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UK researchers receive grant to study link between manmade chemicals and heart disease

The British Heart Foundation is to fund research exploring the link between Bisphenol A (BPA), a manmade chemical found in commonly used plastics, and heart disease.

2 Apr 2010

Gene linked to kidney cancer in children discovered

Cancer Research UK-funded scientists have identified two genes linked to Wilms' tumour - a type of childhood kidney cancer - according to research published in Clinical Cancer Research.

2 Apr 2010

Study finds potential role of NGF in islet transplantation

Islet transplantation is a promising treatment for type 1 diabetes mellitus. The promotion of angiogenesis is an important endeavor to prevent islet graft failure. Endothelial precursor cells (EPCs), a heterogeneous group originating in the hematopoietic compartment of bone marrow, have an important role in the angiogenesis of adult tissues.

2 Apr 2010

'Here & Now' audio: States must now make health care reform a reality

Kaiser Health News editor John Fairhall and Oregon Health Authority's Barney Speight discuss how states will implement health care reform, on WBUR's "Here & Now" radio show. Listen to the program.

2 Apr 2010

ChromaDex signs agreement for commercial development of pterostilbene from University of Mississippi and USDA

A natural products chemistry company has licensed the rights for a promising botanical compound from the University of Mississippi and the Agricultural Research Service, which is the principal intramural scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

2 Apr 2010

Scientists create genetic map to identify mechanism behind heart abnormalities

Though heart disease is a major cause of disability and death, very little is understood about its genetic underpinnings. Recently, an international team of investigators at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA), Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) and other organizations shed new light on the subject.

2 Apr 2010

Opinion: Job development for Haiti; NTDs in Africa; U.S. investment in TB

"Even before the earthquake, the Haitian economy was already on shaky ground. There is 70 to 80 percent unemployment in the formal economy. ... U.S. policy helped build this disastrous economy," AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker writes in a Miami Herald opinion piece. Baker says previous employment efforts in Haiti resulted in "stop-gap jobs," which do not provide "employment stability or social protections."

2 Apr 2010

APP, Fresenius Kabi and sanofi-aventis sign license and settlement agreements

Fresenius Kabi Pharmaceuticals Holding, Inc.,, the parent company of APP Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced today that APP and other Fresenius Kabi companies have entered into license and settlement agreements with sanofi-aventis covering patents that apply to Eloxatin® (oxaliplatin injection and oxaliplatin for injection).

2 Apr 2010

Brain stem cells in subventricular zone characterized by transcription factor Protein Tlx

The "cradle" of new neurons in the adult brain is well known. It is what is called the subventricular zone, a tissue structure lining the lateral ventricles. This is where neural or brain stem cells reside, which are responsible for generating new neurons if needed. For many years now, the subventricular zone has been suspected to be the origin of specific malignant brain tumors called gliomas, the most deadly type of which is glioblastoma.

2 Apr 2010

Mayo Clinic introduces a reliable and easy-to-understand resource on alternative medicine

Want to find ways that may help prevent illness naturally, for a fraction of the cost of a trip to the doctor? Interested in taking control of your health with evidence-based practices that complement conventional medicine?

2 Apr 2010

Bloomberg examines potential benefits, drawbacks to PrEP

"Gilead Sciences Inc. may learn this year whether its drugs for treating HIV can also stop people from catching the virus in the first place," Bloomberg writes in a piece that examines the potential benefits and drawbacks to using low-doses of HIV/AIDS medications to reduce a person's risk of becoming infected with HIV. According to the news service, the initial results of 10 trials including more than 20,000 people could be available as early as July.

2 Apr 2010

Study shows drinking cherry juice can boost recovery time for Marathon runners

Runners taking part in the April 2010 London Marathon can boost their recovery time by drinking tart cherry juice before and after the race, according to a researcher at Northumbria University.

2 Apr 2010

New clues into genomic complexity of Mimivirus

A study published online today in the journal Genome Research offers surprising new clues into the genomic complexity of the giant Mimivirus, the largest known virus in the world. Previous studies have shown that unlike most viruses, the Mimivirus has more genes than many bacteria and performs functions that normally occur only in cellular organisms.

2 Apr 2010

AHR panel calls for greater research to establish connection between creative engagement and cardiac health

The Foundation for Art & Healing today releases the proceedings from its groundbreaking Arts and the Heart Roundtable (AHR), a gathering of luminaries from the medical, arts and public health sectors regarding the connection between creative engagement and cardiac health.

2 Apr 2010

States hope new funding from health law will bolster unique programs

Kaiser Health News staff writer Christopher Weaver writes about new funding available to cash-strapped states: "Starting today, states can choose to take the first steps toward the massive expansion of insurance coverage that is the health overhaul's chief goal.

2 Apr 2010

Haemonetics completes cash tender offer for Global Med Technologies’ shares

Haemonetics Corporation today announced the expiration of the subsequent offering period for the cash tender offer by its wholly-owned subsidiary Atlas Acquisition Corp. for Global Med Technologies, Inc.'s outstanding shares of common stock, at $1.22 per share, and preferred stock, at $1,694.44 per share.

2 Apr 2010

UK NICE recommends Eli Lilly's ALIMTA as maintenance therapy for nonsquamous NSCLC

Eli Lilly and Company announced today that its chemotherapy ALIMTA® (pemetrexed for injection) received a positive "Final Appraisal Determination" from the United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

2 Apr 2010

Donors pledge $5.3B over 18 months to help rebuild Haiti

Donors at a conference Wednesday pledged to provide Haiti with $5.3 billion over the next 18 months to help the country rebuild after the January earthquake, the Wall Street Journal reports (Rhoads/Lauria, 3/31).

2 Apr 2010

Biotech reports record financial results for 2010 first quarter

Biotech racked up impressive gains for both the month of March and the first quarter of 2010. The Burrill Biotech Select Index posted a 3.7 percent jump in value in March and an 8 percent overall gain for Q1 '10.

2 Apr 2010

Pfizer discloses $35 million in payments to doctors, hospitals for research and promotion

Pfizer, the largest drug maker in the world, disclosed 35 million in payments during the second half of 2009 to doctors who consulted or spoke on behalf of drugs and to the medical centers that tested them, The New York Times reports. This is Pfizer's first disclosure of this nature. "While other pharmaceutical companies have disclosed payments to doctors, Pfizer is the first to disclose payments for the clinical trials. The disclosure does not include payments outside the United States" (Wilson, 3/31).

2 Apr 2010