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Food, drugs of abuse engage same brain systems, show studies

New animal research helps explain why some eat without hunger or to excess. The studies explore the biological effects of poor eating habits, showing that high-fat diets cause lasting brain changes that may impair healthy eating. Additional studies show that food and drugs of abuse engage many of the same brain systems. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2010, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news on brain science and health.

16 Nov 2010

Teenage binge drinking could cause mental health problems in adulthood: Study

Binge-drinking teenagers may be putting themselves at higher risk in adulthood for mood disorders such as anxiety and depression, Loyola University Health System researchers report.

16 Nov 2010

RNA-based drugs may prevent premature birth: Research

Tiny molecules called microRNAs act together with hormones to control the onset of labor, raising the prospect that RNA-based drugs might be able to prevent premature labor, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered in a preclinical study.

15 Nov 2010

Novel heart attack treatment results presented at premier USA cardiology forum

Regenerative medicine company Mesoblast Limited (ASX:MSB; USADR:MBLTY) has announced that positive preclinical trial results were presented at the American Heart Association’s annual conference in Chicago showing that the company’s proprietary “off-the-shelf” stem cells can be injected simply, safely, and effectively into the coronary arteries after a heart attack to prevent heart failure.

15 Nov 2010

Young marijuana users suffer most cognitive damage: Study

Many marijuana smokers begin early. A new study shows that these people did much worse on tests of executive brain function than those who started smoking when they were older. Researchers highlight the danger posed by marijuana and the need to develop effective strategies to reduce marijuana use, especially among young people in their study.

15 Nov 2010

StemCells seeks Swiss authorization to conduct human neural stem cells clinical trial in chronic spinal cord injury

StemCells, Inc. announced today that is has filed an application with Swissmedic, the Swiss regulatory agency for therapeutic products, to conduct a clinical trial in Switzerland of the Company's HuCNS-SC® purified human neural stem cells in chronic spinal cord injury patients. If authorized, the study would enroll patients who are three to 12 months post-injury.

15 Nov 2010

GTx presents preclinical studies of GTx-758 and GTx-230 for treatment of cancer

GTx, Inc. announced the presentation of preclinical studies evaluating GTx-758, a selective estrogen receptor alpha agonist being developed for first line treatment of advanced prostate cancer, and GTx-230, a novel microtubule polymerization inhibitor.

15 Nov 2010

PAREXEL wins 2010 Scrip Award for 'Clinical Research Team of the Year'

PAREXEL International Corporation, a leading global biopharmaceutical services provider, today announced that the Company has won the 2010 Scrip Award for "Clinical Research Team of the Year." The award was presented to PAREXEL at the sixth annual Scrip Awards ceremony, hosted by Scrip Intelligence, a leading news, data, and information service for the global pharmaceutical industry, on November 4, 2010 in London, England.

From Parexel 15 Nov 2010

BioWa grants Agensys license to POTELLIGENT Technology

BioWa, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a license agreement with Agensys, Inc., an affiliate of Tokyo based Astellas Pharma Inc., providing Agensys with access to BioWa's POTELLIGENT® Technology platform for the purpose of identifying antibodies with enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC).

15 Nov 2010

Occurrence of atrial fibrillation in first-degree relatives increases AF risk factors

An examination of the heritability of atrial fibrillation (AF) among more than 4,000 participants in the Framingham Heart Study finds the occurrence of AF in first-degree relatives was associated with AF risk after adjustment for established AF risk factors and AF-related genetic variants, according to a study that will appear in the November 24 issue of JAMA.

15 Nov 2010

Study finds obesity and super obesity associated with increased risk of asthma

Asthma is reaching epidemic levels in the U.S., with 8 percent of the total population and 10 percent of the African-American population suffering from this disease. Obesity rates are also increasing, now affecting 34 percent of the population.

15 Nov 2010

Study finds extensive natural recovery after spinal cord injury

A study led by researchers in the Department of Neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine shows unexpected and extensive natural recovery after spinal cord injury in primates. The findings, to be published November 14 in the advance online edition of Nature Neuroscience, may one day lead to the development of new treatments for patients with spinal cord injuries.

15 Nov 2010

Bereaved patients have increased heart rate and reduced heart rate variability: Study

The death of a spouse or child can cause elevated heart rate and other potentially harmful heart rhythm changes among the recently bereaved, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2010.

15 Nov 2010

Medtronic Eureka medical technology innovation portal launched

Medtronic today launched Medtronic Eureka, a European web-based portal for medical technology innovation designed to help physicians and medical technology inventors to bring their innovative ideas to life.

15 Nov 2010

Spontaneous mutations can cause mental retardation

Dutch geneticists affiliated with the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre present as a novel research paradigm that spontaneous mutations are an important cause of mental retardation.

15 Nov 2010

Dialysis patients at elevated risk for sudden cardiac death: Study

Approximately 500,000 Americans require dialysis to treat kidney disease; of that population nearly half of the deaths that occur are caused by cardiovascular disease. Dialysis patients are at elevated risk for sudden cardiac death, but physicians are unclear why these deaths occur because little research has been done to examine how to best manage heart disease in this high-risk population.

15 Nov 2010

Support for comparative effectiveness research is gaining momentum, experts say

The Wall Street Journal: "A national push to increase research to find out which medical treatments work best for which patients is gaining momentum, even though many worry the findings may be used to ration care.

15 Nov 2010

ICON, Proteome enter alliance to provide expanded biomarker solutions

ICON plc, a global provider of outsourced development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, and Proteome Sciences a leading provider of protein biomarker discovery, validation, and assay development services, today announced the formation of a strategic alliance to provide pharmaceutical companies with an expanded biomarker solution to allow earlier assessments in the development of new medicines.

15 Nov 2010

Domainex, Sigma-Aldrich enter collaboration to study epigenetic proteins

Domainex Ltd., the Contract Research Organization committed to excellence in drug discovery, today announced a collaboration with Sigma-Aldrich that will provide essential tools, including biochemical assays and monoclonal antibodies, for the study of proteins involved in the rapidly developing field of epigenetics. These epigenetic proteins regulate DNA expression and can be critical to cancer and stem cell biology research. Funding from the UK Government-backed Technology Strategy Board will support this work.

15 Nov 2010

Oregon scientist investigates safety, effectiveness of novel low-cost family-planning option

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded nationally prominent Oregon Health & Science University reproductive scientist Jeffrey T. Jensen, M.D., M.P.H., a $100,000 grant to investigate the safety and effectiveness of a novel low-cost family-planning option that may be applicable to women in low-resource countries worldwide.

15 Nov 2010