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Minn. Senate takes on anti-abortion bills; Texas to cut women's health programs; 'Personhood' initiatives advance

Across the nation, state legislatures are considering various bills to restrict access to abortion and contraception services.

29 Feb 2012

Obesity can decrease risk of mortality in people over 85 years of age

Obesity is considered the leading preventable cause of death worldwide - until you reach old age, that is. Though obesity increases the risk of an early death, shaving an average of six to seven years off a person's lifespan, Tel Aviv University researchers have found that this trend may reverse itself after the age of 85. In these people, excess fat seems to have a "protective" effect, decreasing the risk of death when compared to those who are considered at a normal body weight.

29 Feb 2012

Activating brain's visual cortex improves our sense of smell

A new study reveals for the first time that activating the brain's visual cortex with a small amount of electrical stimulation actually improves our sense of smell.

28 Feb 2012

DTMI, Bristol-Myers Squibb partner to broaden interactions

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Duke Translational Medicine Institute (DTMI) today announced the formation of a strategic relationship to broaden interactions between the two organizations.

28 Feb 2012

State roundup: Helping hand for safety-net clinics; Conn. tries medical homes; Kansas disabled waiting for space

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, the largest private insurer in the Washington [DC] region, plans to announce Tuesday that it will give $8.5 million to a dozen safety-net clinics to help them use a coordinated primary-care approach to treat their most vulnerable patients, executives said. ... One of the recipients is the Arlington Free Clinic, which provides free health care to about 1,600 low-income, uninsured residents.

28 Feb 2012

BrainAble project to offer benefits for people with motor disabilities

In the 2009 film Surrogates, humans live vicariously through robots while safely remaining in their own homes. That sci-fi future is still a long way off, but recent advances in technology, supported by EU funding, are bringing this technology a step closer to reality in order to give disabled people more autonomy and independence than ever before.

28 Feb 2012

FDA accepts Tau Therapeutics' mibefradil IND for treatment of cancer

Tau Therapeutics LLC, a pharmaceutical company developing T-type calcium channel inhibitors for the treatment of solid tumors, announced today that its investigational new drug application (IND 109196) for its novel drug mibefradil has been accepted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

28 Feb 2012

New research shows how motor neurones are produced

The quest for treatments for motor neurone disease, spinal cord injury and strokes could be helped by new research that shows how key cells are produced.

28 Feb 2012

Biogen Idec receives FDA approval for two separate dosing innovations to treat MS

Today Biogen Idec announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two separate dosing innovations designed to improve the treatment experience for patients receiving once-a-week AVONEX for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

28 Feb 2012

GI Dynamics reports revenues of US$234,000 for year ended 31 December 2011

GI Dynamics, Inc., a company pioneering the development of effective, non-surgical approaches for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity, is pleased to provide its financial results for the year ended 31 December 2011.

28 Feb 2012

Viewpoints: Disabled 'disdain' a poisonous meme? Two sides on physician payments issue, letting Mich.'s community colleges train nurses

Disability advocates across the political spectrum strongly supported the 2010 health care reform. They had obvious reasons to do so. The new law provides protections for people with preexisting conditions, regulations to make sure insurers properly cover care for chronic illnesses and expanded coverage for young adults and low-income families. But more is at stake here than factual inaccuracies.

28 Feb 2012

Scientists find evidence of a ‘different’ flu virus in bats

They were surprised to find genetic fragments of a flu virus in bats. So far, scientists haven't been able to grow it, and it's not clear if — or how well — it spreads. Flu bugs are common in humans, birds and pigs and have even been seen in dogs, horses, seals and whales, among others. About five years ago, Russian virologists claimed finding flu in bats, but they never offered evidence.

28 Feb 2012

TAK-875 - an emerging therapy for Type 2 diabetes

In a trial of 426 patients with Type 2 diabetes, TAK-875 reduced blood sugar below a pre-determined level in as much as 48 percent of those receiving it after 12 weeks, compared with 40 percent of those who took glimepiride, the older drug, according to findings published online by The Lancet medical journal. The research was presented in June at the American Diabetes Association’s annual meeting in San Diego.

28 Feb 2012

Low levels of omega-3 in blood ‘ups’ risk of dementia and brain aging: Study

Researchers looked at 1,575 adults who averaged 67 years old and had no signs of dementia and had not had a stroke. They were given MRI brain scans and a battery of tests to measure memory and thinking abilities; they also had blood drawn to check the level of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or omega-3 fatty acids in their red blood cells. Those with the lowest levels of omega-3s showed signs of accelerated aging. They had lower brain volume, indicating shrinkage comparable to two additional years of aging. Compared with those with the highest blood levels of omega-3s, they scored lower on cognitive tests measuring such things as memory, problem solving, abstract thinking and multi-tasking.

28 Feb 2012

Active video games do not increase exercise in kids

Active video games have been promoted to help kids be more physically active. But a new study finds that having active video games in the home may not translate into more exercise.

28 Feb 2012

Adolescents more sensitive to effects of sport-related concussions

Research results published in Brain Injury by Universit- de Montr-al neuropsychologist Dave Ellemberg reveal that adolescents are more sensitive to the effects of a sport-related concussion than adults or children.

28 Feb 2012

ICON announces acquisition of PriceSpective

ICON plc, a global provider of outsourced development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, today announced the acquisition of PriceSpective LLC, a global leader in value strategy consulting.

28 Feb 2012

New guidelines for detection of rheumatic heart disease

The inaugural international guidelines for the diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD), a disease that affects tens of millions of people worldwide, have today been published by the World Heart Federation in Nature Reviews Cardiology.

28 Feb 2012

Lantronix selects ADI's iCoupler technology to enable new wireless communication devices

Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) today announced that Lantronix, Inc. has selected ADI's iCoupler digital isolator technology to enable its new family of wireless communication network servers.

28 Feb 2012

Study sheds light on why physicians mistakenly believe that poor people sue more often

Contrary to the common perception among physicians that poor people sue doctors more frequently, Ramon L. Jimenez from the Monterey Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Institute and his team demonstrate that socioeconomically disadvantaged patients, in fact, tend to sue physicians less often.

28 Feb 2012