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Elimination of glucagon action may help convert Type 1 diabetes into non-insulin-dependent disorder

Type 1 diabetes could be converted to an asymptomatic, non-insulin-dependent disorder by eliminating the actions of a specific hormone, new findings by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers suggest.

27 Jan 2011

Inviragen completes memorandum of understanding with Duke-NUS

Inviragen, and the Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School announced today that they have completed a memorandum of understanding to establish a partnership between the two organizations.

27 Jan 2011

War-time stress may lead to increased risk of death by coronary heart disease in later life

War-time stress may lead to an increased risk death by coronary heart disease in later life. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Health Services Research surveyed a cohort of 55 year old Finnish WW2 veterans in 1980, and then carried out a follow-up study 28 years later.

27 Jan 2011

Potential therapy to enhance memory and prevent loss of long-term memory

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have identified a therapy that may enhance memory and prevent the loss of long-term memory. The research is published in the January 27th issue of Nature.

27 Jan 2011

Highly-caffeinated energy drinks with no alcohol may pose threat to individuals

Highly-caffeinated energy drinks - even those containing no alcohol - may pose a significant threat to individuals and public health, say researchers at the University of Maryland School of Public Health and Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

27 Jan 2011

WSJ: Biotech generics battle heats up

A battle is heating up over the meaning of a single word in the health overhaul that could mean billions of dollars to the makers of biotechnology drugs (Mundy, 1/26).

27 Jan 2011

Six key points to tackle substance abuse, addiction problems among nurses

As many as ten to 20 per cent of nurses and nursing students may have substance abuse and addiction problems, but the key to tackling this difficult issue - and protecting public safety - is support and treatment, not punishment. That is the key message in a paper in the February issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

27 Jan 2011

Viewpoints: Trying to regulate insurance premium rates, fighting Medicare fraud

Big, powerful industries facing tougher government oversight — the health insurance industry, say — know that the legislative battle in Congress or state capitals is just the first skirmish. The more important fight is over the regulations that implement legislative policies (Michael Hiltzik, 1/25).

26 Jan 2011

Medica Health Plans grants $6.5 million to Research Institute

The Medica Research Institute has received a contribution from Medica Health Plans in the amount of $6.5 million. This contribution will be used by the Research Institute to further its mission.

26 Jan 2011

Study: Low SES is linked to high risk of depression in patients with RA

Physical and Mental Health Disparities Found in Those with Low Socioeconomic Position. A recent study confirmed that low socioeconomic status is associated with higher risk of depressive symptoms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

26 Jan 2011

First Edition: January 26, 2011

Reporting for KHN, in collaboration with Politico, Bara Vaida writes: "Lobbyists for doctors, hospitals and drug companies are urging lawmakers to derail a planned government panel that health industry officials fear will sharply curb Medicare spending -- a critical revenue source for them".

26 Jan 2011

Next generation sequencing on the European growth path: Report

Next Generation Sequencers have found their way into service providing labs and the global biomedical research community. 2010 has seen a serious uptake of Next Generation Sequencing technology, and today it is perceived as an indispensable tool.

26 Jan 2011

Research shows how pathogenic bacteria hide inside host cells

A new study into Staphylococcus aureus, the bacterium which is responsible for severe chronic infections worldwide, reveals how bacteria have developed a strategy of hiding within host cells to escape the immune system as well as many antibacterial treatments. The research, published by EMBO Molecular Medicine, demonstrates how ‘phenotype switching’ enables bacteria to adapt to their environmental conditions, lie dormant inside host cells and become a reservoir for relapsing infections.

26 Jan 2011

Microvisk secures £6 million to launch world's first diagnostic SmartStrip

Microvisk Technologies, the developer of a handheld system to monitor the blood clotting status of patients taking the drug Warfarin, has raised £6 million through a rights issue to existing investors in an oversubscribed round. This is the third successful funding round for Microvisk, which has secured £10.5m in the past 12 months - the largest amount raised by a UK life science company**.

26 Jan 2011

ECCA and EDMA advance the EU health literacy debate

As part of the 2011 European Cervical Cancer Week, EDMA, the European Diagnostic Manufacturers Association and the ECCA, the European Cervical Cancer Association jointly organised the "Better Health Literacy for Better Health in Europe" dinner debate.

26 Jan 2011

Faked cancer lands British man in jail

A British father who faked a terminal cancer to his family and friends to ‘con’ them out of cash, is beginning a 20 month jail sentence today. Simon Swift, 39, from Rugby in Warwickshire, central England started by telling his wife and three teenage children that he only had months to live and sold tickets worth hundreds of pounds for a fake charity auction. He claimed in May that the cancer had started in his spine and had become terminal. He even shaved his hair and claimed marks on his neck were from radiotherapy.

26 Jan 2011

Weighty problem: 127kg man trying to put on weight

When Darin McCloud, 45 from Portsmouth, was told he did not qualify for a gastric bypass, he planned to get fatter to tip the scales at more than 133kg - the weight deemed necessary by his local NHS primary care trust. At present he is eating three-quarters of a loaf of bread, four packets of crisps and bacon rolls each day to put on the weight. He also has diabetes ad he believes that the surgery could get him off the insulin injections.

26 Jan 2011

Survival following transplant surgery for liver cancer not impacted by HIV-positive status

French researchers determined that infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) impaired results of transplant surgery for liver cancer, with more HIV infected patients dropping off the transplantation wait list. The team found that overall survival and recurrence-free survival was not impacted following liver transplantation in patients with controlled HIV disease.

25 Jan 2011

Evaluating patients for genetic variations impacts adherence to antiviral therapy

In two recent studies, researchers have identified two functional variants in the inosine triphosphatase (ITPA) gene that protect patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) against anemia brought on by antiviral treatment. The ability to identify those patients protected against treatment-induced anemia will ensure completion of antiviral therapy and successful elimination of the virus.

25 Jan 2011

First Edition: January 25, 2011

Today's health policy headlines include speculation about what President Barack Obama will say during tonight's State of The Union address and how the GOP will respond to it.

25 Jan 2011