health care; Calif. settles suit on kids' mental health services

To stave off a lawsuit, Arizona's Department of Corrections has agreed to investigate scores of complaints by inmates that they are routinely denied medical care for weeks or months even for severe, life-threatening conditions. Inmates who have lost sight, had body parts amputated or been severely disfigured, among other gruesome examples, say proper medical care could have prevented needless suffering.

6 Dec 2011

Communication break down in warning parents about their overweight children

A new analysis of national survey data finds that less than one-quarter of parents of overweight children recall ever being told by a doctor or other health care provider that their children were overweight.

6 Dec 2011

Advancing the development of a malaria transmission-blocking vaccine

Three leaders in malaria vaccine development announced today a collaboration to evaluate a potential vaccine candidate designed to prevent transmission of malaria from mosquitoes to humans—a type of vaccine that researchers think could contribute to the eventual eradication of malaria.

6 Dec 2011

Inbreeding in bed bugs one key to massive increases in infestations

New research on the bed bug’s ability to withstand the genetic bottleneck of inbreeding, announced today at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) annual meeting, provides new clues to explain the rapidly growing problem of bed bugs across the United States and globally. After mostly disappearing in the US in the 1950s, the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) has reappeared with a vengeance over the past decade. These stubborn pests have developed a resistance to the insecticides, known as pyrethroids, commonly used against them.

6 Dec 2011