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New study to boost immune cells for pathogen resistance and vaccine efficacy in elderly

A new study from the Trudeau Institute in Saranac Lake, New York, demonstrates that immune system cells important for both pathogen resistance and vaccine efficacy live longer in older animals but because of this longevity acquire functional defects. The work may provide new targets for boosting immune system function in older individuals.

6 Oct 2009

Senate Finance Committee pushes back health bill vote

Roll Call reports that the Senate Finance Committee is pushing back its health bill vote until Wednesday at the earliest as lawmakers wait for the Congressional Budget Office to finish scoring the measure.

6 Oct 2009

Survival rates for multivisceral transplants increase with new treatment strategies

Data from the largest single-center experience of adult and pediatric intestinal and multivisceral transplantation show that survival rates have improved with the advent of innovative surgical techniques, novel immunosuppressive protocols and better post-operative management, said researchers at the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute in a study published in the October issue of Annals of Surgery.

6 Oct 2009

Center for Health Value Innovation aligns with ACOEM and IBI to launch HPM Clinics

The Center for Health Value Innovation (www.vbhealth.org), the nation’s premier information exchange for value-based design, today announced an alignment with the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and the Integrated Benefits Institute, creating a powerful triumvirate to better articulate the value of health and productivity management (HPM).

6 Oct 2009

IAN Project launches the Grandparents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Survey

Since its launch in 2007, the Interactive Autism Network (IAN) has helped to accelerate the pace of autism research by gathering valuable information online from individuals on the autism spectrum and their parents. Today, the IAN Project launches the Grandparents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Survey, giving grandparents a well-deserved voice in the autism research community.

6 Oct 2009

New institutional advertising campaign based on real stories

NYU Langone Medical Center will launch a new institutional advertising campaign based on real stories from the Medical Center beginning on October 5, 2009. The campaign, “Any Given Moment,” captures and conveys some of the most powerful, intimate and uniquely human experiences to emerge from the Medical Center and features the Medical Center’s core clinical care and research strengths.

6 Oct 2009

Individuals who follow the Mediterranean dietary pattern at reduced risk to develop depression: Study

Individuals who follow the Mediterranean dietary pattern—rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains and fish—appear less likely to develop depression, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

6 Oct 2009

Key defence mechanism used by the immune system against Listeria identified

A team of University of British Columbia microbiologists has identified a key defence mechanism used by the immune system against Listeria with strong implications for the future development of vaccines.

6 Oct 2009

EP-100 membrane-disrupting peptide drug for cancer being tested at TCRS

A new drug designed to "seek and destroy" common cancers such as breast, prostate, endometrial, pancreatic, ovarian, skin and testicular cancers is being tested at TGen Clinical Research Services (TCRS) at Scottsdale Healthcare.

6 Oct 2009

Primary care shortage worsens and an Illinois clinic experiments with a program to train more nurses

The number of family care physicians continues to shrink while an Illinois-based clinic creates a plan to turn laid-off workers into nurses.

6 Oct 2009

NIAID's grant to VBI for biomedical research on infectious diseases

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded a five-year, $27,670,448 contract to the CyberInfrastructure Group (CIG) of the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech to support the biomedical research community's work on infectious diseases.

6 Oct 2009

Inviragen, SingVax merge their complementary vaccine pipelines

Inviragen and SingVax have merged their complementary vaccine pipelines and their international product development capabilities to create a company that is developing a wide range of vaccines for infectious diseases prevalent in emerging economies.

6 Oct 2009

Majority of Europeans not concerned about H1N1

Three quarters of European people surveyed between the 30th April and 6th May 2009 said they were either not at all concerned or only a little concerned about swine flu.

6 Oct 2009

Two-thirds of tonsil tumour samples show evidence of HPV-16 gene: Study

It is estimated that more than 7,000 people are diagnosed with head and neck cancer each year in the UK and approximately 3,500 cases result in death. These cancers include tumours of the mouth, lips, throat and voice-box, and some have been linked to the sexually transmitted infection, HPV-16. Scientists at Liverpool analysed the DNA of more than 90 cancerous tissue samples to look for genes that indicated infection.

6 Oct 2009

Reform effort could expand drug coverage, affordability

One impact of health insurance exchanges, proposed by Democrats as part of the health care overhaul, could be better prescription drug coverage for some consumers, the Los Angeles Times explains. The exchanges would require drug coverage as part of a minimum benefits package. The flip side is that some people may be forced to buy drug coverage they don't want.

6 Oct 2009

Uninsured by choice: A 'calculated risk'

As part as the ongoing series, "Are You Covered?" by NPR and Kaiser Health News, Lyn Robinson is profiled because she part of the group known as "voluntarily uninsured." She "estimates that health insurance would cost her about $500 a month. That's a lot of money for a policy that might not even cover the kind of preventive care she values".

6 Oct 2009

Children rally for improved education and funding for food allergies

More than eighty children with personal stories of the challenges of managing food allergies spoke to their elected representatives and rallied for improved education and funding for food allergies during the third Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network’s (FAAN) Kids’ Congress on Capitol Hill last week.

6 Oct 2009

Winner of 2009 NAMS award

Michael Holick, PhD, MD, director of the Bone Healthcare Clinic and the Vitamin D, Skin and Bone Research Laboratory at Boston University School of Medicine BUSM recently received the 2009 NAMS/Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc.Vitamin D Research Award from the North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

6 Oct 2009

Politics, payment plans and potential lawsuit costs

Recent state developments include the prominent place health care is taking in New Jersey's governor's race, criticism of a payment plan for hospitals in Massachusetts and the potential cost of lawsuits in California.

6 Oct 2009

Alcohol-impaired drivers account for higher emergency department costs

The costs of drinking and driving are all too apparent, with alcohol involved in 41 percent of all motor vehicle crash fatalities in 2006. In addition to the mortality and morbidity associated with drinking and driving, the economic impact of alcohol impaired driving is considerable, estimated at $51 billion, with medical costs accounting for 15 percent of that figure.

6 Oct 2009