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Gene-therapy trial to restore hearing in deaf mice

Researchers have found long-sought genes in the sensory hair cells of the inner ear that, when mutated, prevent sound waves from being converted to electric signals - a fundamental first step in hearing. The team, co-led by Jeffrey Holt, PhD, in the department of otolaryngology at Children-s Hospital Boston, and Andrew Griffith, MD, PhD, of the NIH-s National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), then restored these electrical signals in the sensory cells of deaf mice by introducing normal genes.

22 Nov 2011

CardioComm demonstrates HeartCheck ECG monitor at Medica 2011

At the world's largest medical trade fair, Medica 2011 held in Düsseldorf last week, CardioComm Solutions, Inc. demonstrated their newly developed remote patient ECG monitoring service, called HeartCheck Smart Monitoring

22 Nov 2011

South Asian patients with CAD more likely to need repeat PCI procedures

South Asian patients with coronary artery disease were almost three times as likely to be readmitted to hospital for further interventional treatment to arterial plaque than their White European counterparts, according to research in the December issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice. They were also more likely to present as an emergency and require urgent treatment.

22 Nov 2011

Racial disparities in emergency diverticulitis surgery

Black senior citizens who need surgery for the intestinal disorder diverticulitis are significantly more likely to die in the hospital than their equally ill white counterparts, even when each racial group carries the same health insurance, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.

22 Nov 2011

Researchers manipulate life span of yeast by mutating chemical residues

Collaborations between Johns Hopkins and National Taiwan University researchers have successfully manipulated the life span of common, single-celled yeast organisms by figuring out how to remove and restore protein functions related to yeast aging.

22 Nov 2011

Safety tips to avoid cooking accidents on Thanksgiving Day

Aficionados agree that deep-frying a turkey is the best way to prepare the most flavorful and moist version of the traditional centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal. Serafino Alfe was deep-frying turkeys for an annual fundraiser dinner recently and ended up at the Loyola Burn unit with third-degree burns - the worst - on his leg.

22 Nov 2011

Older home health care patients are prescribed PIMs three times higher than others

Older adults receiving home health care may be taking a drug that is unsafe or ineffective for someone their age. In fact, nearly 40 percent of seniors receiving medical care from a home health agency are taking at least one prescription medication that is considered potentially inappropriate to seniors, a new study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine has revealed.

22 Nov 2011

Scientists discover second faulty gene linked to ALS

Following a major Northwestern Medicine breakthrough that identified a common converging point for all forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS and Lou Gehrig's disease), a new finding from the same scientists further broadens the understanding of why cells in the brain and spinal cord degenerate in the fatal disease.

21 Nov 2011

Hemoglobin A1c fails to identify children with diabetes

In 2009, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommended that Hemoglobin A1c be exclusively used for the diagnosis of diabetes in children. The simple test measures longer-term blood sugar levels -- without requiring patients to fast overnight. However, a new U-M study has shown that these tests are not very accurate in children.

21 Nov 2011

FDA clears Aptus EndoStapling System to treat AAA

Aptus Endosystems, Inc., a medical device company developing advanced technology for endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), announced today that it received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the Aptus EndoStapling System, which will now be known as the HeliFX™ Aortic Securement System.

21 Nov 2011

Drug abuse high in West Australian young men: Study

According to a drug expert almost one in 10 men under 30 years of age has regularly used stimulant drugs and West Australians are the worst offenders.

21 Nov 2011

Breast cancer drug Avastin loses FDA support

According to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcement last Friday, the cancer drug Avastin should not be used to treat breast cancer that has spread to other organs because it doesn't help patients enough to justify its risky side effects.

21 Nov 2011

Roche establishes strategic alliance with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Roche announced today the establishment of a strategic alliance with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for the center to operate as a Roche Molecular Center of Excellence (MCOE) for the next five years.

From Roche Sequencing and Life Science 21 Nov 2011

Certain IBD patients at increased risk of skin cancer

Certain patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may have an increased risk of skin cancer, which is intensified by the use of immunosuppressant medications , according to two new studies in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. Immunosuppressants are commonly used in the treatment of IBD.

21 Nov 2011

Despite market constraints, the drug market for key hospital-treated infections will increase: Report

Decision Resources finds that the drug market for key hospital-treated infections that are of high interest to drug developers—most notably nosocomial pneumonia, bloodstream infections, skin and skin structure/surgical site infections and urinary tract infections—will increase from $3.3 billion in 2010 to just over $4 billion in 2020 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan.

21 Nov 2011

State roundup: Provider groups merging - or not

A selection of health policy stories from California, Illinois, Georgia, Connecticut, Minnesota, Michigan and Massachusetts.

21 Nov 2011

Nature Medicine publishes dexpramipexole Phase 2 ALS study results

Knopp Biosciences LLC today announced the publication in Nature Medicine of comprehensive results from the Phase 2 study of dexpramipexole, a small-molecule modulator of mitochondrial bioenergetics, in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

21 Nov 2011

Novel antibacterial protein could prevent or treat E. coli O157:H7-induced food-borne infections

A novel antibacterial protein targeted against E. coli O157:H7 may offer a way to prevent or treat serious food-borne bacterial infections, as demonstrated in a study published in the December issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

21 Nov 2011

Health experts identify gap in medical trainee programs

Globalization has led to significant changes in the health care of children worldwide, yet medical education in the developed world has remained domestically focused. Canadian pediatricians are caring for growing numbers of new immigrants, refugees and international adoptees, so their formal training should reflect these changes.

21 Nov 2011

Medizone, SMTC enter partnership to manufacture AsepticSure disinfection system

Medizone International, a leading-edge research and development company that specializes in decontamination and sterilization systems and SMTC Corporation, a global electronics manufacturing services provider, today jointly announce a new partnership agreement to manufacture Medizone's AsepticSure disinfection system.

21 Nov 2011