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MC3R gene plays an important role in maintaining steady weight

Against the backdrop of the growing epidemic of obesity in the United States, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have made an important new discovery regarding a specific gene that plays an important role in keeping a steady balance between our food intake and energy expenditure. The study may help scientists better understand the keys to fighting obesity and related disorders such as diabetes.

24 Nov 2011

Guardian International Development Journalism Competition results posted

The Guardian this week posted the results of its 2011 International Development Journalism Competition. "Sixteen finalists -- eight amateur, eight professional -- were sent to the developing world to write a feature on a theme suggested by the non-governmental organization that hosted their trip," the newspaper notes.

24 Nov 2011

Body-conscious Shakespeare: Sensory disturbances in troubled characters

Shakespeare was a master at portraying profound emotional upset in the physical symptoms of his characters, and many modern day doctors would do well to study the Bard to better understand the mind-body connection, concludes an analysis of his works, published in Medical Humanities.

24 Nov 2011

Five ways pharmaceutical companies can address NTDs

In this Forbes opinion piece, journalist Sarika Bansal examines five ways in which pharmaceutical companies can address neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), including creating cross-sectorial research partnerships for neglected diseases; joining patent pools for neglected diseases; donating drugs for neglected diseases; creating facilities dedicated to neglected disease research; and allowing scientists to work on neglected disease, both formally and informally.

24 Nov 2011

Combination of radiation treatment and LY2109761 can prevent glioblastoma

Glioblastoma is regarded as the most malignant form of brain tumor. In many cases, neurosurgeons are not able to remove such tumors completely because of the risk of destroying too much brain tissue in the process. Moreover, it is often impossible to identify all the fine extensions by which the tumor spreads into surrounding healthy tissue. To at least slow down the growth of tumor cells that have remained in the head, almost all glioblastoma patients are treated by radiotherapy after surgery.

24 Nov 2011

UnitedHealth buying Medicare advantage plan with chronically ill specialty

UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH), the largest U.S. health insurer by sales, said it will buy XLHealth Corp., a provider of managed care for chronically ill Medicare members, to strengthen a growth area likely to gain increasing support from the U.S. government as it trims costs. The purchase price was about $2 billion, according to a person familiar with the deal who asked not to be identified because the price wasn't disclosed. … The purchase of XLHealth, with 111,000 members, is the seventh since Jan. 1 involving companies that manage Medicare coverage.

24 Nov 2011

RCHT deploys Watch4net APG to consolidate visibility of IT data storage systems

Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT) has selected Watch4net APG to consolidate visibility of their disparate IT data storage systems in order to gain insight into performance and capacity information to proactively manage storage resources.

24 Nov 2011

Examining the effects of trade rules on public health, access to medicines

In this post in the Huffington Post's "Impact" blog, Tido von Schoen-Angerer, executive director of the Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Access to Essential Medicines Campaign, examines the interface between trade rules and public health, discussing the implications of the Doha Declaration on public health since its inception 10 years ago, and addresses the question of how "countries balance the need to protect public health against patent rights that lead to high medicine prices and limited access for people in need."

24 Nov 2011

Physicians can do better if they learn from their failures

When seeking a physician, you should look for one with experience. Right? Maybe not. Research on physicians' decision-making processes has revealed that those who pay attention to failures as well as successes become more adept at selecting the correct treatment.

24 Nov 2011

Four-year project aims to boost kala-azar elimination efforts in India, Bangladesh

In this post in the Global Health Technologies Coalition's "Breakthroughs" blog, Elena Pantjushenko, a communications associate for GHTC member OneWorld Health (OWH), profiles a "comprehensive four-year project to boost kala-azar (leishmaniasis) elimination strategies in India and Bangladesh, where the concentration of disease burden is among the world's highest."

24 Nov 2011

Anesthesia drug shortages can have devastating impact on patient care

The United States is facing ongoing shortages of several critical anesthesia medications—shortages with potentially serious effects on patient care and safety, according to a special article in the December issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society.

24 Nov 2011

High-tech information innovations sparking sharing of research

A unique scientific competition is seeking centenarians from around the globe who are willing to donate their DNA. The Archon Genomics X Prize will award $10 million to the first team that can sequence human genomes of 100 centenarians accurately and economically in a 30-day competition that begins in January. The goal is to develop a "medical-grade" genome standard that can be used for broad clinical applications to improve patient diagnosis and treatment.

24 Nov 2011

RaySearch reports net sales of SEK 80.3 M for JANUARY 1 – SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

RaySearch Laboratories: JANUARY 1 - SEPTEMBER 30, 2011. Net sales for the period totaled SEK 80.3 M.

24 Nov 2011

Health industry raising alarms about cuts to Medicare after super committee failure

Automatic Medicare cuts triggered by the congressional super committee's failure would hit hospitals harder than any other health industry, according to an analysis from Avalere Health. The report puts hard numbers to across-the-board cuts that stakeholders have mostly viewed in broad, general terms. But Avalere chief executive Dan Mendelson cautioned that the figures also assume the automatic cuts will actually happen - an assumption he's not ready to make.

24 Nov 2011

New Techna Institute at UHN signs first agreement with INO

The new Techna Institute at University Health Network (UHN) has signed its first agreement with INO of Quebec City and Hamilton.

24 Nov 2011

UNICEF report says more than 30M children in East Asia, Pacific lack essential services

"More than 30 million children in seven countries in East Asia and the Pacific are deprived of at least one essential service such as basic health care, safe drinking water or access to education, according to a United Nations study," AlertNet reports.

24 Nov 2011

Symphony, Bruker sign supply contract for XRF taggant technology

After a one year cooperative development, Bruker Corporation and Symphony Environmental Ltd have signed a contract for the exclusive supply of Bruker's X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) taggant technology to Symphony for the identification of pro-degradant, anti-microbial and anti-fungal additives in plastic.

24 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: Blame for super committee mess, Supreme Court recusal is the judges' call

What's clear is that committee Democrats moved awfully far in the name of compromise. They offered more in Medicare cuts than Simpson-Bowles did - or than Obama did with Boehner, for that matter - and accepted less in the way of tax increases than those two proposals. For their part, Republicans moved off their position of complete intransigence on taxes. Then they refused to budge.

24 Nov 2011

Urban legend warns about dangers of snow shoveling

Urban legend warns shoveling snow causes heart attacks, and the legend seems all too accurate, especially for male wintery excavators with a family history of premature cardiovascular disease. However, until recently this warning was based on anecdotal reports.

24 Nov 2011

Philips launches Veradius Neo mobile C-arm with flat detector for orthopedic procedures

Royal Philips Electronics today introduced the Philips Veradius Neo mobile C-arm with flat detector to allow surgeons to more easily and precisely handle challenging patients and procedures.

From Philips Healthcare 24 Nov 2011