Dating back to ancient Mesopotamia, humans have enjoyed the making and drinking of wine. The health benefits of wine – particularly the red variety – have been praised by everyone from scientists to sommeliers, reinforcing the common belief that a little red wine each day is actually good for our bodies. Clinical research on the subject has been rich and varied, featuring investigations into wine’s potential to protect against depression, breast cancer, the signs of aging, liver disease – and even sunburn! And now, a new study has emerged linking wine consumption with protection against cardiovascular disease (CVD), a condition.. READ MORE »
It’s quite widely accepted that an aspirin a day can keep heart attack and stroke at bay. But how does it work? Aspirin interferes with your blood’s clotting action. When you bleed, your blood’s clotting cells, called platelets, build up at the site of your wound. The platelets help form a plug that seals the opening in your blood vessel to stop bleeding. But when clotting happens where it shouldn’t – like in the vessels that supply your heart with blood – an artery could get blocked, which would result in a heart attack. A daily aspirin can help keep.. READ MORE »
It’s old news that a balanced diet – one that includes fruits and vegetables – is the key to sustaining good health. But how much is enough? Balanced for one person might mean a forkful of broccoli and a handful of grapes. For others, the pursuit of healthy eating means juicing an entire kale, three apples and a whole head of spinach – and downing it all before breakfast. But new clinical research from China and the United States has revealed then when it comes to optimizing our intake of those powerful micronutrients, five is the magic number. Tests confirm.. READ MORE »
Novartis will collaborate with Google to offer patients the new Smart Lens, an ocular device that uses miniature electronics to help the eye focus better, and can also measure the body’s glucose levels by analyzing tears.
Wearable health-tracking technology is changing the way trial researchers collect and analyze big data, transforming test subjects into active research collaborators and widening the scope of clinical research.
Last year, Japanese whistleblowers exposed the falsification of trial data for Diovan – Novartis’ blockbuster blood pressure drug. Ultimately, the ensuing investigation led to the arrest of one man, Nobuo Shirahashi, who was accused of manipulating the Diovan data and skewing the clinical research published by two Japanese universities. Last month, Shirahashi was detained for questioning and then recently re-arrested only days ago as more evidence emerged to link him to the falsified test results. Now, it seems both Novartis and its ex-employee with face criminal charges for misleading consumers about the range of Diovan’s therapeutic powers. Exaggerated Claims Novartis’.. READ MORE »
It seems that alternative applications for diabetes drugs are popping up all over the place. We recently discussed clinical research out of Belgium that revealed the unexpected anti-aging properties of metformin – the world’s most used diabetes medication. It actually toughens up cells so they stay stronger and live longer, keeping the signs of aging at bay. And now, at a recent meeting of the Endocrine Society in Chicago, researcher Dr. F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer announced that a different type 2 diabetes treatment called Liraglutide not only promotes weight loss, but also reverses the course of pre-diabetes. Competitive Results The study.. READ MORE »
Thousands of patients in Canada and the US die from prescription painkillers every year. More people die from opioid overdoses than they do from heroin and cocaine use combined. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, enough prescription painkillers were prescribed in 2010 to medicate every American adult around-the-clock for one month. Health care professionals acknowledge that the problem of painkiller-related deaths has reached epidemic proportions – and a McGill University research team wants to know why. They’ve compiled an unprecedented review of clinical research in order to understand what’s driving this destructive trend. Media misrepresentation Mainstream media.. READ MORE »
Pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline has been hit with yet another marketing violation. The drugmaker has paid $105 million to more than 40 American states who filed suit against GSK for promoting off-label uses for its antidepressants. But financial payouts are proving little more than slaps on the wrist for the repeat offender who continues to engage in illegal promotional strategies.
Imagine being able to grow part of an organ in a lab – and then run tests on its functioning in order to truly understand how best to treat a particular condition. Rather than use human subjects to test new therapies, which involves costly and complex pharmaceutical quality control protocols, researchers could develop customized treatments using genetically engineered samples. Organ-on-a-chip Scientists from Harvard’s Wyss Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, and the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have collaborated to revolutionize clinical research with new organ-on-a-chip technology. Using patient stem cells, the team actually engineered part of a heart. The.. READ MORE »
