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Mother’s high-fat diet alters fetal genes that regulate circadian rhythm: Study

The link between sleeping and obesity is drawn tighter as a new research published online in the FASEB Journal study shows that what your mother ate when she was pregnant may make you obese or overweight by altering the function of genes (epigenetic changes) that regulate circadian rhythm.

23 Nov 2010

AADA releases updated position statement on isotretinoin usage

The American Academy of Dermatology Association (AADA) recently updated its position statement on the use of isotretinoin. The position continues to state that patient safety is dermatologists' primary concern and that the AADA is committed to the safe and responsible use of isotretinoin, which is the most effective treatment for severe acne.

23 Nov 2010

New microchip implant enables people with paraplegia to exercise paralysed leg muscles

Engineers have developed a new type of microchip muscle stimulator implant that will enable people with paraplegia to exercise their paralysed leg muscles.

23 Nov 2010

Researcher develops new method that causes cancer cells to self-destruct

Tulane University researcher W T. Godbey has developed a treatment for cancer using a method that causes cancer cells to self-destruct while sparing surrounding healthy cells.

23 Nov 2010

Health workforce faces challenges with economic downturn, effort to improve quality of care

The Los Angeles Times: Although healthcare has been one of the most reliable "generators of new jobs in California," the situation is changing. A "lousy economy has caught up with an industry once considered virtually immune to downturns. The sector, which employs about 1 in 10 Californians, has stalled at a time when healthcare employment continues to grow nationally.

23 Nov 2010

Breakthrough with mutant gene that causes familial ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that eventually destroys most motor neurons, causing muscle weakness and atrophy throughout the body. There is no cure and the current treatment has only a moderate effect on the march of the disease, which typically kills within three to five years. This week in PNAS, a team of Brandeis scientists reports an innovative approach to treating the most common form of familial ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

23 Nov 2010

New computer method measures mechanical stress in fat cells

From fad diets to exercise programs, Americans continue to fight the battle of the bulge. Now they'll have help from recent Tel Aviv University research that has developed a new method to look at how fat cells which produce the fat in our bodies respond to mechanical loads.

23 Nov 2010

WHO report calls for countries to improve access to health services

Tens of millions of people are pushed into poverty each year as a result of rising costs for health care, the World Health Organization said Monday as the agency released a report on financing health systems and universal coverage, Deutsche Presse-Agentur/M&C reports.

23 Nov 2010

Late-preterm babies at increased risk for cognitive, emotional problems

Late-preterm babies - those born between 34 and 36 weeks - are at an increased risk for cognitive and emotional problems, regardless of maternal IQ or demographics, according to new research published by Michigan State University researchers in the current edition of the journal Pediatrics.

23 Nov 2010

Compugen announces development of Protein Family Members Discovery Platform

Compugen Ltd. announced today the development of its Protein Family Members Discovery Platform, designed for the discovery of novel protein members belonging to various known and clinically important protein families.

23 Nov 2010

'Don't litigate, innovate.' How to implement a fully funded alternative to the new health care overhaul – and it’s already in the law

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, Robert Laszewski writes: "What if a Republican governor and a Republican legislature had the ability to implement their version of health insurance reform and the federal government would have to pay for it? It's a great idea.

23 Nov 2010

HIV drugs lead to insulin resistance

The same powerful drugs that have extended the lives of countless people with HIV come with a price - insulin resistance that can lead to diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

23 Nov 2010

Preclinical trial shows Chimerix’s CMX001 inhibits HSV replication

Chimerix, Inc., a pharmaceutical company developing orally-available antiviral therapeutics, today announced that data demonstrating preclinical efficacy of Chimerix's lead antiviral compound CMX001 against herpes simplex virus (HSV) as well as its ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier was published in the November 15, 2010 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

23 Nov 2010

Agilent releases GeneSpring GX 11.5 multi-omics bioinformatics system

Agilent Technologies Inc. today introduced GeneSpring GX 11.5, an expansion of its popular bioinformatics software into visualizing and analyzing multiple types of biological data. GeneSpring GX 11.5 now interprets exon microarray, proteomics and metabolomics experiments together for the first time, using a familiar interface.

23 Nov 2010

Explaining changes to Part D plans, fixing doctors' Medicare reimbursements, fighting hikes in long-term care insurance

News outlets cover various issues related to Medicare, including reports about prescription drug coverage and the continuing debate surrounding physician pay. Meanwhile, long-term care insurance is also an important issue for seniors.

23 Nov 2010

Hemispherx announces publication of Ampligen Phase III data in Journal of Applied Research

Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., announced the publication of a peer-reviewed article providing new data on Ampligen [rintatolimod; poly(I)·poly(C12,U)], an experimental therapeutic in Phase III clinical testing, in the current issue of The Journal of Applied Research.

23 Nov 2010

Health law repeal murky as groups press officials, target specific provisions

In an analysis, The New York Times, reports that while "Republicans have a big majority in the House, Democratic control of the Senate and the presidential veto power make repeal [of the health law] or major change impossible. [But] there is another reason. More than a few Republicans know that while the politics of trying to nitpick provisions and curb funding are appealing, any wholesale repeal of major provisions of the health care overhaul is likely to generate a backlash.

23 Nov 2010

Rate, direction of axon growth in spinal cord can be controlled, study shows

Both the rate and direction of axon growth in the spinal cord can be controlled, according to new research by USC College's Samantha Butler and her collaborators.

23 Nov 2010

Different digestive tract bacteria helps infants digest milk more effectively than adults

Infants are more efficient at digesting and utilizing nutritional components of milk than adults due to a difference in the strains of bacteria that dominate their digestive tracts. Researchers from the University of California, Davis, and Utah State University report on genomic analysis of these strains in the November 2010 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology identifying the genes that are most likely responsible for this difference.

23 Nov 2010

Sugar in breast milk promotes colitis in newborn: Study

A sugar found in mouse breast milk promotes the generation of colitis in offspring, according to a study published online on November 22 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine

23 Nov 2010