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Bayer submits MAA in Europe for EYLEA to treat macular edema after CRVO

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Bayer HealthCare today announced that Bayer HealthCare has submitted an application for marketing authorization in Europe for EYLEA (aflibercept) Injection for the treatment of macular edema following Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO).

6 Dec 2012

Vaccine-derived polio outbreak shows gaps in immunization coverage in Pakistan

Though "Pakistan has made a lot of progress this year in wiping out polio," a "recent outbreak of polio there has health officials concerned about the overall effectiveness of the effort to eliminate polio in that country," NPR's "Shots" blog reports.

6 Dec 2012

No serious complications of regional nerve blocks in children

A review of more than 15,000 nerve block procedures performed in children at U.S. hospitals finds little or no risk of permanent complications or death, reports a study in the December issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

6 Dec 2012

MSF expresses concerns regarding global vaccination efforts ahead of GAVI forum

"This week, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) is holding a forum in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania," Guardian health editor Sarah Boseley writes in her "Global Health Blog," noting, "Invited are 700 experts from all the organizations and countries GAVI works with, funding immunization programs across the globe and in some of the poorest places on the planet."

6 Dec 2012

ASBD to host 6th Annual School of Oncoplastic Surgery in Dallas

The American Society of Breast Disease (ASBD) is merging art and medicine this week, by using clay sculpting and other techniques to teach surgeons new skills in breast cancer surgery and reconstruction.

6 Dec 2012

Case Western Reserve to receive funding through Healthy Growth grant program

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine announced that it will receive funding through the Achieving Healthy Growth program within the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative.

6 Dec 2012

University of Akron devises novel design for future wellness programs

A computer engineering professor at The University of Akron has devised a novel design for future wellness programs. The National Science Foundation praised the proposal and awarded $1.3 million to test and validate the Personal Wellness Management System.

6 Dec 2012

Study questions value of coated, low-dose aspirin therapy

Roughly one-fifth of Americans take low-dose aspirin every day for heart-healthy benefits. But, based on either urine or blood tests of how aspirin blocks the stickiness of platelets - blood cells that clump together in the first stages of forming harmful clots - up to one third of patients are deemed unlikely to benefit from daily use. Such patients are called "aspirin resistant." Clots are the main cause of most heart attacks and strokes.

6 Dec 2012

Clinical trial to explore Lose It! App for postpartum weight loss

In a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, physician-researchers at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center MacDonald Women's Hospital are exploring the use of "Lose It!," a free Smartphone application (app), for postpartum weight loss.

6 Dec 2012

Dendritic spines respond to and process synaptic inputs both chemically and electrically

It's the least understood organ in the human body: the brain, a massive network of electrically excitable neurons, all communicating with one another via receptors on their tree-like dendrites. Somehow these cells work together to enable great feats of human learning and memory. But how?

6 Dec 2012

Scientists evaluate two different strategies to treat Usher syndrome

After years of basic research, scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) are increasingly able to understand the mechanisms underlying the human Usher syndrome and are coming ever closer to finding a successful treatment approach. The scientists in the Usher research group of Professor Dr. Uwe Wolfrum are evaluating two different strategies. These involve either the repair of mutated genes or the deactivation of the genetic defects using agents.

6 Dec 2012

Synthetic marijuana linked to 11,406 of 4.9M drug-related ED visits in 2010

Street forms of synthetic cannabinoids - so-called "synthetic marijuana" - were linked to 11,406 of the 4.9 million drug-related emergency department (ED) visits in 2010, according to a new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

6 Dec 2012

Prescribing opioids lead to admissions for substance abuse treatment and deaths

A Viewpoint article published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that the clinical practice of prescribing amphetamines, opioids, and benzodiazepines to treat chronic pain may be contributing to the increase in fatal drug overdoses and the likelihood that those drugs will be diverted to the illegal market.

6 Dec 2012

ASU scientists use X-ray laser to reveal 3-D structure of cathepsin B enzyme

An international team of scientists, using the world's most powerful X-ray laser, has revealed the three dimensional structure of a key enzyme that enables the single-celled parasite that causes African trypanosomiasis (or sleeping sickness) in humans.

6 Dec 2012

Examining concept of resilience after disaster, emergency in low-income countries

Writing in USAID's "IMPACTblog," David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, reflects on the concept of resilience, which he defines as one's "ability to cope and their systems for preparing, responding and rebuilding" after a natural disaster or emergency.

6 Dec 2012

Moderna Therapeutics closes $40M in financing

Moderna Therapeutics announced today that it has closed more than $40 million in financing to date, led by Flagship Ventures and private investors, which will be used to advance multiple programs toward clinical stage development.

6 Dec 2012

Scientists develop MitoFish for in vivo studies of mitochondria transport in nerve cells

Scientists have demonstrated a new way to investigate mechanisms at work in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, which also could prove useful in the search for effective drugs. For new insights, they turned to the zebrafish, which is transparent in the early stages of its life. The researchers developed a transgenic variety, the "MitoFish," that enables them to see - within individual neurons of living animals - how brain diseases disturb the transport of mitochondria, the power plants of the cell.

6 Dec 2012

CPRIT announces new grants to support variety of cancer-fighting research projects in Texas

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) today announced more than $85 million in funding to support 75 new scientific research projects and scientific recruits to support a variety of cancer-fighting efforts in Texas. These new awards bring the total tally of funded grants to 502, amounting to nearly $841 million since the Institute opened its doors in 2009.

6 Dec 2012

Two simple cost-effective methods can reduce expensive postoperative complications

As the nation grapples with surging health care costs, researchers at the University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, and Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, have confirmed two simple cost-effective methods to reduce expensive postoperative complications-communications team training and a surgical checklist.

6 Dec 2012

Devex examines reaction of international development community to U.S. AIDS blueprint

Devex's "Pennsylvania Ave." blog reports on reaction from the international development community to the release last week of the "President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Blueprint: Creating an AIDS-free Generation".

6 Dec 2012