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Researchers identify mechanism that leads to ischemia-reperfusion damage

For patients with incurable pulmonary conditions, a lung transplantation is the only available treatment option. However, suitable donor organs are scarce, and even getting them to prospective recipients is not easy. As Professor Alexander Dietrich of the Walther Straub Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology at LMU explains, "An isolated lung which is no longer perfused with blood can become so severely damaged that it is no longer functional. This so-called ischemia-reperfusion injury is one of the major problems in the field of lung transplantation."

2 Feb 2012

Researchers reveal how antipsychotics affect metabolism by SMAD3 activation

In a paper published January 31 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) reveal how antipsychotic drugs interfere with normal metabolism by activating a protein called SMAD3, an important part of the transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) pathway.

2 Feb 2012

NHLBI's The Heart Truth to showcase Red Dress Collection 2012 on Feb. 8

As part of American Heart Month, on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI's) The Heart Truth campaign, with the support of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), will showcase its signature event, the Red Dress Collection 2012 at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City.

2 Feb 2012

Sugar should be controlled to protect public health: UCSF

Sugar should be controlled like alcohol and tobacco to protect public health, according to a team of UCSF researchers, who maintain in a new report that sugar is fueling a global obesity pandemic, contributing to 35 million deaths annually worldwide from non-communicable diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

2 Feb 2012

Medtronic initiates enrollment in IMPROVE HF Bridge Study

Medtronic, Inc. today announced the initiation and first patient enrollment in a clinical study that will evaluate gaps in the implementation of evidence-based treatment guidelines among chronic heart failure patients post-hospital discharge.

From Medtronic 2 Feb 2012

Intra-arterial technique of stem cell transplantation may enhance functional recovery from TBI

Experiments in brain-injured rats show that stem cells injected via the carotid artery travel directly to the brain, where they greatly enhance functional recovery, reports a study in the February issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

2 Feb 2012

The Methodist Hospital now offers advanced rehabilitation system for treatment of foot drop

The Methodist Hospital Outpatient Rehabilitation Center now offers an advanced rehabilitation system for the treatment of foot drop in people with mobility issues caused by stroke, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and spinal cord injury.

2 Feb 2012

Takeda, SPI announce that lubiprostone phase 3 trial on OBD meets primary endpoint

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. announced today that lubiprostone met the primary endpoint in a phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of opioid-induced bowel dysfunction (OBD) in patients with chronic, non-cancer pain, excluding those taking methadone.

2 Feb 2012

ImmunoCellular receives U.S. patent allowance for cancer stem cell treatment

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd., a biotechnology company focused on the development of novel immune-based cancer therapies, announced the allowance of U.S. patent claims related to the Company's method of treating glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) in a patient by targeting cancer stem cells.

2 Feb 2012

Abnormal tau protein propagates along linked brain circuits

For decades, researchers have debated whether Alzheimer's disease starts independently in vulnerable brain regions at different times, or if it begins in one region and then spreads to neuroanatomically connected areas. A new study by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers strongly supports the latter, demonstrating that abnormal tau protein, a key feature of the neurofibrillary tangles seen in the brains of those with Alzheimer's, propagates along linked brain circuits, "jumping" from neuron to neuron.

2 Feb 2012

Memory impairment may increase risk of deadly stroke

Severe, rapid memory loss may be linked to - and could predict - a future deadly stroke, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2012.

2 Feb 2012

Frontal NIRS can help physicians monitor hospitalized stroke patients

A research team led by investigators at Mayo Clinic in Florida has found that a small device worn on a patient's brow can be useful in monitoring stroke patients in the hospital. The device measures blood oxygen, similar to a pulse oximeter, which is clipped onto a finger.

2 Feb 2012

Healthy lung tissue transplantation shows promise for patients with pulmonary diseases

For patients suffering from severe pulmonary diseases including emphysema, lung cancer or fibrosis, transplantation of healthy lung tissue may offer the best chance for survival. The surgical procedure, however, faces two primary challenges: an acute shortage of donor lungs and rejection of transplanted tissue by the recipient's immune system.

2 Feb 2012

Link between poor neighbourhoods and risk of arthritis

People living in poor neighbourhoods have a higher rate and risk of arthritis - one of the most common causes of disability in the developed world.

2 Feb 2012

Over-exposure to noise can cause more lasting changes to auditory circuitry

We all know that it can take a little while for our hearing to bounce back after listening to our iPods too loud or attending a raucous concert. But new research at the University of Michigan Health System suggests over-exposure to noise can actually cause more lasting changes to our auditory circuitry - changes that may lead to tinnitus, commonly known as ringing in the ears.

2 Feb 2012

Reduced insulin sensitivity linked to smaller brain size, deteriorated language skills in seniors

New research from Uppsala University shows that reduced insulin sensitivity is linked to smaller brain size and deteriorated language skills in seniors. The findings are now published in the scientific journal Diabetes Care.

2 Feb 2012

FDA EMDAC to discuss Arena's lorcaserin NDA resubmission in second quarter

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eisai Inc. announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified Arena that an Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee meeting to discuss the lorcaserin New Drug Application (NDA) resubmission will be held in the second quarter of 2012. Confirmation and details of the meeting will be published in the Federal Register.

2 Feb 2012

Cancer Genomics now available online

Genome Research publishes online and in print today a special issue entitled, "Cancer Genomics," highlighting insights gained form cutting-edge genomic and epigenomic analyses of cancer.

2 Feb 2012

AstraZeneca, Impax enter license agreement to commercialize Zomig in the U.S.

Impax Pharmaceuticals, the branded products business unit of Impax Laboratories, Inc., announced today that it has licensed from AstraZeneca the exclusive United States (U.S.) commercial rights to Zomig (zolmitriptan) tablet, orally disintegrating tablet, and nasal spray formulations.

2 Feb 2012

Annual Depression on College Campuses Conference to be held March 7-8

How can college students draw upon their own strengths, resilience, and sense of social connectedness to help them maintain mental health and wellness? Researchers, students and U-M community members will discuss this question at the annual Depression on College Campuses Conference, held March 7-8. The conference - which is marking its 10th anniversary - features workshops and sessions focused on reframing the discussion about mental health on college campuses by emphasizing the importance of student strengths in preventing depression.

2 Feb 2012