A boy born in San Marino, a tiny republic surrounded by Italy, will likely live to age 80, the world's longest male life expectancy, but newborn girls in Japan and 30 other countries have even better prospects. Females in Japan, who traditionally...
UMICH: High-testosterone people reinforced by others' anger
Most people don't appreciate an angry look, but a new University of Michigan psychology study found that some people find angry expressions so rewarding that they will readily learn ways to encourage them. "It's kind of striking that an angry facial...
Team unearths genetic risk factors for diabetes
Scientists have discovered three unsuspected regions of human DNA that contain clear genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes, and another that is associated with elevated blood triglycerides. Using this approach, the DGI team and their...
US Senate votes to strengthen FDA
The US Senate's approval this week of legislation to strengthen the Food and Drug Administration could spark reform in an agency often accused by consumer groups of lacking effectiveness. The text, adopted by a vote of 93-1, aims to boost certain...
Oxford: An aspirin a day keeps colon cancer away
An Oxford University study shows that taking a 300mg tablet of aspirin a day for five years can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 74 per cent in the subsequent 10-15 years, or by 37 per cent overall.The study published in The Lancet was conducted...
iPods can cause cardiac pacemakers to fail
iPods can cause cardiac implantable pacemakers to malfunction by interfering with the electromagnetic equipment monitoring the heart, according to a study presented by a 17-year-old high school student to a meeting of heart specialists on...
Gene mutation found only in humans
Scientists in China have announced finding the gene that makes us human. The article explains that prior work has shown that humans, as compared with the great apes from which we diverged over 5 million years ago, have a longer form of a protein...
Embryonic stem cells can repair eyes, company says
Stem cells made from human embryos can home in on damaged eyes, hearts and arteries of mice and rats, and appear to start repairs, a U.S. company said on Monday.Massachusetts-based Advanced Cell Technology said it had devised a straightforward way...
Technology Review: Genomes for the Masses
Whereas the DNA sequence produced by the Human Genome Project in 2003 was a mosaic drawn from a number of different human genomes, the efforts by 454 Life Sciences and Illumina, which could be completed in the next few months, will be the first...
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2007
The Genetic Nondiscrimination Act of 2007 (GINA) has been passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, by a vote of 420-3. The act will protect individuals against discrimination based on their genetic information when it comes to health insurance...
DNA find may identify early heart risk victims
Scientists have discovered a strand of DNA that dramatically raises the risk of coronary heart disease and doubles the chances of younger people suffering a heart attack prematurely.The high-risk stretch of genes is common among Caucasian...
Applications of Social Networking to Medical Treatment
Tony Ferraro, President and CEO of 360Hubs and Dr. David Stone, a practicing psychologist, former Harvard Fellow in computer science and now a Visiting Scholar in GSAS joined us at the Berkman Center to speak about applications of social networking...
Common genetic variation is linked to substantial risk for heart attack
A common genetic variation on chromosome 9p21 is linked to a substantial increase in risk for heart attack, according to a new international research study. The findings are published in the online edition of Science, and will appear in an upcoming...
FDA Seeks Antidepressant Warning
Young adults beginning treatment with antidepressants should be warned about an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior, federal health officials said Wednesday. The Food and Drug Administration proposed labeling changes that would expand a...
Virulent New Strain of TB Raising Fears of Pandemic; Bug Is Resistant to Most Available Drugs
A virulent strain of tuberculosis resistant to most available drugs is surfacing around the globe, raising fears of a pandemic that could devastate efforts to contain TB and prove deadly to people with immune-deficiency diseases such as HIV-AIDS....
Unlocking the Secrets of Longevity Genes
Calorie restriction while maintaining nutrient levels has long been known to dramatically increase life spans. Very different lab animals, from worms to mice, live up to 50% longer (or even more) on the restricted diets. However, so far, nobody has...
Stark warning about rising Medicare costs
Medicare trustees issued the first ever statutory warning over the long-term finances of the government-backed health programme for senior citizens on Monday.The warning, required by law, came as new projections showed the share of Medicare costs...
AstraZeneca to Buy MedImmune for $15.6 Billion
British pharma AstraZeneca plc has announced it will purchase MedImmune Inc. for $15.6 billion. AstraZeneca will pay $58 per share in cash, representing a premium of approximately 53% to MedImmune's share price on April 11, the day before news broke...
Scientists map rhesus monkeys genome
Scientists have unraveled the DNA of another of our primate relatives, this time a monkey named the rhesus macaque — and the work has far more immediate impact than just to study evolution. These fuzzy animals are key to testing the safety of many...
Why gene patents are bad / Michael Crichton op-ed
He begins with 'You, or someone you love, may die because of a gene patent that should never have been granted in the first place. Sound far-fetched? Unfortunately, it's only too real.' From there, he moves on to use logic, statistics, and his way...
Patentless cancer drug discovered / dichloroacetate (DCA)
Researchers working at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada have discovered that an existing drug called dichloroacetate (DCA) is effective in killing cancer cells, while leaving the host's healthy cells unharmed. DCA has already been used...
DNA tests theory of roman village in china
Many of the inhabitants of a lonely village in north western China seems to have distinctive western features. An old theory from the 50s suggests that a Roman legion lost in what is now Iran in the year 53BC lost their commanding officer. They...
The U.S. healthcare system is dysfunctional, one that rewards the wrong things and doesn't create value for the consumer.
The United States has a system with the wrong kind of competition, on the wrong things. Instead, we have a zero-sum competition to restrict services, assemble bargaining power, shift the cost to others, or grab more of the revenue versus other...
IMPACT 2007, Biotech Study Finds Challenges to Biotechnology Industry
BayBio, a biotechnology industry organization, published its study BayBio: IMPACT 2007. What does Northern California know about the state of biotechnology? That region alone is home to 1/3 of the U.S.'s biotech companies, and has 30 years of...
Science Business: The Promise, The Reality, and The Future of Biotech
In our feature segment, IdeaCast producer Steve Singer talks with Harvard Business School professor and author Gary Pisano about his new HBS Press book, Science Business: The Promise, The Reality, and The Future of Biotech. Despite all its promise,...
Vanda Pharmaceuticals' Insomnia Drug VEC-162 Registers Positive Results
Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc (VNDA) announced early Wednesday that its insomnia drug, VEC-162, showed positive results in a phase III clinical trial. The drug met many endpoints, and had a statistically significant difference in inducing and...
Study: Childhood soy intake was significantly associated with reduced breast cancer risk
They found that women who ate the most soy-based foods (such as tofu, miso, natto) during ages 5-11 reduced their risk of developing breast cancer by 58 percent, compared to women who ate the least amount. The corresponding reductions for adolescent...
Intensive Lipitor Therapy Reduced Heart Attack and Stroke By One-Third In Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
Results of a new analysis showed that patients who have heart disease and chronic kidney disease who took Lipitor® (atorvastatin calcium) Tablets (80 mg) reduced their risk of heart attack and stroke by 32 percent compared with patients taking the...
GlaxoSmithKline wins priority review for Tykerb breast cancer drug
GlaxoSmithKline Plc's (GSK.L) new breast cancer pill Tykerb will receive a priority review from U.S. regulators in a move that should speed its path onto the world's biggest drugs market, it said on Thursday. » Search Healthcare-Specific Tags:...
Democrats will move to lift the prohibition against the government negotiating directly with pharmaceutical companies over drug prices.
Some Democrats want to use the savings to expand benefits, but just how much could be saved is in dispute. The Department of Veterans Affairs already negotiates directly with drug companies. A study by Families USA, a liberal advocacy group,...
Science Business: What Happened to Biotech?
Thirty years ago it appeared as if biotech would not only revolutionize healthcare, but also radically improve the very process of R&D itself. This hasn't happened. Though some firms such as Amgen have created dramatic breakthroughs, the overall...
Independent researcher faces off with major drug companies over timeliness of failed experimental heart drug findings.
Unexpected controversy at the American Heart Association conference over test results of a failed experimental drug pits an independent researcher against a massive drug company and its biotech partner. The experimental heart disease drug, a joint...
Merck Launches Ad Campaign for GARDASIL, Cervical Cancer Vaccine
First and only vaccine indicated for the prevention of HPV types 16- and 18-related cervical cancer, cervical pre-cancers (CIN 2/3 and AIS), vulvar pre-cancers (VIN 2/3) and vaginal pre-cancers (VaIN 2/3) and for the prevention of genital warts and...
Drug-Drug Interactions Clinically Manageable With PREZISTA
New studies on the use of PREZISTA(TM), an investigational anti-HIV medication, suggest that it can be co-administered with many common medications taken by people with HIV, including other antiretrovirals, proton pump inhibitors, H2 blockers and...
Abbott Labs gets FDA approval for supplemental Humira indication
Abbott Laboratories (ABT) has received the approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an expanded indication for HUMIRA (adalimumab) that includes inhibiting structural joint damage and improving physical function in patients with...
Biotechnology company Genentech Inc. (DNA.N) has raised the price of its cancer drug Tarceva by 8 percent
Genentech raised the wholesale price of Tarceva -- which is approved to treat lung and pancreatic cancer -- to $2,893.86 from $2,679.50 for a 30-day supply of 150 milligram tablets, according to a document filed on Tuesday by Genentech's partner,...
Stem cell cure hope for diabetes
Scientists have used stem cells from human bone marrow to repair defective insulin-producing pancreatic cells responsible for diabetes in mice. The treatment also halted damage to the kidneys caused by the condition. Researchers from New Orleans'...
Human Genome reports positive trial of lupus treatment.
Human Genome Sciences said a 76-week Phase II trial of its lupus treatment LymphoStat produced positive results, reducing disease activity and appearing to be well-tolerated by patients. The percentage of patients who met the trial's primary...
Risk of Breast Cancer Among Premenopausal Women and Red Meat Intake.
Eating more red meat may be associated with a higher risk for hormone receptor-positive breast cancers in premenopausal women, according to a report in the November 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals."Breast...
Fast test catches heart blockages quicker and with less trouble than existing tests.
"Because it takes less than 15 minutes to perform and does not require patients to be stabilized ahead of scanning, it could replace most other more time-consuming tests that help find blockages, including not only exercise stress testing and...
