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Autism :: Autism Center of Excellence established at UC San Diego

One of six Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) in the country has been established at the University of California, San Diego by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to be directed by Eric Courchesne, Ph.D., professor of neurosciences at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and a leading expert on brain abnormalities associated with autism, a brain disorder affecting an estimated two million people in the U.S. The symptoms are impaired social, emotional, language and cognitive development.

NHS :: UK Dept of Health to reopen negotiations on the PPRS

UK Health dept intends to re-open negotiations about the current Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS). A UK Dept of Health spokesperson said

Bird Flu :: UAE bans import of birds from India

The United Arab Emirates has enforced a temporary ban on imports of all kinds of birds from India after bird flu was detected there.

Multiple Sclerosis :: Betaferon delays disability progession after multiple sclerosis attack

Patients treated with Betaferon? (interferon beta-1b) shortly after their first clinical MS event or ?attack? showed a 40 percent lower risk of developing confirmed disability when compared to patients in whom treatment was delayed. The results ? which were fast-tracked and published in The Lancet today ? provide the first controlled evidence that delaying Betaferon? treatment has an effect on later accumulation of disability. No other MS therapy has demonstrated this effect in this early patient population.

Marburg Disease :: UN helps Uganda respond to case of deadly Marburg disease

The UN is helping the Government of Uganda in outbreak response and containment activities following a confirmed case of Marburg virus disease, a rare but highly fatal haemorrhagic illness with epidemic potential, but there is at present no indication of a need to restrict travel or trade with the East African country.

Diabetes :: Takeda responds to the FDA advisory committee recommendation

Following a joint meeting of the US Food and Drug Administration Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee, Takeda Global Research & Development underscores its position that ACTOS (pioglitazone HCl) offers a proven safety profile regarding the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Foot and Mouth Disease :: Canada responds decisively to foot and mouth disease in UK

The Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Chuck Strahl announced that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is taking precautionary actions in response to the recent confirmation of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in the United Kingdom.

Liver Cancer :: Coffee may reduce liver cancer risk

A new study on the relationship between coffee drinking and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) confirmed that there is an inverse association between coffee consumption and liver cancer, although the reasons for this relationship are still unresolved. The results of this study appear in the August 2007 issue of Hepatology, the official journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

HIV :: Abstinence from sex programs ineffective to cut HIV infection risk

In the developing world the contribution of the ?ABC? message (abstinence, be faithful, use a condom) remains unknown. Programmes that exclusively encourage abstinence from sex do not seem to affect the risk of HIV infection in high income countries, finds a review of the evidence in this week?s BMJ.

West Nile Virus :: More West Nile Cases Reported

Lincoln?Two more cases of West Nile virus have been reported to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) this week, bringing the total cases reported this year to fourteen.