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FDA nod for pediatric Berlin heart

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Berlin Heart for pediatric patients waiting for heart transplants. The ventricular assist device is similar to the one worn by former Vice President Dick Cheney but scaled down in size for children and babies.

19 Dec 2011

Individualised approach to cancer medicine considering genetic variations

A new cancer research centre established at the University of Adelaide will focus on treatment options tailored to the individual, taking into account DNA and genetic variations between people.

19 Dec 2011

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to expand coverage of MNT

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has prepared a request to submit to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to expand coverage of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) for specific diseases, including hypertension, obesity, and cancer, as part of the CMS National Coverage Determination (NCD) Process.

19 Dec 2011

Link between malaria and salmonella infections

The link between malaria and salmonella infections has been explained for the first time, opening the way to more effective treatments.

19 Dec 2011

Bed bugs deterred by body hair: Study

According to Sheffield, UK researchers hairy skin may be the key to avoiding being bitten by bed bugs. The study was reported in the journal Biology Letters. Researchers say the hair slows down the bed bugs and warns the victim.

18 Dec 2011

Combination of bevacizumab and chemoradiation safe, effective for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

The trial conducted by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) shows the feasibility to deliver bevacizumab to the current chemoradiation standard without any apparent increased adverse side effects.

17 Dec 2011

Experts argue about dementia detection in primary care practice at AFA-ADDF meeting

Many people with dementia don't realize they have the disease until it's at an advanced stage, when everyone can tell something is wrong. Other people might start forgetting dates or names and worry they have dementia, yet their memory problems are just a normal consequence of aging.

17 Dec 2011

Many maternal deaths from pre-eclampsia in the UK linked with substandard care

An editorial published this week in the Lancet online highlights the shocking fact that many maternal deaths in the UK are associated with substandard care and are potentially preventable.

17 Dec 2011

New procedure helps reconstruct cricoid cartilage in a cancer patient

When Sherry Wittenberg was diagnosed with a rare cancer in the cricoid cartilage of her larynx, doctors told her the only way to treat the condition was to remove her voice box. The operation would leave her unable to speak normally and would require her to breathe through a hole in her neck for the rest of her life.

17 Dec 2011

3-year study identifies key interventions to reduce maternal, newborn, child deaths

A three-year study conducted by the WHO, Aga Khan University, and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH) "has identified key interventions to reduce maternal, newborn and child deaths," PANA/Afrique en Ligne reports.

17 Dec 2011

Inexpensive weight management program could improve health and reduce medical costs

A weight management program for inactive and retired military members and their families could improve health and reduce medical costs, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of South Carolina, Cooper Institute, and TRICARE Management Activity.

17 Dec 2011

Berlin Heart receives FDA approval for EXCOR Pediatric System

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a medical device that supports the weakened heart of children with heart failure to help keep them alive until a donor for a heart transplant can be found.

17 Dec 2011

First reliable method to predict whether SSRIs work on depressed patients

Loyola University Medical Center researchers are reporting what could become the first reliable method to predict whether an antidepressant will work on a depressed patient.

16 Dec 2011

Microvascular stamp stimulates, directs blood vessel growth on wound surface

Researchers have developed a bandage that stimulates and directs blood vessel growth on the surface of a wound. The bandage, called a "microvascular stamp," contains living cells that deliver growth factors to damaged tissues in a defined pattern. After a week, the pattern of the stamp "is written in blood vessels," the researchers report.

16 Dec 2011

MHI cardiologists perform first clinical procedure in Canada using MitraClip system

The interventional cardiology team at the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) recently conducted the first clinical procedure in Canada using the MitraClip system, which is designed to treat patients suffering from mitral valve failure, a very common heart defect that affects an estimated 1 out 5 people to various extents starting at the age of 55.

16 Dec 2011

F. nucleatum alters endothelial integrity and allows other bacteria to invade human body

A common oral bacteria, Fusobacterium nucleatum, acts like a key to open a door in human blood vessels and leads the way for it and other bacteria like Escherichia coli to invade the body through the blood and make people sick, according to dental researchers at Case Western Reserve University.

16 Dec 2011

Five tips on how to tell if a senior relative needs immediate medical attention

You are back in your hometown and stop by to see Great Aunt Mary and Great Uncle Albert for the first time in a few years. But you become worried when you observe that the busy, meticulous couple of your youth is gone, replaced by a disheveled woman who won't get out of bed and a belligerent man who doesn't recognize you and thinks it is 1959.

16 Dec 2011

Ten resolutions for healthy aging

Successful aging means more than good health. It means taking charge of your personal wellbeing so that you can continue to live a vibrant, independent life, regardless of your age, according to Dr. Terri Ginsberg of the New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging at the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine.

16 Dec 2011

Certain measures of kidney health may predict who is likely to die prematurely

Certain measures of kidney health may predict who is likely to die prematurely, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

16 Dec 2011

Scientists identify how cells reduce tissue damage from inflammation in ALI model

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have found in an animal model of acute lung injury a molecular mechanism that allows cells of the immune system to reduce tissue damage from inflammation.

16 Dec 2011