Alogliptin, a highly selective dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-4) inhibitor under investigation for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, demonstrated efficacy in reducing glucose levels throughout the day, in an early phase clinical study. Safety results for this multi-dose study showed that alogliptin was well tolerated in patients with type 2 diabetes, with an incidence of hypoglycemia similar to placebo. [click link for full article]

Pledges made by the Group of Eight industrialized nations in 2005 were “not only about HIV/AIDS treatment,” Adrienne Germain, president of the International Women’s Health Coalition, writes in a [click link for full article]

Researchers tracing the development of violent behavior have found a link between teenage violence and domestic violence.Adolescents who engaged in violent behavior at a relatively steady rate through their teenage years and those whose violence began in their mid teens and increased over the years are significantly more likely to engage in domestic violence in their mid 20s than other young adults, according to a new University of Washington study. [click link for full article]

As the country braces itself for yet more heavy rain at the weekend, NHS Direct has urged anyone on medication to remember to: — Think ahead and purchase any repeat prescriptions just in case flooding prevents them from getting to the pharmacy at a later stage– Where possible keep all medication on the second floor and if possible in a water-tight container– Pack all necessary medicines in the unfortunate event of having to be evacuated. [click link for full article]

Data from the PROactive and CHICAGO studies of ACTOS” (pioglitazone HCl) were presented in poster format at the 67th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association in Chicago: * The relationship between renal dysfunction and major cardiovascular outcomes in patients with diabetes: experience from PROactive; Poster 0670-P. [click link for full article]

The economic, logistical and social “obstacles” women face in obtaining access to a “full range of health services” must be “taken into account” as California lawmakers consider overhauling the state’s health system, a San Francisco Chronicle editorial says (San Francisco Chronicle, 6/24).Gov. [click link for full article]

Does air pollution have a bigger effect on the immune system of females than males? It did among mice exposed to ozone — a major component in air pollution that is known to negatively affect lung function — and then infected with pneumonia, as significantly more females died from the infection than males.It is known that some immune functions differ in males and females, in humans as well as in rodents. [click link for full article]

Patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer who receive an initial high dose of chemotherapy before their treatment begins can expect an increase in overall survival, according to a study in the July 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of ASTRO. Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type of lung cancer in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. [click link for full article]

Stroke is a leading cause of hospital admission among older adults. Yet more hospital readmissions after stroke are for pneumonia or for heart disease than for another stroke, according to a study published in the June 2007 issue of the journal Stroke. This finding may alter the standard medical management of post-stroke patients.”Few stroke patients survive five years without a readmission to the hospital. [click link for full article]

Human rights advocate Chen Guangcheng — who was arrested in China after attempting to bring a class-action lawsuit for alleged human rights abuses associated with the enforcement of the country’s one-child-per-family policy — recently staged a hunger strike to protest being beaten in prison, his lawyers and supporters said on Friday, the [click link for full article]