Morning News

Morning News

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Medical News fromACG: American College of Gastroenterology Meeting
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ACG: Infliximab Safe in Chronic HCV-IBD
10/19/2010SAN ANTONIO --
Signs of liver toxicity do not appear increased with the use of infliximab (Remicade) in rare cases where an inflammatory bowel disease patient also has chronic hepatitis C virus infection, researchers said here. ,
All Coverage At MedPage

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Shock tactics: Bioelectrical therapy for cancer and birth defects?

Finding a simple, cheap and reliable way to manipulate stem cells is a major goal of current research into therapies for birth defects, regeneration of organs and multiple diseases, including cancer. Michael Levin and colleagues from Tufts University, Medford, Mass., have identified a novel bioelectrical signal that influences the behavior of stem cell derivatives. Their work reveals a potentially important new therapeutic strategy in stem cell medicine.
Contact: Sarah Allan
mailto:Allansarah.allan@biologists.comThe Company of Biologists


Japanese researchers report on liver transplantation studies using animal and iPS cells
Japanese researchers have made breakthroughs in liver cell transplantation, finding that induced pluripotent stem cells derived from mouse somatic cells used in in vitro experiments might help overcome transplant immunological rejection and that the cells can proliferate without limits to become hepatocyte-like. Successful experiments with the transplantation of porcine liver cells into mice with acute liver failure point to possible similar successes in humans, to counter the shortage of human livers for transplant.
Contact: David Evemailto:Evecelltransplantation@gmail.com
Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair

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British Medical Journal
NHS reforms could mean more patients seeking treatment abroad, warn experts
Spain's excellent record on organ donation rates has nothing to do with its presumed consent legislation, say experts in an article published on bmj.com today.
Contact: Emma Dickinsonmailto:Dickinsonedickinson@bmjgroup.com

44-020-738-36529BMJ-British Medical Journal

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News From The Journal Of Clinical Investigation: Oct. 18, 2010
19 October 2010DERMATOLOGY: Blistering analysis reveals disease cause in autoimmune skin condition Pemphigus is an autoimmune condition (i.e., it is caused by an individual's immune system turning on their own body) that can be fatal if left untreated...

Encouraging Findings Suggest New Avenues For Treating Liver Disease In Overweight Americans
19 October 2010A progressive form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) can lead to cirrhosis and all its complications. Two studies investigated the effectiveness of potential...

New Studies Highlight Obesity's Impact On Gastrointestinal Health
19 October 2010San Antonio, Texas (October 18, 2010) The association between obesity and gastrointestinal-related cancers and coronary artery disease; the link between an overweight or obese body mass index and the severity of Crohn's...

No standard for the placebo?
Much of medicine is based on what is considered the strongest possible evidence: The placebo-controlled trial. A paper published in the October 19 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine -- entitled "What's In Placebos: Who Knows?" calls into question this foundation upon which much of medicine rests, by showing that there is no standard behind the standard -- no standard for the placebo.
Contact: Debra Kain mailto:Kainddkain@ucsd.edu619-543-6163UniversityUniversity of California -- San Diego

Archives of Surgery

Medicare hospital comparison website may not help patients locate best places for high-risk surgeryInformation available on a government Web site designed to help patients choose high-quality hospitals does not appear to help Medicare beneficiaries identify facilities with better outcomes for high-risk surgeries, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Contact: Diane Swanbrowswanbrow@umich.edu734-647-9069JAMA and Archives Journals

'Western' Diseases Spread to Developing World: Experts

Yannick Pasquet(Agence France-Presse, October 13, 2010)"Chronic illnesses like obesity and diabetes, generally seen as 'Western,' are making worryingly rapid inroads in the developing world, health experts warned at a meeting in Berlin this week. Around 80 percent of new cases of cancers, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are now being recorded not in the rich West, but in poorer parts of the globe, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) figures. The explosion is a 'consequence of importing lifestyles from Western countries,' Francis Collins, head of the US-based National Institutes of Health, told the World Health Summit at Berlin's Charite hospital. According to the WHO, the worst-affected areas are southeast Asia and the western Pacific, while the Middle East stands out for swelling rates of obesity...Currently, there are around 300 million people around the world classified as obese."

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Government Officials, U.N. Staff Meet With Sex Workers In Asia To Examine Access To HIV Services
19 October 2010In parts of Asia, "policies outlawing sex work are undermining HIV/AIDS prevention efforts by fragmenting and stigmatizing the sex workers and turning condom possession into an act that could lead to jail time, NGO...

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NeurogesX To Pursue Expanded U.S. Label For Qutenza® (capsaicin) 8% Patch In HIV-Associated Neuropathy
19 October 2010NeurogesX, Inc. (Nasdaq: NGSX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel pain management therapies, announced plans to pursue a U.S. label expansion for Qutenza® (capsaicin) 8% patch...