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Study: How genes help some people live to 110
HealthDay via USA Today
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People who live 110 years or longer have as many disease-associated genes as those in the general population, but they may also be blessed with protective genes that help them live so long, researchers report. The U.S. scientists noted that supercentenarians are extremely rare, with only one per 5 million people in developed nations. There is growing evidence that genetics play a major role in living to such an old age.
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EHRs, genomics power personalized cancer treatments
Information Week
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Computer maker Dell is counting on the cloud, analytics and "big data" to power the future of medicine and make healthcare more personal. The Texas-based hardware giant is putting the infrastructure in place to support electronic health records and genomics on the journey from episodic care to coordinated care to personalized medicine.
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Never-smokers have different gene mutations than smokers
HealthDay via USA Today
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Scientists who have started to identify genes and pathways associated with lung cancer in people who have never smoked say it's a first step in the potential development of new treatments. Never-smokers — people who've smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes over a lifetime — account for about 10 percent of lung cancer cases. But this group of lung cancer patients hasn't been studied as much as smokers.
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| Biotech/Diagnostics/Personalized Medicine |
Chicago team finds clue to longer-lasting hip implants
Chicago Tribune
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A surprise discovery in the field of prosthetic implants is being hailed by researchers as a significant first step that could one day lead to the development of more reliable, longer-lasting artificial hip implants. When implants fail to perform, it's often because they release too much debris, researchers say. To their surprise, scientists from two Chicago institutions say they have discovered that the debris is graphitic carbon.
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New way to stop the bleeding
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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MIT engineers have developed a nanoscale biological coating that can halt bleeding nearly instantaneously, an advance that could dramatically improve survival rates for soldiers injured in battle. The researchers created a spray coating that includes thrombin, a clotting agent found in blood. Sponges coated with this material can be stored stably and easily carried by soldiers or medical personnel.
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China stops unapproved stem cell treatments
Reuters
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China has ordered a halt to all unapproved stem cell treatments and clinical trials, state media reported, as Beijing seeks to rein in largely untested stem cell therapies across the country. The Ministry of Health will stop accepting new applications for stem cell programs, a ban that will last until July and comes as China begins a one-year program to regulate the sector better.
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Old mice made 'young' — could lead to anti-aging treatments
National Geographic
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Aging mice can be made "young" again, according to findings one scientist initially deemed unbelievable. The key is muscle-derived stem cells, which — like other stem cells — are unspecialized cells that can become any type of cell in the body. When injected with muscle stem cells from young mice, older mice with a condition that causes them to age rapidly saw a threefold increase in their life spans, scientists say.
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| Emerging Medical Technologies |
New DNA reader to bring promise
Reuters via The Baltimore Sun
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After years of predictions that the "$1,000 genome" — a read-out of a person's complete genetic information for about the cost of a dental crown — was just around the corner, a U.S. company announced it has achieved the milestone and taken the technology several steps forward. Connecticut-based Ion Torrent said its genome-sequencing machine is 1,000 times more powerful than existing technology.
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Bioprinting: The 3-D future of organ transplants?
Bloomberg Businessweek
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Today's 3-D printers, which can produce complex physical objects such as jewelry and airplane parts, are being used to print something even more intricate: human organs. 3-D printers work much like inkjet printers. Instead of ink, the machines deposit successive layers of different materials, including silver, plastic and titanium to form an actual object.
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US healthcare spending rises at near-record slow pace
Los Angeles Times
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U.S. healthcare spending grew at the second-lowest rate on record in 2010 as recession-spooked consumers avoided going to the doctor, taking expensive prescription drugs and undergoing costly elective procedures. Public and private healthcare spending totaled $2.6 trillion, representing 17.9 percent of the U.S. economy, the same proportion as in 2009, according to a new government report.
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Collaborating reduces costs of healthcare
Kaiser Health News via USA Today
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A small but growing number of voluntary healthcare partnerships are tackling the problems of unsatisfactory quality and rising health costs. Programs are underway across the United States, from Hillsboro, Ore., to Atlantic City, N.J. Physicians and hospitals share cost savings with employers and insurers, and in some cases, share losses if savings targets aren't met.
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| FDA: New Treatments and Technology |
New drug approvals in 2011 outpace recent past
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
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During 2011, the FDA approved 35 new medicines. This was, according to the agency, among the highest number of approvals in the past decade, surpassed only by 37 approvals in 2009. Of the 35 drugs approved, two were approved with a molecular test, making them the first companion drug-diagnostic sanctions. Such tests will be key drivers of drug development in the future.
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FDA warns against illegal stem cell treatments
Medical Daily
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The Food and Drug Administration has voiced concern that the hope patients have for cures, not yet available, may leave them vulnerable to unscrupulous providers of stem cell treatments that are illegal and potentially harmful. The FDA is warning consumers any stem cell treatment they are considering must be approved by FDA or studied under a clinical investigation that has been submitted to and allowed to proceed by FDA.
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FAST FACTS
"The average life expectancy in the United States is 77.9 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
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