Medical News

RSS

New genomics research on abnormal brain development

Local researchers are finally on the road to developing targeted treatments for serious, life-long disabilities such as autism and schizophrenia, thanks to new genomics research focusing on abnormal brain development.

27 May 2011

Abiraterone acetate effective for men with advanced prostate cancer

A drug recently approved by the Food & Drug Administration for the treatment of prostate cancer is proving to give some patients the gift of time. A new study shows abiraterone acetate extends the lives of men with the most advanced form of the disease by about four months.

27 May 2011

Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center offers free life-changing procedures for uninsured patients

Patients from Family Health Care Centers of Greater Los Angeles received pro bono outpatient surgeries to repair hernias, remove cataracts and gallbladders on Saturday, May 21. A team of about 70 doctors, nurses and support staff from Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center worked for free to provide patients with life-changing procedures—some have been waiting for months even years for these surgeries.

27 May 2011

Omega-3 fatty acids reduce risk of heart attack in stent patients

Omega-3 fatty acids, combined with two blood-thinning drugs, significantly changed the blood-clotting process and may reduce the risk of heart attacks in patients with stents in their heart arteries, according to research reported in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association.

27 May 2011

PAREXEL, Pfizer partner to provide clinical development services

PAREXEL International Corporation, a leading global biopharmaceutical services provider, today announced that it has been selected as one of two strategic partners by Pfizer Inc. to provide clinical development services.

From Parexel 27 May 2011

Long-term exposure to estrogen increases high blood pressure in women

For many years doctors believed the estrogen women consumed in the form of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy pills was good for their patients' hearts. Recent studies however have shown that long-term exposure to estrogen can be a danger to women as it has been associated with high blood pressure, a key link to heart- and brain-attacks.

27 May 2011

CAS, University of Pennsylvania collaborate to develop joint Center of Excellence in Brain Mapping

In a ceremony today, the University of Pennsylvania announced a collaboration agreement with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to develop a joint Center of Excellence in Brain Mapping for the purpose of collaborative research and education in neuroimaging.

27 May 2011

State roundup: Budget battles continue in statehouses

Massachusetts labor leaders have given up their full-throated battle to protect certain collective bargaining rights amid an increasing likelihood that the Legislature will empower local governments to raise the health insurance costs of teachers, firefighters, and other municipal employees.

27 May 2011

DHF receives two Telly Awards for diabetes awareness video Big Blue Test

Diabetes Hands Foundation (DHF) announced today that it is the recipient of two Telly Awards for the diabetes awareness video Big Blue Test.

27 May 2011

Naturally occurring plant alkaloids could help prevent, delay memory loss linked with Alzheimer's

A family of naturally occurring plant compounds could help prevent or delay memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study by the Translational Genomics Research Institute.

27 May 2011

Neurologix presents NLX-P101 Phase 2 trial in Parkinson's disease at 10th INS World Congress

Neurologix, Inc. announced the presentation today of efficacy results through one year of follow-up in patients treated as part of the Company's successful Phase 2 clinical trial for its novel, investigational gene therapy NLX-P101 for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

27 May 2011

Pro-Pharmaceuticals announces name change to Galectin Therapeutics

Pro-Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has changed its name to Galectin Therapeutics Inc. to more accurately reflect the Company's core expertise in galectin science and its leading platform for the creation of galectin inhibitors to treat serious diseases including fibrosis and cancer.

27 May 2011

Folic acid during pregnancy reduces rate of colon cancer in offspring

Folic acid supplements given to pregnant and breast-feeding rats reduced the rate of colon cancer in their offspring by 64 per cent, a new study has found.

27 May 2011

MAP Pharmaceuticals submits LEVADEX NDA to FDA for treatment of migraine in adults

MAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application to the United States Food and Drug Administration for LEVADEX orally inhaled migraine drug for the potential acute treatment of migraine in adults.

27 May 2011

Opinion: Bipartisan consensus on medical research

"Good health makes good politics," Michael Castle, a former Republican Congressman from Delaware, and Kaitlin Christenson, director of the Global Health Technologies Coalition, write in a Roll Call opinion piece that makes a case for widespread support of medical research that aims to improve global health.

27 May 2011

Bayer, Epitomics enter service agreement for antibody technology

Epitomics, Inc. announced today that it has signed a service agreement with Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany.

27 May 2011

Study: Stress may trigger Alzheimer's disease

Stress promotes neuropathological changes that are also seen in Alzheimer's disease. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich have discovered that the increased release of stress hormones in rats leads to generation of abnormally phosphorylated tau protein in the brain and ultimately, memory loss.

27 May 2011

Tigris Pharmaceuticals begins enrollment in AFP-464 Phase 2 trial in ER-positive breast cancer

Tigris Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced enrollment of its first patient in a randomized Phase 2 clinical trial of AFP-464 with or without Faslodex in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer patients.

27 May 2011

Opinion: How universities can advance global health

"I am glad to see that U.S. research universities, too, now all seem to boast programs in global health. But claiming to have programs in global health is not the same thing as creating programs that can make a difference to populations facing poverty and ill health," Paul Farmer, chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School and founding director of Partners In Health, writes in the Harvard Crimson.

27 May 2011

Germany increases funding for GAVI Alliance to €30 million

Germany said on Wednesday it will contribute €30 million to the GAVI Alliance in 2012, up from €20 million in 2011, to support childhood immunisation in developing countries.

26 May 2011