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Overexpression of Sox3 gene in mice causes XX male sex reversal

A team of researchers, led by Paul Thomas, University of Adelaide, Australia, has now determined that overexpression of the Sox3 gene in mice causes frequent XX male sex reversal.

23 Dec 2010

Pfizer seeks FDA and EMA approval for expanded use of Prevnar 13 for pneumococcal disease

Pfizer Inc today announced that it has submitted supplemental applications to both the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to expand the use of Prevnar 13® (Pneumococcal 13-valent Conjugate Vaccine [Diphtheria CRM197 Protein]) to adults 50 years of age and older for the prevention of pneumococcal disease caused by the 13 serotypes contained in the vaccine.

23 Dec 2010

Obese people more likely to report exercise as a trigger for asthma

Obese people are more likely to report exercise as a trigger for asthma. Of 673 people evaluated in a new study whose results are published in the journal The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 71 percent of participants reported exercise-induced asthma (ETA).

23 Dec 2010

U.S. Physical Therapy acquires mid-Atlantic six clinic physical therapy group

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc., a leading national operator of outpatient physical therapy clinics, has acquired a majority interest in a six clinic physical therapy group located in the mid-Atlantic region. The practice presently sees approximately 55,000 patient visits per year and produces approximately $4.8 million in annual revenue.

23 Dec 2010

vRad, NightHawk Radiology announce completion of merger

Virtual Radiologic (vRad) and NightHawk Radiology today announced the completion of their previously announced merger, with NightHawk continuing as a wholly owned subsidiary of vRad. Under the terms of the merger agreement, vRad, a technology-enabled national radiology practice and leader in the development of radiologist workflow technology, acquired all of the outstanding shares of NightHawk for $6.50 per share in cash.

23 Dec 2010

New York Times reports on Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges in Global Health grant program

The New York Times examines the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges in Global Health program, which gave a total of $450 million to 43 research projects over five years. "On drawing attention to ways that lives might be saved through scientific advances, I'd give us an A," Bill Gates, co-founder of the foundation, said of the program in an interview with the newspaper. "But I thought some would be saving lives by now, and it'll be more like in 10 years from now," Gates said.

23 Dec 2010

Sequenom CMM authorizes SensiGene T21 LDT clinical validation study

Sequenom, Inc. today announced that the company's wholly-owned reference laboratory, the Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine (Sequenom CMM), has authorized commencement of a pivotal clinical validation study. This validation study is designed to evaluate the clinical performance of the SensiGene T21 Laboratory Developed Test (LDT) for the detection of an overabundance in maternal blood of chromosome 21, which is associated with fetal chromosome 21 aneuploidy.

23 Dec 2010

Researchers find 37° C body temperature is warm enough to ward off fungal infection

Two researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that our 98.6° F (37° C) body temperature strikes a perfect balance: warm enough to ward off fungal infection but not so hot that we need to eat nonstop to maintain our metabolism.

23 Dec 2010

Vatican issues communique to clarify Pope's statement on condoms

"The Vatican on Tuesday issued its most authoritative clarification on Pope Benedict XVI's recent remarks that condoms could sometimes be used for disease prevention, saying that the pope in no way justified their use to prevent pregnancy," the New York Times reports (Donadio, 12/21).

23 Dec 2010

GE Healthcare announces completion of tender offer for Clarient

GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric Company announced today that it has completed the tender offer by GE's wholly owned subsidiary, Crane Merger Sub, Inc., for all outstanding shares of common and preferred stock of Clarient Inc., a leading player in the fast-growing molecular diagnostics sector. Clarient provides pathologists and oncologists with access to key diagnostic tests that shed light on the complex nature of various cancers.

23 Dec 2010

Medicago completes first part of H5N1 vaccine Phase II trial

Medicago, a biotechnology company focused on developing highly effective and affordable vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles, today announced that the last dose of vaccine has been administered completing the first part of the Company's Phase II human clinical trial with its H5N1 Avian Influenza vaccine.

23 Dec 2010

Gilead stops ARTEMIS-IPF ambrisentan Phase III clinical trial in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced it is stopping ARTEMIS-IPF, the company's ongoing Phase III clinical trial of ambrisentan in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), due to lack of efficacy. This decision follows an interim analysis of unblinded efficacy and safety data by the study's Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) and review of those data by Gilead, which did not show evidence of a treatment benefit in the group of patients randomized to receive ambrisentan.

23 Dec 2010

Fried fish consumption may increase risk of stroke

People living in the "stroke belt" states eat more fried fish than people living in the rest of the country, which may contribute to the high rate of death from stroke in those states, according to a study published in the December 22, 2010, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

23 Dec 2010

Research: Arsenic trioxide may benefit individuals with connective brain tumors

Arsenic is usually thought of as a poison. Despite this, it has been used in medicine for over 2000 years, and the arsenic compound arsenic trioxide (ATO) is FDA approved for the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia.

23 Dec 2010

New method predicts outcome of bleaching treatment for teeth

Researchers at the University of Granada have developed a new method for predicting the precise shade that a bleaching treatment will bring about for a patient's teeth.

23 Dec 2010

USAID official discusses agency's efforts to address cholera in Haiti

A USAID official said Tuesday that potential violence following the release of Haiti's final presidential election results could interfere with efforts to contain the country's cholera epidemic, CBC News reports. "What we all worry about is if there is violence again and it disrupts for a couple of days," said Mark Ward, acting director of USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance. "That's my biggest headache right now," he added.

23 Dec 2010

Merck announces FDA approval for GARDASIL against HPV-related anal cancer

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved GARDASIL® [Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16, and 18) Vaccine, Recombinant] for the prevention of anal cancer caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 and for the prevention of anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) grades 1, 2 and 3 (anal dysplasias and precancerous lesions) caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18, in males and females 9 through 26 years of age.

23 Dec 2010

Male mice created without Y chromosome

University of Adelaide researchers are a step closer to unraveling the mysteries of human sexual development, following genetic studies that show male mice can be created without a Y chromosome - through the activation of an ancient brain gene.

23 Dec 2010

Certain drugs may block tumor host interactions but do not destroy cancer cells

A class of drugs thought to kill cancer cells may in fact block "cross talk" between the cancer cell and normal immune cells, resulting in reduced cancer growth and spread-a discovery that could significantly alter the way cancer drugs are evaluated in the future.

23 Dec 2010

New Regs: Health insurers will be required to justify large rate increases

New, proposed regulations — which result from the health overhaul — were issued yesterday by the Department of Health and Human Services and would require health insurers to justify proposed double-digit premium increases. In addition, administration officials signaled their plan to step-up their reviews of insurance rates if state regulators are not adequately protecting consumers.

23 Dec 2010