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Negative messages not having an impact in people with addictive behaviors

What types of public messages will most likely deter drug and alcohol abuse or dissuade people from engaging in risky behavior? Negatively framed messages may not be an effective way to reach those most in need of persuasion, suggests a new study in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors by researchers from Indiana University and Wayne State University.

26 Nov 2012

Stroke patients may perform better in clinical tests when offered a reward

Stroke patients who have difficulty paying attention to part of their visual field may perform better when offered a reward, a study by Imperial College London and Brunel University researchers has found.

26 Nov 2012

Women more likely to have gray matter atrophy prior to Alzheimer's diagnosis than men

All patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) lose brain cells, which leads to a shrinking, or atrophy, of the brain. But the pattern of gray matter loss is significantly different in men and women, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

26 Nov 2012

Allergies common in ADHD, tic disorder patients

A significant number of people with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and tic disorder also have one or more allergic diseases such as asthma or atopic dermatitis, show study results.

23 Nov 2012

Rheumatoid arthritis patients adhere to both adalimumab, etanercept

Patients with active rheumatoid arthritis are as likely to persist with adalimumab treatment as they are with etanercept, show the results of a 2-year randomized efficacy and discontinuation study of the two tumor necrosis factor inhibitors.

23 Nov 2012

Major advance in understanding how flu viruses replicate within infected cells

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have made a major advance in understanding how flu viruses replicate within infected cells. The researchers used cutting-edge molecular biology and electron-microscopy techniques to "see" one of influenza's essential protein complexes in unprecedented detail. The images generated in the study show flu virus proteins in the act of self-replication, highlighting the virus's vulnerabilities that are sure to be of interest to drug developers.

23 Nov 2012

UPC teams conduct research in biomedical engineering to improve people's health

Systems to improve patient rehabilitation, methods that help detect diseases, and smart biomaterials for optimising treatments—scientific advances in the field of biomedical engineering are unstoppable. A number of leading UPC teams are carrying out research aimed at harnessing technology to improve people's health.

23 Nov 2012

Medication reduces risk of criminal behaviour in people with ADHD

Criminal behaviour in people with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) dropped sharply during periods when they were on medication, according to a new extensive registry study conducted at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The study that contained of over 25,000 individuals is published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

23 Nov 2012

Bowel cancer and GIST patients could benefit from novel oral drug

Two phase 3 trials, published in The Lancet, have shown that a novel oral drug called regorafenib could offer survival benefits to people with bowel (colorectal) cancer or gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) following failure of existing treatments.

22 Nov 2012

Bipolar patients oblivious to medication nonadherence risks

European psychiatrists' survey findings suggest that over half of all patients with bipolar disorder on prescribed medication show compliance difficulties, with most unable to attribute their deteriorating condition to this behavior.

22 Nov 2012

TGF-betaR inhibitors may counter drug resistance in cancer patients with MED12 mutations

Cancer therapies often have short-lived benefits due to the emergence of genetic mutations that cause drug resistance. A key gene that determines resistance to a range of cancer drugs has been reported in a study published by Cell Press November 21st in the journal Cell.

22 Nov 2012

Tirofiban effectively prevents strokes in high risk patients

Scientists may have discovered a new way to prevent strokes in high risk patients, according to research from the University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW).

22 Nov 2012

Study predicts shortage of primary care doctors will worsen

The United States will need about 52,000 new primary-care doctors as the population grows and ages, according to a new study. Research published in the Annals of Family Medicine estimated that most of the doctor shortage will be caused by the rising U.S. population.

22 Nov 2012

Meningitis outbreak could prompt call for executive jail time

A tough prosecutor and high public scrutiny could mean jail time for executives of the New England Compounding Center -- the pharmacy at the center of the deadly meningitis outbreak. In the meantime, the pharmacy's lawyers counter that the executives had no direct hand in the illnesses.

22 Nov 2012

UNAIDS report indicates end to AIDS possible but challenges remain

UNAIDS' World AIDS Day report: Results, released on Tuesday, said the goal of eventually ending the global AIDS epidemic "is more than merely visionary" and "is entirely feasible," primarily because of "historic success" in scaling up HIV programs and improving access to antiretroviral drugs to treat and prevent HIV, Reuters reports.

22 Nov 2012

WHO member states must develop, adopt treaty to combat substandard, fake medicines

"This week delegates from about 100 member countries of the World Health Organization are meeting in Buenos Aires with the aim of strengthening defenses against substandard and fraudulent medicines," Amir Attaran of the University of Ottawa and Roger Bate, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, write in a New York Times opinion piece.

22 Nov 2012

Scientists discover telomerase as cause of chronic inflammation in human cancers

A*STAR scientists have identified the enzyme, telomerase, as a cause of chronic inflammation in human cancers. Chronic inflammation is now recognized as a key underlying cause for the development of many human cancers, autoimmune disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and metabolic diseases such as diabetes.

22 Nov 2012

State roundup: Calif. schedules health care special session; Fla. to boost Medicaid payment rates

California's legislative special session on health care won't take place until January, according to officials at the California Health and Human Services agency. ... The session was expected to be convened in December. The special session will be held concurrently with the regular legislative session that begins Jan. 7.

22 Nov 2012

New rules for 'Obamacare' implementation released - scrutinized by insurers, employers, states, consumers

The Obama administration released new health care regulations Tuesday that preclude insurers from adjusting premiums based on pre-existing or chronic health conditions, tell states what benefits must be included in health exchange plans, and allow employers to reward employees who work to remain healthy.

22 Nov 2012

Homing beacon drugs can kill cancer cells

A medical researcher with the University of Alberta and his team just published their findings about their work on developing 'homing beacon drugs' that kill only cancer cells, not healthy ones, thanks to nano-technology.

22 Nov 2012