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Children of obese mothers more likely to have asthma or wheezing in their teenage years

The children of mothers who are overweight or obese when they become pregnant are more likely to have asthma or wheezing as teenagers according to a team of researchers including Swatee Patel from the University of Greenwich.

30 Sep 2011

Lin28/let-7 pathway plays an unexpected key role in type 2 diabetes

A pathway activated in cancer plays an unexpected key role in metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes, according to a study by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston. Evidence that the Lin28/let-7 pathway influences the cellular response to glucose provides a unifying theme to perplexing data that associates human genetic variation with diabetes risk.

30 Sep 2011

Global Fund board supports recommendations of Independent Review Panel, will implement 'wide-reaching reforms'

"The Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria approved an action plan Monday in response to recommendations made recently by the High-Level Independent Review Panel on Fiduciary Controls and Oversight Mechanism (HLP)," the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports, adding, "The board stated that it accepts the underlying analysis made by the panel and that it 'presents a compelling case for a rapid and urgent transformation of the Global Fund.'"

30 Sep 2011

Circadian files IND with FDA for VGX-100 for the treatment of cancer patients with solid tumors

Circadian Technologies Limited (ASX: CIR, OTCQX:CKDXY) is extremely proud to announce that its 100% owned subsidiary, Vegenics Pty Ltd, has submitted an investigational new drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate clinical studies of VGX-100. The first trial (Phase I) will involve the treatment of a variety of different cancer types in patients with late stage cancer.

29 Sep 2011

Review of stroke treatment could save lives

Doctors are underutilising crucial medication to prevent deadly strokes in those with a common type of heart condition, new research says, leading to fresh calls for a review of current treatment strategies and more research into stroke prevention.

29 Sep 2011

Sexually transmitted infection epidemic worries health experts

Researchers at the University of New South Wales (NSW) revealed that new cases of gonorrhea and Chlamydia are on the rise in Australia, particularly among young members of indigenous communities.

29 Sep 2011

Toddler chews on a used condom at McDonald’s play area

In a “disgusting” incident a two-year-old girl was found chewing on a used condom she picked up in a McDonald's playground said the father of the child.

29 Sep 2011

Immune cells in brain may predict alcohol abuse effects

Adelaide University researchers say there's a growing body of evidence that alcohol triggers rapid changes in the immune system in the brain and this is behind responses like staggering and slurring. They claim that blocking part of the immune system might reduce alcohol abuse and help prevent drink driving accidents.

29 Sep 2011

Poor hospital supplies could spell danger for vulnerable patients

It was found that most hospitals operate with less than a month's supply of many essential medicines, leaving patients vulnerable if local distributors are unable to import them through fragile international supply chains.

29 Sep 2011

Powerful HIV vaccine being tested on humans

Spanish researchers have developed a prototype of a vaccine against the AIDS-causing HIV virus that is “much more powerful” than those made to date.

29 Sep 2011

Bulgaria’s decades old anti-smoking pill could be a cheap and effective answer to smoking cessation

A pill from Bulgaria during the Soviet era shows promise for helping millions of smokers cheaply and safely kick the habit, the first big clinical trial of it shows. It is unclear whether it will ever reach the market in the U.S. or Western Europe though.

29 Sep 2011

Stroke risk increases with even small rises in blood pressure

Small rises of blood pressure may greatly increase a person's risk of stroke, according to new research. The study review, published in the journal Neurology, analyzed the results of 12 studies on blood pressure and stroke incidences among a total of 518,520 adults.

29 Sep 2011

CVS Caremark, Dovetail Health partner to prevent avoidable hospital readmissions

Industry research finds that one in five seniors are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge, representing a prevalent and costly issue for health plan sponsors. Moreover, it is estimated that nearly 70 percent of adverse health events that take place after hospital discharge are related to medication management issues.

29 Sep 2011

New study recommends colorectal cancer screening from age of 45 for men

Each year, around 5,000 people die from colorectal cancer in Austria, with the mortality rate being just under 50 per cent. A screening colonoscopy (bowel imaging) is recommended in Austria for people who turn 50, regardless of their gender.

29 Sep 2011

FDA CDER assigned for pre-market review of CorMedix's Neutrolin

CorMedix Inc., a pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapeutic products for the prevention and treatment of Cardiorenal disease, today announced that on September 15, 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised CorMedix, that the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research has been assigned as the lead agency for the pre-market review of Neutrolin.

29 Sep 2011

Almirall seeks European approval for linaclotide to treat irritable bowel syndrome with constipation

Almirall, S.A. announced today that it has submitted a Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for linaclotide, an investigational guanylate cyclase-C (GC-C) receptor agonist for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C). Once approved, linaclotide will be marketed in Europe under the trademark Constella®.

29 Sep 2011

First Edition: September 29, 2011

In today's headlines, reports that a Supreme Court ruling on the 2010 health law is now likely before the 2012 presidential election.

29 Sep 2011

South Sudan facing chronic food shortages, U.N. agencies say

U.N. agencies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), are warning that South Sudan, the world's newest nation, "will face chronic food shortages next year due to internal and border insecurity, erratic rains and a huge influx of returnees from the North," IRIN reports.

29 Sep 2011

Single hallucinogen dose creates personality change lasting for a year

A single high dose of the hallucinogen psilocybin, the active ingredient in so-called "magic mushrooms," was enough to bring about a measureable personality change lasting at least a year in nearly 60 percent of the 51 participants in a new study, according to the Johns Hopkins researchers who conducted it.

29 Sep 2011

Photo essay of USAID's work with women suffering from fistula in Guinea

This post in USAID's "IMPACTblog" examines the agency's work with women suffering from obstetric fistula in Guinea, where "[t]he average ... woman will have six children during her lifetime" and "due to the lack of obstetric care," many develop the "painful injury that is especially traumatic due to the stigma associated with it."

29 Sep 2011