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New scaffold supports growth, integration of stem cell-derived cardiac muscle cells

These days people usually don't die from a heart attack. But the damage to heart muscle is irreversible, and most patients eventually succumb to congestive heart failure, the most common cause of death in developed countries.Stem cells now offer hope for achieving what the body can't do: mending broken hearts. Engineers and physicians at the University of Washington have built a scaffold that supports the growth and integration of stem cell-derived cardiac muscle cells. A description of the scaffold, which supports the growth of cardiac cells in the lab and encourages blood vessel growth in living animals, is published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

10 Aug 2010

Odyssey HealthCare announces stockholder approval for acquisition by Gentiva Health Services

Odyssey HealthCare, Inc., one of the largest providers of hospice care in the United States, today announced that its stockholders have adopted the previously announced merger agreement providing for the acquisition of Odyssey by Gentiva Health Services, Inc.. At today's special meeting of Odyssey stockholders, holders of approximately 80.4% of the outstanding shares of Odyssey common stock entitled to vote at the meeting voted to adopt the merger agreement and approve the merger.

10 Aug 2010

Sleeve gastrectomy for weight loss surgery with no scars

Surgeons at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have achieved what is believed to be the nation's first stomach reduction via the mouth. The novel weight loss procedure, known as a sleeve gastrectomy, reduces the stomach to 20 percent of its original size. The smaller stomach leads to less caloric intake and increased feelings of fullness. This is the first time in the U.S. that the excess stomach has been removed through the mouth rather than a large open incision.

10 Aug 2010

Amarin completes enrollment in AMR101 Phase 3 MARINE clinical trial

Amarin Corporation plc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a focus on cardiovascular disease, today announced that its MARINE trial, a Phase 3 clinical trial of AMR101, has completed patient enrollment and randomization into the treatment phase of this trial. The Company indicated that top line results from this trial are expected early in 2011, towards the early part of the range of guidance provided previously.

10 Aug 2010

New insight into protein transport mechanism can improve chemotherapy treatments

A new study conducted in the department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Tel Aviv University (TAU) elucidates the way in which toxic, yet essential, copper ions enter human cells. As a chemotherapy drug presumably enters the cells in a similar manner, the results of this study pave the way for the development of improved chemotherapeutic drugs. The groundbreaking work was published in the leading American scientific journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).

10 Aug 2010

Cardium second-quarter net loss decreases to $0.7 million

Cardium Therapeutics today reported highlights and financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

10 Aug 2010

Hemodialysis with AVF depends on patient’s health insurance: Study

Kidney disease patients insured by some federally sponsored national health care organizations are more likely to undergo an important predialysis procedure than patients with other types of insurance, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results may provide insights into ways to improve kidney-related care for patients before they go on dialysis.

10 Aug 2010

H1N1 pandemic could be declared over soon, WHO's Chan says

The WHO's decision to declare the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic officially over could come within weeks, according to WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, the Canadian Press reports.

10 Aug 2010

Psoriasis drug market to double from $3.4 billion in 2009 to $6.8 billion in 2019: Pharmacor 2010

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that the continued uptake of marketed and emerging interleukin and TNF-alpha inhibitors and a twofold increase in the penetration of biologics in the moderate-to-severe population will drive the psoriasis drug market to double from $3.4 billion in 2009 to $6.8 billion in 2019 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan.

10 Aug 2010

Research on role of ADAM12 gene in breast cancer

A microscopic gene may play a gigantic role when it comes to cancerous tissue in the human body, according to one Kansas State University research team.The team is investigating mutation within the ADAM12 gene of the A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease family, or ADAM family, and its role in breast cancer."We want to know whether ADAM12 is a good guy or a bad guy in breast cancer," said Anna Zolkiewska, associate professor of biochemistry and research team leader.

10 Aug 2010

ACADIA second-quarter net loss decreases to $4.3 million

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company utilizing innovative technology to fuel drug discovery and clinical development of novel treatments for central nervous system disorders, today reported its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

10 Aug 2010

Sound sleepers show distinct pattern of spontaneous brain rhythms: Research

Ever wonder why some people can sleep through just about anything, while others get startled awake at each and every bump in the night? A new report in the August 10th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, offers some insight: sound sleepers show a distinct pattern of spontaneous brain rhythms.We found that by measuring brain waves during sleep, we could learn a lot about how well a person's brain can block the negative effects of sounds; the more sleep spindles your brain produces, the more likely you'll stay asleep, even when confronted with noise, said Jeffrey Ellenbogen of Harvard Medical School.

10 Aug 2010

Social media can complicate but also improve hospital care

The Los Angeles Times: "Hospital officials in California and elsewhere have faced an uneasy relationship with Facebook and other forms of social networking. Managers, struggling to prevent staffers from posting patient information on the sites, have developed no-tolerance policies and blocked employees from using Facebook and similar websites at work.

10 Aug 2010

New microchip technology to detect oral cancer

A new test for oral cancer, which a dentist could perform by simply using a brush to collect cells from a patient's mouth, is set to be developed by researchers at the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

10 Aug 2010

Talecris and Grifols receive 'Second Request' from FTC regarding proposed merger

Talecris Biotherapeutics Holdings Corp. today announced that Talecris and Grifols S.A. have each received a request for additional information and documentary material, often referred to as a "Second Request," from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in connection with their proposed merger.

10 Aug 2010

Advocat second-quarter revenues increase 3.4% to $141.6 million

Advocat Inc. today announced its results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2010. On August 5, 2010 the Company declared a third quarter dividend of 5.5 cents per common share. The dividend will be paid October 14, 2010 to shareholders of record on September 30, 2010.

10 Aug 2010

Scientist to research on molecular machinery of breast cancer

Someone in the world is diagnosed with breast cancer every 23 seconds. It is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide among women and approximately 456,000 die from the disease each year. At The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), a scientist is taking aim at the molecular machinery behind this disease.

10 Aug 2010

Study to evaluate sensitivity of mammography combined with somo•v ABUS technology in breast cancer screening

Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital announced today that it has joined U-Systems national clinical research study designed to evaluate whether digital mammography, when combined with the somo•v Automated Breast Ultrasound System (ABUS) from U-Systems, Inc (Sunnyvale, CA), is more sensitive in detecting breast lesions compared to mammography alone in women with dense breasts. Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital is the only site in Michigan, and one of only ten breast cancer centers in the entire country, currently recruiting women for the SOMO•INSIGHT clinical study.

10 Aug 2010

Scientists discover role of Mnk enzyme in prostate cancer development

A kinase is a type of enzyme the body uses to regulate the functions of the proteins required for cell growth and maintenance, and researchers have discovered that one in particular plays a key role in developing prostate cancer. "It's known as Mnk, and although it appears not to be essential for normal cell maintenance, it's important for cancer growth" said Dr. Luc Furic, a postdoctoral researcher working with Dr. Nahum Sonenberg at McGill University's Goodman Cancer Research Centre and Department of Biochemistry.

10 Aug 2010

Pay-for-performance makes its way into dialysis clinics

Chattanooga (Tenn.) Times Free Press: A new Medicare rule may ding dialysis centers by up to two percent of their reimbursement in 2012 if they don't meet quality standards the agency sets. The program "is the agency's first pay-per-performance system, and it won't be the last." The agency has, however, run various experiments that pay providers for better performance.

10 Aug 2010