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UCLA study suggests effective approach to cultivate female leadership in medicine

Half of U.S. first-year medical students are female, yet a new UCLA study shows that they volunteer for leadership roles in the classroom significantly less than their male counterparts. Subtle encouragement from teachers, however, can even out the playing field by boosting female students' willingness to identify themselves as leaders.

29 Jul 2010

Researchers find how angiotensin influences immune system

Researchers in Heidelberg and Stanford have discovered a new signalling pathway of brain cells that explains how widely used antihypertensive drugs could keep inflammation in multiple sclerosis in check. The peptide angiotensin not only raises blood pressure but also activates the immunological messenger substance TGF beta on a previously unknown communication pathway in the brain.

29 Jul 2010

New training programs help ease serious staffing crisis in hospital laboratory

Imagine needing a critical test at your local hospital, but having to wait days to be tested because there was no laboratory professional available to run the tests. This scene seems unimaginable, but with the federal government estimating that nearly 140,000 new medical lab professionals are needed by 2012 and only 50,000 are expected to be trained on time, this scenario is a reality in some parts of the country. Some states, like California, are taking aggressive action to reverse this trend.

29 Jul 2010

The Children's Hospital constructs new LEED-certified patient tower

The Children's Hospital has begun the construction of a 10-story, 350,000-square-foot addition. The $230 million expansion of a new patient tower initially will have 124 beds, with two floors of shelled space for additional future beds, bringing the total number of patient beds at Children's to around 500 upon full completion. The expansion also is expected to bring approximately 500 new jobs to the hospital's workforce. Children's anticipates admitting patients in the LEED-certified tower beginning in late 2012.

29 Jul 2010

African leaders agree to expand maternal health campaign as AU Summit concludes

African leaders participating in the 15th African Union Summit, which concluded on Tuesday, agreed to expand a campaign aimed at curbing maternal mortality on the continent and adopted other "key actions" in an effort to reduce infant and maternal mortality, PANA/Afrique en ligne reports.

29 Jul 2010

MedTera, HealthPrize Technologies partner to help patients self-manage their diseases

MedTera, an integrated marketing solutions company dedicated to improving education, promotion and communications in the healthcare, life sciences and pharmaceutical industries, today announced its formal partnership with HealthPrize Technologies, a web-based software company that motivates people to fill and stay on prescription medications.

29 Jul 2010

Intensive chemotherapy may benefit elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia

The prognosis for nearly three-quarters of elderly patients on intensive chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is poor, with a median survival of less than six months, according to a study published online today in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology. AML is the most common form of acute leukemia among adults and is a rapidly growing cancer of the bone marrow that requires immediate treatment. The average age at diagnosis is 67, and more than 12,000 people will be diagnosed with AML this year (according to the National Cancer Institute).

29 Jul 2010

Scientists develop new surgical procedure for prostate cancer using natural orifices

With a recent first of its kind surgery, physicians at Mayo Clinic in Arizona have developed a new surgical procedure for the treatment of prostate cancer using natural orifices - signaling the next step in the evolution of minimally invasive surgery.

29 Jul 2010

IBM, UPMC partner to provide redesigned SmartRoom solution with service-oriented architecture

IBM and UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) are teaming up to bring "smarter" hospital rooms to patients nationwide. Created by UPMC three years ago to bring the right patient information to the bedside when it's needed, the high-tech "smart room" now features new capabilities, namely a system for automatically organizing and prioritizing the work of nurses and other caregivers. Under a new agreement, IBM will be the exclusive sales channel for the SmartRoom solution and will help to implement the technology for customers.

29 Jul 2010

State Senate passes legislation to protect, return wandering elders with Alzheimer's disease

The Alzheimer's Association announced that passage of legislation today by the State Senate to establish a Silver Alert program will help hundreds of thousands in Massachusetts. The legislation, passed unanimously last week in the House, calls for program similar to Amber Alert with distinct differences. Silver Alert will be activated when an adult with Alzheimer's or other type of dementia wanders.

29 Jul 2010

Innovative campaign to increase awareness, use of female condom

The Washington AIDS Partnership today announced that the second phase of an innovative campaign to increase awareness and use of the female condom as a tool for HIV prevention will launch across the District this week.

29 Jul 2010

Loss of key nerve cells cause Parkinson's disease: Research

Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a molecular pathway responsible for the death of key nerve cells whose loss causes Parkinson's disease. This discovery not only may explain how a genetic mutation linked to Parkinson's causes the cells' death, but could also open the door to new therapeutic approaches for the malady.

29 Jul 2010

NIH grants $14.85 million to complete two floors of NRI at Texas Children's Hospital

Neurological research at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital is getting a big boost in the form of a $14.85 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to complete two floors of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital.

29 Jul 2010

ViroPharma second-quarter net sales increase 33% to $109.0 million

ViroPharma Incorporated reported today its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

28 Jul 2010

DaVita releases second annual corporate social responsibility report

DaVita Inc., a leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), today released its second annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) report, which highlights the company's philanthropic, sustainability and community-building efforts through 2009.

28 Jul 2010

SCCT names recipients of fourth annual Young Investigator Award

The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT), the leading international professional society dedicated to research, education and clinical excellence in cardiovascular computed tomography (CT), has named Dr. Raman Dusaj and Dr. Thomas Smith the recipients of the fourth annual Young Investigator Award. The Young Investigator Award was announced at SCCT's 2010 Annual Scientific Meeting in Las Vegas.

28 Jul 2010

WellPoint second-quarter net income increases to $722.4 million

WellPoint, Inc. today announced that second quarter 2010 net income was $722.4 million, or $1.71 per share, including net investment gains of $19.6 million after-tax, or $0.04 per share. Net income in the second quarter of 2009 was $693.5 million, or $1.43 per share, and included net investment losses of $38.0 million after-tax, or $0.07 per share.

28 Jul 2010

Survey provides insight on roles, responsibilities for improved, sustainable workplace health

Employers should be active partners in the overall health of their employees and can play a strong role by encouraging them to take responsibility for their own health. While the thirteenth edition of The sanofi-aventis Healthcare Survey suggests that no employer or employee would dispute the return-on-investment from benefit plans such as prescription drugs, dental care, or employee assistance programs, improved and sustainable health in the workplace can only be achieved by a deeper commitment to early disease detection, preventative care, and wellness in general.

28 Jul 2010

New book introduces practical information on how to find job opportunities

For those with an aptitude in science and an interest in working with medical discovery teams, careers at drug, medical device, and contract research organization companies can be fulfilling. A new book from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Career Opportunities in Clinical Drug Research, introduces readers to entry-level clinical job opportunities and explains how to qualify for them.

28 Jul 2010

Therapists introduce new parenting skills to end child maltreatment

Mothers who live in poverty and who have abused their children can stop if they are taught parenting skills and given emotional support. A new study has found that mothers in families in which there is a history of child abuse and neglect were able to reduce how much they cursed at, yelled at, slapped, spanked, hit or rejected their children after a series of home visits from therapists who taught them parenting skills.

28 Jul 2010