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Covidien fourth quarter net sales increase 2% to $2.56 billion

Covidien plc today reported results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 (July - September 2013). Fourth-quarter net sales of $2.56 billion increased 2% from the $2.50 billion in the fourth quarter a year ago. Foreign exchange rate movement lowered the quarterly sales growth rate by three percentage points.

8 Nov 2013

Breast cancer drug appears to protect cells against UV radiation, inflammation

Exemestane, a synthetic steroid drug widely prescribed to fight breast cancers that thrive on estrogens, not only inhibits the production of the hormone, but also appears to protect cells throughout the body against damage induced by UV radiation, inflammation and other assaults, according to results of research by Johns Hopkins scientists.

8 Nov 2013

Viewpoints: The battle over one woman's medical story; why Mass. didn't see a wave of cancellations; politicians' love of anecdotes

Edie Littlefield Sundby may not have thought she'd ignite a national debate when the stage-4 cancer survivor asked us to publish her Monday op-ed on losing her oncologist due to the Affordable Care Act. But she certainly has, and it's important to understand why. Mrs. Sundby and millions like her must be denied their medical choices if ObamaCare is going to work as its liberal planners intend (11/6).

8 Nov 2013

Discovery could rev up body's immune response to infection, autoimmune diseases

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report that disrupting the light-dark cycle of mice increased their susceptibility to inflammatory disease, indicating that the production of a key immune cell is controlled by the body's circadian clock.

8 Nov 2013

Asthma inhalers with dose counters lessen emergency room visits by 55%

Asthma is the most common chronic illness and is responsible for 2.1 million emergency room visits annually. But according to a study being presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, these costly visits can be reduced by 55 percent when inhalers contain a simple dose counter.

8 Nov 2013

GHIT Fund makes new investments in potential treatments for malaria, tuberculosis and Chagas disease

The Global Health Innovative Technology Fund, a new public health partnership that is bringing Japanese know-how and investment to the global fight against infectious diseases, announced today grants of US$5.7 million to six global partnerships working on innovative drugs and vaccines against malaria, tuberculosis and Chagas disease.

8 Nov 2013

Primary care patients with anxiety disorders receive potentially adequate medication

A new study by Brown University psychiatry researchers found that seven in 10 primary care patients with anxiety disorders eventually received potentially adequate medication or psychotherapy, but for many it took years to happen and it was considerably less likely for minorities.

8 Nov 2013

Vitamin C can improve skeletal muscle fatigue in COPD patients

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease—a health problem in which the lungs lose their inherent springiness, making it progressively harder to breathe—can have a dramatic effect on the ability to exercise and even perform simple activities of daily life because of the disease's fallout effects on skeletal muscles.

8 Nov 2013

GHIT Fund grants US$5.7 million to six global partnerships working on vaccines against malaria

The Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund), a new public health partnership that is bringing Japanese know-how and investment to the global fight against infectious diseases, announced today grants of US$5.7 million to six global partnerships working on innovative drugs and vaccines against malaria, tuberculosis and Chagas disease.

8 Nov 2013

New coverage gaps, cost issues spur health law worries

News outlets look at the nuts and bolts of the health law's implementation, including a worry that coverage gaps will persist for some vulnerable people, as well as how the government pays for insurance subsidies and why some premium costs increase under the health law.

8 Nov 2013

Higher chocolate consumption associated with lower levels of total fat

Scientists at the University of Granada have disproved the old idea that chocolate is fattening, in a study reported this week in Nutrition. Higher chocolate consumption associated with lower levels of total fat—fat deposits all over the body—and central—abdominal—fat, independently of whether or not subjects are physically active, and of their diet.

8 Nov 2013

Increased consumption of vegetable protein linked with prolonged survival among kidney disease patients

Increased consumption of vegetable protein was linked with prolonged survival among kidney disease patients in a new a study. The findings will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2013 November 5-10 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA.

8 Nov 2013

NIDDK director to receive Outstanding Achievement Award from NKF

The National Kidney Foundation will honor Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers, Director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, one of the National Institutes of Health, for his commitment to bettering the lives of patients and raising awareness of chronic kidney disease.

7 Nov 2013

New study looks at hormone/SNS relationship in women taking hormone contraceptives

After menopause, women's levels of estrogen and progesterone fall. Their formerly lower risk for heart disease equals, even surpasses, men's risk. One possible contributing explanation for the change in risk is that sex hormones affect the sympathetic nervous system, which controls constriction of blood vessels and participates in the fight or flight response.

7 Nov 2013

Researchers, clinicians discuss recent findings that could bring hope for people with HIV

Since the onset of the AIDS pandemic more than three decades ago, researchers from the lab and physicians in the clinic have been working toward one shared goal: an AIDS-free world. This week, a conference hosted by the journals Cell and The Lancet brought leading researchers and clinicians together to discuss recent findings that could bring hope to the estimated 35 million people world-wide who live with HIV.

7 Nov 2013

miR-137 offers new therapeutic direction for post-stroke depression

MiRNAs likely play an important role in the occurrence and development of depression, and can be used as potential targets for treatment of depression. Studies have shown that miR-137 expression is downregulated in the brain from depression patients with suicidal behavior.

7 Nov 2013

Tea helps promote weight loss and improve bone health

Decades worth of research shows that tea-the second most consumed beverage in the world-may help prevent chronic illnesses, including heart disease, certain types of cancer and type 2 diabetes. New research shows tea has been found to help promote weight loss and maintain a healthy weight, improve bone health and activate areas of the brain that bolster attention, problem solving and mood.

7 Nov 2013

Researchers use voxel-based morphometry method to study brain structure in PTSD

Wars, earthquakes, major traffic accidents, and terrorist attacks may bring about profound spiritual pains, and even cause extreme fear and helplessness for people that have experienced or witnessed these unusual threats or disasters.

6 Nov 2013

Depression alert in Asian COPD patients

Data from Taiwan indicate that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are nearly twice as likely as other patients to develop depression.

6 Nov 2013

Wild blueberries: 2 cups a day may keep the doctor away

Wild blueberries are a rich source of phytochemicals called polyphenols, which have been reported by a growing number of studies to exert a wide array of protective health benefits. A new study by researchers at the University of Maine adds to this growing body of evidence.

6 Nov 2013