AstraZeneca hired a senior executive from rival Pfizer to head its drug research efforts, while Pfizer scrapped a short-lived experiment with having two heads of research. (Source: WSJ.com: Health)

NICE has been unable to recommend sorafenib (Nexavar, Bayer) for treating advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) because its high cost could not be justified by its marginal benefit. HCC is a cancer that originates in the liver, not as the result of tumours spreading to the liver from other parts of the body. The only potentially curative treatment for HCC is surgery, but only a small proportion of patients will be eligible for this. Normal life expectancy for these patients is less than 24 months... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

SynlettDOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1219951AbstractThe first Suzuki-Miyaura reactions of pentachloropyridine are reported. The reaction with two equivalents of arylboronic acids gave 2,6-diaryl-3,4,5-trichloropyridines, while the reaction with one equivalent of arylboronic acid afforded 2-aryl-3,4,5,6-tetrachloropyridines. The one-pot reaction of pentachloropyridine with two different arylboronic acids resulted in the formation of 2,6-diaryl-3,4,5-trichloropyridines containing two different aryl groups. All reactions proceeded with very good site selectivity.[...]© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart ˙ New YorkGet connected:Table of contents  |  Abstract  |  Full text (Source: Synlett)

HILL COUNTRY, Sri Lanka — In mid-April as the sun moves directly overhead and the harvest comes to an end, Sri Lankans celebrate their New Year, one of the most important times in the cultural calendar. The occasion calls for gifts, new clothes, traditional sweets, time with friends and relatives, fire crackers and special games. This year's festivities for plantation workers at the Hope estated in the hill country took a gender-bending twist. In a New Year Festival organized by the local Women Development Centre, with UNFPA support, men and women exchanged typical roles, as a way to heighten awareness of gender issues. (Source: UNFPA News)

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The SOLSTICE Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Edge Hill University is pleased to announce it's 5th international conference Universities are dedicated to providing the best possible student experience, characterised by high levels of success, retention and satisfaction on which reputation and recruitment are dependent in the 21st Century HE sector. This conference will focus on the use of technologies in teaching to support and challenge learners, to bring efficiency and added value to assessment and feedback, to impact on employability and to support research activities that face towards the curriculum. Creative and inclusive deployment of technologies to add value to student support and guidance and communications are an additional focus of interest. Conference Themes...

Maxwell et al. report the AcrySof ReSTOR SN6AD3 aspheric diffractive multifocal intraocular lens (IOL) (Alcon, Inc.) has some superior optical properties (ie, modulation transfer function [MTF] and United States Air Force 1951 Resolution Target) demonstrated in distance optical-bench testing of 6 presbyopia-correcting IOLs, including the monofocal Crystalens accommodating IOL (Bausch & Lomb). A multifocal IOL, which splits the light energy continuum between multiple foci and loses some energy to higher diffractive orders, outperforming a monofocal IOL is perplexing, especially considering (as the authors point out) that clinical studies contradict this finding. Recent studies show that despite the aspheric modification, the ReSTOR SN6A6D3 shows mesopic contrast sensitivity that remains co...

Besifloxacin ophthalmic suspension 0.6% (Besivance), a newly approved fluoroquinolone for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis, has wide-spectrum and potent in vitro activity against common ocular pathogens. Topically applied besifloxacin 0.6% has a prolonged residence time on the ocular surface and minimal systemic exposure. In 2 vehicle-controlled phase III clinical studies, patients receiving besifloxacin 0.6% experienced significantly higher rates of microbial eradication and clinical resolution of bacterial conjunctivitis than patients receiving the vehicle control. Besifloxacin is designed to have a relatively balanced dual-targeting activity, blocking both DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV, which suggests this drug may have a low incidence of bacterial resistance. (Source: Journa...

Conclusions: The results confirm that toric ICL implantation is a predictable, effective procedure to correct ametropia in eyes with keratoconus. Predictability and stability were achieved early and remained fairly stable up to 12 months.Financial Disclosure: No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned. (Source: Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery)

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Conclusions: Improving the fit between personal and organizational goals and strengthening the individual control resource could make health care workers less vulnerable against the depleting effects of meeting self-control demands at work. (Source: International Journal of Nursing Studies)

LONDON, May 26, 2010--NICE has been unable to recommend sorafenib (Nexavar, Bayer) for treating advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) because its high cost could not be justified by its marginal benefit. HCC is a cancer that originates in the... (Source: Drugs.com - Pharma News)

Krishnamoorthy Geetha, Nair Rahul, Sundar Uma, Kini Prayag, Shrivastava MakardhwajNeurology India 2010 58(2):213-219Background: Long-term therapy with antiepileptic drugs (AED) may be associated with increased total serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels and reduced serum calcium, inorganic phosphorous, and vitamin D levels. These adverse biochemical alterations have an adverse effect on bone health Objective: To determine (a) onset of derangements in serum total ALP and its isoenzymes (liver, bone), calcium and 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OHD) concentrations after initiation of treatment with phenytoin or valproic acid monotherapy and (b) the effect of simultaneous supplementation with calcium and 25-OHD at recommended daily allowance (RDA) dosage, on these biochemical parameters. Materials...

Conclusion: Total surgical excision with complete course of antimycotic drug therapy increases PFS. A better antimycotic drug with less toxicity and high efficacy with fungicidal property can make a difference in the outcomes of the disease. (Source: Neurology India)

Could a once-a-month alcoholism shot keep some of the highest-risk heroin addicts from relapse? A drug that wakes up narcoleptics treat cocaine addiction? An old antidepressant fight methamphetamine? (Source: CTV Health)

Surveillance for West Nile virus in Australia: role of the little raven · Fertility in mares after surgical correction of rectovaginal fistula · Development of method for serial blood sampling from conscious dogs · Specificity of a commercial snake venom detection kit in dog and cat urine · Femoral component failure in canine cemented total hip replacement · Hepatic myelolipoma incarcerated in a peritoneopericardial diaphragmatic hernia in a cat · Diclofenac sodium and flunixin meglumine with antibacterial treatment of respiratory disease of calves · Lead-free petrol reduces risk of acute lead poisoning in Australian cattle (Source: Australian Veterinary Journal)

San Jose Mercury News, (CA) article reports that Mexican drug smugglers are increasingly peddling a form of ultra-potent heroin that sells for as little as $10 a bag and is so pure it can kill unsuspecting users instantly, sometimes before they even remove the syringe from their veins. (Source: News stories via the Rural Assistance Center)

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) has launched an investigation into climate scientist Dr. Michael Mann, who has been the target of climate skeptics after the release of emails stolen from the University of East Anglia. Cuccinelli has ordered Mann's former employer, the University of Virginia, to turn over any information relating to state-funded grants Mann applied for or received during his employment at the university. The university has indicated that it will comply with the request to the extent required by law. Many scientists believe that Cuccinelli is conducting a political witch-hunt that has no scientific basis. On 18 May 2010, the AAAS issued a statement calling for the withdrawal of the Attorney General's information request. Representative Allan Mollohan (D-WV), ch...

This study provides an immunological profile of the tolerant state that, with further validation, should inform and shape drug-weaning protocols in renal transplant recipients. (Source: Journal of Clinical Investigation)

Future pandemics of seasonal flu, H1N1 and other drug-resistant viruses may be thwarted by a potent, immune-boosting payload that is effectively delivered to cells by gold nanorods, scientists report. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

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HILL COUNTRY, Sri Lanka — In mid-April as the sun moves directly overhead and the harvest comes to an end, Sri Lankans celebrate their New Year, one of the most important times in the cultural calendar. The occasion calls for gifts, new clothes, traditional sweets, time with friends and relatives, fire crackers and special games. This year's festivities for plantation workers at the Hope estated in the hill country took a gender-bending twist. In a New Year Festival organized by the local Women Development Centre, with UNFPA support, men and women exchanged typical roles, as a way to heighten awareness of gender issues. (Source: UNFPA News)

The Mozilla Foundation and the Shuttleworth Foundation support dynamic leaders with new ideas that drive openness and innovation. In particular, we share an interest in how open technologies and open education can foster creativity, participation and fresh thinking that improves the world. For this reason, we have decided to jointly offer an Education for the Open Web Fellowship. This is the call for proposals. The Fellowship is a part of Mozilla's Drumbeat initiative and Shuttleworth's Fellowship program. It offers fellows the benefits of both programs. Applications must be submitted by June 7, 2010, via a modified version of the Drumbeat project proposal format (see below). What is the focus? We invite applications from individuals interested in developing innovative approaches that ed...