Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. (SWISS: BSLN) announces that the Applicant Janssen-Cilag International NV (Janssen- Cilag), a Johnson & Johnson company, has submitted a request for re-examination of the negative opinion by the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) on the Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for ceftobiprole for the treatment of complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTI). On February 18, 2010, the CHMP adopted a negative opinion on the MAA for ceftobiprole for the treatment of cSSTI...

Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. ("SCT" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:SSS) wishes to announce the acceptance and publication of the paper entitled "The Beta-hCG + Erythropoietin in Acute Stroke ( BETAS) Study" by the journal "Stroke", on March 8, 2010. This paper was authored by Dr. Steven C. Cramer, from the University of California, Irvine, Dr. David Brown at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, New Port Beach, Dr. Michael D. Hill of Foothills Hospital at the University of Calgary, and colleagues. Dr...

Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced the U.S. launch of the VERTEX SELECT® Reconstruction System. When a patient has a spinal condition that requires fusion or a procedure that must be performed from the back of the spine, also known as a posterior approach, the VERTEX SELECT® Reconstruction System contains implants and an instrument set for performing this surgical procedure. Conditions of the spine, such as degenerative disc disease, tumor, or trauma, can lead to instability and pain for patients...

A study of over 80,000 American live kidney donors found they were likely to live just as long as people who have two healthy kidneys and that the procedure carries very little medical risk. You can read about the landmark study by lead author and transplant surgeon Dr Dorry L Segev, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, and colleagues, online in the 10 March issue of JAMA, Journal of the American Medical Association...

Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI) was honored last night by the American Psychological Association for his advocacy work and legislative accomplishments on mental health issues. The APA presented Kennedy with the 2010 Outstanding Leadership Award, given annually to a member of Congress who has prominently championed the goals of professional psychology. "Congressman Kennedy has been a tireless crusader of mental health rights," says Katherine C. Nordal, PhD, APA executive director for professional practice...

Dental patient charges in Wales have been frozen for the fourth year running to help maintain wider access to NHS dentistry, Health Minister Edwina Hart announced today [Thursday, 11 March]...

The InterAcademy Council (IAC), a multinational organization of the world's science academies, has been requested to conduct an independent review of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) processes and procedures. The study comes at the invitation of the United Nations secretary-general and the chair of the IPCC, and will help guide the processes and procedures of the IPCC's fifth report and future assessments of climate science...

What Families living with muscle disease in the East of England are joining forces with clinicians and MPs at an inaugural conference for the region, organised by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign. The conference will be an opportunity for families to learn more about fighting for better muscle disease services in their region and to find out how local campaigning can make a real difference. There will be talks from leading clinicians and local MPs about recent care developments and how best to make your voice heard on healthcare issues...

Drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) "plans to bolster earnings by selling to more people in middle-income countries after cutting prices in the world's poorest nations," Bloomberg/BusinessWeek reports. "Our strategy is to grow our business in middle-income countries by increasing the volume of products we sell," GSK Chief Executive Andrew Witty said by e-mail, according to the news service...

If you can imagine identical twin sisters at rest, their breath drawing them subtly together and apart, who somehow latch onto ropes that pull them to opposite sides of the bed - you can imagine what happens to a chromosome in the dividing cell. Understanding the forces that drive chromosome segregation - a crucial aspect of human development and some diseases, including cancer - is the goal of an international group of researchers who collaborate each summer at the MBL...

Nearly 50% Of Food Aid Sent To Somalia Never Makes It To People In Need "As much as half the food aid sent to Somalia is diverted from needy people to a web of corrupt contractors, radical Islamist militants and local United Nations staff members, according to a new Security Council report," the New York Times reports. "The report, which has not yet been made public ...

After making a diagnosis of cancer, clinicians have a number of treatment options. Most of these involve coordinating multiple attacks on the tumor using an arsenal of cancer-killing therapies. Chemotherapy, where toxic drugs are used to specifically kill cancer cells, is a very powerful weapon in this arsenal. It is extremely effective in treating some cancers, such as testicular cancer and Hodgkin's Disease, but works poorly in other cancer types...

A study of seismic activity near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport by researchers from Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas at Austin reveals that the operation of a saltwater injection disposal well in the area was a "plausible cause" for the series of small earthquakes that occurred in the area between Oct. 30, 2008, and May 16, 2009. The incidents under study occurred in an area of North Texas where the vast Barnett Shale geological formation traps natural gas deposits in subsurface rock...

In one of the first such studies involving human patients with schizophrenia, researchers at UC Davis have provided evidence that deficits in a brain chemical may be responsible for some of the debilitating cognitive deficits - poor attention, memory and problem-solving abilities - that accompany the delusions and hallucinations that are the hallmarks of the disorder. The study, published online in the Journal of Neuroscience, suggests an important avenue of inquiry for improving cognitive function in the more than 2 million Americans who suffer from schizophrenia, according to Jong H...

Recent gains in the global fight against HIV/AIDS could be reversed as the "global economic downturn pinches poor countries' budgets and donors show signs of backing away from their promise to provide universal access to AIDS treatment," the British government together with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) warned Tuesday, Reuters AlertNet reports...

One year on from the NHS becoming the first national health system in the world to routinely collect patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), a new report highlights the potential for PROMs to transform the funding and management of health care. Getting the most out of PROMs, published today by The King's Fund and Office of Health Economics, is a guide for clinicians, commissioners, managers and others describing how to use data based on patient reports of their health-related quality of life and the benefits of doing so...

The Senate Finance Committee's chair, Max Baucus (D-Mont.), and top Republican, Charles Grassley (Iowa), are working with colleagues in the House on legislation that would lower tariffs in an effort to help Haiti's apparel industry and help the country recover from the major January earthquake, CQ Politics reports. "The bipartisan effort comes as Senate Finance leaders consider ramping up their work to broadly overhaul multiple U.S. trade preference programs, which lower or eliminate U.S. tariffs on a wide range of products from many developing countries," according to the publication (3/9)...

Medill Reports presents a story on community health centers in Chicago that try to fill access-to-care gaps for people too sick to get health care coverage or too poor to afford other care. "Community health centers ... are private, non-profit operations that fill a gap between for-profit health systems and free public health clinics. There are 36 of these federally qualified health centers in Illinois. Financial support comes from federal funds, Medicare, Medicaid, state programs, private insurance and philanthropies...

The Boston Globe: "A group of Massachusetts mayors, fed up with what they say is legislative inaction on skyrocketing municipal health care costs, has launched a ballot initiative for 2012 aimed at giving cities and towns more flexibility in reducing expensive benefits for employees, retirees, and elected officials" (Murphy, 3/10)...

AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., issued the following statement today on the Lucian Leape Institute's new report, Unmet Needs: Teaching Physicians to Provide Safe Patient Care: "The AAMC and its member institutions were pleased to participate in the roundtable discussions that produced this new report on medical education and patient safety-a top priority for the nation's medical schools and teaching hospitals for the last decade...