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New nicotine addiction mechanism revealed

A new discovery has shown why some people cannot give up tobacco and may lead to new anti-smoking treatments. The researchers have found a brain pathway which when defective leads to an uncontrollable desire to smoke. This is a “sub-unit” of a receptor protein sensitive to nicotine.

31 Jan 2011

Water contamination warnings after floods

The public has been warned to stay out of some southeast Queensland waterways containing high levels of sewage contamination from floodwaters. Moreton Bay itself has avoided major sewage contamination says the Queensland Government.

31 Jan 2011

Extreme morning sickness drug comes at a price

Women, who suffer from an extreme form of morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), are shelling out $7,000 for a drug not yet approved for use by expectant mums because they are desperate to control their illness. HG leads to severe nausea, dehydration and fatigue and may require hospitalization. It affects up to 3 per cent of pregnant women - about 9,000 per year in Australia. It may lead to termination of the pregnancy.

31 Jan 2011

$61 million anti-tobacco campaign launched to prevent lung cancer

The Australian Federal Government is backing a $61 million advertising campaign to stop smoking. This is the nation’s biggest anti-tobacco campaign. The message is graphic and simple: every cigarette brings cancer closer. Health groups have backed the campaign but advertising industry experts say the public has become increasingly immune to scare campaigns.

31 Jan 2011

Computer glitch gives two women all clear from breast cancer wrongly

Two Victorian women were diagnosed with breast cancer 3 months after a computer error wrongly cleared them of the disease. This happened at BreastScreen Victoria. Authorities, after a bungle in images and patient details, had to re-examine about 5,000 mammograms of various women in November. The re-examination started before Christmas found 5,336 women to be all-clear and two were found to have breast cancer. One result will be unknown for six months because of unrelated medical reasons. Of the all-clear group two women with cancer were declared clear wrongly.

31 Jan 2011

Sorin Group announces commercial availability of Perceval S aortic heart valve in Europe

Sorin Group, a global medical device company and a leader in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, announces the commercial availability in Europe of the self- anchoring Perceval S aortic heart valve. The innovative next-generation valve represents the latest innovation in heart valve technology.

31 Jan 2011

Warwick research opens new strategy in vehicle design for drug release

The ability of some forms of plankton and bacteria to build an extra natural layer of nanoparticle-like armour has inspired chemists at the University of Warwick to devise a startlingly simple way to give drug bearing polymer vesicles (microscopic polymer based sacs of liquid) their own armoured protection.

31 Jan 2011

Cohort Review Committee evaluates SCIB1 dose escalation, safety in Phase 1 trial

Scancell Holdings Plc, the developer of therapeutic cancer vaccines, is pleased to announce that the first group of patients receiving the lowest dose of SCIB1 in the Phase I clinical trial has been evaluated by the Cohort Review Committee.

31 Jan 2011

Endo Pharmaceutical partners receive Paragraph IV Certification for generic version of LIDODERM

Endo Pharmaceuticals announced today that its partners, Teikoku Seiyaku Co., Ltd. and Teikoku Pharma USA, have received a Paragraph IV Certification Notice from Mylan Technologies advising of the filing of an Abbreviated New Drug Application for a generic version of LIDODERM.

31 Jan 2011

EU grants 3.3 million to AMP for gene therapy development against AIP

Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics, a leader in the field of human gene therapy, announced today that the European Union has finalized a EUR 3.3 million grant to the AIPGENE consortium, of which AMT is a member, for the development of a gene therapy product for Acute Intermittent Porphyria.

31 Jan 2011

Venture philanthropist invests $3.5 million to thwart Alzheimer's disease

Retired San Francisco real estate developer Douglas Rosenberg says he has a new job - helping to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. Through the Ellen and Douglas Rosenberg Foundation, the venture philanthropist is betting at least $3.5 million that Buck faculty Dale Bredesen, MD has the correct take on how to thwart the memory robbing disease that affects over 5 million Americans.

31 Jan 2011

U.S. District Court grants preliminary injunction, clears sale of Dr. Reddy's Allegra D24 tablet

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories announced today that on Friday, 28 January 2011, the U.S. District Court of New Jersey filed a Stipulation and Order lifting an earlier motion for preliminary injunction and clearing the sale of Dr. Reddy's generic product version of Allegra D24, which was approved by the FDA on March 16, 2010.

31 Jan 2011

New study: Super Bowl loss is linked to increased death rates in older individuals

A new study published in the journal Clinical Cardiology reveals that a Super Bowl loss for a home team was associated with increased death rates in both men and women and in older individuals.

31 Jan 2011

Liberty Healthcare: Sex offenders in Indiana less likely to be re-incarcerated

According to state data, sex offenders in Indiana are significantly less likely to be re-incarcerated compared to national figures. Only 17, or 1.7 percent, of 997 sex offenders released from prison in 2006 were convicted for a new sex crime within three years, a state recidivism analysis conducted in 2010 showed.

31 Jan 2011

States consider cuts to Medicaid to ease tight budgets

Hamstrung by federal prohibitions against lowering Medicaid eligibility, governors from both parties are exercising their remaining options in proposing bone-deep cuts to the program during the fourth consecutive year of brutal economic conditions. ... the election of tough-minded governors, the evaporation of federal aid, the relentless growth of Medicaid rolls and the exhaustion of alternatives have made the program, which primarily covers low-income children and disabled adults, an outsize target. ... The governors are taking little joy in their proposals.

30 Jan 2011

President 'won't refight' health law debate

White House Chief of Staff William Daley told CBS this weekend that President Obama is open to tweaking the health care law - but that he would not "refight the entire fight" over reform. "The president has said he's open to changes to this," Daley told CBS' "Face the Nation," in his first television interview since joining the Obama administration.

30 Jan 2011

Omega-3 deficieny may play a role in neuropsychiatric disorders: Study

Researchers from Inserm and INRA and their collaborators in Spain collaboration, have studied mice fed on a diet low in omega-3 fatty acid. They discovered that reduced levels of omega-3 had deleterious consequences on synaptic functions and emotional behaviours.

30 Jan 2011

Health care reform fact check

The Obama administration released a 13-page report Friday that argues the healthcare reform law will save families and businesses thousands of dollars, prompting immediate criticism from the GOP.

30 Jan 2011

Blind individual drives street vehicle independently

The National Federation of the Blind, the oldest and largest organization of blind people in the nation, announced today that for the first time a blind individual has driven a street vehicle in public without the assistance of a sighted person.

30 Jan 2011

Scientists convert adult skin cells into cardiomyocytes using direct reprogramming strategy

Scripps Research Institute scientists have converted adult skin cells directly into beating heart cells efficiently without having to first go through the laborious process of generating embryonic-like stem cells. The powerful general technology platform could lead to new treatments for a range of diseases and injuries involving cell loss or damage, such as heart disease, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's disease.

30 Jan 2011