The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) announced their opposition to the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” released this week by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. [More]

There are 18 separate tax hikes in the Reid-Obama healthcare bill. One of them caps the amount that can be deferred in Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) at $2500 per year (a similar provision was included in the Pelosi-Obama health bill and written about by Congressman Cathy McMorris-Rogers, R-Was., for National Review Online). [More]

Toxic dust: Toxins in coal-tar-based sealcoats in parking lots may be the culprit in contaminated house dust, according to a USGS study. PAHs - or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons - are large molecules found in oil, coal and tar deposits, and can have toxic effects. [More]

Dr. Jeremy Schmahmann, Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and neurologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, on Thursday, November 19, presented his laboratory's research on the new field of study called "Connectivity" at the launch of the MINDlink Foundation. [More]

GOT YOUR BACK will be hosting an Open House at their retail location at 521 East Hector Street, Conshohocken, PA on December 12th from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Guests will include health and wellness professionals, chiropractors, massage therapists and those interested in alternative fitness and wellness throughout the tri-state area. Visitors will enjoy food, beverages, a free chair massage, and free on site diagnosis of the spine. This event is also open to the public and special discounts will be offered throughout the store exclusively for attendees of this event. [More]

Sulfate groups are crucial building blocks for many molecules but are difficult to handle. Dutch researcher Martijn Huibers has discovered how sulfate groups can be protected during the construction of a molecule. Thanks to his method new molecules, which could be used for the production of medicines, can now be constructed far more easily. [More]

The regulating protein Srebp2 drives cholesterol formation, which prions need for their propagation, in prion-infected neuronal cells. With these findings, published in the current issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München and Technische Universität München anticipate new approaches in drug development to combat prion infection. [More]

A new treatment route for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and its human form Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (CJD) could be a step closer thanks to a discovery by scientists at the University of Leeds. [More]

Astellas Pharma Inc. and XenoPort, Inc. today announced that a new drug application (NDA) has been filed with the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Device Agency (PMDA) in Japan for ASP8825 (gabapentin enacarbil), also known as XP13512, as a potential treatment for restless legs syndrome (RLS). [More]

An analysis of patients with a syndrome similar to the genetic disorder, neurofibromatosis type 1, indicates that diagnosis may be difficult because of shared clinical findings, such as certain pigmentary characteristics, according to a study in the November 18 issue of JAMA. [More]

Physicians for Social Responsibility today released a groundbreaking medical report, "Coal's Assault on Human Health," which takes a new look at the devastating impacts of coal on the human body. [More]

Every two years, 2,000 senior Group Health patients check in with the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) study. The joint project between Group Health Research Institute and the University of Washington (UW) focuses on finding ways to delay or prevent dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, and declines in memory and thinking. [More]

Pfizer Inc and Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) have signed an agreement that is designed to facilitate advancements in the battle against human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and Chagas disease, which afflict vulnerable populations in the developing world. [More]

There is good news for women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant. A new study shows that pregnant women with multiple sclerosis are only slightly more likely to have cesarean deliveries and babies with a poor prenatal growth rate than women who do not have MS. [More]

Clinical Data, Inc. today announced that it has enrolled the first patient in its initial Phase III trial of Stedivaze™, a potential best-in-class vasodilator for use in cardiac stress testing. The study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of Stedivaze (apadenoson) for use as a pharmacologic stress agent in myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), a method for detecting defects in the blood supply to the heart. [More]