<img alt=“Pacemaker.jpg” src=“https://blogs.nature.com/nm/spoonful/Pacemaker.jpg” width=“250” height=“227” align=“right” border=0 hspace="10px">— Japanese researchers will ring in the new year with a science budget that looks a lot like the last years — but for them, more of the same is a reason to celebrate. Rather than implementing much-anticipated and much-maligned cuts to funding for science and technology, the new government announced that its budget will include about the same level of support for S&T as the previous government’s budget, although funding priorities will likely shift between projects. (ScienceInsider)

— As more and more big drug makers move into China, one company is heading in the opposite direction. Ranbaxy Laboratories, the large Indian generics firm, has sold its entire stake in a joint venture with a state-owned Chinese comglomerate. The Delhi-based company plans to implement a ‘buy Indian’ strategy by importing drugs from closer to home. (Financial Times)

— New Year’s resolutions at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could put the pressure on the makers of medical devices. In light of two studies that found shortcomings in the quality of clinical trials submitted by cardiovascular device-makers, Jeffrey Shuren, acting director of the FDA’s device division, announced that the agency will set stricter standards for devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators. (NY Times)

— Greater racial diversity is needed among human embryonic stem cell stocks, scientists say. Using data from the HapMap project, two research groups developed simple techniques for discerning the ethnic origin of stem cells. Reporting in the New England Journal of Medicine and Nature Methods, the two teams found that most cell lines originate from people of Caucasian descent, with Africans largely left out of the mix. (AFP; EurekAlert)

Image: Lucien Monfils / Wikimedia Commons

— World Health Organization director-general Margaret Chan warned that the H1N1 flu pandemic might not be brought under control for another six months to a year. If your New Year’s resolution for 2010 is to stay H1N1-free, save it for 2011. (Reuters)

— Regular exposure to disinfectant can turn bacteria into antibiotic-resistant superbugs — even if the bacteria have never been exposed to the antibiotic — according to a new study. Pseudomonas aeruginosa cultures exposed to a common disinfectant evolved a genetic mutation over 33 generations that rendered them immune to the antibiotic ciprofloxacin, among other adaptations. (ScienceDaily)

— The long-term ramifications of the Holocaust may go as far as triggering cancer in later life, according to an Israeli study. Young Jewish men who lived in Europe through World War II were 3.5 times more likely to develop cancer than those who left for Israel before or during the war; similar women had double the risk of their counterparts. (NYTimes)

— Canadian researchers found that reining in unnecessary blood sugar tests for type 2 diabetes patients who don’t take supplementary insulin could save the government tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars. Multiple daily testing not only incurs a financial cost, but a mental cost as well, with patients developing anxiety and depression. (Times & Transcript)

image: Janice Haney Carr, Wikimedia Commons

— The UK Department of Health last week awarded £20 million ($32 million) to child survivors of thalidomide, a drug prescribed from 1958 to 1961 for morning sickness. Of the more than 2,000 British children born with debilitating defects because their mothers took the drug, the 466 who are still alive will share the money to cover health care services not available through the National Health Service and to pay for other lifestyle adaptations into old age. (BBC)

— Tumors can fuel their own growth by using circulating cancer cells to regenerate themselves during metastasis. The findings — from mouse models of breast, colon and melanoma cancers — suggest that cancer seeds might return to tissue after tumor removal because of inflammation, but this can be stopped by suppressing the immune system reaction. (Reuters)

— The US Securities and Exchange Commission has accused two French investors of using information on Sanofi-Aventis’ $1.9 billion purchase of Chattem Inc. — the maker of foot powder, anti-dandruff shampoo, and other goods — to garner $4.2 million through insider trading. Neither pharmaceutical company is accused of wrongdoing, with the deal creating the world’s fifth-largest consumer health care company. (Bloomberg)

— The Associated Press has reported the first case of extremely drug-resistant (XXDR) tuberculosis in the US. The 19-year-old Peruvian man with the contagious and aggressive strain of the disease is one of only a handful XXDR patients in the world, although there are an estimated 500,000 global cases of multiple drug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis each year. (ABC News)

Image of malformed feet because of maternal thalidomide from otisarchives3 via Flickr Creative Commons

— Myrrh, a Middle Eastern tree resin known as one of the three kings’ gifts, lowered “bad cholesterol” (low-density lipoprotein) concentration when included in rats’ diet, a study found. While myrrh may not have the same properties among humans, we do wish you a myrrh-y Christmas! (Science Daily)

— Santa isn’t the best role model for health, according to recent findings. The Pennsylvania Medical Society estimates that if Santa has one cookie and one cup of milk from each home in the state that plans to offer, he would consume nearly 790 million calories on Christmas Eve (AMNews). Another study painting a more sinister picture of the jolly old elf is also making waves. A BMJ piece noted a correlation between venerating Santa and high rates of childhood obesity, along with the fact that the sleigh-driver never wears a seatbelt, but it’s all a Christmas joke.

— Marketing researchers found that eating over the weekends and holidays differs considerably from normal weekdays, leading them to recommend that the US Department of Agriculture revise its food pyramid for the typically high-calorie days. A resolution to eat less on New Year’s Day might be the best start to 2010. (Science Daily)

— Spruce and pine trees have seven times more DNA than the average human, according to researchers who are planning the first genetic mapping of a conifer. O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, T-G-C-T-G-T-C. (Wired)

— Having a hard time catching that last-minute gift? There’s always plenty of mono and pneumonia to go around on giantmicrobes.com. Of course, there’s also the most popular virus of the season: H1N1.

Image by armatoj via Flickr Creative Commons

— Brazil and India are now among the top five governments contributing to research in neglected diseases, which include malaria and tuberculosis, according to a new report. The US placed first with $1.3 billion in funding, while its National Institutes of Health and the Gates Foundation accounted for 60% of the nearly $3 billion total put toward research and product development. (NYTimes)

— GE Healthcare has sued Danish clinician Henrik Thomsen over supposed libelous statements made by him in 2007 regarding their MRI drug, Omniscan. Used to improve contrast in MRI scans, the drug came under fire recently from researchers including Thomsen, who have said it carries a rare and potentially fatal complication in patients with kidney problems. (Guardian)

— A US Department of Health and Human Services report has called for the creation of a national system to monitor the safety of blood, tissue, and organ transplants, along with tracking donors and adverse events among recipients. Concerns over transplant safety, however, might not outweigh concerns over slowing down or not receiving a transplant should the system add more red tape. (Wall Street Journal)

— A study of US births between 1997 and 2003 found that female chemists and biological scientists have an above-average risk of having babies with birth defects. Children born to these women had a higher risk of heart and spinal malformations. (Globe and Mail)

Image by Pavel Tcholakov via Flickr Creative Commons

— Current healthcare legislation under debate in the US would give the government’s Preventive Services Task Force the power to decide whether private insurance companies must provide coverage for preventive services, such as cancer screenings. The task force — recently in the news for its controversial mammogram recommendations — would use a letter-grading system to determine necessity, an idea many are already giving an ‘F.’ (Washington Post)

— San Francisco and Maine are playing phone tag — not with each other, but with the phones themselves. SF Mayor Gavin Newsom and Maine Congresswoman Andrea Boland are each looking to tag cell phones with labels that warn against cancer risks, a position contrary to the stance taken by the US Federal Communications Commission.

— Julie Gerberding, former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was named president of Merck’s vaccine division. Having dealt with avian flu and SARS during her tenure as director, Gerberding will now cover Merck’s $5 billion vaccine business, which includes shots for human papillomavirus and chickenpox. (Reuters)

— The Dutch Health Care Inspectorate last week published a scathing review of a 2008 study of probiotics given to patients with acute pancreatitis in which 24 deaths occurred in the experimental arm. In particular, the report alleges that the trial’s consent forms failed to adequately explain complications for the probiotic. (ScienceInsider)

Image by Oracio Alvarado via Flickr Creative Commons

— In Botswana, researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stopped investigating whether the prophylactic use of antiretrovirals could protect against HIV infections because too few people were infected with the virus during a trial. The good news: the results point to declining HIV rates and better prevention in the country. (Reuters)

— After nine cases of H1N1 were reported in the North Korea, South Korea sent its northern neighbor $15 million-worth of anti-flu drugs, enough for 500,000 people. The gift — the first government-level assistance in two years between the two countries — comes just in time for the holiday, not to mention flu season. (BBC)

— A US Department of Health and Human Services report found that the country’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention failed to identify or resolve the financial conflicts of interest of more than half of its vaccine advisory panel members in 2007. Some advisers even voted on matters they were legally barred from considering. (NYTimes)

— Wisconsin-based Cellular Dynamics International introduced the first commercial product using induced pluripotent stem cells — heart cells called ‘iCell cardiomyocites’. The made-to-order cells can be used for drug research, and are not just another iPhone app. (Financial Times)

Image by ohadweb via Flickr Creative Commons

— A law going into effect this January in Israel gives priority for organ transplants to those who sign donor cards. The program is family-friendly: first-degree relatives of those who sign cards will also receive priority. (BBC)

— A study of 47 embryonic stem cell lines currently used in research found little diversity, with nearly all lines of European and Middle Eastern origin. African and East Asian populations, in particular, were underrepresented. (BusinessWeek)

— Just after the US Senate’s rejection of prescription drug importation, a UK Department of Health report ranked US drug prices the highest in the world – and by a wide margin. In the indexing system, which places the UK’s prices at 100, the US came in at 252, while Germany had the next-highest prices, rating a 142. (FiercePharma)

— The Sacramento Bee published a scathing editorial on last week’s $150,000 pay raise for Art Torres, co-vice chairman of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. In light of the state’s budget crisis, Californians might prefer an institute to regenerate their economy. (Sacramento Bee)

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