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Researchers discover link between protein structure and hearing process

Rising from the top surface of each of the specialized receptor cells in our inner ears is a bundle of sensory cilia that responds to the movement of sound. As sensitive as they are fragile, these cilia can move to wisps of sound no larger than a molecule-but can shear at sounds that are larger than life.

17 Apr 2010

G1 HCV patients having fast antiviral response to TVR with PEG-IFN and RBV can be cured in 24 weeks

24 weeks of treatment could be sufficient to cure between 93 and 100% of treatment-na-ve chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 (G1) infected patients if they have a fast antiviral response to Telaprevir (TVR) with Peginterferon (PEG-IFN) and Ribavirin (RBV), according to new research presented today at the International Liver Congress 2010, the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Vienna, Austria.

17 Apr 2010

Ocera Therapeutics presents data on prevalence of neurocognitive impairment in cirrhotic patients

Ocera Therapeutics, Inc. presented an analysis of the prevalence of neurocognitive impairment in ambulatory cirrhotic patients. The data came from the screening period of the ASTUTE Study, an ongoing Phase 2b study evaluating the safety and efficacy of AST-120 (spherical carbon adsorbent) in the treatment of mild hepatic encephalopathy (MHE). The poster was presented yesterday at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Liver (EASL) in Vienna, Austria. Efficacy and safety data from the ASTUTE study are expected in the summer of 2010.

17 Apr 2010

Australian study uncovers mechanisms involved in the progression of Alzheimer's disease

A major Australian study has provided new insights into the loss of structure in regions of the brain and its potential association with Alzheimer's Disease. The findings recently reported in Neurology suggest a build-up of deposits of the protein amyloid-beta in a region of the brain known as the temporal inferior cortex.

17 Apr 2010

Harvard researchers' beef? Insurance companies owning fast food stock

Health.com/CNN: "The fast-food industry has long been under fire for selling high-fat, high-calorie meals that have been linked to weight gain and diabetes, but the financial health of the industry continues to attract investors -- including some of the leading insurance companies in the U.S. ... According to Harvard Medical School researchers, 11 large companies that offer life, disability, or health insurance owned about $1.9 billion in stock in the five largest fast-food companies as of June 2009. …"

17 Apr 2010

Study shows beneficial impact of TYSABRI on QoL in MS patients

Biogen Idec and Elan Corporation, plc today announced results from a one-year, longitudinal health outcomes studys 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto, April 10 - 17, 2010. The AAN Annual Meeting is the world's largest gathering of neurologists.

17 Apr 2010

New treatment options for patients with SAH

Results from two French studies presented today at the International Liver CongressTM 2010 press conference will help inform clinical practice in the treatment of patients with severe or acute alcoholic hepatitis.

17 Apr 2010

Genomic portrait may predict liver cancer recurrence: Study

Results of an international clinical study conducted in Europe and the US presented today at the International Liver CongressTM 2010, the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Liver in Vienna, Austria, have identified a genomic portrait able to predict recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the fifth most common cancer in men.

17 Apr 2010

Intensive rehabilitation therapy with robotic aids can help stroke patients regain limb movement

Patients show modest yet meaningful gains in limb movement and an improved outlook on life years after suffering a stroke, a major clinical study has found. The paper, published online this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, provides the best evidence yet that stroke sufferers in a controlled study can regain limb movement long after an injury, through intensive therapy with specially trained personnel and newly created robotic aids.

17 Apr 2010

Pennsylvania awarded $1M in Recovery Act funding for managing chronic disease in older citizens

Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced that $1 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has been awarded to Pennsylvania to prevent and manage chronic disease in older citizens.

17 Apr 2010

Immune system cells that impede wound-healing process discovered

A new discovery about the wound-healing process could lead to better treatments for diabetics and other patients who have wounds that are slow to heal.

17 Apr 2010

Author Ms. Zoe Whittall to receive first Earla Dunbar Consumer Award

The Earla Dunbar Consumer Award was created to honour Earla Dunbar's legacy. Ms.Dunbar, who will be in Vancouver to present Zoe Whittall the award, was the ADAC/ACTA Consumer Advisory Committee Chairperson since its inception in 2002.

17 Apr 2010

Multinational phase II study: GS-9450 can reduce markers of liver damage in patients with NASH

Results from a multinational phase II study presented today at the International Liver CongressTM 2010 have shown that treatment with the caspase inhibitor GS-9450 can reduce markers of liver damage in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH - the most serious form of non-alcoholic liver disease) as demonstrated by reduced levels of alanine and aspartate aminotransferases, hepatic enzymes that indicate cell damage.

17 Apr 2010

Japanese ministry approves DIQUAS Ophthalmic Solution 3% for dry eye treatment

Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare granted approval for the new dry eye treatment drug, DIQUAS Ophthalmic Solution 3% (generic name: diquafosol tetrasodium), on April 16, 2010.

From Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. 17 Apr 2010

New data on Cladribine Tablets presented at AAN annual meeting

EMD Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced that new data providing further understanding on Cladribine Tablets as a potential new therapeutic option for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis were presented at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

17 Apr 2010

70% of COPD patients under-diagnosed due to lack of disease knowledge

"It is high time to demystify COPD in order to better explain the issues and help people who suffer from this disease," says Dr. Jean Bourbeau, Director of the Respiratory, Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit at the Montreal Chest Institute of the MUHC, and lead investigator of CanCOLD along with Dr. Wan Tan of The James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research, University of British Columbia.

17 Apr 2010

Treatment with high dose UDCA no more effective for NASH: German study

Results of a German study presented today at the International Liver CongressTM 2010, the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Liver in Vienna, Austria, have shown that overall, treatment with high dose (23-28mg/kg/d) ursodeoxycholic acid is no more effective than placebo in the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, the most advanced form of non-alcoholic liver disease associated with cirrhosis of the liver.

17 Apr 2010

Knopp Neurosciences to initiate Phase 3 studies of KNS-760704 in AL

In an invited presentation today before the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, Knopp Neurosciences Inc. described further encouraging trends observed in a previously reported Phase 2 study of KNS-760704 (dexpramipexole) in ALS.

17 Apr 2010

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals proposes common stock public offering

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of a novel therapeutic peptide, Thymosin beta 4, for tissue and organ protection, repair and regeneration in cardiovascular diseases, central nervous system injuries, ophthalmic indications and dermal wounds, announced today that it intends to offer units consisting of shares of its common stock and warrants to purchase shares of its common stock in a public offering.

17 Apr 2010

Federal cancer research is 'at a breaking point,' IOM study finds

Bloomberg: "The government's cancer research network is 'approaching a state of crisis' as waste and inefficiency cause 40 percent of late-stage trials it funds to be abandoned before completion, according to a report released yesterday. The government-funded National Cancer Institute's clinical trials group isn't able to effectively study the benefits of new and current treatments, according to the analysis by the Institute of Medicine.

17 Apr 2010