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Researchers identify second B-cell attachment receptor for Epstein-Barr virus

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) affects more than 90 percent of the population worldwide and was the first human virus found to be associated with cancer. Now, researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have broadened the understanding of this widespread infection with their discovery of a second B-cell attachment receptor for EBV.

21 Feb 2013

Weekend reading: Why a trip to the ER costs more than a college semester; Searching for the 'stomach share;' Lessons for the U.S. from Rwanda

Routine Care, Unforgettable Bills .... Sean was allowed to see the doctor only after he advanced MD Anderson $7,500 from his credit card. ... The total cost, in advance, for Sean to get his treatment plan and initial doses of chemotherapy was $83,900.

21 Feb 2013

Donated liver survival rate improved by antioxidant

Researchers from Italy have found that the antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), when injected prior to harvesting of the liver, significantly improves graft survival following transplantation. Results published in the February issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), suggest that the NAC effect on early graft function and survival is higher when suboptimal organs are used.

21 Feb 2013

Memorial Sloan-Kettering scientist wins Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

Charles L. Sawyers, Chair of Memorial Sloan-Kettering's Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program (HOPP), was awarded the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences today. The award - established by Art Levinson, Sergey Brin, Anne Wojcicki, Mark Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan, and Yuri Milner - recognizes "excellence in research aimed at curing intractable diseases and extending human life."

21 Feb 2013

Heart disease awareness still lags in minorities and younger women

The number of women aware that heart disease is the leading cause of death has nearly doubled in the last 15 years, but that knowledge still lags in minorities and younger women, according to a new study in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

21 Feb 2013

New mouse model can advance research on iPS cells to next step

VIB scientists associated to the UGent have developed a mouse model that can advance the research on iPS cells to the next step.

21 Feb 2013

Eliminating insurance co-payments can improve medication adherence and management of diabetes

Reducing financial barriers to medication access—a strategy known as value-based insurance design (VBID)—can improve medication adherence and management of chronic diseases such as diabetes.

21 Feb 2013

Quest Diagnostics offers access to a new non-invasive prenatal test developed by Natera

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX), the world’s leading diagnostic information services company, and Natera, a leading innovator in prenatal genetic testing, today announced that Quest Diagnostics will offer physicians access to Panorama™, a new non-invasive prenatal test developed by Natera.

From Quest Diagnostics 21 Feb 2013

Microbubble-ultrasound method improves cardiac output after heart attack

Scientists from the Bonn University Hospital successfully tested a method in mice allowing the morphological and functional sequelae of a myocardial infarction to be reduced. Tiny gas bubbles are made to oscillate within the heart via focused ultrasound - this improves microcirculation and decreases the size of the scar tissue. The results show that the mice, following myocardial infarction, have improved cardiac output as a result of this method, as compared to untreated animals.

21 Feb 2013

Patients with Barrett's esophagus benefit from endoscope-based therapies

According to a new study by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, patients with Barrett's esophagus and early or pre-cancerous cells have been shown to significantly benefit from minimally invasive therapy delivered through an endoscope - a medical instrument used to look inside an organ or cavity in the body.

21 Feb 2013

Bariatric surgery does not lower overall health care costs linked with obesity

Bariatric surgery is a well-documented treatment for obesity that leads to considerable weight loss and health improvement, but is the surgery successful in the long run in reducing costs associated with medical care for obesity? A team of researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and School of Medicine recently undertook a multi-year analysis of health insurance claims data to examine this question and found that although the procedure's success rate is well documented, it does not have a similar impact on health care costs.

21 Feb 2013

Cancer genetics pioneer, Bert Vogelstein, awarded the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

Bert Vogelstein, M.D., co-director of the Ludwig Center at Johns Hopkins and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator has been awarded the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. He was selected for his landmark work in cancer genomics and tumor suppressor genes.

21 Feb 2013

'Cap-and-trade system' proposal for global health funding

In a PLoS Medicine "Policy Forum" article, Luis Carrasco, Richard Coker, and Alex Cook of the National University of Singapore propose "a cap-and-trade system" for global health funding that is based on "global carbon permit markets to mitigate climate change."

21 Feb 2013

Antipsychotic drug dispensing on the rise among older people

A study by Queen's University Belfast has found that the dispensing of psychotropic drugs to older people in Northern Ireland increases on entry to care homes.

21 Feb 2013

States continue mulling Medicaid expansion's costs and benefits

After conducting a review of the two choices California officials are considering for optional Medi-Cal expansion, the state Legislative Analyst's Office yesterday strongly recommended the state-based option, rather than a county-based plan.

21 Feb 2013

Bracelet-like device with magnetic beads can control gastroesophageal reflux disease

A bracelet-like device with magnetic beads can control the chronic digestive disorder gastroesophageal reflux disease, according to a study published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

21 Feb 2013

Selenium supplements and heart disease risk: an interview with Dr Saverio Stranges, University of Warwick

Selenium is a micronutrient which has antioxidant properties by means of selenoproteins which play many important functions in the body. They actually are contained in many different foods. The amount of selenium we get from diet is closely linked to the amount of selenium in the soil.

21 Feb 2013

Simple interventions could reduce delirium and improve patient perceptions about sleep quality

A hospital is not the best place to get a good night's sleep, especially in a noisy intensive care unit. It's a cause for concern because studies have shown that a lack of sleep can cause patients to experience delirium-an altered mental state that may delay their recovery and lead to short and long-term confusion and memory problems.

21 Feb 2013

Article provides examples of how epigenetic drug treatments could be beneficial in treating cancers

A review article by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) proposes a new epigenetic hypothesis linked to tumor production and novel ideas about what causes progenitor cells to develop into cancer cells. Published in the February 2013 issue of Epigenomics, the article provides examples of how epigenetic drug treatments could be beneficial in treating cancers while also decreasing the likelihood of cancer relapse.

21 Feb 2013

BCHE gene variant predicts extent of plaque deposits in Alzheimer's

A study combining genetic data with brain imaging, designed to identify genes associated with the amyloid plaque deposits found in Alzheimer's disease patients, has not only identified the APOE gene -- long associated with development of Alzheimer's -- but has uncovered an association with a second gene, called BCHE.

21 Feb 2013

Medicine News and Research

Researchers identify second B-cell attachment receptor for Epstein-Barr virus

Weekend reading: Why a trip to the ER costs more than a college semester; Searching for the 'stomach share;' Lessons for the U.S. from Rwanda

Donated liver survival rate improved by antioxidant

Memorial Sloan-Kettering scientist wins Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

Heart disease awareness still lags in minorities and younger women

New mouse model can advance research on iPS cells to next step

Eliminating insurance co-payments can improve medication adherence and management of diabetes

Quest Diagnostics offers access to a new non-invasive prenatal test developed by Natera

Microbubble-ultrasound method improves cardiac output after heart attack

Patients with Barrett's esophagus benefit from endoscope-based therapies

Bariatric surgery does not lower overall health care costs linked with obesity

Cancer genetics pioneer, Bert Vogelstein, awarded the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

'Cap-and-trade system' proposal for global health funding

Antipsychotic drug dispensing on the rise among older people

States continue mulling Medicaid expansion's costs and benefits

Bracelet-like device with magnetic beads can control gastroesophageal reflux disease

Selenium supplements and heart disease risk: an interview with Dr Saverio Stranges, University of Warwick

Simple interventions could reduce delirium and improve patient perceptions about sleep quality

Article provides examples of how epigenetic drug treatments could be beneficial in treating cancers

BCHE gene variant predicts extent of plaque deposits in Alzheimer's

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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