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Minorities more at risk of being impacted by ER crowding

Hospitals in areas with large minority populations are more likely to be overcrowded and to divert ambulances, delaying timely emergency care, according to a multi-institutional study focused on California.

7 Aug 2012

Underinsured CVD patients die sooner, irrespective of race

Insurance status is a better predictor of survival after a serious cardiac event than race, and may help explain racial disparities in health outcomes for cardiovascular disease. A new study by Derek Ng, from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US, and his team shows that race is not linked to an increased risk of death but being underinsured is a strong predictor of death among those admitted into hospital with a serious cardiac event.

7 Aug 2012

Geisel professor concerned about steroid abuse by adolescents

Leslie Henderson is concerned about steroid abuse, not necessarily by sports luminaries like Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire, but rather by adolescents.

7 Aug 2012

Clinical trial targets breast cancer cells by injecting trastuzumab directly into the spinal fluid

In two to five percent of women with breast cancer, tumor cells migrate into the spinal fluid invading the tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord called the meninges. While a rare complication, the condition is challenging because there is no agreed-upon standard of treatment, leaving little hope for patients affected. Northwestern Medicine- researchers are currently examining a novel approach to delivering an FDA approved drug that they hope will advance research for this type of cancer and lead to discoveries that may improve outcomes in the future.

7 Aug 2012

New analysis provides overall genetic fingerprint of various Jewish subpopulations

A new genetic analysis focusing on Jews from North Africa has provided an overall genetic map of the Jewish Diasporas. The findings support the historical record of Middle Eastern Jews settling in North Africa during Classical Antiquity, proselytizing and marrying local populations, and, in the process, forming distinct populations that stayed largely intact for more than 2,000 years.

7 Aug 2012

Obesity in mothers affects growth of children

Pregnant women who are overweight or obese can encounter a host of health complications. The added weight also appears to affect how their children grow and develop, at least initially.

7 Aug 2012

Study investigates role of inflammation in ALS mouse model

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive disease wherein the cells of the central nervous system (CNS) involved in movement and coordination are destroyed. Although the mechanism of ALS is not completely understood, inflammation is believed to play a role in the disease process. A recent study by Howard Weiner and colleagues at Harvard Medical School and Tufts School of Medicine investigated the role of inflammation in a mouse model of ALS.

7 Aug 2012

Roundup: Other states watching Mass. effort to cut costs; Iowa official denies GOP lawmakers' demand on abortion

As Massachusetts launches an aggressive effort to contain health care spending, the rest of the country will be watching. On July 31, lawmakers passed first-in-the-nation legislation pegging healthcare expenditures at or below the state's overall rate of economic growth, a strategy officials estimate could save Massachusetts as much as $200 billion over the next 15 years.

7 Aug 2012

Heartburn can cause cancer: New guide for patients

Every day, an estimated 25 million American adults suffer from heartburn. Some experts believe that 40 percent of adults experience heartburn every month. Despite these staggering statistics, few people understand the real risk that Heartburn can cause Cancer.

6 Aug 2012

Diagnostic imaging in stage IV cancer on the rise

Diagnostic imaging in elderly patients with stage IV cancer has increased significantly in recent years, while its use among those with early-stage disease has decreased, suggest study findings.

6 Aug 2012

Mutations in Ras gene alone may not cause tumours

Despite a huge amount of research effort, the molecular mechanisms that underlie the transition from a "normal" cell to a cancerous cell are only poorly understood. After the discovery of the first cancer-causing genes or oncogenes and the finding that they are mutated forms of normal cellular genes, it was widely believed that a single mutation was enough to cause cancer.

6 Aug 2012

Human-derived breast cancer xenografts allow revolution in individualized cancer care

Cell cultures are homogeneous. Human tumors are not. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study recently published in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment reports the development of human-derived estrogen-positive (ER+) breast cancer models that retain their heterogeneity, allowing researchers to more accurately test drugs for this disease.

6 Aug 2012

CPRIT awards $48.2 million in new grants to investigators at UT Southwestern Medical Center

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) has awarded $48.2 million in new grants to investigators at UT Southwestern Medical Center to support cancer-related projects and to recruit pre-eminent cancer researchers.

6 Aug 2012

Death risk increases with 'excessive' CABG surgery waiting times

In the Canadian healthcare system, patients with longer than recommended waitlist times for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery are at increased risk of dying in the hospital, reports Medical Care.

6 Aug 2012

New research center to expedite study of gene transfer approach

In an alliance aimed at bringing a new, personalized immunotherapy approach to patients with a wide variety of cancers, the University of Pennsylvania and Novartis announced today an exclusive global research and licensing agreement to further study and commercialize novel cellular immunotherapies using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technologies.

6 Aug 2012

Head trauma in older adults over a weekend more deadly than during the week

A Johns Hopkins review of more than 38,000 patient records finds that older adults who sustain substantial head trauma over a weekend are significantly more likely to die from their injuries than those similarly hurt and hospitalized Monday through Friday, even if their injuries are less severe and they have fewer other illnesses than their weekday counterparts.

6 Aug 2012

Mylan launches 18 antiretroviral products in India to treat HIV/AIDS

Mylan Inc., one of the world's leading generic and specialty pharmaceutical companies, today announced that its subsidiary, Mylan Pharmaceuticals Private Limited, has commenced commercial operations in India, starting with the launch of a comprehensive portfolio of 18 antiretroviral (ARV) products for the treatment of HIV/AIDS.

6 Aug 2012

TWi Pharmaceuticals completes AC-201 phase II study on type II diabetes

TWi Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company based in Taiwan, today announced its fully owned subsidiary, TWi Biotechnology, Inc. has completed a multinational phase II dose-ranging study of AC-201, an orally available IL-1 Beta modulator, in 259 patients with type II diabetes uncontrolled on up to three oral medications.

6 Aug 2012

Clovis Oncology, Foundation Medicine enter diagnostic collaboration

Foundation Medicine, Inc. and Clovis Oncology, Inc. announced today that they have entered into a diagnostic collaboration.

6 Aug 2012

Medicines with the same active ingredient and size of dose will work the same in the body

In the wake of reports that a number of medicines will increase in price this week, NPS MedicineWise is reminding Australians that while the cost of a medicine may differ from brand to brand, if the active ingredient and size of the dose are the same then the medicine will work the same in their body.

6 Aug 2012