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Overexpression of alpha-synuclein can cause Parkinson's

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say overexpression of a protein called alpha-synuclein appears to disrupt vital recycling processes in neurons, starting with the terminal extensions of neurons and working its way back to the cells' center, with the potential consequence of progressive degeneration and eventual cell death.

10 Feb 2013

Christie tries to make light of his weight but then gets serious

All it took was a late-night, nationally televised bite of a doughnut for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to set off an uncomfortable three-day conversation about his weight. A host of media questions and a warning from a former White House doctor this week represent a small sample of what could follow Mr. Christie both into a second term if he wins re-election in November and on a presidential campaign in 2016, should he choose to pursue one.

10 Feb 2013

Infusions of regulatory T cells turn off autoimmune attack on joints

Farber Cancer Institute scientists have demonstrated a new strategy for treating autoimmune disease that successfully blocked the development of rheumatoid arthritis in a mouse model. They say it holds promise for improved treatment of arthritis and other autoimmune disorders in people.

10 Feb 2013

House GOP seeks to change Medicare doctor payment formula

The chairmen of the Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce committees want a permanent change to the current system that repeatedly threatens to cut doctor payments unless Congress steps in.

10 Feb 2013

Harvard's Wyss Institute completes first clinical study of new rapid neuroassessment device

Doctors routinely track their patients' hand-eye coordination to monitor any neuromuscular deficits, particularly as patients age or when they are injured -- but the tests they have been using to track this kind of information may be subjective and qualitative.

10 Feb 2013

Lawmaker advances bill to create FDA Office of Wireless Health

Congressman Michael Honda (D., Calif.), who has been representing Silicon Valley in the U.S. House of Representatives for the past 12 years, recently submitted a bill asking for Congress to create and fund a new office at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which would be called the Office of Wireless Health.

10 Feb 2013

Sunitinib shows promise against metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Findings from clinical trial patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, a common kidney cancer, show they did not have accelerated tumor growth after treatment with sunitinib, in contrast to some study results in animals. Sunitinib is one of several drugs, either on the market or undergoing testing, that target blood vessel growth.

10 Feb 2013

State and federal officials find way to preserve MinnesotaCare

Officials have been working to preserve -- after the federal health law takes effect -- this health insurance program for lower-income residents who lack coverage through their jobs.

10 Feb 2013

Frequent hemodialysis can cause vascular complications in patients

Compared with standard dialysis, frequent dialysis can cause complications related to repeated access to the blood, requiring patients to undergo more repair procedures to the site through which blood is removed and returned, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

10 Feb 2013

Parity delays, payment snafus, frustrate mental health providers

News outlets anticipate the release of rules regarding the types of mental health care insurers must provide under the federal health care law, as well as the payment fallout from new treatment codes.

10 Feb 2013

Northwestern Medicine expert offers tips to battle seasonal affective disorder

Winter is in full force. With short days and less exposure to sunlight, everyone feels less energetic and more people are vulnerable to depression. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), or winter depression, is a mood disorder related to seasonal variations of light. Symptoms start in late fall and oftentimes last until April or early spring. It affects between 10 to 20 percent of Americans, primarily younger adults and women.

10 Feb 2013

Considering mental health care changes in aftermath of shootings

Missouri and Wisconsin officials suggest moves to expand state mental health services while a Georgia Senate panel approves changes in procedures for involuntary commitments to psychiatric care.

10 Feb 2013

Biogen Idec, Sobi release data from rFVIIIFc and rFIXFc phase 3 trials on hemophilia

Biogen Idec and Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (Sobi) released data that confirmed the ability of investigational recombinant factors VIII Fc fusion protein (rFVIIIFc) and IX Fc fusion protein (rFIXFc) to provide long-lasting protection from bleeding with fewer injections than are required with the current standard of care for people with hemophilia.

10 Feb 2013

WHO-sponsored meeting discusses post-2015 goals for tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) experts gathered in Geneva on Wednesday for a WHO-sponsored two-day meeting "to discuss a consensus on the appropriate post-2015 tuberculosis goals," Nature reports.

10 Feb 2013

New insights on role of placebo in depression

A randomized controlled trial published in one of the last issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics unravels new insights on the role of placebo in depression.

10 Feb 2013

HHS turns down Miss. Insurance Commissioner's bid for exchange

Commissioner Mike Chaney wanted to set up a state-based marketplace for insurance to open next year as part of the health overhaul, but federal officials said the Mississippi governor's opposition made it impossible for the exchange to function as required by law.

10 Feb 2013

Decade Sunshine, 3SBio enter Merger Agreement

3SBio Inc., a leading China-based biotechnology company focused on researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing biopharmaceutical products, today announced that it has entered into an agreement and plan of merger with Decade Sunshine Limited, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, and Decade Sunshine Merger Sub, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Parent.

10 Feb 2013

Chiefs play important role in decreasing maternal mortality in Malawi

If Malawi President Joyce Banda's mission to decrease the country's high maternal mortality rate is to succeed, "it will depend, in part, on her government's ability to harness the country's true power brokers, Malawi's 20,000 village chiefs -- and sensitize them to the dangers of women giving birth with unskilled attendants, while still respecting tribal traditions," author Courtney Martin writes in the New York Times' "Opinionator" blog.

10 Feb 2013

Scientists discover recurring pattern of more than 13,000 epigenetic alterations in young tumours

Tumourigenesis is driven by genetic alterations and by changes in the epigenome, for instance by the addition of methyl groups to cytosine bases in the DNA. A deeper understanding of the interaction between the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms is critical for the selection of tumour biomarkers and for the future development of therapies. Human tumour specimens and cell lines however contain a plethora of genetic and epigenetic changes, which complicate data analysis.

10 Feb 2013

Obama says he will not stop sequester by simply cutting entitlements

In an address to Democratic lawmakers, the president says Republicans want to substitute the impending budget cuts by instead cutting Medicare and Social Security. But, he says closing tax loopholes is a better strategy.

10 Feb 2013