News 1 President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, 56, underwent his first week of chemotherapy with minor discomfort in Cuba, he is now back in Venezuela. He added that he still has several additional episodes of treatment to go through. He walked off the plane yesterday at 9.45p.m. in Simón Bolívar de Maiquetía International Airport, in Vargas state. He walked down the tarmac while his troops stood at attention with what appeared to be a comfortable and healthy step and gait. Chavez stressed that during his stay in Cuba he was able to attend to all his presidential obligations. He said that while in Cuba he received Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa, Daniel Ortaga of Nicaragua, and soccer star Diego Armando Maradona. News 2 Patients with permanent atrial fibrillation who take Multaq(dronedarone), an antiarrhythmic medication, have double the risk of death and double the risk of being hospitalized for heart failure or developing stroke compared to those on a placebo, the FDA announced after the evaluation of a clinical trial. The trial was halted early because of these findings. Multaq was originally approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) for a different, but related use. Its approval was based on a previous (ATHENA) study in which the medication was linked to a lower risk of death when compared to placebo. This latest study, called PALLAS, was looking at the benefits of Multaq for individuals with permanent atrial fibrillation aged 65+ years. Researchers were specifically looking out for reductions in unplanned cardiovascular hospitalization or death from any cause, as well as major CV (cardiovascular) events. Examples of major CV events include cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction (heart attack), stroke, or systemic arterial embolism. PALLAS stands for Permanent Atrial Fibrillation Outcome Study Using Dronedarone on Top of Standard Therapy. The FDA wants to determine what the implications might be of the PALLAS results with regard to Multaq's approved use - patients with paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation (non-permanent atrial fibrillation). If you are currently taking Multaq for non-permanent atrial fibrillation you should discuss your medication therapy with your doctor, do not stop taking it without consulting him/her, the FDA said. The FDA is also telling doctors not to prescribe Multaq for those with permanent atrial fibrillation. News 3 Though it generally is known that obesity dramatically increases the risk for type 2diabetes, the biological mechanisms for that connection still are unclear.  Backed by several grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), James Granneman, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences and pathology in Wayne State University's School of Medicine, is examining the nature of those mechanisms, specifically how the toxicity of lipids, or fatty acids, links obesity and diabetes.