Health Care

Preeclampsia is a leading cause of maternal and infant death worldwide, though the causes are poorly understood, and treatment options are limited. When an expectant mother develops the disease – which causes high blood pressure, swelling, headache, vision changes and seizures – the normal course of action is to deliver the baby as soon as possible to avoid the potential death of both mother and baby. But when it occurs too early in a pregnancy, that remedy is surrounded by health risks for the baby that could result in life-long problems. It's a conundrum rEVO Biologics of Framingham is trying to solve. The biopharmaceutical company, which is focused on developing and commercializing treatments for patients with rare, life-threatening diseases, began clinical trials last summer on a drug that may allow women to prolong their pregnancies than what available medicine allows.

Boston Scientific Corp. (NYSE: BSX) of Marlborough saw sales improve in the fourth quarter and throughout 2014, thanks in large part to strong sales of the company's cardiovascular devices.

Researchers at University of Massachusetts Medical School and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, helped by a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, are developing a smartphone app that will help users better understand why they overeat.

Quest Diagnostics, which recently opened an $80 million medical laboratory in Marlborough, slightly beat analysts' expectations for earnings in the fourth quarter of 2014.

The new Remillard Family Emergency Department officially opened its doors Thursday at the Webster campus of Harrington HealthCare.

Recruiters at General Electric's Healthcare Life Sciences division -- currently of New Jersey, soon to be of Marlborough -- are in the middle of a hiring frenzy as they prepare to launch operations at the division's new U.S. headquarters late this summer. By 2017, GE estimates it'll employ about 500 at the Marlborough site, with positions ranging from customer service staff and project managers to scientists and engineers.

Milford-based Waters Corp., a manufacturer of laboratory instruments, on Wednesday announced the opening of its Joint Open Laboratory in Beijing. Outfitted with Waters' chromatography and mass spectrometry technologies, the analytic laboratory will be jointly operated by Waters and the Chinese Pharmacopeia Commission (ChP), according to a company statement. It is expected to serve as one of China's national technical support centers in the field of Chinese pharmaceutical standards, Waters said.

Anna Maria College will offer a new master's degree program in health emergency management, citing a high demand for the skills to respond to both natural and man-made disasters, the Paxton school said.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester are wondering if studies of a lowly worm can help us understand how to better maintain health as we age.

As the Jan. 23 deadline to enroll in health insurance plans through the Massachusetts Health Connector nears, the state and local insurers are boosting efforts to reach people in need of coverage.