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Neurologix holds license for gene therapy to treat severe depression

Neurologix, Inc. today announced that a landmark paper, published on October 20th in Science Translational Medicine demonstrating the importance of the p11 gene in modulating depression in mice, utilized a gene therapy approach to reverse depression in mice for which the Company holds exclusive development rights. Based on the findings reported in the paper, gene therapy may have potential as a new treatment option for people who suffer from severe depression.

26 Oct 2010

DGAC Report highlights effective approaches to facilitate better eating habits among Americans

In an insightful Commentary in the November issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Linda Van Horn, PhD, RD, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal, Chair of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, and Professor and Associate Dean, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, highlights the key features and noteworthy findings of the 2010 US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) Report.

26 Oct 2010

Place of birth, low SES and exposure to pests associated with asthma in U.S.-born children

Researchers from Tufts University pooled data from five previous epidemiological studies to investigate the prevalence of asthma in children in the Boston neighborhoods of Chinatown and Dorchester. Among children born in the United States, low socioeconomic status (SES) and exposure to pests (mice and cockroaches) were both associated with having asthma. Neither association was present in children born outside of the United States. The study was published online in advance of print in the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health.

26 Oct 2010

Athletic performance can improve after heat acclimation

Turning up the heat might be the best thing for athletes competing in cool weather, according to a new study by human physiology researchers at the University of Oregon.

26 Oct 2010

Innovative program for new graduate doctors to ensure safety prescription

A new software based program has recently been created for new graduate doctors to ensure they prescribe safely from day one on the wards.

26 Oct 2010

New strategic brand platform shows UPMC as world-class health care organization

UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) today unveiled a new strategic brand platform "UPMC: Life Changing Medicine" and logo, unifying its clinical, insurance and international and commercial services activities with one consistent message.

26 Oct 2010

First step in development of artificial human testicle

After more than 30 years of unsuccessful efforts by numerous investigators, researchers have now found a way to propagate primary human Sertoli cells in the laboratory. Derived from the testis, it has been difficult to maintain Sertoli cells, the "nurse" cells responsible for overseeing sperm production, outside of the human body.

26 Oct 2010

Stereotactic radiation effective for trigeminal neuralgia

Stereotactic radiation is an effective, long-term treatment for trigeminal neuralgia: a painful condition that occurs with increased frequency in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Radiation is noninvasive and has less negative side effects than other treatments, according to the longest follow-up in a study of its kind presented October 31, 2010, at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

26 Oct 2010

Tengion presents data on Neo-Kidney Augment at Transplantation's Annual Scientific Exchange

Tengion, Inc. a leader in regenerative medicine, presented new data on Saturday, October 23, 2010 in a podium presentation at the American Society for Transplantation's Annual Scientific Exchange in Orlando, FL. The presentation highlighted new early data from Tengion's Neo-Kidney Augment development program demonstrating promising improvements in kidney function with an autologous cellular therapy approach to kidney regeneration in a canine model of chronic kidney disease.

26 Oct 2010

Knowledge gaps and unjustified fear common among caregivers of children with MRSA

Knowledge gaps and fear - some of it unjustified - are common among the caregivers of children with a drug-resistant staph bacterium known as MRSA, according to the results of a small study from the Johns Hopkins Children Center. These caregivers thirst for timely, detailed and simple information, the researchers add.

26 Oct 2010

Study on gene variant associated with narcolepsy

Ever wonder why some people breeze along on four hours of sleep when others can barely function? It may be in our genes, according to new research and an accompanying editorial published in the October 26, 2010, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

26 Oct 2010

Barbers help customers control high blood pressure

Neighborhood barbers, by conducting a monitoring, education and physician-referral program, can help their African-American customers better control high blood pressure problems that pose special health risks for them, a new study from the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute shows.

26 Oct 2010

AAHP highlights safety of homeopathic children's medicines

The American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists (AAHP), representing the major manufacturers and distributors of homeopathic drugs, highlights the safety of homeopathic children's medicines in response to the recall of Hyland's Teething Tablets. The AAHP supports the efforts to protect the safety of children by both the Standard Homeopathic Company and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

26 Oct 2010

Examining genetic material of egg cells may inform about embryos health

Fertility procedures such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) require a couple and the doctor to place the risky bet that the multiple eggs they choose to fertilize will produce an embryo that will thrive in the uterus. Researchers cannot biopsy eggs directly because that would destroy them, but a new discovery by professors at Brown University and Women & Infants Hospital could lead to new insights about how eggs develop and ultimately inform judgments about how the embryos they produce will fare. The idea is to examine the genetic material the egg cells discarded when they were first forming, to see which genes they were expressing.

26 Oct 2010

Sanofi-aventis commences teriflunomide Phase III study in RMS patients treated with interferon beta

Sanofi-aventis announced today the initiation of a multinational Phase III study evaluating the efficacy and safety of two doses of once daily teriflunomide (7mg or 14mg) versus placebo in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) treated with interferon beta (IFN beta).

26 Oct 2010

Panasonic completes investment in CardioNexus

Panasonic Corporation of North America has completed an investment in CardioNexus Corporation, a portfolio company of Houston's Fairway Medical Technologies which works closely with the Texas Medical Center. The move is part of Panasonic's plans to establish itself as a global leader in Personalized Preventive Medicine. The investment follows on an earlier Panasonic initiative to establish a presence in the world's largest medical complex, the Texas Medical Center based in Houston.

From PHC Europe B.V. 26 Oct 2010

Maven Semantic updates Lymphocyte Cell Biology research database

Maven Semantic announces updates to their Lymphocyte Cell Biology research database. The new database is now available to marketing, business development, competitor intelligence, KOL, medical affairs and related departments in the life sciences sector.

26 Oct 2010

ARIAD's oral ridaforolimus improves PFS in patients with metastatic endometrial cancer

Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced interim results of a randomized, open‐label, active-control multicenter Phase 2 study of oral ridaforolimus, an investigational mTOR inhibitor, in patients with metastatic or recurrent endometrial cancer. Based on this interim analysis, the study demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in the primary endpoint of median progression-free survival (PFS) in patients receiving single-agent ridaforolimus compared to patients receiving standard-of-care treatment.

26 Oct 2010

Dietary intake of PUFAs associated with decreased prevalence of periodontitis

Periodontitis, a common inflammatory disease in which gum tissue separates from teeth, leads to accumulation of bacteria and potential bone and tooth loss. Although traditional treatments concentrate on the bacterial infection, more recent strategies target the inflammatory response.

26 Oct 2010

Researchers investigate impact of fungal toxin on birth defects

A Creighton University School of Medicine researcher has been awarded a $2.7 million grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate a possible link between the ingestion of tortillas and corn-based food products contaminated with a fungal toxin and increased risk for birth defects.

26 Oct 2010