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New report highlights effectiveness of bed rest for pregnant women

Despite lack of evidence about bed rest's effectiveness, doctors annually prescribe it for roughly 1 million pregnant women to delay preterm births. Judith Maloni, professor at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University, said a comprehensive review of more than 70 evidence-based research articles challenges whether this is healthy for mothers or their babies.

12 Nov 2010

Neural pathways in amygdala regulates fear response

Fear arises in the almond-shaped brain structure known as the amygdala. It is the amygdala which processes the strange noise, shadowy figure or scary face and not only triggers palpitations or nausea but can also cause us to flee or freeze. That much has long been known about the function of this part of the brain. What remains largely unclear, however, is precisely how fear develops, and which of the countless neurons in the amygdaloid region are involved in this process.

12 Nov 2010

GPR124 protein controls growth of blood vessels into brains

One protein single-handedly controls the growth of blood vessels into the developing brains of mice embryos, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Understanding how the protein, a cellular receptor, functions could help clinicians battle brain tumors and stroke by choking off or supplementing vital blood-vessel development, and may enhance the delivery of drugs across the blood-brain barrier.

12 Nov 2010

Lancet series focuses on chronic diseases, development

"Just a small percentage of low- and middle-income countries' health care budgets are allocated toward the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases even though such illnesses are expected to account for 69% of global deaths by 2030," according to a paper published Wednesday in the Lancet, as part of a series on chronic disease and development, ModernHealthcare.com reports.

12 Nov 2010

Brass products in plumbing systems leach high levels of lead into drinking water

A new research study co-spearheaded by Virginia Tech researchers highlights problems with some brass products in plumbing systems that can leach high levels of lead into drinking water, even in brand new buildings - and suggests that such problems may often go undetected.

12 Nov 2010

Research on fruit flies reveal novel human pain gene

While it has become clear in recent years that susceptibility to pain has a strong inherited component, very little is known about actual "pain genes" and how they work. In the November 12th issue of Cell, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and their collaborators report on a novel human pain gene. People with minor variations in this gene showed clear differences in susceptibility to acute heat pain and chronic back pain.

12 Nov 2010

Study on flavors of laughter

Most scientific research on laughter is based on recordings of people pretending to laugh. But for Michael Owren of Georgia State University in Atlanta, this false laughter -- the sound of a canned sit-com laugh track -- is a pale imitation of the real thing. He studies the full vocabulary of chortles, giggles, guffaws we all use in everyday situations.

12 Nov 2010

Research unveils epigenetic function of MECP2 gene tht cause neuropsychiatric disorders

The laboratory of Huda Zoghbi, where the discovery that mutations in the gene MECP2 cause the severe childhood neurological disorder Rett Syndrome was made, has taken yet another step toward unraveling the complex epigenetic functions of this gene, implicated also in cases of autism, bipolar disease and childhood onset schizophrenia. The November 11 issue of Nature reports that removing MECP2 from a small group of neurons that typically make the inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA, recapitulates many symptoms of Rett as well as numerous neuropsychiatric disorders.

12 Nov 2010

ASN Annual Meeting to highlight six late-breaking clinical trials on nephrology

Six late-breaking clinical trials have been accepted for presentation next week during the American Society of Nephrology's 43rd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in Denver, CO. These trials were selected based upon their potential impact to the field of nephrology.

12 Nov 2010

Advocacy groups and politicians stake out health overhaul strategies in the changed political landscape

Kaiser Health News reports that advocates of the health law, which is under renewed attack by Republicans after the mid-term election, are "huddling … in an effort to thwart GOP efforts" to overturn the law. "Groups that back the law aren't likely to coalesce around a single message to increase public support. Some patient groups, for example, are likely to try to steer clear of partisan politics and focus instead on promoting the law and pressing for its full implementation.

12 Nov 2010

Discovery on immune system paves way to new vaccine against pneumococcal disease

A new breakthrough in the fight against pneumonia, meningitis and septicaemia has been announced today by scientists in Leicester and Dublin. The discovery will lead to a dramatic shift in our understanding of how the body's immune system responds to infection caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and pave the way for more effective vaccines.

12 Nov 2010

Holding and swaddling newborn infants during heel lance procedures reduces pain

For newborn infants, being held and swaddled is a simple and effective way to reduce pain during routine blood sampling, reports a study in the November/December issue of MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

12 Nov 2010

Glycotope GmbH to present advances in GlycoExpress technology at BIO-Europe

Glycotope GmbH, a leading glycobiology company, will present recent advances with its GlycoExpress technology of novel human cell lines during the upcoming BIO-Europe in Munich.

12 Nov 2010

Exiqon 2010 first nine months revenue increases 36% to DKK 65.7 million

Exiqon A/S today announced results for the first nine months of 2010 ending 30 September 2010. In the third quarter of 2010, organic growth in life science research product sales was 45% when excluding OEM sales and reagent sales associated with license agreements. Operating expenses decreased 31% to DKK 19.9 million in the third quarter.

12 Nov 2010

Oligomerix receives SBIR Phase II grant to develop drugs for Alzheimer’s disease

Oligomerix, Inc. today announced the receipt of a two-year Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant for $1.6M from the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health (NIH), for a program to discover small molecules and antibodies targeting tau protein oligomers in the development of disease modifying therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease.

12 Nov 2010

Debt panel's draft would take on Medicare, raise Social Security age

President Barack Obama's bipartisan debt-reduction panel laid out a draft version of its recommendations for cutting spending and raising taxes on Wednesday, The New York Times reports. The proposal includes increasing the retirement age for Social Security and plans to reduce the growth of the Medicare program. In all, the proposals would lower deficits by $4 trillion through 2020 and "stabilize" debt. Liberal groups immediately lashed back at what they see as excessive cuts in spending (Calmes, 11/10).

12 Nov 2010

IPC The Hospitalist Company announces acquisition of Zenith Hospitalists

IPC The Hospitalist Company, Inc., a leading national hospitalist physician group practice company, announced today that it has acquired Zenith Hospitalists, LLP, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The acquisition represents an expansion in the Nevada market, where IPC already has a well-established presence. Zenith has an annualized volume of approximately 40,000 patient encounters.

12 Nov 2010

Elevated levels of MCP-1 found in urine of patients with acute kidney injury

The presence of certain markers in the urine might be a red flag for acute kidney injury (AKI), according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results suggest that a simple urine test could help prevent cases of kidney failure.

12 Nov 2010

Advocates prepare to challenge GOP on health law

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey reports: "In the aftermath of Republicans' election victories, defenders of the health care law are huddling - once again - in an effort to thwart GOP efforts to eviscerate the sweeping measure" (Carey, 11/11).

12 Nov 2010

Mentor launches PDS Flexible Plate for nasal reconstruction

Reinforcing its commitment to the aesthetic medical market, Mentor Worldwide LLC today introduced PDS™ Flexible Plate - the absorbable implant that provides structural support and streamlines cartilage management during nasal reconstruction procedures.

12 Nov 2010