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New endoscopic technique reduces symptoms in gastroparesis patients

Physicians at Johns Hopkins say they are encouraged by early results in three patients of their new treatment for gastroparesis, a condition marked by the failure of the stomach to properly empty its contents into the small intestine.

5 Jul 2013

Oncologist urges drug companies to include key information in cancer drug labels

In the July 10th issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Basch calls for pharmaceutical manufacturers to collect rigorous information on how drugs impact symptoms and quality of life starting early in drug development, and for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to include this information in drug labels.

5 Jul 2013

Weekend reading: Taking stock of your body; A designer seeks to improve health care; A researcher's quest to lower suicide rates

Today, I've been on the phone four times, for an average of 24 minutes a call. My last phone call was 22 minutes 23 seconds long, according to the digital time device on my landline. It took me exactly 45 minutes and 10 seconds on the train to reach Brooklyn the other night: I counted the seconds off on my smart phone. My average mile when I ran 5K yesterday was 8 minutes and 45 seconds that showed up on the pedometer. (Nothing to boast about, I know.) ... I am able to hold my plank at the gym for 54 seconds rather than the minute I always thought I could, which I know thanks to my phone's stopwatch. My optimal sleep time is seven hours and 20 minutes and I wake up twice a night: I discovered that from a wristband that measures sleep duration and intensity.

4 Jul 2013

Genetic cause identified for diffuse non-epidermolytic palmoplantar keratoderma

Scientists have identified the genetic cause of a rare skin condition that causes the hands and feet to turn white and spongy when exposed to water.

4 Jul 2013

State highlights: Docs prescribe narcotics too often, CDC chief says; Fla. hospices get close scrutiny; Calif. Medi-Cal provider rate bump delayed

The nation's top public health official on Tuesday sharply criticized the widespread treatment of aches and pains with narcotics, saying that doctors are prescribing such drugs too soon, too often and for too long -- putting patients at risk of addiction and overdose. Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that doctors are relying on these powerful drugs to treat chronic pain when physical therapy, exercise and other remedies would be safer and in many cases more effective (Girion and Glover, 7/2).

4 Jul 2013

Saltwater-treatment for cystic fibrosis: an interview with Matthew Allen, Program Director at Cambridge Consultants

A group of Australian researchers, back in 2006, noted that there was a link between the severity of cystic fibrosis between sufferers who surfed, and sufferers who did not surf – and obviously Australia is a good place to spot that.

4 Jul 2013

Study identifies genomic regions associated with cholera susceptibility

An international research team has used a novel approach to identify genetic factors that appear to influence susceptibility to cholera. The findings by investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the Broad Institute and the International Center for Diarrh-al Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) indicate the importance of pathways involved in regulating water loss in intestinal cells and of the innate immune system in the body's response to the bacteria that causes cholera, which affects from 3 to 5 million people each year and causes more than 100,000 deaths.

4 Jul 2013

Duke researchers solve some mysteries related to the use of aspirin

Aspirin has been widely used for more than 50 years as a common, inexpensive blood thinner for patients with heart disease and stroke, but doctors have little understanding of how it works and why some people benefit and others don't.

4 Jul 2013

Gerovital H3 may be making a comeback, warns BUSM researcher

Despite it being more than 30 years since the "fountain of youth drug" Gerovital H3 was banned in the United States, it may be making a comeback. In an editorial published in this month's Journal of the American Geriatrics Society BUSM researcher Thomas Perls, MD, points out that a few U.S.-based anti-aging and longevity clinics have begun to advertise Gerovital H3 in pill form and as intravenous infusions despite the fact that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned it in 1982.

4 Jul 2013

Research shows mutations in FAM190A gene may contribute to chromosomal instability in cancer

Johns Hopkins cancer scientists have discovered that a little-described gene known as FAM190A plays a subtle but critical role in regulating the normal cell division process known as mitosis, and the scientists' research suggests that mutations in the gene may contribute to commonly found chromosomal instability in cancer.

4 Jul 2013

Researchers develop program to reduce hospital readmissions by more than half

When a Medicare patient heads home from the hospital, the last thing they want is to be part of the revolving door of readmission that costs the healthcare industry and Medicare billions of dollars each year.

4 Jul 2013

Professor receives grant to explore therapeutic agent, treatment method for brain cancer

The problem with cancer treatments designed to kill a tumor is that they can kill the patient's quality of life as well. Now a Florida State University College of Medicine researcher is shifting the focus from eradicating brain tumors to managing them.

4 Jul 2013

FDA approves Orexo's Zubsolv for people suffering from opioid dependence

Orexo today announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Zubsolv (buprenorphine/naloxone) sublingual tablet CIII.

4 Jul 2013

Royal Philips receives FDA clearance to market AlluraClarity live image guidance system in US

Royal Philips today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration to market its innovative AlluraClarity live image guidance system in the US.

From Philips Healthcare 4 Jul 2013

Adding chemotherapy after surgery for patients with advanced gastric cancer can reduce mortality risk

For patients with advanced gastric cancer, treatment with chemotherapy after surgery can reduce the risk of cancer related death by 34% over five years compared to surgery alone, researchers said at the 15th ESMO World Congress in Gastrointestinal Cancer.

4 Jul 2013

Neurosurgeon wins Ambassador for Epilepsy Award for improving clinical care for children with epilepsy

Dr. Gary Mathern, professor of pediatric neurosurgery and director of the UCLA Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Program at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, was honored with the Ambassador for Epilepsy Award by the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) and the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) at the 30th International Epilepsy Congress in Montreal on June 23.

4 Jul 2013

Assay identifies T cells as most capable of fighting infections and cancers

The idea of fighting infections and even cancers by inducing protective immune responses may now be a step closer to clinical practice. Researchers have removed a major obstacle to widespread use of so-called adoptive transfer therapy, in which a patient receives "killer" immune cells targeting a disease agent. Existing technologies can easily provide T cells that will recognize a specific antigen, but it has been challenging to identify individual cells most likely to succeed in fighting the disease - until now.

4 Jul 2013

Research unravels a novel means of communication that allows bacteria to resist antibiotic treatment

New research from Western University unravels a novel means of communication that allows bacteria such as Burkholderia cenocepacia (B. cenocepacia) to resist antibiotic treatment. B. cenocepacia is an environmental bacterium that causes devastating infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) or with compromised immune systems.

4 Jul 2013

3-gene signature test will improve care of kidney transplant patients

A breakthrough non-invasive test can detect whether transplanted kidneys are in the process of being rejected, as well as identify patients at risk for rejection weeks to months before they show symptoms, according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

4 Jul 2013

Open window can become dangerous hazard for children

The dog days of summer are here. As we try to catch a cool breeze, that open window can become a dangerous hazard for children. In fact, emergency rooms treat more than 5,000 children each year for injuries related to falls from windows.

4 Jul 2013

Medicine News and Research

New endoscopic technique reduces symptoms in gastroparesis patients

Oncologist urges drug companies to include key information in cancer drug labels

Weekend reading: Taking stock of your body; A designer seeks to improve health care; A researcher's quest to lower suicide rates

Genetic cause identified for diffuse non-epidermolytic palmoplantar keratoderma

State highlights: Docs prescribe narcotics too often, CDC chief says; Fla. hospices get close scrutiny; Calif. Medi-Cal provider rate bump delayed

Saltwater-treatment for cystic fibrosis: an interview with Matthew Allen, Program Director at Cambridge Consultants

Study identifies genomic regions associated with cholera susceptibility

Duke researchers solve some mysteries related to the use of aspirin

Gerovital H3 may be making a comeback, warns BUSM researcher

Research shows mutations in FAM190A gene may contribute to chromosomal instability in cancer

Researchers develop program to reduce hospital readmissions by more than half

Professor receives grant to explore therapeutic agent, treatment method for brain cancer

FDA approves Orexo's Zubsolv for people suffering from opioid dependence

Royal Philips receives FDA clearance to market AlluraClarity live image guidance system in US

Adding chemotherapy after surgery for patients with advanced gastric cancer can reduce mortality risk

Neurosurgeon wins Ambassador for Epilepsy Award for improving clinical care for children with epilepsy

Assay identifies T cells as most capable of fighting infections and cancers

Research unravels a novel means of communication that allows bacteria to resist antibiotic treatment

3-gene signature test will improve care of kidney transplant patients

Open window can become dangerous hazard for children

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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