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Can a robot cure cancer?

The Lowy Cancer Research Centre at the University of New South Wales is hosting a select group of high school students and a pair of potentially cancer-curing robots tomorrow ( Friday 12th August) as a curtain raiser for National Science Week, with lab tours led by world-class scientists from Children’s Cancer Institute Australia (CCIA).

10 Aug 2011

Researchers helps explain how the adult brain cleans out dead brain cells and produces new ones

Adult brains generate thousands of new brain cells called neurons each day; however only a small fraction of them survive. The rest die and are consumed by scavenger cells called phagocytes. Until now, scientists have not fully understood how this process works, which phagocytes are unique in the brain, and how the removal of dead neurons influences the production of new neurons.

10 Aug 2011

Aged care issues come to light after a Productivity Commission report

According to the New South Wales Council on the Ageing, the Productivity Commission's report on aged care could improve services in the south-east. Poor standards of care throughout the aged care industry have prompted the Productivity Commission to recommend a national independent audit of training standards for personal care workers.

10 Aug 2011

Pink or blue – now find out at 7 weeks of pregnancy

Now a simple blood test can determine a baby’s sex as early as seven weeks into pregnancy and is highly accurate if used correctly. Experts believe this will have a great impact on parents concerned about gender-linked diseases and those who are merely curious, as well as people considering the more ethically controversial step of selecting the sex of their children.

10 Aug 2011

FDA approves Abbott's RX Herculink Elite Renal Stent System for renal artery stenosis

Abbott today announced it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the RX Herculink Elite® Renal Stent System for the treatment of renal artery stenosis (narrowing of the main arteries supplying blood to the kidneys) in patients with uncontrolled hypertension (high blood pressure).

10 Aug 2011

Accretive Health second quarter net income increases 118% to $8.6 million

Accretive Health, Inc., a leading provider of comprehensive end-to-end healthcare revenue cycle management services and population health management services infrastructure, today announced financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2011.

10 Aug 2011

Cancer-causing fusion protein works by silencing tumor suppressor gene IL-2Rγ

Mariusz A. Wasik, MD, professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Qian Zhang, MD, PhD, research assistant professor, both from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and their colleagues, found that a cancer-causing fusion protein works by silencing the tumor suppressor gene IL-2R common gamma-chain.

10 Aug 2011

Study: Expanded insurance coverage alone may not mean better access to care

A shortage in the number and availability of primary care physicians may continue to mean rising numbers of emergency department visits, despite the expanded health insurance coverage required by the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

10 Aug 2011

Study examines role of weight lifting in smoking cessation

Resistance training, or weight lifting, can do more than just build muscle: it may also help smokers kick the habit, say researchers from The Miriam Hospital's Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine.

10 Aug 2011

Study finds demand continues for safety-net care in Massachusetts

Even though the state reduced the number of uninsured residents in its health care overhaul, many people still get treatments at community health centers and safety-net hospitals.

10 Aug 2011

Medicare officials report positive results for ACO precursor program

Some health policy experts, though, considered the findings from the five-year demo programs to be discouraging, noting that six of the 10 sites involved in the effort did not qualify for savings. But some news coverage highlights success stories.

10 Aug 2011

Pre-operative education programme can reduce hospital stay for knee replacement patients

Potential to reduce NHS costs while offering more effective rehabilitation for knee replacement patients has been identified following a 20 month study carried out by academics at Northumbria University in conjunction with Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust.

10 Aug 2011

Press Ganey's annual report on patient satisfaction in hospital emergency departments

Miami, Hartford and Indianapolis ranked at the top in Press Ganey's annual report on patient satisfaction in hospital emergency departments. A survey of more than 1.6 million patients treated at 1,908 hospitals nationwide between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2010 gauged their experiences and how satisfied they were with the treatment they received in the emergency department.

10 Aug 2011

Transaxillary thyroid robotic surgery removes nodules with no visible scar

As the rate of thyroid cancer continues to climb, doctors are urging patients to be more cautious about thyroid nodules, a common disorder that is responsible for a small but growing number of thyroid cancer cases.

10 Aug 2011

Trastuzumab drug increases risk of heart problems in elderly breast cancer patients

The first study to investigate the effect of the breast cancer drug trastuzumab (Herceptin) on heart and vascular function in elderly patients has found that it increases the risk of heart problems, particularly in women with a history of heart disease, diabetes or both.

10 Aug 2011

A diet of flaxseed shows protective effects against radiation in mice

Flax has been part of human history for well over 30,000 years, used for weaving cloth, feeding people and animals, and even making paint. Now, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have discovered that it might have a new use for the 21st century: protecting healthy tissues and organs from the harmful effects of radiation.

10 Aug 2011

BIDMC researchers receive PCF Challenge Awards for novel prostate cancer study

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) researchers Martin Sanda, MD, and Steven Balk MD, PhD, have been awarded Challenge Awards of $1 million each from the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) to lead two cross-disciplinary teams of investigators in their pursuit of new treatments for patients with advanced prostate cancer.

10 Aug 2011

Researchers demonstrate contribution of Immunoglobulin E to atherogenesis

There is an observed correlation between Immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels atherosclerosis, with twice amount of IgE present in patients with acute myocardial infarction as in patients with stable angina or without coronary heart disease (CHD). Guo-Ping Shi, DSc, Jing Wang, MD, PhD, and colleagues in the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), have demonstrated the direct participation of IgE in atherogenesis in a mouse model.

10 Aug 2011

First bioengineered anal sphincter for treatment of fecal and urinary incontinence

Researchers have built the first functional anal sphincters in the laboratory, suggesting a potential future treatment for both fecal and urinary incontinence. Made from muscle and nerve cells, the sphincters developed a blood supply and maintained function when implanted in mice.

10 Aug 2011

Erythromycin can prevent and treat aseptic loosening of total joint replacement

Total joint replacement surgeries can help relieve joint pain common in people with conditions like osteoarthritis. But sometimes, the debris from prosthetic joints leads to aseptic loosening, or disintegration of surrounding bones.

10 Aug 2011