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5-lipoxygenase protein modulates amyloid beta formation linked to Alzheimer's disease

A protein known to exist in the brain for more than 30 years, called 5-lipoxygenase, has been found to play a regulatory role in the formation of the amyloid beta in the brain, the major component of plaques implicated in the development of Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at Temple University's School of Medicine.

18 Nov 2010

Study shows end-of-life care varies widely

A new study released by the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care finds that "America's hospitals treat patients with life-ending cancers very differently in their final months, with some deploying chemotherapy and other life-prolonging efforts until the end and others directing most of their patients into hospice," reports Kaiser Health News. The aggressive care may not be best for patients, and hospice may be a "more humane way to die," the report argues. A point the report doesn't address: that aggressive treatment "also adds to the drain on Medicare's pocketbook."

18 Nov 2010

States consider options for funding Medicaid

The Billings Gazette: Montana lawmakers questioned the state's top health official "about plans to hire a private company to manage part of Medicaid, asking why the administration hasn't had a more public discussion on the proposal." The Legislative Finance Committee also listened to "health care providers and former officials who experienced the state's 1995 foray into private management of Medicaid for the mentally ill — and how it became a disaster for its low-income patients and their providers."

18 Nov 2010

VX-770 drug candidate improves lung function in people with cystic fibrosis

In a study published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine, treatment with a new drug candidate known as VX-770 resulted in improvements in lung function and markers of disease in a Phase 2 clinical trial of 39 people with cystic fibrosis (CF). There were no discontinuations due to adverse events in the study, and the frequency of adverse events was similar across the study groups.

18 Nov 2010

Sangamo presents Phase 2 clinical data in ALS at Society for Neuroscience Meeting

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. announced today the presentation of Phase 2 clinical data from its ZFP Therapeutic program to develop SB-509, a zinc finger protein transcriptional activator (ZFP-TF) of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A gene as a treatment for ALS.

17 Nov 2010

Nanotrope assay receives U.S. patent for diagnosing influenza and viral infections

Nanotrope, Inc. announced today that it has been issued United States patent #7,829,272 covering its ground-breaking diagnostic test for influenza and other viral infections.

17 Nov 2010

New investigational drug improves lung function in CF patients

An investigational drug targeting a defective protein that causes cystic fibrosis has been shown to improve lung function in a small study of CF patients, according to findings published Nov. 18, 2010, in the New England Journal of Medicine.

17 Nov 2010

13-hour lifesaving heart/liver transplant performed on pulmonary atresia patient

A 28-year old man from Georgia, David Krech, is recovering from a rare, lifesaving heart/liver transplant on October 15 at the University of Maryland Medical Center. The 13-hour operation followed a five-month journey as he awaited a suitable heart and liver donor.

17 Nov 2010

Aeterna Zentaris presents results of orally active compounds with anti-tumor effects at EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium

Aeterna Zentaris Inc. today presented posters on encouraging preclinical results for AEZS-129 and AEZS-132, two novel orally active compounds with anti-tumor effects.

17 Nov 2010

Mayo Clinic to establish pencil beam proton scanning facilities in Minnesota, Arizona and Florida

Mayo Clinic today announced plans to establish the Mayo Clinic Proton Beam Therapy Program as part of Mayo's national three-site cancer center in Minnesota, Arizona and Florida. The new program will employ intensity modulated proton therapy — based on pencil beam scanning — which is a more precise form of proton therapy treatment that allows greater control over radiation doses, shorter treatment times and fewer side effects. It is also believed to be more cost effective in selected patients.

17 Nov 2010

HealthGrades evaluates nation's top-performing hospitals in organ transplantation

HealthGrades, the nation's leading independent ratings organization, today made available to organ transplant patients a list of those hospitals with the best track record for survival and chances of receiving a donor organ. HealthGrades annual evaluation of the nation's top-performing hospitals in organ transplantation includes clinical quality data, based on patient outcomes, for each of the 210 adult acute care hospitals that perform transplants.

17 Nov 2010

Targeted therapies could treat a broad range of cancers: Research

Targeted cancer therapies such as trastuzumab (Herceptin), gefitinib (Iressa) and erlotinib (Tarceva) could be used to treat a wider range of cancers than previously thought, according to new research presented today (Wednesday) at the 22nd EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Berlin.

17 Nov 2010

Mirna to present data on miRNA Replacement Therapies for cancer at CPRIT Conference

Mirna Therapeutics, Inc., a leading developer of microRNA (miRNA)-based therapeutics, announced today that it will present new data at the inaugural CPRIT Innovations in Cancer Prevention and Research Conference, November 17-19, 2010 in Austin, TX.

17 Nov 2010

New inhalable dry powder antibiotic may reduce TB treatment time

New research being presented at the 2010 International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Pharmaceutical Sciences World Congress (PSWC) in association with the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exposition will feature an inhalable dry powder antibiotic that when used alone or with current treatments may significantly reduce treatment for tuberculosis (TB) and multi-drug resistant TB.

17 Nov 2010

New OncoMap technique can detect point mutation in ovarian cancer

Researchers have shown that point mutations mis-spellings in a single letter of genetic code that drive the onset and growth of cancer cells can be detected successfully in advanced ovarian cancer using a technique called OncoMap. The finding opens the way for personalised medicine in which every patient could have their tumour screened, specific mutations identified, and the appropriate drug chosen to target the mutation and halt the growth of their cancer.

17 Nov 2010

Enzon presents data on three investigational mRNA antagonists at EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium

Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today presented data from preclinical studies of three investigational messenger RNA (mRNA) antagonists. These antagonists are based on the locked nucleic acid (LNA) technology platform targets licensed from Santaris Pharma A/S.

17 Nov 2010

Metallic particles in smoke from fireworks affect human health

The metallic particles in the smoke emitted by fireworks pose a health risk, particularly to people who suffer from asthma. This is the conclusion of a study led by researchers from the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), published this week in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.

17 Nov 2010

Study suggests cross-infection with P aeruginosa occurs between CF centers in the UK and Canada

A common transmissible strain of the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been identified among cystic fibrosis (CF) patients in Canada, suggesting that cross-infection has occurred widely between CF centers in the United Kingdom and Canada, according to a study in the November 17 issue of JAMA. Infection with this strain among Canadian CF patients has been associated with an increased risk of death or lung transplantation.

17 Nov 2010

Study: EGFR inhibtion may help treat triple negative breast cancer

Scientists believe they may have found a new target for treating triple negative breast cancer - one of the more difficult breast cancers to treat successfully and for which there is no targeted therapy at present.

17 Nov 2010

Today's Op-Eds: Congress needs conservative leadership; reviving tort reform; can states afford to drop Medicaid?

Nothing has gone quite so awry as the massive, government-run Obama health program, and it is plain that the individual mandate, the employee mandate, the abortion funding, the tangle of outsider/insider councils like the comparative effectiveness board and the effective nationalization of healthcare under grants of authority to the Department of Health and Human Services.

16 Nov 2010

Lungs News and Research

5-lipoxygenase protein modulates amyloid beta formation linked to Alzheimer's disease

Study shows end-of-life care varies widely

States consider options for funding Medicaid

VX-770 drug candidate improves lung function in people with cystic fibrosis

Sangamo presents Phase 2 clinical data in ALS at Society for Neuroscience Meeting

Nanotrope assay receives U.S. patent for diagnosing influenza and viral infections

New investigational drug improves lung function in CF patients

13-hour lifesaving heart/liver transplant performed on pulmonary atresia patient

Aeterna Zentaris presents results of orally active compounds with anti-tumor effects at EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium

Mayo Clinic to establish pencil beam proton scanning facilities in Minnesota, Arizona and Florida

HealthGrades evaluates nation's top-performing hospitals in organ transplantation

Targeted therapies could treat a broad range of cancers: Research

Mirna to present data on miRNA Replacement Therapies for cancer at CPRIT Conference

New inhalable dry powder antibiotic may reduce TB treatment time

New OncoMap technique can detect point mutation in ovarian cancer

Enzon presents data on three investigational mRNA antagonists at EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium

Metallic particles in smoke from fireworks affect human health

Study suggests cross-infection with P aeruginosa occurs between CF centers in the UK and Canada

Study: EGFR inhibtion may help treat triple negative breast cancer

Today's Op-Eds: Congress needs conservative leadership; reviving tort reform; can states afford to drop Medicaid?

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Automating research - solutions and best practices

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