MIT researchers have explained why two mutations in the H1N1 avian flu virus were critical for viral transmission in humans during the 1918 pandemic outbreak that killed at least 50 million people. The team showed that the 1918 influenza strain developed two mutations in a surface molecule called hemagglutinin (HA), which allowed it to bind tightly to receptors in the human upper respiratory tract.

A team of scientists from Denmark and Sweden discovered that indoor air polluted with tiny particles that are breathed in and get into the bloodstream affected the performance of blood vessels, and potentially increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, in elderly people. When the air quality was improved using filters, their blood vessels worked much better.

King Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: KG) announced the launch of its new ALTACE(R) Tablets (ramipril). King has received orders and initiated shipments of ALTACE(R) Tablets to many of its customers. The Company will continue to make available ALTACE(R) Capsules (ramipril). About ALTACE ALTACE is the leading branded ACE inhibitor with multiple indications. ALTACE is indicated for the treatment of hypertension.

At age 20, Vanessa Cirillo suffered a heart attack caused by a virus. She recovered and lived a healthy life until June 2007, when her heart condition became critical. Her heart had enlarged several times its normal size (cardiomyopathy). It was no longer pumping enough blood to sustain her body. She needed a heart transplant but no donor heart was available. To save her life, she was flown from a Las Vegas hospital to

The Los Angeles Times on Friday examined the effects of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief’s antiretroviral drug distribution in Africa (Sanders, Los Angeles Times, 2/15).

ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc. and the University of Pennsylvania’s Roberts Proton Therapy Center announced an agreement that will provide advanced training programs and accredit medical professionals in proton therapy - an alternative to conventional radiation therapy that avoids many of the side effects inherent in treatment.

A surge in Florida’s per capita income following several hurricanes in recent years has resulted in a decrease in federal Medicaid funds, the Miami Herald reports. Federal Medicaid distributions are calculated on a three-year average of state per capita personal income compared with national per capita income.

New York City health officials on Wednesday unveiled the city’s new official condom as part of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s efforts to curb the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, as well as to prevent unintended pregnancies, the

Summaries of health care reform developments in Colorado and New Mexico appear below.Colorado: Gov. Bill Ritter (D) on Wednesday announced a series of health care proposals that would expand coverage to an additional 200,000 uninsured state residents, the AP/Denver Post reports (Paulson, AP/Denver Post, 2/13).

The School District of Palm Beach County in Florida plans to begin a new sex education curriculum in April that will teach sixth-grade students about contraception and teach seventh-grade students how to use condoms, the Palm Beach Post reports.