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Gates Foundation awards $4.8M grant for improving sanitation systems in developing world

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently awarded a $4.8 million grant to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to study and improve sanitation systems in the developing world, the Seattle Times' blog, "The Business of Giving" reports.

26 Aug 2009

Tamoxifen drug poses increased risk of developing ER negative breast cancer

While long-term tamoxifen use among breast cancer survivors decreases their risk of developing the most common, less aggressive type of second breast cancer, such use is associated with a more than four-fold increased risk of a more aggressive, difficult-to-treat type of cancer in the breast opposite, or contralateral, to the initial tumor.

26 Aug 2009

Democrats talk of moving reform bill without republicans, plan rallies

Democrats are preparing to move ahead without Republicans on health care reform, a leading House Democrat said Monday, The Hill reports.

26 Aug 2009

Veterans receive false health scare

USA Today reports: "More than 1,800 Gulf War veterans were sent letters from the Veterans Administration this month informing them that they had Lou Gehrig's disease — a fatal neurological disease. But at least some of the letters — and the diagnoses — were a mistake."

26 Aug 2009

Scientists develop new technology that helps Parkinson's patients to overcome speech problems

Researchers have developed a new technology that helps Parkinson's patients overcome the tendency to speak too quietly by playing a recording of ambient sound, which resembles the noisy chatter of a restaurant full of patrons.

26 Aug 2009

Study reveals high levels of ergothioneine in RBCs of women with pre-eclampsia

A chemical compound found in unpasteurised food has been detected in unusually high levels in the red blood cells of pregnant women with the condition pre-eclampsia.

26 Aug 2009

Profectus BioSciences to conduct proof-of-concept studies with its rVSV vector technology

Profectus BioSciences, Inc. (Profectus), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel vaccine candidates for serious chronic infections, announced today it has entered into a research collaboration agreement with the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) to conduct proof-of-concept studies with its proprietary, recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) vector technology as a preventative malaria vaccine.

26 Aug 2009

Fear mongering abounds in health debate

"What many people say they fear most from an overhaul of the health care system [is] the prospect of the federal government's limiting the medical care they receive," the New York Times reports. Policy experts say people are right to worry about health care costs, but this fear of rationing is unrealistic. "[T]here is nothing in the current proposals in Washington to suggest that the country is likely to embark on a system of medical rationing anytime soon," the Times reports.

26 Aug 2009

Research indicates that acute hepatocellular injury in cholelithiasis and cholecystitis without choledocholithiasis is mild and transient

Acute hepatocellular injury is a commonly encountered phenomenon in patients with cholelithiasis and concomitant common bile duct (CBD) stones. However, in clinical practice, it seemed to occur also in cholelithiasis patients without evidence of CBD stones. Its incidence and final outcome necessitated clarification.

26 Aug 2009

Grassley: 'Government is not a competitor, it's a predator'

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, 75, is presenting new skepticism about reform plans, The Wall Street Journal reports. "(S)peaking in front of a mostly friendly audience of about 250, Mr. Grassley stressed the distance between the two parties and what he thinks wouldn't work. 'Government is not a competitor, it's a predator,' he said of the public option that has been embraced by key congressional Democrats.

26 Aug 2009

Mental health in the news: Foreclosures spur depression

Nearly half of people questioned who were in foreclosure proceedings in Philadelphia showed some signs of depression, The Washington Post reports.

26 Aug 2009

Aetna promotes patient safety measures through informative website

Aetna (NYSE:AET) is strengthening its efforts to promote patient safety with easy-to-find online information for members. New policies also require health care facilities, physicians and other health care professionals to take action to prevent medical errors and changes the way they are paid when medical errors do occur.

26 Aug 2009

University of Idaho researchers to develop a chemical probe technology that can treat genetic diseases

Three University of Idaho researchers will embark on an unconventional approach to DNA research as one of 20 teams chosen nationwide by federal officials for the ideas to explore scientific frontiers.

26 Aug 2009

Hiberix receives accelerated approval from FDA to overcome nationwide shortage

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Hiberix, a Haemophilus influenzae Type b (Hib) vaccine, as a booster dose for children 15 months through 4 years old. Hiberix is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, with U.S. headquarters in Research Triangle Park, N.C. and Philadelphia.

26 Aug 2009

Young Obama supporters missing from health reform debate

Obama's tech-savvy young activists, who were instrumental in getting him elected, are not as active on health care reform, a gap Obama will have to fix if he is to regain momentum for his top domestic priority, The Associated Press reports.

26 Aug 2009

GOP unveils latest salvo in health reform battle: seniors' bill of rights

Republicans unveiled what they've termed the "Health Care Bill of Right for Seniors" Monday in an attempt to tailor their messages to the elderly, The Washington Post reports.

26 Aug 2009

MicroRNAs in saliva could aid in the detection of oral cancer

Researchers continue to add to the diagnostic alphabet of saliva by identifying the presence of at least 50 microRNAs that could aid in the detection of oral cancer, according to a report in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

26 Aug 2009

Hospitals find openness about mistakes improves safety, reduces lawsuits

"Medical errors kill as many as 98,000 Americans each year," writes Laura Landro in the Wall Street Journal's "Informed Patient" column. "Now, some hospitals are hoping to stem the tide of lawsuits by being more open with aggrieved patients and their families. While some experts warn that disclosure will lead to an increase in litigation and costs, there are some indications that patients are less likely to sue if they receive full disclosure and an apology, along with an offer of compensation."

26 Aug 2009

University of Maryland researchers perform a genome-wide association study of ADP-stimulated platelet aggregation

Patients with a certain genetic variation who received the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel had a decreased platelet response to treatment and among those who had percutaneous coronary intervention (procedures such as balloon angioplasty or stent placement used to open narrowed coronary arteries) had an increased risk of having a cardiovascular event in the following year than patients who did not have this variant, according to a study in the August 26 issue of JAMA.

25 Aug 2009

Aastra's CC:LifeLine provides virtual call center for pandemic response planning

Aastra, a leading provider of IP-Telephony and Contact Center solutions, offers a solution for contact centers needing an alternative for premises-based agents if it is necessary to close the call center due to a disaster or flu epidemic. Aastra’s CC:LifeLine™ (www.aastraondemand.com/solutions-cclifeline2.asp) provides a virtual call center environment ensuring that agents can serve customers even if the physical call center is inaccessible.

25 Aug 2009