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Study on flavors of laughter

Most scientific research on laughter is based on recordings of people pretending to laugh. But for Michael Owren of Georgia State University in Atlanta, this false laughter -- the sound of a canned sit-com laugh track -- is a pale imitation of the real thing. He studies the full vocabulary of chortles, giggles, guffaws we all use in everyday situations.

12 Nov 2010

Research unveils epigenetic function of MECP2 gene tht cause neuropsychiatric disorders

The laboratory of Huda Zoghbi, where the discovery that mutations in the gene MECP2 cause the severe childhood neurological disorder Rett Syndrome was made, has taken yet another step toward unraveling the complex epigenetic functions of this gene, implicated also in cases of autism, bipolar disease and childhood onset schizophrenia. The November 11 issue of Nature reports that removing MECP2 from a small group of neurons that typically make the inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA, recapitulates many symptoms of Rett as well as numerous neuropsychiatric disorders.

12 Nov 2010

ASN Annual Meeting to highlight six late-breaking clinical trials on nephrology

Six late-breaking clinical trials have been accepted for presentation next week during the American Society of Nephrology's 43rd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in Denver, CO. These trials were selected based upon their potential impact to the field of nephrology.

12 Nov 2010

Advocacy groups and politicians stake out health overhaul strategies in the changed political landscape

Kaiser Health News reports that advocates of the health law, which is under renewed attack by Republicans after the mid-term election, are "huddling … in an effort to thwart GOP efforts" to overturn the law. "Groups that back the law aren't likely to coalesce around a single message to increase public support. Some patient groups, for example, are likely to try to steer clear of partisan politics and focus instead on promoting the law and pressing for its full implementation.

12 Nov 2010

Discovery on immune system paves way to new vaccine against pneumococcal disease

A new breakthrough in the fight against pneumonia, meningitis and septicaemia has been announced today by scientists in Leicester and Dublin. The discovery will lead to a dramatic shift in our understanding of how the body's immune system responds to infection caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and pave the way for more effective vaccines.

12 Nov 2010

Holding and swaddling newborn infants during heel lance procedures reduces pain

For newborn infants, being held and swaddled is a simple and effective way to reduce pain during routine blood sampling, reports a study in the November/December issue of MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

12 Nov 2010

Glycotope GmbH to present advances in GlycoExpress technology at BIO-Europe

Glycotope GmbH, a leading glycobiology company, will present recent advances with its GlycoExpress technology of novel human cell lines during the upcoming BIO-Europe in Munich.

12 Nov 2010

Exiqon 2010 first nine months revenue increases 36% to DKK 65.7 million

Exiqon A/S today announced results for the first nine months of 2010 ending 30 September 2010. In the third quarter of 2010, organic growth in life science research product sales was 45% when excluding OEM sales and reagent sales associated with license agreements. Operating expenses decreased 31% to DKK 19.9 million in the third quarter.

12 Nov 2010

Oligomerix receives SBIR Phase II grant to develop drugs for Alzheimer’s disease

Oligomerix, Inc. today announced the receipt of a two-year Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant for $1.6M from the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health (NIH), for a program to discover small molecules and antibodies targeting tau protein oligomers in the development of disease modifying therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease.

12 Nov 2010

Debt panel's draft would take on Medicare, raise Social Security age

President Barack Obama's bipartisan debt-reduction panel laid out a draft version of its recommendations for cutting spending and raising taxes on Wednesday, The New York Times reports. The proposal includes increasing the retirement age for Social Security and plans to reduce the growth of the Medicare program. In all, the proposals would lower deficits by $4 trillion through 2020 and "stabilize" debt. Liberal groups immediately lashed back at what they see as excessive cuts in spending (Calmes, 11/10).

12 Nov 2010

IPC The Hospitalist Company announces acquisition of Zenith Hospitalists

IPC The Hospitalist Company, Inc., a leading national hospitalist physician group practice company, announced today that it has acquired Zenith Hospitalists, LLP, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The acquisition represents an expansion in the Nevada market, where IPC already has a well-established presence. Zenith has an annualized volume of approximately 40,000 patient encounters.

12 Nov 2010

Elevated levels of MCP-1 found in urine of patients with acute kidney injury

The presence of certain markers in the urine might be a red flag for acute kidney injury (AKI), according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results suggest that a simple urine test could help prevent cases of kidney failure.

12 Nov 2010

Advocates prepare to challenge GOP on health law

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey reports: "In the aftermath of Republicans' election victories, defenders of the health care law are huddling - once again - in an effort to thwart GOP efforts to eviscerate the sweeping measure" (Carey, 11/11).

12 Nov 2010

Mentor launches PDS Flexible Plate for nasal reconstruction

Reinforcing its commitment to the aesthetic medical market, Mentor Worldwide LLC today introduced PDS™ Flexible Plate - the absorbable implant that provides structural support and streamlines cartilage management during nasal reconstruction procedures.

12 Nov 2010

AmerisourceBergen increases quarterly dividend 25% to $0.10 per common share

The Board of Directors of AmerisourceBergen Corporation today increased the Company's quarterly dividend rate 25 percent to $0.10 per common share from $0.08 per common share.

12 Nov 2010

Reata to present bardoxolone methyl Phase 2b clinical trial data for CKD, type 2 diabetes at ASN Conference

Reata Pharmaceuticals today announced that the company will present data on the primary endpoint from a pivotal Phase 2b clinical trial of bardoxolone methyl in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and type 2 diabetes. The data will be presented in a late-breaking oral presentation at the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Renal Week Conference to be held November 16-21, 2010, in Denver, Colorado.

12 Nov 2010

Veterans and caregivers face ongoing challenges

WebMD: "When veterans with service-related injuries or illness need caregivers, the role typically falls on women, usually spouses or partners," according to a new study by the National Alliance for Caregiving and the United Health Foundation. The study "reports that 96% of veterans' caregivers are women, compared to an overall nationwide finding that 65% of family caregivers are women.

12 Nov 2010

Forest enters commercialization collaboration with Janssen for Bystolic and Savella in Canada

Forest Laboratories, Inc. announced that Forest Laboratories Holdings Limited, its wholly owned subsidiary, has entered into a definitive collaboration and distribution agreement for Bystolic® (nebivolol) and Savella® (milnacipran HCl) in Canada with Janssen Pharmaceutica, NV and Janssen Pharmaceutical respectively, on behalf of Janssen Inc., which will market the products in Canada.

12 Nov 2010

PenCLAHRC provides funding to support C. difficile research

The Peninsula Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (PenCLAHRC) has provided funding to support joint research between the University of Exeter and the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust to investigate why some cases of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) are more difficult to treat than others and also why some cases result in more incidences of relapses.

12 Nov 2010

ESMO-symposium to highlight recent advancement in cancer biology

This ESMO-symposium will allow bed-side oriented oncologists to grasp key and timely-issues related to cancer biology. All presentations will have a clear focus towards potential clinical implications thus helping clinicians fully comprehend the major consequences that new developments in cancer biology may have in daily care.

12 Nov 2010