Health and Human Services News and Research

RSS

Financial strain affects patients’ health care decisions to a great extent

Financial strain is the single most important factor in making health care decisions for low-income individuals, who often forgo care in favor of basic needs like food and rent, researchers in UT Southwestern's Center for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research found.

8 May 2018

FDA grants approval for two drugs administered together to treat aggressive form of thyroid cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Tafinlar (dabrafenib) and Mekinist (trametinib), administered together, for the treatment of anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) that cannot be removed by surgery or has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic), and has a type of abnormal gene, BRAF V600E (BRAF V600E mutation-positive).

8 May 2018

FDA authorizes marketing of Hemospray device for treating GI bleeding

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration permitted marketing of Hemospray, a new device used to help control certain types of bleeding in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

8 May 2018

Study identifies molecule that may be critical to repair of white matter

A new study identifies a molecule that may be critical to the repair of white matter, the fatty tissue wrapped around parts of brain cells that helps speed up communication. Damage to white matter is associated with several conditions, including multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy, and can occur in the brains of preterm babies.

7 May 2018

Phase 2 clinical study of universal influenza vaccine begins in the United States

A Phase 2 clinical trial of an investigational universal influenza vaccine intended to protect against multiple strains of the virus has begun in the United States.

4 May 2018

For shame: ‘Pharma bro’ Shkreli is in prison, but Daraprim’s price is still high

It was 2015 when Martin Shkreli, then CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals and the notorious "pharma bro," jacked up the cost of the lifesaving drug Daraprim by 5,000 percent. Overnight, its price tag skyrocketed from $13.50 a pill to $750.

4 May 2018

Study reveals essential malaria parasite genes

Researchers have exploited a quirk in the genetic make-up of the deadly malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, to create 38,000 mutant strains and then determine which of the organism's genes are essential to its growth and survival.

3 May 2018

NIH to open national enrollment for the All of Us Research Program

Coming week on 6th of May, the National Institutes of Health, NIH, would open enrollment for the “All for Us” research program. This program would be one of the first steps in revolutionizing individualized prevention of disease as well as diagnosis and treatment.

2 May 2018

Meat-based complementary foods may be beneficial for formula-fed infants, shows study

Meat, such as pork, can be an important source of much-needed protein in an infant's diet during the transition to solid foods, according to new research from the University of Colorado published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

2 May 2018

How a drug company under pressure for high prices ratchets up political activity

Business looked challenging for Novo Nordisk at the end of 2016. As pressure mounted over the pharma giant's soaring insulin prices, investors drove its stock down by a third on fears that policymakers would take action, limit prices and hurt profits.

30 Apr 2018

Accelerator Life Science Partners launches new company to develop novel therapy for seizure disorders

Accelerator Life Science Partners (Accelerator), a leading life science investment and management firm, today announced that it has launched Proniras Corporation, a company developing tezampanel for the treatment of a variety of seizure disorders.

27 Apr 2018

Dissecting the rhetoric vs. reality of Trump’s tough talk on drug prices

President Donald Trump has railed against the high price of prescription drugs and famously bemoaned how pharmaceutical companies are "getting away with murder." Yet, many Americans aren't seeing a change in what they pay out-of-pocket.

27 Apr 2018

Study finds no evidence of chronic wasting disease transmissibility in macaques

Chronic wasting disease did not cross the species barrier to infect cynomolgus macaque monkeys during a lengthy investigation by National Institutes of Health scientists exploring risks to humans.

26 Apr 2018

New tool helps blind, low-vision users navigate modern webpages more easily

Browsing through offerings on Airbnb means clicking on rows of photos to compare options from prospective hosts. This kind of table-based navigation is increasingly central to our digital lives – but it can be tedious or impossible for people who are blind or have low vision to navigate these modern webpages using traditional screen readers.

19 Apr 2018

Study shows how deployment time increases risk of suicide attempt in soldiers

Soldiers who deploy twice in one year, with six months or less between each deployment, could be at an increased risk for attempted suicide during or after their second deployment, according to a new study published April 18 in JAMA Psychiatry.

18 Apr 2018

Flesh eating ulcer cases on the rise in Victoria

Recent reports have shown a rise in cases of flesh eating ulcers in and around Victoria, Australia. Health experts have said that this could become a serious problem if not handled carefully. They have called for funds to deal with this menace. These flesh eating ulcers, according to sources have infected hundreds of individuals in regional Victoria.

16 Apr 2018

Sleep deprivation increases brain protein linked to Alzheimer's disease

Losing just one night of sleep led to an immediate increase in beta-amyloid, a protein in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease, according to a small, new study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. In Alzheimer's disease, beta-amyloid proteins clump together to form amyloid plaques, a hallmark of the disease.

13 Apr 2018