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New method can detect and monitor pH changes in living brains

University of Iowa neuroscientist John Wemmie, M.D., Ph.D., is interested in the effect of acid in the brain. His studies suggest that increased acidity or low pH, in the brain is linked to panic disorders, anxiety, and depression. But his work also suggests that changes in acidity are important for normal brain activity too.

19 May 2012

UK-led technologies set to transform treatments on the NHS

Video games, pioneering gene therapies and new medical devices are set to transform treatments on the NHS, with support from the Department of Health and the Wellcome Trust.

19 May 2012

Rare DNA variations may be responsible for differences in susceptibility to common disorders

One-letter switches in the DNA code occur much more frequently in human genomes than anticipated, but are often only found in one or a few individuals. The abundance of rare variations across the human genome is consistent with the population explosion of the past few thousand years, medical geneticists and evolutionary biologists report in the May 17 advanced online edition of Science.

19 May 2012

Promising updates in quest for early detection and treatments for lung cancer

LUNGevity Foundation, the nation's largest lung cancer-focused nonprofit, is pleased to note promising updates in researchers' quest for early detection and treatments for lung cancer during May, Lung Cancer Hope Month.

18 May 2012

Migraine is a neurological, not vascular, disorder

The latest genetic and biological research shows that migraine is a neurological, not vascular, disorder and both acute and preventive treatments being developed target peripheral and central nervous systems, according to a prominent migraine expert addressing the American Pain Society (APS)today.

18 May 2012

Urocortin 2 improves cardiac output in Phase II study for acute decompensated heart failure

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. today announced efficacy and safety results from a Phase II trial of urocortin 2 in 53 patients with acute decompensated heart failure. The UNICORN study was conducted over approximately a two year period by the Cardioendocrine Research Group from the University of Otago in Christchurch, New Zealand and included patients admitted to Christchurch Hospital with acute decompensated heart failure.

18 May 2012

Personal genetic test results don't drive overuse of expensive medical care

People have more and more chances to participate in genetic testing that can indicate their range of risk for developing a disease. Receiving these results does not appreciably drive up- or diminish-test recipients' demand for potentially costly follow-up health services, according to a new study in the May 17, 2012 early online issue of Genetics in Medicine.

18 May 2012

Breast cancer vaccine that elicits powerful immune response also improves recurrence rates

A breast cancer vaccine already shown to elicit a powerful immune response in women with varying levels of HER2 expression has the ability to improve recurrence rates and is well tolerated in an adjuvant setting, according to new research from a clinical trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

18 May 2012

First Edition: May 18, 2012

Today's headlines include a report that congressional conservatives are fighting amongst themselves over health law strategies.

18 May 2012

The truth about chocolate: does it really contain flavonoids?

There have been many news stories over the years about chocolate and whether it is good or bad for you. The stories often comment on a chemical constituent of chocolate: flavonoids. But what are flavonoids? Does chocolate even contain them? And why should we care if it does?

18 May 2012

Regular eating times, extended daily fasting may prevent diabetes, obesity

It turns out that when we eat may be as important as what we eat. Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found that regular eating times and extending the daily fasting period may override the adverse health effects of a high-fat diet and prevent obesity, diabetes and liver disease in mice.

18 May 2012

Medtronic announces new results from CoreValve ADVANCE Study

Medtronic, Inc. today announced new results from the Medtronic CoreValve ADVANCE Study, which found that women and men benefitted similarly from the Medtronic CoreValve System.

From Medtronic 18 May 2012

ScreenCell, Affymetrix partner to distribute CTC platform

Affymetrix, Inc. and ScreenCell, a privately-held company, today announced the signing of a worldwide distribution agreement for ScreenCell's isolation devices and dilution buffers, designed for the collection of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood.

18 May 2012

Prostate Cancer Risk Calculator offers men ‘individual risk assessment’

Men worried about prostate cancer have a new online resource, freely available, to help them assess their risk. The multi-step Prostate Cancer Risk Calculator, www.prostatecancer-riskcalculator.com*, has been created by the founders of the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC).

18 May 2012

Tiny filter could fight against tuberculosis

A tiny filter could have a big impact around the world in the fight against tuberculosis. Using the traditional microscope-based diagnosis method as a starting point, a University of Florida lung disease specialist and colleagues in Brazil have devised a way to detect more cases of the bacterial infection.

18 May 2012

Maternal deaths drop by nearly half worldwide over 20 years; Greater progress still needed, U.N. reports

"The number of women dying of pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications has almost halved in 20 years, according to new estimates released [on Wednesday] by the United Nations, which stressed that greater progress is still needed in significantly reducing maternal deaths," the U.N. News Centre reports.

18 May 2012

Dabrafenib drug shrinks tumors in patients with melanoma brain metastases

An experimental drug targeting a common mutation in melanoma successfully shrank tumors that spread to the brain in nine out of 10 patients in part of an international phase I clinical trial report in the May 18 issue of The Lancet.

18 May 2012

One type of open heart surgery is likely safer than the other for CKD patients

One type of open heart surgery is likely safer than the other for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

18 May 2012

Renal denervation can effectively reduce blood pressure in CKD patients with hypertension

Disrupting certain nerves in the kidneys can safely and effectively lower blood pressure in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hypertension, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

18 May 2012

Boston Scientific launches Epic Vascular Self-Expanding Stent System

Boston Scientific Corporation announces U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval and market launch of the Epic Vascular Self-Expanding Stent System.

18 May 2012