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Breastfeeding while taking epilepsy drugs may not affect child's IQ

New research from the Emory University School of Medicine offers reassurance for nursing mothers with epilepsy. According to a study published in the November 24 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, breastfeeding a baby while taking a seizure medication may have no harmful effect on the child's IQ later in life.

24 Nov 2010

Opinions: The Pope and condoms; fighting HIV/AIDS in South Africa; malaria eradication or control; health care workers; foreign aid in Haiti

Reflecting on Pope Benedict XVI's recent statements regarding the use of condoms to prevent the transmission of HIV, Michael Gerson writes in a Washington Post column.

24 Nov 2010

Researchers find IGF1 topical gel can treat sudden sensorineural hearing loss

A new treatment has been developed for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL), a condition that causes deafness in 40,000 Americans each year, usually in early middle-age.

24 Nov 2010

End-of-life care raises difficult questions about quality issues

PBS Frontline has kicked off a series called Facing Death, which explores the way Americans die, issues around extending life or prolonging death, uncertainty, talking about the end of life and modern medicine's trade offs.

24 Nov 2010

Cancers detected late leading to unnecessary deaths: Report

A new report released Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that in spite of the widely available screening tests many cancers are not diagnosed until the disease is well-advanced and, therefore, less treatable and more fatal. The report says that half of colorectal cancers and cervical cancers and one-third of breast cancers in the United States are detected at a late stage.

24 Nov 2010

Best diet: High protein and low good carbs

A group of European researchers have found that eating more protein and fewer refined carbohydrates helps to stay within normal weight. The team showed that men and women who had lost at least eight percent of their body weight on a low-calorie diet were kept on a maintenance diet high in protein and low in refined carbohydrates for six months. They were least likely to regain any weight, and were also the least likely to drop out of the study.

24 Nov 2010

Heartburn drugs safe in pregnancy: Study

Pregnancy brings about a lot of heartburn sometimes beginning in the first trimester and continuing until delivery. To date the drugs available for general use in heartburn called proton-pump inhibitors or PPIs were wrought with safety concerns during pregnancy.

24 Nov 2010

CCCA to improve Indigenous health services with cultural competency training for NSW GPs and nurses

The Centre for Cultural Competence Australia (CCCA) will provide new online Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural competency training to health professionals in New South Wales. Initially, 550 employees from the NSW General Practice Network will be trained in cultural competency, in order to improve the provision of health services for Indigenous communities throughout the state.

24 Nov 2010

Dr. Yves DeClerck honored as first recipient of Richard Call Family Endowed Chair

Yves A. DeClerck, MD, professor of Pediatrics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, has been inducted as the inaugural holder of the Richard Call Family Endowed Chair in Pediatric Research Innovation.

24 Nov 2010

Sheraton Denver to host Breakfast with Santa to help Ronald McDonald House

On Saturday, December 4, 2010, the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel will host a Breakfast with Santa in 15/Fifty, the hotel's restaurant. The entire price of admission, $10 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under, will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House.

24 Nov 2010

Cord Blood America shares web site post on Thanksgiving Day

On this day before Thanksgiving, a day when our entire nation gives thanks for its blessing, Cord Blood America, Inc., the umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation company focused on bringing the life saving potential of stem cells to families nationwide and internationally, would like to share with its investors a post from its web site by Dr. Geoffrey O'Neill, CBAI Vice President, Operations.

24 Nov 2010

FTC/TDF tablet reduces HIV infection among high-risk individuals: iPrEx study

In a finding with the potential to fundamentally change strategies to slow the global HIV epidemic, a new study called iPrEx shows that individuals at high risk for HIV infection who took a single daily tablet containing two widely used HIV medications, emtricitabine and tenofovir (FTC/TDF), experienced an average of 43.8% fewer HIV infections than those who received a placebo pill. New England Journal of Medicine, is the first evidence that this new HIV prevention method, called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, reduces HIV infection risk in people.

24 Nov 2010

Policy of routine error disclosure may minimize impact of medical errors

People who believe their doctor or hospital would inform them if a medical error occurred are "far more forgiving" than those who doubt their health care provider would disclose the error, reports a study in the November issue of Medical Care.

24 Nov 2010

HIV treatment drugs also help prevent HIV infection in high-risk men: Study

In a significant advance for HIV prevention research, a clinical trial confirms that the same drugs used for treating HIV can also help prevent HIV infection in the first place.

24 Nov 2010

Los Angeles philanthropist foundation model to commercialize research at Ben-Gurion University

A Los Angeles philanthropist has created an innovative foundation model that will provide up to $1.2 million to help fund and commercialize research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva, Israel.

24 Nov 2010

FDA warning leads to decrease in antidepressant prescribing for young patients

An FDA warning regarding increased suicide risk in children and teens taking antidepressant drugs has led to an overall decrease in antidepressant prescribing for young patients, reports a study in the November issue of Medical Care. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

24 Nov 2010

Plant-derived bioscavenger protects against pesticide and nerve agent organophosphate poisoning

The brain is forever chattering to itself, via electrical impulses sent along its hard-wired neuronal "Ethernet." These e-messages are translated into chemical transmissions, allowing communication across the narrow cleft separating one neuron from another or between neurons and their target cells. Of the many kinds of molecules involved in this lively chemical symposium, acetylcholine is among the most critical, performing a host of functions in the central and peripheral nervous system.

24 Nov 2010

Study finds solution for debate about mutation testing to prevent children with cystic fibrosis

Testing for genetic mutations beyond those medically recommended is unlikely to prevent the birth of children with classic cystic fibrosis and may detect mutations causing only mild disease, according to a study published online in Genetics in Medicine, the official publication of the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG).

From Quest Diagnostics 24 Nov 2010

iPrEx study: PrEP reduces HIV infection risk among gay, bisexual men

A daily dose of an oral antiretroviral drug, currently approved to treat HIV infection, reduced the risk of acquiring HIV infection by 43.8 percent among men who have sex with men.

24 Nov 2010

Bacterial study confirms TLR2 signaling vital for activating human airway epithelial cells

Researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have demonstrated that commensal species of the genus Neisseriae are low inducers of human airway epithelial cell responses as compared to the pathogenic species.

24 Nov 2010