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Communication problems between clinicians and mothers of critically ill newborns

Research from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center suggests that common language may also be the divide standing between mothers of critically ill newborns and the clinicians who care for them.

17 Aug 2012

Mepolizumab almost halves exacerbations in severe asthma patients

The largest study of patients with severe asthma to date, published in The Lancet special issue on respiratory medicine, shows that those treated with the monoclonal antibody mepolizumab experienced an almost 50% reduction in severe exacerbations, emergency room visits, and hospitalisations compared with patients given placebo.

17 Aug 2012

Tobacco use epidemic estimates show urgent need to redouble control efforts

New estimates illustrate the epidemic of tobacco use for over half of the world’s population (representing more than 3 billion adults living in the UK, USA, and 14 developing countries), with around 852 million tobacco consumers (661 million smokers and 247 million smokeless tobacco users).

17 Aug 2012

Nostrum, VCU sign license agreement to develop inhaled dapsone for respiratory diseases

Virginia Commonwealth University and Nostrum Pharmaceuticals, LLC, are pleased to announce the signing of a license agreement for the development of inhaled dapsone for the treatment of respiratory diseases.

17 Aug 2012

Smoking during pregnancy associated with wheezing and asthma in preschool children

Maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with wheeze and asthma in preschool children, even among children who were not exposed to maternal smoking late in pregnancy or after birth, according to a new study.

17 Aug 2012

Montelukast improves respiratory disturbance and adenoid size in children with OSA

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers revealed that a majority of children suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) treated with montelukast, a drug approved for asthma or hay fever, showed significant improvement in respiratory disturbance and adenoid size, according to a new study published in Pediatrics Journal.

17 Aug 2012

Blood typifies coronary risk

Individuals with an A, B, or AB blood type have a significantly higher risk for coronary heart disease than those with an O blood type, say experts.

16 Aug 2012

Targets to improve palliative patients’ wellbeing identified

Pain, depression, drowsiness, fatigue, and appetite loss are the symptoms that most affect the wellbeing of cancer patients being treated palliatively, report Canadian researchers.

16 Aug 2012

U.S. FDA warns of post-surgery codeine deaths in children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a Drug Safety Communication concerning three children who died and one child who experienced a non-fatal but life-threatening case of respiratory depression after taking the pain reliever codeine following surgery to remove tonsils (tonsillectomy) and/or adenoids (adenoidectomy).

16 Aug 2012

Universal health coverage achieved by Mexico in less than a decade

Mexico has achieved universal health coverage in less than ten years, with more than 50 million previously uninsured Mexicans enrolling on a public medical insurance scheme since 2004.

16 Aug 2012

Tofacitinib drug shows promise against moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis

An investigational drug currently under FDA review for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis has now shown positive results in patients with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis, according to researchers at the University of California San Diego, School of Medicine.

16 Aug 2012

Human milk oligosaccharides may reduce risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission

An international team of researchers has found that certain bioactive components found in human milk are associated with a reduced risk of HIV transmission from an HIV infected mother to her breast-fed infant. Their study will be published in the August 15 online edition of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

16 Aug 2012

Women with hypertension or obesity more likely to experience sleep apnoea

New research from Umeå and Uppsala universities has found high rates of sleep apnoea in women, despite the condition usually being regarded as a disorder predominantly of males.

16 Aug 2012

Diffusion Pharmaceuticals receives new U.S. patents for trans sodium crocetinate

Diffusion Pharmaceuticals LLC, a biotechnology company focused on innovative cancer treatments, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted it patent numbers 7919527 and 8030350, entitled "Bipolar Trans Carotenoids Salts and Their Uses" and "Trans Carotenoids, Their Synthesis and Uses," respectively.

16 Aug 2012

Pouch surgery has long-term costs for young patients

Restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis is associated with high complication rates and poor body image in patients who undergo the procedure at a young age, research shows, with women at additional risk for sexual dysfunction.

15 Aug 2012

Nurse-led HIV care benefits patients

Expansion of the role of primary care nurses to allow them to initiate and represcribe antiretroviral therapy to HIV patients improves health outcomes and quality of patient care, write researchers in The Lancet.

15 Aug 2012

Tranexamic acid reduces bleeding in off-pump coronary bypass surgery

Patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting who are given a tranexamic acid infusion show a modest reduction in postoperative bleeding and blood transfusion relative to their placebo-treated peers, a clinical trial shows.

15 Aug 2012

Palliative care on Scottish surgical wards needs improving

More than half of individuals with terminal gastrointestinal cancer on general surgical wards in Scotland do not undergo operative intervention on their final admission, show study results published in The Surgeon.

15 Aug 2012

U of U researchers receive NIH grant to study cellular and molecular causes of blood clots

University of Utah Department of Medicine researchers have received $16 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to set up a translational research center to study the cellular and molecular causes of blood clots, a serious threat to millions of people who have diabetes, are obese or have other metabolic disorders.

15 Aug 2012

Trial to test efficacy of NeuRx Diaphragm Pacing System in people with Lou Gehrig's disease

The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and The ALS Association today announced a joint commitment to provide funding for a phase 2 clinical trial that will test efficacy of the NeuRx Diaphragm Pacing System (DPS) in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

15 Aug 2012