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Wake Forest Baptist participates in novel brain tumor vaccine clinical trial

A national clinical trial testing the efficacy of a novel brain tumor vaccine has begun at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, the only facility in the Southeast to participate.

6 Jan 2012

Hepatitis C vaccine succeeds in an early phase clinical trial

An early phase clinical trial of a hepatitis C vaccine has shown promising results, according to researchers at Oxford University. The virus causing Hepatitis C is a difficult one since it changes its appearance, making creation of a vaccine against it a challenge.

5 Jan 2012

Regular moderate exercise reduces risk of catching cold-like infections

Battling colds and doing (or pledging to do) more exercise are familiar activities for most of us in January. But different levels of exercise can actually significantly increase or decrease your chances of catching a respiratory infection, says Professor Mike Gleeson from Loughborough University.

5 Jan 2012

Diabetic patients with less coverage less likely to receive screening tests, vaccines

When patients with diabetes experience interruptions in health - insurance coverage, they are less likely to receive the screening tests and vaccines they need to protect their health. A new study finds that this is true even when patients receive free or reduced-cost medical care at federally funded safety net clinics.

5 Jan 2012

WHO issues warning about risks of research on human engineered bird flu

"The World Health Organization issued a stern warning on Friday to scientists who have engineered a highly pathogenic form of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, saying their work carries significant risks and must be tightly controlled," Reuters reports.

4 Jan 2012

Vioguard self-sanitizing computer keyboard receives FDA clearance

Vioguard today announced the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has cleared the company's first product, the Vioguard self-sanitizing computer keyboard, for use in healthcare settings.

4 Jan 2012

Viewpoints: Giving states responsibility for 'essential benefits'; The cost of proton beam treatment; Health spending in 2012

The Obama administration surprised supporters and critics when it decided to let states define the "essential health benefits" that must be provided to their citizens under health care reform. ... Federal health officials will need to monitor developments during the transition period to make sure consumers and employers can easily compare the benefit packages offered by private insurers.

3 Jan 2012

Bird flu updates

The latest bird flu virus that killed a 39-year-old bus driver in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen over the weekend is not yet transmissible between humans, Chinese health authorities said. The man, who lived in Shenzhen just across the border from Hong Kong, died from multi-organ failure on Saturday, a week after being admitted to hospital with a fever brought on by the virus, state media reported.

3 Jan 2012

Tamiflu resistant flu on the rise: Study

According to World Health Organization researchers there is a rise in Australia in the number of seasonal influenza cases resistant to Tamiflu, the most commonly used antiviral drug. The rise in such cases involving the pandemic 2009 A (H1N1) flu strain, also known as swine flu, took place during Australia's most recent winter: May through August of 2011.

2 Jan 2012

Chinese man dies of bird flu

A 39 year old Chinese bus driver tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus and died Saturday in a city bordering Hong Kong. According to health officials this is the country’s first reported case of the disease in humans in 18 months.

2 Jan 2012

Gloomy on Twitter?

A team of mathematicians from the University of Vermont analyzed 4.6 billion Twitter messages worldwide over 33 months. They assigned happiness grades to more than 10,000 of the most common words, crunched all the numbers and plotted them on a graph that shows a gradual downward slope of happiness during the past year and a half or so, through mid-September.

27 Dec 2011

Survey finds main reasons for resistance to new airport security scanners

Roughly one-quarter of Americans say they would refuse a full body scan using new airport body scanners and 14.9 percent said new airport security measures have them concerned for their health, according to the Thomson Reuters-NPR Health Poll.

26 Dec 2011

TheraBiogen launches Social Media campaign

TheraBiogen, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of homeopathic nasal sprays for aiding in the relief of allergies, cold and flu symptoms and migraine headaches, announced today the launch of its Social Media campaign as part of its ongoing product marketing program.

26 Dec 2011

Federal officials seek to keep details on bird flu study secret

A federal board has asked two scientific journals to restrict access to details of a genetic study of the bird flu in which researchers altered the virus to be more easily transmittable between humans.

23 Dec 2011

BBC News Magazine examines antiviral drug research

BBC News Magazine examines an antiviral drug called Draco, developed by Todd Rider, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, "which has proven successful against all 15 viruses to which it has been applied in lab trials with human tissue and mice," including "the common cold, H1N1 or swine flu, a polio virus, dengue fever, and the notorious and fatal Ebola virus."

23 Dec 2011

Walgreen expecting sharp drop in prescription business

A contract dispute with pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts is likely to cut the number of drugs Walgreen will sell.

23 Dec 2011

Longer looks: Manufacturing killer flu; The ironies of the individual mandate; When the elderly refuse help

In experiments conducted at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, researchers engineered a strain of H5N1. … The next logical step would be for the researchers to publish studies in major scientific journals, describing the newly created flu, including its genetic makeup.

23 Dec 2011

First Edition: December 22, 2011

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including articles on the Capitol Hill stalemate that threatens to cut Medicare payments to doctors and government efforts to keep details of a research experiment on bird flu secret.

22 Dec 2011

U.S. Science Advisory Board asks Science, Nature to omit data from bird flu studies amid security concerns

The U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity on "Tuesday asked two scientific journals to leave out data from research studies on a lab-made version of bird flu that could spread more easily to humans, fearing it could be used as a potential weapon," Reuters reports.

22 Dec 2011

Tips to keep your heart happy and healthy during holiday season

'Tis the season to be jolly and heart healthy. "It is common for us to see an increase in heart-related issues, particularly around Christmas and New Year's," said Brandon Stacey, M.D., a cardiologist at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. "It is important to know that if you experience any chest pain or discomfort, seek immediate medical attention or call 911."

22 Dec 2011