A Libyan court on Sunday acquitted of slander charges five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor sentenced to death for allegedly intentionally infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV, the New York Times reports (Brunwasser, New York Times, 5/28). The…
CQ’s Carey Examines War Spending Bill With SCHIP Funding, House Measures To Expand Veterans Health Care, Medical Malpractice Legislation
Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, discusses SCHIP funds included in the fiscal year 2007 supplemental war appropriations bill, House approval of veterans’ health care legislation and the introduction of bicameral measures that would provide funds for states…
Nanotechnology Provides For A ‘Green’ Future
As products made with nanometer-scale materials and devices spread to more industries and markets, there is a growing opportunity and responsibility to leverage nanotechnology to reduce pollution, conserve resources and, ultimately, build a “clean” economy, advises a new report from…
California Governor Does Not Plan To Submit Health Care Proposal To Legislature Until Possibly Later This Session
Advisers to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) say his health care expansion proposal will not be introduced as legislation because they do not want it to be dissected in legislative hearings, the AP/Los Angeles Daily News reports. Instead, the administration…
Study Shows No Link Between Self-Weighing And Depression In Women
Frequent self-weighing is not associated with depression in women, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. A study being published in a recent issue of Preventive Medicine found no strong evidence linking frequent scale stepping…
Research Group Gets $7 Million To Pursue New Antibiotic Agents
The National Institutes of Health has awarded $7 million to a team of researchers from the University of Illinois and the University of Wisconsin to discover, engineer and produce a promising – yet little explored – class of antibiotic agents.…
Possible Therapy Target For Friedreich’s Ataxia
Friedreich’s ataxia is one of those diseases few have heard of unless you know someone with the condition. For that individual — usually a child or teenager — it is devastating. Symptoms are mild at first: muscle weakness in the…
Smoking Common During Pregnancy
While pregnancy may be considered an effective motivator for smoking cessation, results of a new study by researchers at the Mailman School of Public Health indicate that pregnant U.S. women commonly smoke, placing themselves and their unborn children at risk…
Washington Governor Expected To Sign Health Care Coverage Expansion Bill
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire (D) is expected to sign a bill that would expand health insurance coverage and reduce health care costs in the state, the AP/Takoma News Tribune reports. The state House on Friday voted 63-35 to approve the…
Racial Disparities In Colorectal Cancer Survival Driven By Social Factors Not Genetics
Correcting social, economic and healthcare inequalities may have the most significant impact in reducing survival differences in colorectal cancer (CRC) between African Americans and Caucasians, according to a new study. Published in the June 1, 2007 issue of CANCER, a…
Incentives For Prescription Drug Tests In Children Should Continue, According To Op-Ed
“The question is not whether we should study the safety of drugs for children, but how we make that research happen,” and the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act, which will expire this year, “has generated more clinical information for the…
Value Of Stent-coating Drugs Questioned
Patients admitted to the hospital with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are often treated with a catheter-based procedure known as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), during which a stent is inserted into an occluded or narrowed coronary artery to restore blood flow…
Pediatricians Raise Concerns About Childhood Immunization Cost
The New York Times on Saturday examined the “soaring cost and rising number of new vaccines” for children, a problem that pediatricians maintain will “make it increasingly difficult … to buy the shots they give their patients.” The cost of…
Drug Does Not Reduce Risk Of Death For Heart Attack Patients With Refractory Shock
The medication tilarginine, a drug that was believed could be beneficial for patients who develop cardiogenic shock (low blood pressure due to impaired cardiac function) after a heart attack, did not reduce the risk of death up to six months…
MRI Scan Improves Detection Rate Of Breast Cancer In Second Breast New Study Says
MRI scans can vastly improve detection rates of breast cancer in the other breast for women who have been recently diagnosed with it in the first breast, a new Canadian and US study suggests. Following the study the American Cancer…
Drug-Eluting And Bare-Metal Stents Equal In Risk Of Blood Clots, Heart Attacks And Death
Although the use of stents to treat coronary artery disease has soared during the past decade thanks to novel equipment and new implant techniques, clinical data has recently raised concerns around the safety of drug-eluting stents (DES) and their risk…
Zinc Found To Be A Link In Age-Related Macular Degeneration
An international research team including scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) and the Galveston-based spinoff Neurobiotex, Inc. has found high levels of zinc in deposits in the eye that are an indication of age-related macular…
Inhibiting Blood To Save The Brain
A fibrous protein called fibrinogen, found in circulating blood and important in blood clotting, can promote multiple sclerosis (MS) when it leaks from the blood into the brain, triggering inflammation that leads to MS-related nerve damage. Researchers at the University…
Life Cycle Assessment Essential To Nanotech Commercial Development
Life cycle assessment (LCA) – a cradle-to-grave look at the health and environmental impact of a material, chemical, or product – is an essential tool for ensuring the safe, responsible, and sustainable commercialization of nanotechnology, U.S. and European experts conclude…
Pfizer’s Sutent Receives FDA Approval To Include New First-Line Advanced Kidney Cancer Data In Label
Pfizer Inc said today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved new labeling of Sutent(R) (sunitinib malate) which includes first-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), a type of advanced kidney cancer, based on results of…
Advanced BioHealing Enrolls First Patient In Celaderm(TM) Pilot Venous Leg Ulcer Clinical Trial
Advanced BioHealing, Inc. (ABH) announced today that it has enrolled the first patient in its initial Celaderm(TM) pilot study. The study, whose primary purpose is to evaluate the safety of Celaderm in humans, will also assess the potential for Celaderm…
Prevalence Of Overactive Bladder Is Overestimated
According to the International Continence Society, overactive bladder is a symptom-defined condition characterized by urinary urgency, with or without urgency incontinence, usually with urinary frequency and nocturia (night-time urination). The term overactive bladder is appropriate if there is no proven…
Statin Therapy Associated With Regression Of Coronary Atherosclerosis With Key Lipid Level Changes
An analysis of data from four clinical trials suggests that statin therapy is associated with regression of coronary atherosclerosis when low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C or “bad” cholesterol) is substantially reduced and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C or “good” cholesterol) is increased,…
Senate Finance Committee Leaders ‘Stop Short’ Of Endorsing Norwalk As Permanent CMS Administrator
The leaders of the Senate Finance Committee, which would conduct confirmation hearings on nominations for a permanent CMS administrator, on Tuesday “stopped short” of endorsing acting agency administrator Leslie Norwalk for the position, CQ HealthBeat reports. Committee Chair Max Baucus…
EPG Patient Direct – A Portal Enabling The Millions Of Patients Seeking Knowledge And Information About Personal Care And Health
IMR International Limited, developers of e-communication and clinical information solutions, today announced that it will launch EPG Patient Direct in June 2007. The service, designed specifically for public and patient use, will provide visitors with access to a vast range…
Wal-Mart, SEIU, Others To Launch Campaign Seeking Universal Health Coverage, Shared Responsibility
Wal-Mart Stores and the Service Employees International Union on Wednesday in a joint news conference will announce “a major new campaign with a focus on health care,” according to a news release issued Tuesday, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports (AP/Houston Chronicle,…
Recommendations For Diagnosis And Management Of Venous Thromboembolism
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and American College of Physicians (ACP) has released new clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Key elements of the diagnosis guideline include the use of clinical prediction…
Physicians Worry Poor Breast Cancer Drug Compliance Could Lead To Recurrence, Reduced Chance Of Survival, Los Angeles Times Reports
Some physicians are concerned by recent research that showed as many as one-third of women taking breast cancer drugs developed in the past 10 years do not complete their recommended five-year course, which could lead to a recurrence of the…
Editorials, Opinion Pieces Address Bill To Require HHS Secretary To Negotiate Medicare Prescription Drug Prices
Several recent editorials and opinion pieces addressed entitlement spending, including a bill passed last week by the House that would require the HHS secretary to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies on prices for medications under the Medicare prescription drug benefit.…
Mayo Clinic Research Shows 35 Percent Of 49 Young People Who Died Suddenly And Inexplicably Had Genetic Heart Defects
In 49 young people who died suddenly and inexplicably at an average age of 14, conventional autopsies found no cause of death. But when Mayo Clinic researchers conducted a sophisticated form of postmortem genetic testing — known as a molecular…
World’s First Users Meeting On Endoluminal Surgery Unites Leading Digestive Surgeons And Gastroenterologists Throughout Europe
EndoGastric Solutions, Inc. (EGS), the world leader in endoluminal intragastric surgery, announces that over 120 surgeons and gastroenterologists from more than 50 hospitals across Europe came together to discuss the evolution of incisionless transoral digestive surgery for the treatment of…
FDA Approves NovoLog(R) Category Change For Use In Pregnant Women With Type 1 Diabetes
Novo Nordisk announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved NovoLog(R) (insulin aspart [rDNA origin] injection) for pregnancy Category B rating, further validating NovoLog(R) as a safe and effective treatment for pregnant women with Type…
Imaging Technique Is Highly Accurate In Diagnosing, Locating Pancreas Defects In Newborns
The noninvasive imaging technology called positron-emission tomography (PET scan) is extremely accurate in diagnosing a type of congenital hyperinsulinism (HI), a rare but severe imbalance of insulin levels in newborns. When that disease is confined to a limited section of…
Computer Factory Workers At Increased Risk Of Cancer, Large Study Shows
Workers at computer factories are at increased risk of dying of cancer. The largest study of its kind published 18 Oct. 2006 in the open access journal Environmental Health (http://www.ehjournal.net/ looks at over 30,000 deaths of workers who had been…
CIMZIATM (Certolizumab Pegol) Maintained Response And Remission In Crohn’s Patients Previously Treated With Infliximab
New data from a post hoc analysis of the PRECiSE clinical trial program demonstrated that the anti-TNF CIMZIATM (certolizumab pegol) maintained response and remission in patients with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease, regardless of whether or not they had been…
Cancer Survivors Recognized For Helping Philadelphia-Area Patients
The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) has named Rita Davis-Goldsberry of Newark, Del., as the 2006 Survivor Circle Award Winner and Barbara Knight-Meyers, Ph.D., as the 2006 Distinguished Honoree. Ms. Davis-Goldsberry will be presented with her award…
Survey Rates Hospital Safety, NEJM Examines Trend To Seek Medical Care Abroad
* “Leapfrog Hospital Quality and Safety Survey,” The Leapfrog Group: The survey evaluated 1,200 hospitals nationwide to determine the state of health care quality and safety in U.S. hospitals. Using the survey results, Leapfrog named 59 participating hospitals to the…
Cypher® Sirolimus-Eluting Coronary Stent Outperformed Taxus Stent In Long Coronary Lesions, New Trial
Results from a multicenter, prospective, randomized clinical trial indicate that the CYPHER® Stent performed better than the Taxus Stent in procedures involving long coronary lesions, which are considered some of the most complex blockages to treat with balloon angioplasty. The…
National Kidney Foundation Distributes Unique Survivor’s Kit For Katrina Survivors
The devastation unleashed by Hurricane Katrina caused the death of nearly 2,000 people in the Gulf area, and reminders of the disaster are widespread. For survivors of the storm, the mental and emotional costs continue to exact a toll. Now…
Leptin Has Powerful Effect On Reward Center In The Brain
Leptin, a hormone critical for normal food intake and metabolism, exerts a strong effect on appetite by acting in the mid-brain region as well as in the hypothalamus, according to a Yale School of Medicine study in Neuron. “Finding that…
The Thermo-expandable Metallic Stent For Managing Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Systematic Review
The surgical management of LUTS or urinary retention secondary to BPH is not without risks, especially in the older patient or those with significant co-morbidities. The urethral stent was developed for these patients as an alternative to long-term urethral or…
Women Given Liver Transplants Outlive Male Recipients By Around 4 Years
Female liver transplant recipients outlive men given the same procedure by an average of 4.5 years, suggests research published ahead of print in Gut. And while younger people tend to live longest of all, they also stand to lose more…
Risk Of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Increased by Restricted Fetal Growth
Babies weighing less than the standard weight seem to be at significantly greater risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome or IBS, suggests research published ahead of print in the journal Gut. The Norwegian authors base their findings on 3334 twin…
AACR CEO Margaret Foti Receives Cancer Service Award
American Association for Cancer Research Chief Executive Officer Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.) will receive the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) Distinguished Service Award for her outstanding contributions to progress in cancer research. The award will be presented during…
Unprecedented Cross Institute Collaboration On Behalf Of Patients With Tourette Syndrome
Tourette Syndrome (TS) is an often disabling hereditary condition characterized by motor and phonic tics that today affects approximately 200,000 children and adults in the U.S. and Canada. In a meeting jointly sponsored by the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders…
Human Genome Sciences Reports Positive Results Of Phase 1 Clinical Trial Of CCR5 MAb In Patients Infected With HIV-1
Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI) today announced that the results of a Phase 1 clinical trial of HGS004 (CCR5 mAb) demonstrate that it was well tolerated and exhibited antiviral activity in patients who are infected with HIV-1, the retrovirus…
Heart Disease Patients Have Arteries 40 Years Older Than Their Real Age
Scientists from Cambridge University, UK, have found that people with advanced heart disease have arteries with the DNA damage of people 40 years older. In other words, the arteries of a patient with advanced heart disease are biologically 40 years…
Health Care Proxy Selections Often Unexpected, Study Finds
The selection of a designated health care “proxy” often is unexpected, according to a study published in the August issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the Detroit Free Press reports. A proxy, or “durable power of attorney for…
American College Of Physicians Expresses Support For Executive Order On Health Care Transparency
The American College of Physicians (ACP) today expressed its support for the goals of the executive order signed by President Bush, noting that the ACP has provided the White House with detailed recommendations on introducing transparency in health care decision-making…
University Of Manchester Researchers Say HIV Drug Could Be Used To Prevent Cervical Cancer
Researchers at the University of Manchester are developing a topical treatment against the human papilloma virus (HPV) which is responsible for pre-cancerous and cancerous disease of the cervix as well as other genital malignancies. In the UK many thousands of…
Some Sex Workers In Kenya Might Carry Gene That Protects Them From HIV, Study Finds
Some commercial sex workers in Kenya who apparently are immune to HIV might be carrying a gene that protects them from contracting the virus, according to a study presented last week at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto, the…
Kenyan Parliament To Debate Changes In Patent Law, Could Decrease Generic Drug Access, Advocates, Officials Say
Kenya’s Parliament on Thursday is scheduled to debate proposed amendments to its patent law, some of which are opposed by some HIV/AIDS advocates because they say the amendments could decrease access to antiretroviral drugs, Reuters South Africa reports (Kanina, Reuters…
Conservative Democratic Lawmakers Seek To Block Pennsylvania Funding For Embryonic Stem Cell Research
A group of self-described “pro-life Democrats” in Pennsylvania convened a hearing on Tuesday to rally efforts to block state funding for embryonic stem cell research, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. According to the Inquirer, Democrat-sponsored state legislation that would finance stem…
In The Interests Of Patients, Roche Will Consider All Options Following CHMP Opinion On Tarceva In Pancreatic Cancer
Roche announced today that its cancer medicine Tarceva (erlotinib) has received a negative opinion from the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) for use in combination with gemcitabine chemotherapy for the first line treatment of advanced pancreatic…
Psychosocial Stimulation In Early Childhood Helps Stunted Children
Psychosocial stimulation in early childhood has long term benefits for stunted children’s emotional outcomes and attention, finds a sixteen-year study published on bmj.com today. Growth retardation or stunting affects 30% of children under 5 years globally and is associated with…
“Price Transparency” Provision Removed From House Health Care Information Technology Bill
House leaders on Wednesday removed a provision that would have required hospitals to make public some price information from a health care information technology bill (HR 4157), CQ Today reports (Crowley, CQ Today, 7/26). The legislation, sponsored by Reps. Nancy…
New Molecular Approach To Early Cancer Detection Developed By Scientist
Scientists have pioneered a new approach to detecting cancer cells, one that could eventually allow doctors to discover many malignancies earlier than currently possible. The scientists at the University of Florida have successfully tested the technique to find leukemia cells…
Society For Urodynamics And Female Urology Meeting
UroToday.com – The annual Society for Urodynamics and Female Urology meeting was held on Saturday May 20 at the Omni Hotel adjacent to the Georgia World Congress Center. The theme of the 3 hour meeting was “The Urethra” with the…
Former Memphis Resident Needs Life-Saving Double Lung Transplant
Pam Miles, a public relations executive who lived in Memphis for 13 years, has Cystic Fibrosis and must undergo a complete lung transplant within the next six months in order to live. A corps of volunteers, led by members of…
Major Grant To IU School Of Medicine Will Expand HIV/AIDS Programs In Kenya
The Indiana University School of Medicine has been awarded a $8.9 million federal grant to expand its highly regarded HIV/AIDS programs in Kenya, tripling the number of patients who will be receiving anti-retroviral drug treatments. The grant, from the President’s…
The Surrey Ion Beam Centre In Collaboration With The Gray Cancer Institute To Build The World’s First Vertical Nanobeam To Enable Cancer Care To Be In
The University of Surrey Ion Beam Centre (IBC) in collaboration with the Gray Cancer Institute is working on a £1.2M project which is underpinned by a prestigious grant of £800k from the Wolfson Foundation. The funding will be used to…
Opening Of Tayside Children’s Hospital
The £10 million Tayside Children’s Hospital at Ninewells in Dundee was formally opened on Wednesday June 7th by TV and radio personality Fred MacAulay. Fred, a former Rector of the University of Dundee, was involved in the fundraising campaign to…
California To Delay Enforcement Of Federal Rule Requiring Proof Of Citizenship For Medicaid Eligibility
California health officials on Tuesday said they are postponing the enforcement of a new federal law that will require Medicaid enrollees and applicants to show proof of U.S. citizenship, the Los Angeles Times reports (Lin, Los Angeles Times, 6/7). Under…
Spending On Specialty Drugs On The Rise, Expected To Double By 2009, Express Scripts Says
Spending on specialty drugs — a category that includes many biotech treatments for chronic conditions — increased 17.5% in 2005, while spending on traditional medications increased 10%, according to a study released on Wednesday by Express Scripts, a pharmacy benefit…
MUHC Announces A Transplant First In Quebec
Doctors at the MUHC have announced Quebec’s first successful combined heart/liver transplant. The patient, Patrice Dionne, age 54 years, was transferred from the Institut de cardiologie de Quebec (l’hopital Laval) to the MUHC. The patient received his new heart and…
Tufts Senior VP Appointed By Romney Administration To Head Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, USA
As expected, Jon Kingsdale, a senior vice president of policy development at Tufts Health Plan was appointed by the Romney administration as head of the Common Health Insurance Connector Authority, the Boston Globe reports (Krasner, Boston Globe, 5/26). Under the…
High-Deductible Health Plans Growing In Popularity Among Large Companies, USA
The Detroit Free Press on Tuesday examined health savings accounts and how many automakers and other large U.S. companies are offering employees the option of high-deductible health plans with HSAs. According to America’s Health Insurance Plans, 3.2 million U.S. employees…
Knowledge Of Infection May Prevent Spread Of Herpes Virus
A new study suggests that the risk of transmitting the virus that causes most cases of genital herpes could be cut in half by more testing and informing sexual partners of infection. The study is published in the July 1…
States Seek To Reform Health Care Systems After Passage Of Massachusetts Law
The Wall Street Journal on Saturday examined how Massachusetts health care legislation signed by Gov. Mitt Romney (R) earlier this year “is drawing attention from politicians in other states,” who “say they are inspired by the bipartisan nature of the…
Washington Post Examines Concerns Over Potential Misuse Of Prescription Drugs Caused By Advertisements
The Washington Post on Tuesday examined concerns raised by critics about prescription drug advertisements “taking something that is within normal bounds and labeling it a disease needing pharmaceutical treatment.” The Post profiles recent GlaxoSmithKline ads for Requip, a medication approved…
Vermont Governor Signs Compromise Health Care Reform Legislation
Vermont Gov. James Douglas (R) on Thursday signed two bills into law that establish a new state-funded insurance program for the uninsured and require employers to pay assessments if they do not offer health care coverage to their workers, the…
Beating Bad Breath
If you’re bothered by bad breath, simple measures often can help. Bad breath often stems from food particles in the mouth, from dry mouth, or from a health problem. The June issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter offers tips to…
Pennsylvania Managed Care Companies Push For Higher Medicaid Reimbursements
Insurance companies operating managed care plans under Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program are objecting to a proposed payment increase that they say is too low to keep up with growing medical expenses, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Gov. Ed Rendell’s (D) fiscal year…
San Francisco Chronicle Examines Use Of Pill-Splitting Programs By Health Insurers
The San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday examined how several large insurers are “encouraging patients to save money by splitting their pills in half.” Consumers can save on copayments by cutting pills in half because pharmaceutical companies typically charge the same…
Some Patient Groups Have Financial Ties To Pharmaceutical Companies
The Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday examined how “many patient groups and drug companies maintain close, multimillion-dollar relationships while disclosing limited or no details about the ties.” According to the Inquirer, “such coziness raises questions about the impartiality of groups that…
Canadian Health Minister Clement Notes Progress At G8 Health Ministers Meeting
Canadian Health Minister Tony Clement was pleased with the outcome of discussions at the first-ever meeting of G8 Health Ministers in Moscow. Ministers renewed their international commitment to combat avian influenza and prevent and prepare for a possible human pandemic…
Foundation Trust Network Responds To New Wave Of FT Authorisations, UK
Sue Slipman, Director of the Foundation Trust Network said: “The authorisation of the first wave of mental health foundation trusts is great news. “It marks a new era for mental health which, for the first time, will have its funding…
Abbott’s HUMIRA(R) (Adalimumab) Receives Positive Opinion From European Medicines Agency For The Treatment Of Ankylosing Spondylitis
Abbott today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), the scientific committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), granted a positive opinion recommending approval of HUMIRA(R) (adalimumab) for the treatment of severe active ankylosing spondylitis. The…
1,000 New York City Doctors Will Get Electronic Health Records Systems
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner Thomas R. Frieden today fulfilled a pledge from the Mayor’s campaign and State of the City by announcing that the City has appropriated $27 million to help…
Abbott’s New Tablet Formulation Of Kaletra(R) (Lopinavir/Ritonavir) Receives Positive Opinion From The European Medicines Agency
Abbott announced today that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), the scientific committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), has issued a positive opinion recommending approval of a new, more convenient tablet formulation of its protease inhibitor…
Pharmacokinetic Data For Nastech’s Intranasal Parathyroid Hormone (PTH1-34) Demonstrated Similar Profile To Approved Injectable Product
Nastech Pharmaceutical Company Inc. (Nasdaq: NSTK) presents data today from a Phase I pharmacokinetic study of Parathyroid Hormone (PTH1-34) nasal spray demonstrating a similar pharmacokinetic profile to the approved subcutaneous product, Forteo(R) (teriparatide). The data are being presented at the…
Clinical Utility Of Two Novel Genes That Can Identify Patients At Higher Risk For Early Breast Cancer Recurrence
AviaraDx, Inc., formerly known as Arcturus Bioscience, Inc., a leader in molecular cancer profiling, announced today that a study, conducted in collaboration with Mayo Clinic, demonstrated the clinical utility of two novel genes that can identify patients at higher risk…
Positive Phase II Results With Orally Active GnRH Receptor Antagonist In Endometriosis – Neurocrine Biosciences Inc
Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: NBIX) today announced positive results of its ‘proof of concept’, safety, efficacy and dose-finding Phase II clinical trial using its proprietary, orally-active small molecule Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) receptor antagonist (NBI-56418). The 3-month data comes from a…
Herb Tested To Stop Breast Cancer Patients’ Hot Flushes And Night Sweats
Researchers at the University of Manchester, UK, are testing a secret herb in a bid to stop the severe hot flushes that besiege breast cancer patients on hormone treatment. Professor Alex Molassiotis, of the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social…
New Research Identifies Specific Teenage And Young Adult Cancers And Points To Possible Causes
An analysis of new data by a leading cancer researcher has revealed specific cancers that are most likely to affect teenagers and young adults, and it points to infections, adolescent growth spurts, and hormones as being among the possible causes.…
Lack Of Specialist Training For Nurses Is Failing Adolescent Cancer Patients, UK
Teenagers and young adults with cancer are not always cared for appropriately because a lack of specialist training for nurses means that staff are not necessarily equipped to recognise and meet the unique needs of this age group, according to…
Helping Mentally Retarded Children And Adolescents: Support From Families And Health Care Professionals Have Significant Impact
The costs associated with mental retardation (MR) for persons born in 2000 will total over 51 billion dollars. While direct health and educational costs are significant, lifetime indirect costs due to productivity losses are much greater. Better efforts to understand…
New Gene That Causes Spread Of Cancer Identified, University Of Liverpool
Professor Philip Rudland, Dr Guozheng Wang and Dr Roger Barraclough from the University’s Cancer and Polio Research Fund Laboratories have discovered an additional member of the S100 family of protein genes – S100P – that causes the spread of cancerous…
Making Drugs From Bugs To Fight Super-bugs Such As MRSA
Antibiotic resistance is a major problem worldwide and there is an urgent need for new antibiotics to be developed. Potential new drugs are usually made in the lab which is complicated and time-consuming. An international team of scientists are using…
Scientists To Tackle Illness With ‘silver Bullet’
It has been known for some time that silver is highly toxic to a wide range of bacteria, and silver-based compounds have been used extensively in bactericidal applications. This property of silver has caused great interest especially as new resistant…
AHCA Letter Urges House To Follow Senate Lead In Rejecting Medicare, Medicaid Cuts, USA
In a letter sent to the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives and members of the House Budget Committee, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) today urged the House to follow the U.S. Senate’s lead in rejecting Medicare and…
Impact On Patients Of NHS Dentistry Changes Must Be Thoroughly Reviewed, Dentists Tell PM, UK
Comments by the Prime Minister about the new contract for dentists have prompted a strong warning from the profession’s leadership about the future of NHS dentistry. Susie Sanderson, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Executive Committee, has written to Tony…
Private Psychiatrists Key To Better Mental Health Care, Australian Medical Association
Australian Medical Association (AMA) Vice President, Dr Choong-Siew Yong, today strongly defended private psychiatrists against claims of being ‘failures’ under Medicare, saying they provide the specialised expertise that builds quality into the mental health system and holds it together. Dr…
AHCA & NCAL Backing U.S. Rep. Peter King’s Effort To Ensure Nation’s Most Vulnerable Seniors Protected During DRA Implementation Period
The American Health Care Association (AHCA) and the National Center For Assisted Living (NCAL) today praised the effort by U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-NY) to protect the nation’s most vulnerable frail, elderly and disabled seniors as the Centers for Medicare…
Some Health Insurance Agents Might Be Violating Medicare Rules By Aggressively Marketing Fee-for-Service Plans
Health care advocates say that some insurance agents might have violated Medicare rules by soliciting fee-for-service plans to businesses door-to-door and that some agents are targeting beneficiaries with cognitive problems or limited English skills, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. According…
Longer Surgery, Greater Risks
Under the American College of Surgeons’ National Surgical Quality Improvement Program from 2005 to 2011, more than 1.4 million patients undergoing surgery at US hospitals were observed to see if lengthier surgery durations would affect the risk of developing a…
New Methodology Using GPS And PDA Technology Results In Better, Faster Data For Malaria Programs
A paper being released in the August issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene illustrates how technology can improve knowledge needed to help prevent malaria, one of the world’s leading fatal infectious diseases. A team of researchers…