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Amgen, Brigham and Women's Hospital, NIH to launch women's health genome study

Biotechnology company Amgen, Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital and NIH plan to launch the Women's Health Genome Study -- which aims to discover the genetic causes of disorders affecting women, including breast cancer -- the Wall Street Journal reports.

24 Oct 2006

Increased access to contraception not linked to decrease in numbers of unplanned pregnancies, abortions

The belief that increased access to contraception will "reduce rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion" has "intuitive appeal, but the data prove otherwise," Susan Wills, associate director for education for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, writes in a Washington Post letter to the editor in response to a Post opinion piece by William Saletan, science and technology reporter for Slate magazine.

24 Oct 2006

Boston Globe examines the funding approach of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

The Boston Globe on Sunday examined the funding approach of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has a $31.9 billion endowment and a commitment of $30 billion from Berkshire Hathaway Chair Warren Buffett.

24 Oct 2006

Significant number of teachers dying of AIDS-related complications in Namibia

The Namibian education system since last year has lost a significant number of teachers to AIDS-related illnesses, and more deaths among teachers are expected within the next few years, participants at a Namibia National Teachers Organization meeting said last week, the New Era/AllAfrica.com reports.

24 Oct 2006

Link between antiretrovirals, leprosy probable

Increased access to antiretroviral drugs in developing countries has revealed a "startling and worrisome side effect" by exposing "hidden leprosy infection" in some HIV-positive people receiving antiretrovirals, the New York Times reports.

24 Oct 2006

Zanzibar adopts first HIV/AIDS policy, rejects conservative Muslim recommendations

The Zanzibar parliament on Friday adopted its first HIV/AIDS policy but turned down the request of some conservative Muslim lawmakers to close all bars and outlaw revealing clothing as part of the strategy, AFP/Yahoo! News reports.

24 Oct 2006

Bristol-Myers Squibb receives FDA approval for new formulation of antiretroviral Reyataz

Bristol-Myers Squibb on Friday announced that it has received FDA approval for a single 300 mg capsule formulation of its protease inhibitor Reyataz to be taken as part of combination therapy, Reuters reports.

24 Oct 2006

Consumer-driven health plans appear to reduce costs, but some plan beneficiaries forgo needed medical care

Consumer-driven health plans can help employers reduce health care costs but might lead some patients to forgo necessary care to save money, according to a study by RAND, the Washington Post reports.

24 Oct 2006

PBM Medco Health Solutions agrees to settle Medicare fraud, kickback allegations for $155 million

Medco Health Solutions, the largest U.S. pharmacy benefit manager, on Monday agreed to pay $155 million to settle fraud allegations brought by the federal government and several former company employees, the Newark Star-Ledger reports (Silverman, Newark Star-Ledger, 10/24).

24 Oct 2006

Health officials announce physician quiz campaign to help reduce medical errors

HHS and other health officials on Monday announced a new campaign designed to limit surgical complications by encouraging patients to quiz their doctors about medical procedures, CQ HealthBeat reports.

24 Oct 2006

New Hampshire citizens health initiative to promote electronic prescriptions

New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch (D) and Citizens Health Initiative -- which includes doctors, pharmacists, insurers and representatives from hospitals -- on Thursday announced a goal for all doctors in the state to be able to use electronic prescription systems by 2008, Foster's Daily Democrat reports.

24 Oct 2006

Use of subcutaneous injections of Epogen for dialysis patients could save Medicare $537 million annually

Administering the anti-anemia drug Epogen to kidney dialysis patients by subcutaneous injections rather than intravenously could save the federal government hundreds of millions of dollars annually, the Boston Globe reports.

24 Oct 2006

Paroxetine effective in treating patients with compulsive hoarding syndrome

In a paper published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, Sanjaya Saxena, M.D., Director of the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders (OCD) Program at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, reports the surprising finding that the serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) medication, paroxetine, is effective in treating patients with compulsive hoarding syndrome.

24 Oct 2006

Prevalence of overweight and obesity increasing in Indo-Asian population

Worldwide, Indo-Asian people are among the populations at greatest risk for heart disease. Also, associations between body mass index (BMI) and chronic disease may differ between Indo-Asian and Western populations.

24 Oct 2006

Implantable chip to establish new nerve connections in brain area that controls movement

Researchers at the University of Washington (UW) are working on an implantable electronic chip that may help establish new nerve connections in the part of the brain that controls movement.

24 Oct 2006

Benign virus previously used as a marker in tracing human migration may be unreliable

...according to researchers at Penn State. Results of this study also suggest that some viruses might be undergoing much higher rates of evolution than previously thought.

24 Oct 2006

New study to evaluate whether nutrient-based factors slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration

UT Southwestern Medical Center is participating in a nationwide study investigating whether modified combinations of vitamins, minerals and fish oil products can slow the progression of vision loss from age-related macular degeneration.

24 Oct 2006

Biomarkers in blood indicate likelihood of having another stroke

People who have just suffered their first ischemic stroke, a blood clot in the brain, often have elevated inflammatory biomarkers in their blood that indicate their likelihood of having another stroke or an increased risk of dying, according to Columbia University Medical Center researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

24 Oct 2006

Women feel less trusting at work than men do

Women feel less trusting in their relationships at work than men do, a new study shows.

24 Oct 2006

Researchers identify peptide that spurs cargo transport in nerve cells

For the first time, researchers have identified a peptide that can spur cargo transport in nerve cells, a discovery that could help scientists better understand nerve cell function and test possible therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.

24 Oct 2006

Medical News

Amgen, Brigham and Women's Hospital, NIH to launch women's health genome study

Increased access to contraception not linked to decrease in numbers of unplanned pregnancies, abortions

Boston Globe examines the funding approach of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Significant number of teachers dying of AIDS-related complications in Namibia

Link between antiretrovirals, leprosy probable

Zanzibar adopts first HIV/AIDS policy, rejects conservative Muslim recommendations

Bristol-Myers Squibb receives FDA approval for new formulation of antiretroviral Reyataz

Consumer-driven health plans appear to reduce costs, but some plan beneficiaries forgo needed medical care

PBM Medco Health Solutions agrees to settle Medicare fraud, kickback allegations for $155 million

Health officials announce physician quiz campaign to help reduce medical errors

New Hampshire citizens health initiative to promote electronic prescriptions

Use of subcutaneous injections of Epogen for dialysis patients could save Medicare $537 million annually

Paroxetine effective in treating patients with compulsive hoarding syndrome

Prevalence of overweight and obesity increasing in Indo-Asian population

Implantable chip to establish new nerve connections in brain area that controls movement

Benign virus previously used as a marker in tracing human migration may be unreliable

New study to evaluate whether nutrient-based factors slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration

Biomarkers in blood indicate likelihood of having another stroke

Women feel less trusting at work than men do

Researchers identify peptide that spurs cargo transport in nerve cells

Precision in every drop: Inside Hamilton’s syringe technology

Exploring the Future of Neuroscience Drug Discovery

Genomic conservation in Thailand's mangroves

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