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Fully funding global health initiatives critical in AIDS fight

"With donor support flagging around the world, U.S. leadership is crucial. Congress must fully fund its global health programs, especially the Global Fund" to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Joyce Kamwana, a Global Fund "HERE I AM" campaign ambassador, writes in The Hill's "Congress Blog."

6 Dec 2011

Autism linked with disorganized structure of brain's white matter

It's still unclear what's different in the brains of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), but evidence from genetic and cell studies points to abnormalities in how brain cells (neurons) connect to each other. A study at Children's Hospital Boston now provides visual evidence associating autism with a disorganized structure of brain connections, as well as defects in myelin -- the fatty, insulating coating that helps nerve fibers conduct signals and that makes up the brain's white matter.

6 Dec 2011

New wrinkle emerging for legal challenge to health overhaul

The woman chosen to represent the legal challenge to the Obama administration's health care overhaul filed for bankruptcy in September after her business failed, a move that could pose problems for the high-profile lawsuit. … The suit, brought by 26 states and joined by the National Federation of Independent Business, a small-business lobby group, is set to be heard by the Supreme Court next year.

6 Dec 2011

International trade agreements need to help save water globally: UNESCO

With greater water scarcity in some regions and increasing global demand for high quality water, international trade agreements need to help save water globally. This was the main conclusion of a special report, published by the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education.

6 Dec 2011

WHO issues measles warning for Europe

The WHO on Friday issued a measles warning for Europe, where measles outbreaks "have caused nine deaths, including six in France, and 7,288 hospitalizations," BBC News reports.

6 Dec 2011

MHI cardiologists use ABSORB bioresorbable vascular scaffold to treat CAD

The interventional cardiology team at the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) used the world's first drug eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold to successfully treat a woman suffering from coronary artery disease. This landmark procedure was performed by Dr. Jean-Fran-ois Tanguay, interventional cardiologist and coordinator of the Coronary Unit, as part of the ABSORB EXTEND clinical trial.

6 Dec 2011

Reflecting on Bush's global health, foreign policy initiatives in Africa

In this Brookings Institution opinion, Mwangi Kimenyi, director of the Africa Growth Initiative (AGI), and Jessica Smith, a research assistant at AGI, reflect on George W. Bush's four-day tour of Tanzania, Zambia and Ethiopia, and the efforts he undertook in Africa while in office, writing, "Bush's record tends to be underrated."

6 Dec 2011

Global problem of fatal snakebites and promising solutions highlighted at ASTMH meeting

Fatal snakebites are a bigger-than-acknowledged global health problem that has been vastly under-reported, according to research presented today at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene's (ASTMH) annual meeting.

6 Dec 2011

Proposed bill in Nigeria would affect gay rights, possibly HIV/AIDS donor funding, AP reports

The Associated Press examines the potential impact on HIV/AIDS funding of a proposed bill in Nigeria that would outlaw gay marriage; assisting a gay couple in marriage; "'public show of same-sex amorous relationships directly or indirectly'"; or "organizing, operating or supporting gay clubs, organizations and meetings."

6 Dec 2011

FDA assigns CTIs' pixantrone NDA new PDUFA action date

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Division of Oncology Products 1 has notified CTI that CTI's October 2011 resubmitted New Drug Application is considered a complete, Class 2 response to the FDA's April 2010 complete response letter.

6 Dec 2011

Calif. judge suspends cuts to senior services; Back pay for Wash. state home care workers?

A federal judge in Oakland issued a temporary restraining order last week, suspending the state's planned reduction of 20% to In-Home Supportive Services to 370,000 Californians. ... The judicial action came right before the state was set to send notices to IHSS participants -- most of whom are seniors -- notifying them of the reduction in services.

6 Dec 2011

Tyco International acquires Visonic

Tyco International Ltd. announced today that the company has completed the acquisition of Visonic Ltd., a global developer and manufacturer of electronic security systems and components, for approximately $100 million in cash. The acquisition was first announced on September 15, 2011.

6 Dec 2011

Telemedicine can improve depression in nursing home rehab patients

A new pilot study is getting underway in Rhode Island aimed at improving depression in nursing home rehabilitation patients, all through telemedicine. Geriatric mental health specialists from Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals will work with patients in the Evergreen House Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center in East Providence to test the program.

6 Dec 2011

Flexible workplace initiative improves employees' health behavior, well-being

A flexible workplace initiative improved employees' health behavior and well-being, including a rise in the amount and quality of sleep and better health management, according to a new study by University of Minnesota sociology professors Erin Kelly and Phyllis Moen, which appears in the December issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

6 Dec 2011

Prenatal exposure to valproate may increase risk of autism in children

Investigators in a population-based study in Denmark reporting today at the American Epilepsy Society's 65th annual meeting have found there is an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder and childhood autism in children born of mothers who are exposed to the anticonvulsant valproate during pregnancy.

6 Dec 2011

Medicare tightening payments for 'big ticket' cardiology and orthopedic procedures in 11 states

In an effort to rein in costs, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will in 2012 perform an audit before paying for certain cardiology and orthopedic procedures in key states, including Florida.

6 Dec 2011

Study reveals mechanism of action of laquinimod in patients with RRMS

Laquinimod is an orally available synthetic compound that has been successfully evaluated in phase II/III clinical studies for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

6 Dec 2011

Fetal exposure to valproate impairs IQ till age six

Researchers in the U.S. and U.K. are conducting an ongoing investigation of the cognitive effect of fetal exposure across four commonly used antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) as part of an NIH-funded Neurodevelopmental Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs (NEAD) Study. An early NEAD analysis found that fetal exposure to valproate impairs IQ at age three.

6 Dec 2011

MorphoSys unveils next-generation antibody technology Ylanthia

MorphoSys AG today unveiled its next-generation antibody technology Ylanthia®. The technology was presented to an audience of specialists at the 2011 Antibody Engineering and Antibody Therapeutics Conference in San Diego. MorphoSys expects Ylanthia to set new standards for therapeutic antibody generation in the pharmaceutical industry over the next decade and beyond. Commercial application will commence in 2012.

6 Dec 2011

Cayetano Heredia, UT Southwestern sign five-year affiliation agreement

UT Southwestern Medical Center and the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Peru have signed a five-year affiliation agreement that establishes an exchange program for medical students and related educational opportunities.

6 Dec 2011