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Study finds that visual impairment in T1D patients may be decreasing

People diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in recent years are less likely to develop diabetes-related vision loss than those diagnosed in earlier years, says a new study funded by the National Eye Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health. Forecasts of visual impairment prevalence in T1D patients may need to be amended, the researchers suggest, since current predictions assume that the earlier incidence rates will continue.

3 Oct 2009

CSPI sues Bayer for false claims on Men's One A Day multivitamins

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has sued the German drug company Bayer for falsely claiming that the selenium in Men's One A Day multivitamins might reduce the risk of prostate cancer. The lawsuit is filed in the Superior Court of California in San Francisco.

3 Oct 2009

New study shows that NovoMix 30 is effective for type 2 diabetes patients who are to start on insulin

Data from a new study presented today at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) shows that type 2 diabetes patients starting insulin treatment with once-daily injection of NovoMix® 30 (biphasic insulin aspart) achieve a significantly greater HbA1c reduction compared to patients starting with a daily injection of insulin glargine.

3 Oct 2009

Rewarding healthy behavior with incentives helps lower healthcare costs

On September 30, the U.S. Senate voted to adopt a measure aimed at rewarding healthy behavior as part of the Obama Administration's overall healthcare reform legislation. The Senate Finance Committee voted for a bi-partisan amendment that would allow health plans to provide financial incentives for people to quit smoking, exercise more and engage in other healthy activities.

3 Oct 2009

Study finds an independent link between self-perceived psychological stress and stroke

Many patients urgently admitted to hospital with cerebral infarction state that they were under great stress over a prolonged period prior to suffering their stroke, is shown in a unique patient study conducted in cooperation between the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden.

3 Oct 2009

Few risks to babies born to parents who underwent cancer treatment in childhood: Study

Whether they can have children is one of the major concerns for adult survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer because fertility can be compromised by cancer treatment. For cancer survivors who can have children, two new studies led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center may help alleviate fears that their childhood disease will adversely impact their newborns.

3 Oct 2009

Study to determine vitamin D's effectiveness in pregnant women with asthma

A group of pregnant women who have asthma or allergies will get extra vitamin D as part of a study to determine if the vitamin can prevent their children from developing asthma.

3 Oct 2009

New study reports PRP treatment and its use in sports medicine

Platelet -rich plasma (PRP) is currently used as an alternative treatment method for several common orthopaedic-related sports medicine conditions.

3 Oct 2009

Professor's research to transform mobile phones into powerful medical devices

Cell phones have come a long way in the last decade. Today, one can talk, text message, shoot photos and video, send and receive e-mail, and even access the Web. Now imagine a cell phone that can be used to monitor diseases like HIV or malaria and to test water quality after a major disaster like a hurricane or earthquake.

3 Oct 2009

70% of Americans underestimate the seriousness of SCA

More than 250,000 deaths occur each year as a result of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). In fact, SCA claims one life every two minutes, taking more lives each year than breast cancer, lung cancer or AIDS. Yet, according to a recent survey issued by the Heart Rhythm Society, more than 70 percent of Americans not only underestimate the seriousness of SCA, but also believe SCA is a type of heart attack.

3 Oct 2009

Self-monitoring of blood glucose helps patients with diabetes to manage their disease better

Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) enables those with diabetes to modify their behavior, adjust their medicine and understand their disease to better manage it, according to a recent study, published by SAGE in The Diabetes Educator. The research looked at "paired testing," a self-monitored testing both before and after specific events, to evaluate whether it could assist the patient in making better health and food choice decisions over time.

3 Oct 2009

PNNL scientist Dick Smith awarded Human Proteome Organization's Discovery Award

Laboratory and Battelle Fellow Dick Smith of the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has been recognized for his many accomplishments in pioneering the development of proteomics tools. Scientists use these instruments to study the array of proteins and related molecules that make up much of human blood and tissues.

3 Oct 2009

High-risk surgery patients have shorter hospital stays when their care was co-managed by hospitalists

A Loyola University Health System study has found that high-risk surgery patients experienced significantly shorter hospital stays when they were seen by general internists trained in managing medical complications in surgical patients.

3 Oct 2009

USPTO grants Micardia's patent concerning reshaping the anatomy of the heart

MiCardia® today announced that The United States Patent Office granted patent number US7,594,887 B2, "Shape Memory Devices and Methods for Reshaping Heart Anatomy," on September 29th, 2009.

3 Oct 2009

Teens with chronic disease often have expensive, uncertain coverage

ABC News profiles teens living with chronic diseases, and examines their insurance coverage and the cost of such care. The article notes: "Chronic diseases affect 1 in 10 Americans and are the leading cause of disability, accounting for 70 percent of all deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They are also expensive."

3 Oct 2009

Research study suggests possibility of safely expanding donor kidney pool by 10 to 15 percent

Kidneys recovered from deceased donors with acute renal failure (ARF) - once deemed unusable for transplant - appear to work just as well as kidneys transplanted from deceased donors who do not develop kidney problems prior to organ donation, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

3 Oct 2009

Study finds link between allergic inflammation and nephropathy in men with type 2 diabetes

For men with type 2 diabetes, a cell type linked to allergic inflammation is closely linked to a key indicator of diabetic kidney disease (nephropathy), suggests a study in the November Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). "Allergy is a common disease that is increasing worldwide, so our findings may have important implications for diabetic nephropathy," comments Michiaki Fukui, MD (Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan).

3 Oct 2009

New (and old) ideas for health care show possibility of savings, improvements

The search for reform models continues, with news reports exploring the Veterans Administration's "government-run health care," Washington State's "reputation for lower-cost, higher-quality health care," and Kaiser Permanente's new money-saving approach to heart attack treatment.

3 Oct 2009

FDA approves Bayer's IUD Mirena for treating heavy menstrual bleeding

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Mirena (levonorgestrel intrauterine system) to treat heavy menstrual bleeding in women who use intrauterine contraception as their method of pregnancy prevention. This is the first intrauterine device approved by the FDA for this additional indication.

3 Oct 2009

New technique for blood diagnosis developed

If a person loses a large amount of blood the consequences can be critical. That's why adequate quantities of donated blood have to be kept available in hospitals and blood banks.

3 Oct 2009