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Oncology unit of Jewish General Hospital focuses on Smart for Life cookies

Smart for Life cookies will be the focus of a study in the oncology unit of the Jewish General Hospital, acknowledged as a world leader in many fields of investigation and a key teaching site for McGill University.

29 Apr 2010

Injection drug use contributes to transmission of syphilis

A binational team of researchers led by University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that active syphilis infections are significantly greater in female sex workers who inject drugs and share needles than those who don't. The findings suggest that injection drug use may play as big a role as risky sexual behavior in the transmission of syphilis. It may also exacerbate the spread of both HIV and syphilis, as syphilis is frequently a co-factor for HIV infection.

29 Apr 2010

Bristol-Myers Squibb to present on belatacept at American Transplant Congress

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company announced today that belatacept, an investigational selective T cell co-stimulation blocker being studied for use in solid organ transplantation, will be the subject of eight clinical presentations related to kidney transplantation at the American Transplant Congress, being held May 1 - 5 in San Diego.

29 Apr 2010

Majority of women feel expectations on careers, appearances and healthy lifestyles are more magnified than ever

Today's women juggle many roles from the elusive work-life balance, to aspiring careers to even the 'yummy mummy' phenomenon. In fact, according to a new international women's poll conducted by Environics Research - commissioned by Multibionta(TM) - women across the globe agree career pressures, expectations for maintaining appearances and a healthy lifestyle are more magnified today versus 20 years ago.

29 Apr 2010

Air pollution can damage heart and lead to increased risk of heart disease: Study

A post-mortem study of the hearts of 21 young people in Mexico City has found that the heart begins to show the adverse effects of air pollution at a young age and that tiny bits of inactivated bacteria that hitch a ride on pollutants may make the problem worse.

29 Apr 2010

CINJ trial targets new combination therapy for advanced solid tumors

Building off recent laboratory discoveries relating to how cancer cells become resistant to therapies that attempt to starve cancer, scientists at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) are now applying that knowledge to a process in which cancer cells eat themselves to downsize and resist therapy. The ultimate goal of this effort is to improve upon current anticancer treatments.

29 Apr 2010

Mass. legislation to push poor seniors into managed care plans stirs concerns

Legislation that could push more than 100,000 low-income senior citizens in Massachusetts into managed care health plans spurred intense lobbying yesterday, as consumer advocates argued the measure would strip patients of their freedom to stay in traditional Medicare, while proponents said it could save the state significant money.

29 Apr 2010

Researchers develop lottery game to assess extent of spatial neglect

Patients recovering from stroke sometimes behave as if completely unaware of one half of the world: colliding with obstacles on their left, eating food only from the right side of their plate, or failing to dress their left side. This puzzling phenomenon is termed "spatial neglect" and it affects roughly 45% of patients suffering from a stroke in the right side of the brain.

29 Apr 2010

Most parents restrict playtime activities for asthmatic children

New data released today find that 82 percent of parents of children ages 4-12 with asthma report having restricted playtime activities to help avoid triggers and prevent asthma attacks in their children, with 47% of them keeping children with asthma inside when allergy season is in full swing. Working parents, who more often report experiencing stress related to raising a child with asthma than non-working parents (44% vs. 38%), take more precautions, such as more often swapping carpeting for wood flooring (30% vs. 17%).

29 Apr 2010

Improved management practices can reduce annual costs from diabetes-related complications

Milliman Inc., a premier global consulting and actuarial firm, today released an analysis detailing the economic burden of type 2 diabetes on major healthcare payers and quantifying the savings that could result from better patient management practices.

29 Apr 2010

CCPA studies highlight need for improving federal workplace safety

On the eve of the National Day of Mourning for workers killed on the job, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is releasing two studies highlighting the need for improved health and safety enforcement and regulation.

29 Apr 2010

Salad bar placed at a prominent location in cafeteria induces schoolchildren to eat more fresh vegetables

Providing healthier food choices for our nation's schoolchildren is a hot-button issue in Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign. And a team of researchers from Cornell University have recently identified one simple solution to help schools serve more fresh vegetables and salad items.

29 Apr 2010

Tart cherries reduce inflammation and risk of heart disease, says study

There's more evidence of tart cherries' powerful anti-inflammatory benefits, according to a new study presented by a team of Michigan researchers today at the Experimental Biology annual meeting.

29 Apr 2010

Ago2 protein helps generate microRNAs: CSHL researchers

MicroRNAs are small bits of RNA within cells that wield enormous power. They influence virtually every biological process by controlling the "expression" of genes. Helping them in exerting this control is a unique class of proteins called Argonautes.

29 Apr 2010

New theory on muscle and bone diseases

Traditionally, doctors and clinicians thought diseases that affect muscles or bones affected those areas specifically. For example, bone diseases only affect bones, or muscle diseases only concerned muscles. But recent evidence supports the notion that bones and muscles are more interconnected than previously thought.

29 Apr 2010

CD8+T cells may aid in developing AIDS vaccine: New Journal of Physics

Limited success in modelling the behaviour of the complex, unusual and unpredictable HIV virus has slowed efforts to develop an effective vaccine to prevent AIDS.

29 Apr 2010

Astrazeneca settles drug marketing lawsuit, plea deal rejected for possibly defective heart device maker

The New York Times: AstraZeneca has settled a case and agreed to pay $520 million after federal investigations into its marketing practices for a schizophrenia drug, Seroquel. The announcement came Tuesday from Attorney General Eric Holder. Government officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, said the company paid illegal kickbacks to doctors to promote drugs for unapproved uses by children, the elderly, veterans and prisoners, which is illegal under federal law.

29 Apr 2010

Pain Therapeutics reports net loss of $1.0 million for first-quarter 2010

Pain Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, today reported first quarter 2010 financial results. Net loss for Q1 2010 was $1.0 million, or $0.02 per share, compared to a net loss of $1.8 million, or $0.04 per share, for Q1 2009.

29 Apr 2010

Hand-clapping song activity has positive effect on children: Study

A researcher at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev conducted the first study of hand-clapping songs, revealing a direct link between those activities and the development of important skills in children and young adults, including university students.

29 Apr 2010

Cambodia closes 64.9 percent of illegal pharmacies

In a major crackdown, Cambodia has forced nearly 65 percent of illegal pharmacies operating in the country to close within the past five months. Led by an Inter-Ministerial Committee to Fight against Counterfeit & Substandard Medicines (IMC), the shops were targeted because of evidence that they were among the primary sources of substandard and counterfeit medicines in the country.

29 Apr 2010