Packaging insulin into a pill-friendly form for diabetes treatment

Posted: 18 Dec 2013 01:00 PM PST

Since insulin's crucial discovery nearly a century ago, countless diabetes patients have had to inject themselves with the life-saving medicine. Now scientists are reporting a new development toward a long-sought insulin pill that could save millions the pain of daily shots. Published in the ACS journal Biomacromolecules, the advance could someday not only eliminate the "ouch" factor, but also get needle-wary - and weary - patients to take their medicine when they should.

New way to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria: Target human cells instead

Posted: 11 Dec 2013 01:00 PM PST

As more reports appear of a grim "post-antibiotic era" ushered in by the rise of drug-resistant bacteria, a new strategy for fighting infection is emerging that targets a patient's cells rather than those of the invading pathogens. The technique interferes with the way that the pathogens take over a patient's cells to cause infection.

New research shows obesity is an inflammatory disease

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 01:00 PM PST

Scientists have moved a step closer to an "obesity drug" that may block the effects of diets high in sugar and fats. In a new research report published in the December 2013 issue of The FASEB Journal, scientists show that there is an abnormal amount of an inflammatory protein called PAR2 in the abdominal fat tissue of overweight and obese humans and rats. This protein is also increased on the surfaces of human immune cells by common fatty acids in the diet.

Some 'healthy' vegetable oils may actually increase risk of heart disease

Some 'healthy' vegetable oils may actually increase risk of heart disease

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 01:00 PM PST

Some vegetable oils that claim to be healthy may actually increase the risk of heart disease, and Health Canada should reconsider cholesterol-lowering claims on food labelling, states an analysis in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Replacing saturated animal fats with polyunsaturated vegetable oils has become common practice because they can reduce serum cholesterol levels and help prevent heart disease.

Statin, osteoporosis drug combo may help treat parasitic infections

Statin, osteoporosis drug combo may help treat parasitic infections

Posted: 17 Oct 2013 02:00 PM PDT

Researchers at the University of Georgia have discovered that a combination of two commonly prescribed drugs used to treat high cholesterol and osteoporosis may serve as the foundation of a new treatment for toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. They published their findings recently in PLOS Pathogens.

Compound in grapes, red wine could help treat multiple types of cancer

Compound in grapes, red wine could help treat multiple types of cancer

Posted: 13 Oct 2013 02:00 PM PDT

A recent study by a University of Missouri researcher shows that resveratrol, a compound found in grape skins and red wine, can make certain tumor cells more susceptible to radiation treatment. This research, which studied melanoma cells, follows a previous MU study that found similar results in the treatment of prostate cancer. The next step is for researchers to develop a successful method to deliver the compound to tumor sites and potentially treat many types of cancers.

Coffee and tea may contribute to a healthy liver

Coffee and tea may contribute to a healthy liver

Posted: 19 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT

Your morning cup of tea or coffee may be doing more than just perking you up before work. An international team of researchers led by Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School (Duke-NUS) and the Duke University School of Medicine suggest that increased caffeine intake may reduce fatty liver in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Celery, artichokes contain flavonoids that kill human pancreatic cancer cells

Celery, artichokes contain flavonoids that kill human pancreatic cancer cells

Posted: 18 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT

Celery, artichokes, and herbs, especially Mexican oregano, all contain apigenin and luteolin, flavonoids that kill human pancreatic cancer cells in the lab by inhibiting an important enzyme, according to two new University of Illinois studies.

Chocolate may help keep brain healthy

Chocolate may help keep brain healthy

Posted: 07 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT

Drinking two cups of hot chocolate a day may help older people keep their brains healthy and their thinking skills sharp, according to a study published in the August 7, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study involved 60 people with an average age of 73 who did not have dementia.

Uncovering a healthier remedy for chronic pain

Uncovering a healthier remedy for chronic pain

Posted: 17 Jul 2013 02:00 PM PDT

Physicians and patients who are wary of addiction to pain medication and opioids may soon have a healthier and more natural alternative. A Duke University study revealed that a derivative of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), a main ingredient of over-the-counter fish oil supplements, can sooth and prevent neuropathic pain caused by injuries to the sensory system. The results appear online in the Annals of Neurology.

Calcium and vitamin D help hormones help bones

Calcium and vitamin D help hormones help bones

Posted: 01 Jul 2013 02:00 PM PDT

Should women take calcium and vitamin D supplements after menopause for bone health? Recommendations conflict, and opinions are strong. But now, an analysis from the major Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trial throws weight on the supplement side - at least for women taking hormones after menopause.

Fatty acids found in fish linked to lower risk of breast cancer

Fatty acids found in fish linked to lower risk of breast cancer

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 05:00 AM PDT

A high intake of fatty acids found in fish is associated with a 14% reduction in the risk of breast cancer in later life, finds a study published on bmj.com. The results show that each 0.1 g per day or 0.1% energy per day increment of intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) derived from fish was associated with a 5% reduction in risk. To achieve this risk reduction, intake of oily fish such as salmon, tuna or sardines should be 1-2 portions per person per week.

FDA takes action to protect consumers from dangerous medicines sold by illegal online pharmacies

Posted: 27 Jun 2013 02:00 PM PDT

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in partnership with international regulatory and law enforcement agencies, took action this week against more than 9,600 websites that illegally sell potentially dangerous, unapproved prescription medicines to consumers. These actions include the issuance of regulatory warnings, and seizure of offending websites and $41,104,386 worth of illegal medicines worldwide.

Simple 2-drug combination proves effective in reducing risk of stroke

Posted: 26 Jun 2013 02:00 PM PDT

Results of a Phase III clinical trial showed that a simple drug regimen of two anti-clotting drugs - clopidogrel and aspirin - lowered the risk of stroke by almost one-third, compared to the standard therapy of aspirin alone, when given to patients who had minor or transient stroke symptoms to prevent subsequent attacks.

Aspirin may fight cancer by slowing DNA damage

Posted: 18 Jun 2013 02:00 PM PDT

Aspirin is known to lower risk for some cancers, and a new study led by a UC San Francisco scientist points to a possible explanation, with the discovery that aspirin slows the accumulation of DNA mutations in abnormal cells in at least one pre-cancerous condition.

Fish oil supplements may help fight against Type 2 diabetes

Posted: 23 May 2013 02:00 PM PDT

Widely-used fish oil supplements modestly increase amounts of a hormone that is associated with lower risk of diabetes and heart disease, according to a study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

Aspirin may lower melanoma risk

Posted: 10 Mar 2013 02:00 PM PDT

A new study has found that women who take aspirin have a reduced risk of developing melanoma - and that the longer they take it, the lower the risk. The findings suggest that aspirin's anti-inflammatory effects may help protect against this type of skin cancer. The study is published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

The key to heart failure, new therapies on horizon

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 01:00 PM PST

Some 5.8 million Americans suffer from heart failure, a currently incurable disease. But scientists at Temple University School of Medicine's (TUSM) Center for Translational Medicine have discovered a key biochemical step underlying the condition that could aid the development of new drugs to treat and possibly prevent it.

Januvia, Byetta double pancreatitis risk, JAMA analysis finds

By Tracy Staton

The diabetes treatments Januvia and Byetta may double patients' risk of pancreatitis, a new study finds. The drugs, sold by Merck and a Bristol-Myers Squibb/AstraZeneca partnership, have been linked to pancreatitis before, but the JAMA Internal Medicine study puts a number to that risk for the first time.

Researchers analyzed insurance records to find that patients hospitalized with pancreatitis were twice as likely to be using Januvia or Byetta, when compared with diabetics who didn't have pancreatitis, Bloomberg reports. "This is the first real study to give an estimate of what the risk is," said study author Sonal Singh, assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University. "[U]ntil now we just had a few case reports."

It was on the basis of those case reports that the FDA issued safety alerts for both drugs. In 2007, the agency flagged pancreatitis cases in Byetta patients, and did the same for Januvia in 2009. In 2008, the FDA amped up label warnings on Byetta after 6 deaths in patients who had developed pancreatitis, though four of them couldn't be causally linked to the condition. Besides the risks of acute pancreatitis itself, the condition boosts the risk of pancreatic cancer.

Both companies defended their drugs' safety. Merck told Bloomberg that it has reviewed the data and found "no compelling evidence of a causal relationship" between Januvia and pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer. Bristol-Myers said it and AstraZeneca are confident in the "positive benefit-risk profile" of Byetta and its long-lasting formulation Bydureon, and promised to "continue to carefully monitor" post-marketing reports.

Merck's Januvia franchise is a whopper. The drug itself brought in $4 billion for Merck last year. Its sister combo treatment, Janumet, which combines Januvia with the common diabetes drug metformin, added another $1.65 billion. Merck recently gave up developing a combination of Januvia and the now-off-patent Lipitor.

Byetta is less lucrative for Bristol-Myers and AstraZeneca, with $148 million in 2012 sales (and another $159 million for Eli Lilly under its marketing partnership). But one reason Bristol-Myers bought Amylin Pharmaceuticals was Byetta. The drugmaker figured it and AZ could apply their Big Pharma marketing power to pump up the drug's sales.

- read the Bloomberg story

FDA alerts health care providers of recall of anemia drug Omontys

Posted: 24 Feb 2013 01:00 PM PST

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting health care providers and patients of a voluntary nationwide recall of all lots of Omontys Injection by Affymax, Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif., and Takeda Pharmaceuticals Company Limited, of Deerfield, Ill. The recall is due to reports of anaphylaxis, a serious and life-threatening allergic reaction. Omontys is used to treat anemia in adult dialysis patients.

Scientists unveil secrets of important natural antibiotic

Posted: 21 Feb 2013 01:00 PM PST

An international team of scientists has discovered how an important natural antibiotic called dermcidin, produced by our skin when we sweat, is a highly efficient tool to fight tuberculosis germs and other dangerous bugs. Their results could contribute to the development of new antibiotics that control multi-resistant bacteria.

Mushroom-supplemented soybean extract shows therapeutic promise for advanced prostate cancer

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 01:00 PM PST

A natural, nontoxic product called genistein-combined polysaccharide, or GCP, which is commercially available in health stores, could help lengthen the life expectancy of certain prostate cancer patients, UC Davis researchers have found. Men with prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, known as metastatic cancer, and who have had their testosterone lowered with drug therapy are most likely to benefit.

Vitamin C is beneficial against the common cold

Posted: 13 Feb 2013 01:00 PM PST

Vitamin C seems to be particularly beneficial for people under heavy physical stress. In five randomized trials of participants with heavy short-term physical stress, vitamin C halved the incidence of the common cold. Three of the trials studied marathon runners, one studied Swiss school children in a skiing camp and one studied Canadian soldiers during a winter exercise.

Low vitamin D levels may increase risk of Type 1 diabetes

Posted: 04 Feb 2013 01:00 PM PST

Having adequate levels of vitamin D during young adulthood may reduce the risk of adult-onset type 1 diabetes by as much as 50%, according to researchers at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). The findings, if confirmed in future studies, could lead to a role for vitamin D supplementation in preventing this serious autoimmune disease in adults.