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Heavy work increases heart disease death risk in physically unfit men

High physical work demands are linked to an increased risk of death from ischemic heart disease (IHD)—but only for men who aren't physically fit, reports a study in the November Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

17 Nov 2011

New 2-DG-ABT combination cancer therapy triggers apoptosis

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Kyushu University Medical School say a novel combination of a specific sugar molecule with a pair of cell-killing drugs prompts a wide variety of cancer cell types to kill themselves, a process called apoptosis or programmed cell death.

17 Nov 2011

Researchers identify potential marker for leukemic relapse

The development of simple tests to predict a leukemic relapse in young patients is a step closer thanks to researchers from the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center and the University of Montreal. Approximately 20 percent of young leukemia patients who are treated with stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood will experience leukemic relapse.

17 Nov 2011

Cigna prices public offering of 15.2 million shares of common stock

Cigna Corporation announced today that it has priced a public offering of 15.2 million shares of its common stock at $42.75 per share.

17 Nov 2011

SHARPIN protein regulates human cell activity

The research teams headed by Prof. Johanna Ivaska (University of Turku and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland) and Prof. Marko Salmi (University of Turku and the National Institute for Health and Welfare) have discovered that the SHARPIN protein regulates human cell activity.

17 Nov 2011

People with prior stroke or diabetes benefit from thrombolytic therapy

People with a history of stroke or diabetes who were given clot-busting drugs to break up blood clots after stroke fared better than those who did not receive the drugs, according to a study published in the November 16, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

17 Nov 2011

New collaboration enables information sharing to aid in development of TB drug candidates

In this post in the Global Health Technologies Coalition's "Breakthroughs" blog, Heather Ignatius, senior policy manager for the TB Alliance, writes that while "the most recent WHO TB Control report noted that rates of tuberculosis (TB) declined this past year for the first time in decades, ... TB remains one of the most devastating global health crises today, with ripple effects that extend beyond health to cripple prosperity and development of regions overwhelmed by the disease."

17 Nov 2011

More risk of health problems in lean children who become obese as adults

Link between NRXN3 gene and impulsivity

Being impulsive can lead us to say things we regret, buy things we really don't need, engage in behaviors that are risky and even develop troublesome addictions. But are different kinds of hastiness and rashness embedded in our DNA? A new study suggests the answer is yes -- especially if you're a man.

17 Nov 2011

Breakthrough in loading gold nanorods into cells could lead to new cancer treatment

Rice University chemists have found a way to load more than 2 million tiny gold particles called nanorods into a single cancer cell. The breakthrough could speed development of cancer treatments that would use nanorods like tiny heating elements to cook tumors from the inside.

17 Nov 2011

Bionovo initiates Menerba Phase 3 trial in menopausal hot flashes

Bionovo, Inc., a pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of safe and effective treatments for women's health and cancer, today announced that the first patient has now been randomized and will begin dosing in the Phase 3 pivotal clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of two doses of Menerba (MF101) among a cohort of postmenopausal women for the treatment of menopausal hot flashes.

17 Nov 2011

Dipyrone may reduce brain damage after stroke

An older nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) called dipyrone may offer a new approach to reducing injury to brain tissue after a stroke, according to a study in the October issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

17 Nov 2011

GOP hopefuls tied in Iowa poll

Fifty-eight percent of that poll's respondents said they would "rule out" a candidate who has favored a mandate to buy health insurance. In other news, a separate poll found 47 percent of Americans would support doing away with the health law. Meanwhile, protestors make their opinions known to Herman Cain and Mitt Romney.

17 Nov 2011

Study finds Medicare changes would impose additional costs on majority of 'healthy' beneficiaries

Several deficit-reduction committees have suggested changing the federal health-care program for seniors to combine the hospital- and doctor-services deductibles that participants currently pay separately. In this system, seniors could have a $550 annual deductible, and be required to pay 20 percent toward all services up to a $5,550 annual limit.

17 Nov 2011

Incyte receives FDA approval for Jakafi to treat intermediate or high-risk MF

Incyte Corporation today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing approval for Jakafi (ruxolitinib) for the treatment of patients with intermediate or high-risk myelofibrosis (MF), including primary MF, post-polycythemia vera MF and post-essential thrombocythemia MF.

17 Nov 2011

State-financed healthcare causes unnecessary suffering for transsexual persons

In 1972, Sweden became the first country in the world to legislate healthcare for transsexualism within the state-financed healthcare system. In an international perspective, this was considered to be radical.

17 Nov 2011

Excessive vitamin D levels can lead to onset of AF

While previous studies have linked vitamin D deficiency to an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, new research at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute shows that too much vitamin D can lead to the onset of a dangerous heart condition known as atrial fibrillation.

16 Nov 2011

Additional results from BioSante's LibiGel pK study on HSDD

BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced additional results from its principal LibiGel (testosterone gel) pharmacokinetic (pK) study. Top line data from this study were announced on September 12, 2011.

16 Nov 2011

Budding yeast helps make useful predictions about the biology of individuals

It now only costs a few thousand Euros to sequence the genome of an individual human. However, for most of us, knowing our genome sequence would not be useful. Each human has more than 20 000 genes, and in each of us several thousand of these genes carry mutations.

16 Nov 2011

GORE TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis receives FDA approval for treatment of TAAs

W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. (Gore) announced that it has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the Conformable GORE TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis as a minimally invasive treatment for patients suffering from thoracic aortic aneurysms.

16 Nov 2011