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St. Michael's receives $5 million McCain donation for therapeutic endoscopy program

Wallace and Margaret McCain have donated $5 million to St. Michael's Hospital for its therapeutic endoscopy program.

18 Mar 2011

British pie, mash and gravy meals too salty: Heart health experts

A new study by Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) in the UK that looked at 526 pie, mash and gravy meals and products, found some meals to be extremely high in salt. A chicken and mushroom pie with chips or mash, gravy and peas from pub chain Wetherspoons contained an alarming 7.5g of salt, well over the daily maximum recommendation of 6g a day. All the pie and mash pub meals looked at contained more than 3g, half the daily maximum, the report said. The survey, conducted by YouGov, found that the mashed potato and gravy could significantly increase the salt content of a meal. According to CASH, while good progress has been made by supermarkets in cutting salt levels in pies, there are still too many products containing unnecessary quantities of salt.

17 Mar 2011

Eating fish protects from blindness: Study

According to latest study fish that is rich in omega 3 fatty acids significantly lowers the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration that leads to blindness. The study was published in the Archives of Ophthalmology.

17 Mar 2011

Low calorie diet may delay or prevent aging and neurodegenerative diseases

Cells, which employ a process called autophagy to clean up and reuse protein debris leftover from biological processes, were the original recyclers. A team of scientists from Paul Greengard's Rockefeller University laboratory have linked a molecule that stimulates autophagy with the reduction of one of Alzheimer's disease's major hallmarks, amyloid peptide.

17 Mar 2011

FDA grants CSI marketing clearance for Stealth 360° Orbital PAD System

Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. has received 510(k) marketing clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and has begun a limited market release for the Stealth 360°™ Orbital PAD System. The Stealth 360° propels CSI into the forefront of treating peripheral arterial disease (PAD) with a simpler design that gives physicians complete control of device operation.

17 Mar 2011

Health law battle lines prominent as 1st anniversary approaches

Some Democrats say their party should embrace the law in the upcoming campaign season, just as some tea party lawmakers are questioning the GOP leadership's commitment to repeal it. In the background, "death panels" have again emerged as a topic of congressional investigation.

17 Mar 2011

FAO head highlights food security concerns, need for more agriculture investment

Rising oil prices and the recent drawdown in global cereal stocks could lead to a supply crisis and raise the risk of food riots in developing countries similar to those that occurred between 2007 and 2008, U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization Director General Jacques Diouf said in an interview with Reuters on Monday.

17 Mar 2011

WHO says it is ready to assist Japan with nuclear challenge as situation develops

The WHO on Tuesday said it is ready to assist Japan with its emerging "nuclear emergency after some reactors were damaged by last week's deadly earthquake" and tsunami, Agence France-Presse reports.

17 Mar 2011

Radiations from Japanese nuclear plants do not pose immediate risk to the U.S.

Airborne radiation from a meltdown at Japanese nuclear plants poses no immediate risk to the continental United States, say University of Maryland public health and atmospheric scientists.

17 Mar 2011

State, federal health law implementation efforts examined

Media outlets report on a range of health overhaul issues, including efforts in some states to use the sweeping measure for their own coverage expansion plans or to step up their oversight of the insurance industry.

17 Mar 2011

Next-generation sequencing can improve infant microbiota

Sequencing technology has advanced significantly since the race to sequence the human genome first began. As part of the Teagasc Vision Programme a 'next generation sequencer', the only one of its kind in Ireland, was installed at Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark.

17 Mar 2011

Gene therapy holds promise for Parkinson's treatment

A first-of-its-kind study of gene therapy in the treatment of Parkinson's disease determined that half of all patients who received the treatment had "clinically meaningful improvements" of their symptoms within six months of surgery.

17 Mar 2011

Skyline Diagnostics launches unique test to detect patients with AML

Each year over eight million people die of cancer worldwide. Patients' chances of survival vary widely: depending on the type of cancer involved, the stage at which it is diagnosed and the speed with which appropriate treatment is launched.

17 Mar 2011

Study suggests dissolvable tobacco products may cause mouth diseases

The first study to analyze the complex ingredients in the new genre of dissolvable tobacco products has concluded that these pop-into-the-mouth replacements for cigarettes in places where smoking is banned have the potential to cause mouth diseases and other problems.

17 Mar 2011

FDA approves Rochester Nomogram technology for LASIK surgery

A technology created by University of Rochester physicians and scientists that has helped boost the eyesight of patients to unprecedented levels is now more widely available, thanks to approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

17 Mar 2011

Eating fatty fish reduces blindness risk from AMD: Study

New research has shown that consuming omega-3 fatty acids that are most commonly found in oily fish such as tinned salmon and tuna, could prevent the onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that leads to the gradual loss of vision. The required amount may be as low as one to two portions of fish a week that can reduce the risk of sight loss by up to 42 per cent in older women, according to a new study. Earlier results have shown similar benefits in men. Omega 3, whose common form in food is Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) can also be taken as a supplement.

16 Mar 2011

Fibrocell Science submits azficel-T final study report to FDA

Fibrocell Science, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the development of autologous cell therapies for aesthetic, medical and scientific applications, announced today that it has submitted a final study report to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for a completed, six-month histological study examining skin after injections of azficel-T.

16 Mar 2011

Study: Dried plums more safe, effective than psyllium to treat constipation

Given their palatability, tolerability and availability, dried plums should be considered the initial approach to the management of mild to moderate constipation in the general population, according to results of a randomized clinical trial recently published in Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

16 Mar 2011

RegeneRx RGN-352 Phase 2 trial in acute myocardial infarction placed on clinical hold

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that it has received a notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicating that, due to non-compliance with FDA's current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulations by its contract manufacturer, the Company's Phase 2 clinical trial of RGN-352, its injectable formulation of Thymosin beta 4 for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), has been placed on clinical hold.

16 Mar 2011

First Edition: March 16, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about how some states are putting "their own spin" on health law implementation as well as other developments related to Medicaid cuts, health law waiver tallies and more.

16 Mar 2011