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Research establishes bases of possible future pharmaceutical drugs to combat AIDS virus

The doors are closing on the AIDS virus. The scientific community continues to strive to find the formula that will halt the advance of one of the viruses that has sparked most scientific interest over recent years. A study by the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cient-ficas (CSIC) and led by Mr F-lix Go-i, director of the Biophysics Unit at the CSIC-University of the Basque Country Mixed Centre, has developed a method of attack against the AIDS virus The method involves creating a prevention system, i.e. an 'armour' in the cells that are likely to be infected and thus impede, de facto, the virus from accessing them and starting to act on their immunological system.

31 Jul 2010

BioSpace launches 2010 BioMidwest Hotbed Campaign

BioSpace added Kansas to its annual promotional campaign of biotechnological, pharmaceutical and medical device companies from Nebraska to Ohio.

31 Jul 2010

NHS Breast Screening Programme detects 1,500 invasive cancers

A new report has revealed that the NHS Breast Screening Programme detected nearly 1,500 cases of the disease in 2008-09 in Scotland.Since 1991, the programme has screened over 2.3 million women in Scotland and has led to the diagnosis of approximately 17,000 breast cancers.The latest statistics, which are published by ISD Scotland, show that about three-quarters of women who were invited to attend screening in 2008-09 accepted their invitation.

31 Jul 2010

Commonwealth Pain Specialists offers treatment with CTT's Calmare Pain Therapy device

Competitive Technologies, Inc. announced today that Commonwealth Pain Specialists, the premier pain management center in Richmond and Central Virginia, is treating patients suffering from chronic, intense neuropathic pain using CTT's Calmare® Pain Therapy medical device.

31 Jul 2010

Louisiana's Medicaid rate cuts kick in Aug. 1; Other states seek health program assistance, make tough choices to balance budgets

"The rates paid to many of the private health providers in Louisiana's Medicaid program will fall Sunday to trim spending by $168 million in the program that provides care to the poor, elderly and disabled. The latest cuts to private hospitals, home- and community-based care providers, doctors and specialty service providers are the final piece of balancing this year's $6.5 billion Medicaid budget. Department of Health and Hospitals Undersecretary Jerry Phillips said Medicaid funding was cut by $277 million in the 2010-11 fiscal year that began July 1."

31 Jul 2010

Poll: Many Americans not sure of provisions of new healthcare legislation

Not sure what's in—and not in—the new healthcare legislation signed into law by President Barack Obama in March? You're not alone. More than 2,100 adults were given a list of 18 reform items and asked to identify what's included and what's not included in the law. Only four items were correctly identified by the majority of those polled.

31 Jul 2010

Exposure of mBM-MSCs to VPA increases hepatic differentiation

Recent studies suggest that MSCs possess a greater differentiation potential than once thought and several hepatic differentiation protocols from bone marrow cells have been established. However, the incidence of bone marrow-derived hepatocytes was low. Moreover, a long culture period is needed in most cases.

31 Jul 2010

Laxai Pharma reaches agreement with UTA to extend terms of existing secured promissory note

Laxai Pharma Ltd., an international pharmaceutical contract research organization, recently reached an agreement with UTA Capital LLC to extend the terms of an existing secured promissory note issued by the Company in favor of UTA on March 3, 2010 in the aggregate principal amount of $1.44 million ("Note").

31 Jul 2010

Senate panel votes to end drug industry's practice of 'pay-to-delay' generics

The Associated Press: "In a defeat for the powerful drug lobby, a Senate panel approved legislation to prohibit drug companies from paying generic drug makers to delay bringing less costly products to market. … The measure would ban a 'pay-to-delay' practice — opposed by the [Federal Trade Commission] in a series of lawsuits brought since 2001 — in which brand-name drug companies and generic drug makers both profit. Brand-name drug makers get higher prices while the generic companies are paid to stay out of the market."

31 Jul 2010

Mental-health treatment could reduce pain in osteoarthritis patients: Study

How much pain osteoarthritis sufferers feel is directly related to their mental health, a new study by researchers at UC Davis School of Medicine has found. In the study, people with better mental health felt less pain, and people with worse mental health felt more.

31 Jul 2010

Sodium Working Group recommends reducing sodium intake among Canadians

The federally-mandated Sodium Working Group has released the Sodium Reduction Strategy for Canada. The three-pronged strategy contains six over-arching and 27 specific recommendations for a population health strategy for reducing sodium intake among Canadians.

31 Jul 2010

High-risk health insurance pool rules bar abortions, limit patient costs

"Elective abortions will be prohibited and people with pre-existing conditions will be able to get comprehensive benefits without paying any more than healthy people, under new federal regulations for high-risk health insurance pools released today by the Obama administration" (Galewitz, 7/30).

31 Jul 2010

QVC organizes special two-hour "designer charity sale" to benefit OCRF

"Charity chic" is back in style this summer as QVC once again joins forces with the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund to broadcast QVC Presents Super Saturday Live, benefiting OCRF.

31 Jul 2010

Mylan prices $300 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2020

Mylan Inc. today announced that it priced $300 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2020 at an issue price of 105.5% with a coupon of 7.875%, or an effective yield to maturity of 7.087%. The notes are being offered as additional notes under an existing indenture under which Mylan issued $700 million aggregate principal amount of 7.875% Senior Notes due 2020 on May 19, 2010. The notes to be issued in this offering and the previously issued 7.875% Senior Notes due 2020 will be treated as a single class of notes under the indenture.

31 Jul 2010

Scientists reveal origins of second heart field in vertebrates

Using the model organism Ciona intestinalis, commonly known as the sea squirt, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have uncovered the origins of the second heart field in vertebrates.

31 Jul 2010

Consumers who have MMS should stop using it immediately, FDA warns

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to take Miracle Mineral Solution, an oral liquid solution also known as "Miracle Mineral Supplement" or "MMS." The product, when used as directed, produces an industrial bleach that can cause serious harm to health.

31 Jul 2010

Nashville hospitals cut costs to keep up revenues, despite fewer patients

"Over the past year and a half, keeping costs in check has helped the large hospital chains based in the Nashville area to increase quarterly earnings, even when seeing fewer patients come through their doors," The Tennessean reports. "The recent second quarter was no different. Cost controls fueled an 18 percent increase in net income at Franklin-based Community Health Systems, despite a decline in the number of patients. HCA Inc. saw fewer inpatient visits, and higher interest expense kept its pre-tax profits flat.

31 Jul 2010

Self assembly approaches to improve DNA sequencing

In an innovation critical to improved DNA sequencing, a markedly slower transmission of DNA through nanopores has been achieved by a team led by Sandia National Laboratories researchers.Solid-state nanopores sculpted from silicon dioxide are generally straight, tiny tunnels more than a thousand times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. They are used as sensors to detect and characterize DNA, RNA and proteins. But these materials shoot through such holes so rapidly that sequencing the DNA passing through them, for example, is a problem.

31 Jul 2010

Florida judge blocks state constitutional amendment on federal health law

A Leon County circuit judge today blocked a proposed [state] constitutional amendment that targets the federal health-reform law, saying Florida Republican lawmakers included wording in the proposal that would mislead voters. Judge James O. Shelfer said the proposal --- dubbed by lawmakers as the 'Health Care Freedom' amendment --- should not go on the November ballot. He described wording in a ballot summary as 'manifestly misleading.'

31 Jul 2010

Circuit Court Judge removes Amendment 9 from November ballot

Today, Circuit Court Judge James Shelfer removed Amendment 9—modeled after the American Legislative Exchange Council's (ALEC) Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act now proposed in 42 states—from the November ballot. Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum is expected to appeal to Florida's Supreme Court.

31 Jul 2010