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Folic acid supplement may improve blood flow in young amenorrheic runners

A study led by sports medicine researcher Anne Hoch, D.O. at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee has found that oral folic acid may provide a safe and inexpensive treatment to improve vascular function in young female runners who are amenorrheic (not menstruating).

11 May 2010

New findings could help develop vaccines against respiratory infections

Inducing cellular immunity as a means to protect against influenza virus is the focus of several laboratories at the Trudeau Institute. Researchers here have recently identified two important signaling components required by the immune system that might allow us to pre-position our own virus-fighting T cells to the lungs, the site of initial infection.

11 May 2010

Orexigen Therapeutics first-quarter net loss decreases to $14.1 million

Orexigen® Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of obesity, today announced financial results for the first quarter of 2010. For the quarter ended March 31, 2010, Orexigen reported a net loss of $14.1 million, or $0.30 per share attributable to common stockholders, as compared to a net loss of $19.3 million, or $0.56 per share attributable to common stockholders, for the first quarter of 2009.

11 May 2010

Dyslexic children may have structural differences in brain region, says study

Children with dyslexia often struggle with reading, writing, and spelling, despite getting an appropriate education and demonstrating intellectual ability in other areas.

11 May 2010

Americans who travel abroad could use extra health coverage

A report by The Associated Press describes the importance of travelers' insurance for those planning trips outside of the country. "Thousands of American travelers each year are flown home with medical assistance because of health emergencies. Car accidents and heart attacks are among the most common reasons.

11 May 2010

Vigorous physical activity in childhood strengthens hip bones

Researchers from Southhampton and Cambridge Universities in the UK have presented evidence that vigorous physical activity in young children results in stronger hip bones. The results were presented at the World Congress on Osteoporosis (IOF WCO-ECCEO10) in Florence, Italy.

11 May 2010

'Striking improvements' toward MDG targets, progress is unequal, WHO report says

The WHO's annual health statistics report, released Monday, found that global efforts aimed at achieving Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets have led to "striking improvements" among goals related to child health, maternal mortality, malaria and HIV/AIDS, Reuters reports.

11 May 2010

People with family history of diabetes gain more weight

In the first study of its type, Australian researchers have shown that healthy people with a genetic predisposition to Type 2 diabetes gain more weight overeating over the short term than their non-genetically-prone counterparts.

11 May 2010

Jazz Pharmaceuticals announces common stock public offering

Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it is offering to sell 7 million shares of its common stock pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement in an underwritten public offering.

11 May 2010

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals reports increased revenue in first-quarter 2010

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 first quarter ended March 31, 2010.

11 May 2010

Overhaul will bring changes, improve quality for Medicare Advantage plans

The Wall Street Journal: "Over the next 10 years, the new health-care law will divert some $132 billion from Medicare Advantage, according to a recent report by George Washington University's Department of Health Policy. This has sparked concern that these plans may reduce benefits, raise premiums, or both. But the impact is likely to vary from plan to plan.

11 May 2010

Alphatec Spine reports 25.6% increase in first-quarter 2010 revenue

Alphatec Holdings, Inc., the parent company of Alphatec Spine, Inc., a medical device company that designs, develops, manufactures and markets products for the surgical treatment of spine disorders, with a focus on treating conditions related to the aging spine, announced today financial results for the first quarter March 31, 2010.

11 May 2010

BIOTRONIK launches TactiCath irrigated RF contact force ablation catheter for treating AF

BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG, a leading manufacturer of implantable cardiac devices and pioneer of remote monitoring technologies today announced the market release of the TactiCath catheter. The TactiCath catheter, an Endosense company product, is an irrigated RF contact force ablation catheter with features that offer a major advance in ablation therapy for patients with cardiac arrhythmias and particularly Atrial Fibrillation (AF).

11 May 2010

Patients with semantic dementia have altered sense of flavours

Flavour is literally the spice of life and for many people life without the pleasures of the table would be unthinkable. Yet just this aspect of everyday life is vulnerable in certain degenerative dementias, with patients developing abnormal eating behaviours including changes in food preferences, faddism and pathological sweet tooth.

11 May 2010

Merck, Glenmark settle ZETIA patent litigation

Merck & Co., Inc. and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. have reached an agreement to settle their patent litigation involving Glenmark's challenge to Merck's patent covering ZETIA ® (ezetimibe). Specifically, Glenmark challenged Merck's basic compound patent, RE 37,721 (the "721 patent") on numerous grounds.

11 May 2010

Dendreon reports $125.7 million net loss for first-quarter 2010

Dendreon Corporation today reported results for the quarter ended March 31, 2010. Revenue for the quarter ended March 31, 2010 was $21,000 compared to $30,000 for the quarter ended March 31, 2009.

11 May 2010

New York Times examines global fight against HIV/AIDS

Several articles in the New York Times examine the global fight against HIV/AIDS. "Uganda is the first country where major clinics routinely turn people away" because they lack funding, the newspaper writes in an article that reports "money for [HIV/AIDS] treatment has stopped growing."

11 May 2010

Massachusetts fighting to control health costs

"Bake sales saved the nonprofit Athol Memorial Hospital the first time around, Steve Penka says with a smile. Eleven years later, it took a big Tennessee-based, for-profit hospital chain to keep it in business," the (Worcester, Mass.) Telegram & Gazette reports. In light of a recent report by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley's office, many are surprised Athol is around at all.

11 May 2010

Iris Biotechnologies receives two new Canadian patents

Iris BioTechnologies Inc., a life sciences company focused on providing patients, doctors, and clinicians with improved methods of identifying effective treatment solutions, and recipient of the Frost and Sullivan 2008 Technology Innovation Award in Pharmacogenomics, today announced two new Canadian patents.

11 May 2010