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Pharmacist-led interventions can help reduce medication errors in primary care

Medication errors are common in primary care but the number of mistakes could be reduced significantly if GPs introduced an in-house pharmacist-led intervention scheme.

21 Feb 2012

Targeting patient's own dendritic cells may help restore the immune system

Aggressive ovarian tumors begin as malignant cells kept in check by the immune system until, suddenly and unpredictably, they explode into metastatic cancer. New findings from scientists at The Wistar Institute demonstrate that ovarian tumors don't necessarily break "free" of the immune system, rather dendritic cells of the immune system seem to actively support the tumor's escape.

20 Feb 2012

ReCor Medical's PARADISE ultrasound platform for achieving renal denervation receives CE mark

ReCor Medical, an emerging medical device company, announced today that its PARADISE (Percutaneous Renal Denervation System) ultrasound platform for achieving renal denervation has received the CE mark. PARADISE is designed to treat patients with 'resistant' hypertension, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

20 Feb 2012

Screening events to find out risk for heart attack or stroke

If you could find out if you had an increased risk of heart attack or stroke, wouldn't you want to know? Even if you are fit and healthy, coronary artery disease (CAD) or peripheral artery disease (PAD) are conditions with little to no symptoms and can put you at an increased risk of heart attack or stroke.

20 Feb 2012

Helen DeVos Children's Hospital wins first annual Leape Ahead Award

The American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) is pleased to announce the selection of Helen DeVos Children's Hospital as the winner of the first annual Leape Ahead Award.

20 Feb 2012

Teleflex, Premier enter new agreements for ligation and stapling products, suture and trocars

Teleflex Incorporated, a leading global provider of medical devices for critical care and surgery, has announced three new group purchasing agreements with the Premier healthcare alliance.

20 Feb 2012

DNA ‘nanorobot’ effectively targets cancer leaving healthy cells untouched: Study

Researchers have developed ‘nano-sized’ probes built from DNA that can seek and destroy cancer cells, leaving healthy cells untouched. These ‘nanorobots’ release their drug payload only when they reach and identify their target and are believed to improve many treatments for disease.

20 Feb 2012

Study identifies USP15 as a critical protein in cancer

After years studying the molecular bases of glioblastoma - the most common brain tumor and one of the most aggressive of all cancers, the group led by Dr. Joan Seoane , Director of Translational Research at the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) and ICREA Research Professor has today published a study in Nature Medicine identifying USP15 as a critical protein in cancer which, thanks to its molecular characteristics, shows enormous therapeutic promise.

20 Feb 2012

Defects in GPR120 protein may lead to obesity and liver disease

Defects in a protein that functions as a dietary fat sensor may be a cause of obesity and liver disease, according to a study published in the journal Nature, led by researchers at Imperial College London. The findings highlight a promising target for new drugs to treat obesity and metabolic disorders.

19 Feb 2012

Researchers discover class of proteins that detect 'painful touch'

In two landmark papers in the journal Nature this week, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute report that they have identified a class of proteins that detect "painful touch."

19 Feb 2012

Penn oncologist to discuss role of autophagy in fighting cancer at AAAS annual meeting

Blocking autophagy -- the process of "self-eating" within cells -- is turning out to be a viable way to enhance the effectiveness of a wide variety of cancer treatments.

19 Feb 2012

Clazosentan drug shows promise against TBI in rats

A new drug is showing promise in shielding against the harmful effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rats, according to a study that was released today and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans April 21 to April 28, 2012.

19 Feb 2012

Protein fragments from yellow field pea seeds can lower blood pressure

There are lots of new ideas out there for giving you extra protection against chronic diseases through the food you eat. But many good ideas may never make it to market. Researchers at the University of Guelph, led by Brian McBride, have found a way to enrich milk with docosahexaeonic acid (DHA)-an essential nutrient that many people are lacking.

19 Feb 2012

Low dose carbon monoxide therapy can prevent fetal death

Heme oxygenase-1 is essential for the growth of blood vessels in the placenta and in establishing blood flow in the umbilical cord. Too little HO-1 can lead to a restriction in the growth of the fetus and even in fetal death and miscarriage. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Medical Gas Research has shown that low dose carbon monoxide therapy is able to restore placental function and prevent fetal death in mice, without any detrimental effects.

19 Feb 2012

Quit-smoking drug Chantix effective in cocaine and alcohol addiction

Varenicline is unique among anti-addiction medications in the way it affects the brain. Like nicotine, varenicline activates a specific receptor for a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, but it does so less intensely than the active ingredient of cigarettes does. The net effect is that the drug seems to help by both cutting cravings and making the formerly desired drug less pleasant — without making non-drug pleasures less intense. Alcohol works on the same chemical receptors in the brain as nicotine, and it may enhance the pleasurable effects of smoking.

18 Feb 2012

Slow walk and poor grip may predict dementia and stroke

According to U.S. researchers the speed of a person’s walk may predict the likelihood of developing dementia later in life. They also told a conference that grip strength in middle-age was linked to the chance of a stroke. The scientists said more studies were needed to understand the connection.

18 Feb 2012

Remote controlled microchip successfully delivers drug in early clinical trial

Researchers have developed a new microchip implant device that can deliver bone-building drugs to seven osteoporosis patients. The microchips worked inside patients as drug-delivering pacemakers, following a prescription plan sent by radio signal.

18 Feb 2012

FDA to reconsider diet drug that failed to get approval in 2010

Next week, advisers to the Food and Drug Administration will recommend whether the agency should approve the first new prescription diet pill in 13 years. The F.D.A. rejected the drug under review, Qnexa, in 2010, amid safety concerns, and the drug's manufacturer is now presenting additional data to argue its case.

18 Feb 2012

Evergreen receives Advanced Certification in Inpatient Diabetes from The Joint Commission

Evergreen Healthcare has earned Advanced Certification in Inpatient Diabetes from The Joint Commission for its comprehensive diabetes treatment program, establishing it as Washington state's only program to currently hold the distinction.

18 Feb 2012

Adherence rates for hypertension medications lower among African-American patients

Racial disparities in hypertension control account for nearly 8,000 preventable deaths annually among African-Americans, making increased blood pressure control among African-Americans a "compelling goal," reported Lisa M. Lewis, PhD, RN, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in the Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing.

18 Feb 2012