arGentis Pharmaceuticals, LLC announced that it will collaborate with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center of Memphis (VAMC) to initiate the first human clinical evaluation of an oral altered peptide ligand (APL), ARG301, in a Phase I study of Rheumatoid Arthritis patients. ARG301 is a synthetic peptide, which in animal studies appears to down regulate autoimmunity to Type II collagen (CII), a known autoantigen in RA.

New figures on deaths from cancer in Europe show a steady decline in mortality between the periods 1990-1994 and 2000-2004. Deaths from all cancers in the European Union (EU) between these two periods fell by nine percent in men and eight percent in women, with a large drop among the middle-aged population. In a study published online in the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology [1], researchers found that there was an average 185.

Southern Illinois University researchers determined Medicare beneficiaries living in rural areas were 27% more likely than urban recipients to have total knee or hip replacement surgeries. Researchers found women were more likely than men to undergo total joint replacement surgeries. Differences in elective joint surgeries between white individuals and minorities in both rural and urban areas were observed, but were less pronounced in rural settings.

Two experts question on bmj.com today whether the conflict of interest is unethical when drug companies perform clinical trials on their own medicines. Their opinions come as new guidance on the obligatory standards for communicating company sponsored medical research. Vincent Lawton is a healthcare consultant and non-executive director at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in London.

The Health Protection Agency is investigating a number of cases of the gastrointestinal infection E. coli O157 associated with travellers returning from the resort of Benidorm in Spain. So far the HPA has been made aware of 14 confirmed cases of E. coli O157 among travellers returning to the UK, with onset dates ranging from 12th - 21st November. All laboratory confirmed cases are adults. Four people are known to have been admitted to hospital after returning to the UK.

A callus, or callosity, is a section of skin that has become toughened and thick as a result of friction, pressure or irritation. If the friction (rubbing) is excessive, blisters will form rather than calluses. Calluses on feet are most commonly caused by frequent walking. In general, calluses are not harmful, but may occasionally lead to infections or ulcerations of the skin. A corn, clavus (plural: clavi) is a specially-shaped callus of dead skin.

Liver cancer begins in the cells of the liver. The liver is a football-sized organ that sits in the upper right portion of the abdomen. The liver carries out many vital functions, such as digesting proteins and fats, removing toxins from the body, producing chemicals that stop blood clotting and releasing bile in order to aid digestion. Liver cancer is a serious condition because the disruption, or loss, of any of these functions can be fatal.

Positron Corporation (OTCBB:POSC) a molecular imaging solutions company focused on Nuclear Cardiology, expects the evolution from cardiac SPECT to cardiac PET imaging will be greatly accelerated with the recent changes in reimbursement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) set for 2010. The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule outlines the payment rates for medical services paid to private physicians in the outpatient office setting.

Osteoarthritis (OA), a highly prevalent disease, raised aggregate annual medical care expenditures in the U.S. by $185.5 billion according to researchers from Stony Brook University. Insurers footed $149.4 billion of the total medical spend and out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures were $36.1 billion (2007 dollars). Results of the cost analysis study are published in the December issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.

The Swedish biotech company Karo Bio (Reuters: KARO.ST) announced that Merck & Co., Inc., through an affiliate, plans to enter a clinical phase IIa trial with the collaboration’s lead investigational drug candidate, MK-6913, identified as part of their joint research collaboration. No milestone payment to Karo Bio is associated with the initiation of phase II clinical development.