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PFF announces $400,000 grant for pulmonary fibrosis research

The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation today announced that, in partnership with the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF), $400,000 in new pulmonary fibrosis research grants as part of the 2010 ATS Partner Award Program for Pulmonary Fibrosis Research.

30 Aug 2010

Latest achievements in brain research and treatment for mental disorders

Mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorders, addiction and schizophrenia are the core challenge of most health care systems around the world. In the EU alone, each year 27% of the total adult population - this corresponds to 83 Million citizens - suffer from mental disorders. Depression alone affects almost 20 million ranking in the EU as the most disabling disorder of all diseases.

30 Aug 2010

23rd ECNP Press conference on impact of circadian rhythms on human brain

All humans are synchronised to the rhythmic light-dark changes that occur on a daily basis. Rhythms in physiological and biochemical processes and behavioural patterns persist in the absence of all external 24-hour signals from the physical environment, with a period that is close to 24 hours

30 Aug 2010

US Oncology engages Milliman to develop physician-payer risk contracting model

Innovent Oncology, a subsidiary of US Oncology, has engaged Milliman, a premier global, actuarial and consulting firm, to help develop models in which physician-led oncology organizations can contract around risk, with the intent of negotiating with payers in the first half of 2011.

30 Aug 2010

New research contradicts previous reports on blood-thinner clopidogrel

New findings by McMaster University researchers contradict earlier reports that people with a certain genetic make-up don't benefit from the blood-thinner clopidogrel, also known as Plavix.

30 Aug 2010

Cell-to-cell signaling pathway that designates future location of ear's sensory organs tracked

Researchers have tracked a cell-to-cell signaling pathway that designates the future location of the ear's sensory organs in embryonic mice. The scientists succeeded in activating this signal more widely across the embryonic tissue that becomes the inner ear. Patches of sensory structures began growing in spots where they don't normally appear.

30 Aug 2010

Scientists develop microarray technology to create blood transcriptional signatures for infectious diseases

It may soon be possible to identify patients who will develop tuberculosis, as scientists have identified changes in the blood specific to the disease. These findings are from an international study published in the August 19 issue of Nature and conducted by doctors and researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital using blood profiling techniques to understand infections.

30 Aug 2010

Cancer Research UK data finds increase in Oesophageal cancer rates among men

Oesophageal cancer rates in men have risen by 50 per cent over the last 25 years, according to new figures published by Cancer Research UK today.In 1983 around 2,600 men were diagnosed with oesophageal cancer - cancer of the food pipe - and according to the latest figures around 5,100 men were diagnosed with the disease.

30 Aug 2010

Researcher develops new plaque brachytherapy technique to treat eye cancer

Rare but devastating, eye cancer can strike anyone at any time and treating it often requires radiation that leaves half of all patients partially blind.But a new technique developed by Scott Oliver, MD, assistant professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, may change all that.

30 Aug 2010

Jefferson scientists receive grant to study genetics of platelet gene expression

Scientists at Jefferson Medical College have received a four-year, $3 million National Institutes of Health grant funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to study variations of platelet function, specifically, the genetics of platelet gene expression. The study aims to find data that can be translated into novel therapeutic strategies and develop better predictors of cardiovascular disease.

30 Aug 2010

Promising skin cancer drug in the near horizon

A new drug has been developed to combat a deadly form of skin cancer – melanoma. The drug, PLX4032, was tested on 32 melanoma patients who had a key mutation in their tumors. 26 of these patients responded favorably says the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

30 Aug 2010

MEND 7-13 Program improves obesity management in children

The MEND 7-13 Program today announced statistically significant results from 2009/2010 US Community Implementation Data. This preliminary data is the first to come from a US population and is further evidence that programs achieve positive outcomes and are welcomed by communities.

30 Aug 2010

New high throughput sequencing technology to identify genetic defects in rare diseases

The majority of rare diseases are hereditary. But despite significant progress in genome research, in most cases their exact cause remains unclear. The discovery of the underlying genetic defect is, however, a prerequisite for their definitive diagnosis and the development of innovative approaches to their treatment. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics and the Institute of Medical Genetics at the Charit- Universit-tsmedizin - Berlin have succeeded in using a new process with which all of the genes in the human genome can be analysed simultaneously.

30 Aug 2010

Misuse of OTC medicines increases risk for children

Many children are being put at risk by parents over-use of widely available over the counter (OTC) medicines for fever, coughs and colds, says a study from Australia to be presented to the annual conference of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) today (Monday 30 August).

30 Aug 2010

GWAS finds new genetic link between Parkinson's disease and inflammation

A hunt throughout the human genome for variants associated with common, late-onset Parkinson's disease has revealed a new genetic link that implicates the immune system and offers new targets for drug development.

30 Aug 2010

International conference to address clinical research in Europe

Journalists are invited to attend the one-day conference on the "Future of independent academic clinical research in Europe", which is being organised under the auspices of the Belgian Presidency of the European Union and with support of both the academies of medicine in Brussels.

30 Aug 2010

Authorities arrest more than 80 people, seize 10 tons of counterfeit meds in E. Africa

Authorities have arrested more than 80 people and seized 10 tons of counterfeit medicines across six East African countries, the international police agency Interpol announced Thursday, United Press International reports (8/26).

27 Aug 2010

Cigarettes as mood enhancers increase risk of depression

While some teenagers may puff on cigarettes to 'self-medicate' against the blues, scientists at the University of Toronto and the University of Montreal have found that smoking may actually increase depressive symptoms in some adolescents. Published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, the findings are part of the long-term Nicotine Dependence in Teens (NDIT) study based at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre.

27 Aug 2010

Issues in primary care: Medical homes and ethical concierge practices

News outlets report on trends in the primary care workforce, including medical homes and concierge medicine.

27 Aug 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

"[N]ew diagnostic techniques [for tuberculosis] need to be studied in children," according to a Lancet Infectious Diseases Reflection. "Tuberculosis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide, but estimates of disease burden are inaccurate because most cases are not confirmed," the author writes. He discusses a study published in the same issue that examines various methods for diagnosing TB in children.

27 Aug 2010