Tiny bits of RNA — a chemical cousin of DNA — play a large role in causing enlargement of the heart, which is a major risk factor for heart failure and sudden death, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered.
In-hospital bariatric surgery complication rates vary dramatically among the nation’s hospitals, according to a study released today by HealthGrades, the leading healthcare ratings company. The study of 86,520 bariatric-surgery procedures performed over the years 2002 through 2004 finds that a typical patient receiving the procedure in a five-star rated hospital would have, on average, a 66 percent lower chance of developing one or more major inhospital complications compared with a one-star rated hospital.
Abbott and Kos Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced a definitive agreement for Abbott to acquire Kos for $78 per share in cash, for a total transaction value of $3.7 billion, net of cash currently held by Kos. Based in Cranbury, N.J., Kos is a specialty pharmaceutical company that develops and markets proprietary medications for the treatment of chronic cardiovascular, metabolic and respiratory diseases. The company has a growing presence in the $20 billion lipid management market.
Bayer HealthCare announced today a structural realignment of its global pharmaceutical research and development organization. The company also outlined its future U.S. pharma site plan, and said that New Jersey will be home to its U.S. headquarters for pharmaceuticals. These moves follow Bayer?s acquisition of Schering AG, Germany in June 2006 and are part of the company?s plan to integrate its pharmaceutical operations with those of Schering AG and Berlex Inc. (the U.S. subsidiary of Schering AG).
Researchers have identified a novel biomarker for brain tumors and have uncovered a potential role the marker may play when the tumor spreads or comes back after treatment. The biomarker, a protein known as “soluble attractin,” is normally absent in the central nervous system and is undetectable in cerebral spinal fluid unless malignant astrocytomas are present in the CNS. This newfound ability to identify biomarkers for malignant astrocytomas means physicians will have a minimally invasive method to track the success of treatments.
American researchers have found that giving a combination of imantanib and a drug that induces cell death was better at inhibiting the growth of Ewing’s sarcoma in mice than either therapy on its own, according to research presented at the 18th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Prague on Friday.
Carnegie Mellon University has played a key role in an international, multi-institutional collaboration to sequence the sea urchin genome. As part of the consortium, Charles Ettensohn, professor of biological sciences, led the team that cataloged the genes responsible for building the sea urchin’s embryonic skeleton. He also contributed 51,000 cDNAs — about one-third of the total genomic material critical for assembling the genome and for accurately predicting where genes lie within the DNA sequence.
Potentially blinding blood vessel growth in the cornea resulting from eye injury or even surgery can be reduced by more than 50 percent with a new manmade protein, researchers say.
Too much of a signaling protein called insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) may fan the flames of cancer, while too little of the protein may cause short stature, dementia and osteoporosis. New research investigates how the growth hormone/IGF system is affected by the important tumor suppressor gene p53. This interplay of two signaling pathways reinforces questions about the long-term risks of prescribing growth hormone, while suggesting a future new avenue for cancer therapy.
Researchers investigating ways of prompting the immune system to recognise and kill tumour cells have found that a drug containing parts of the diptheria toxin appears to work well in patients with advanced melanoma, according to research presented at the 18th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics on Thursday.