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PPAHS releases safety checklist that targets Patient-Controlled Analgesia

The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS), an advocacy group devoted to improving patient health and safety, today announced the release of a concise checklist that reminds caregivers of the essential steps needed to be taken to initiate Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) with a patient and to continue to assess that patient's use of PCA.

18 Jul 2012

Researchers assess novel approach to encourage HIV positive people to seek care and treatment

In a new study by ICAP at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health, researchers are assessing a novel approach to encourage newly diagnosed HIV positive people to seek care and adhere to HIV treatment.

18 Jul 2012

First Edition: July 18, 2012

Today's headlines include coverage of a new report that offers a gloomy fiscal forecast for states as they confront rising health care costs, underfunded pensions and a range of other economic challenges.

18 Jul 2012

Toshiba's MicroPure software improves identification of microcalcifications in the breast

The Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine has published a pilot study conducted at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pa., with funding provided by Toshiba, that explores the effectiveness of Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc.'s MicroPure image processing technique in visualizing breast microcalcifications compared with gray scale ultrasound imaging.

18 Jul 2012

Researchers uncover mechanism by which aging may weaken immune response

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have uncovered one of the mechanisms by which aging may compromise the ability of the immune system to fight infections and respond to vaccines.

18 Jul 2012

c-Kit receptor plays critical role in development and function of insulin-producing beta cells

Scientists from Western University in London, Canada and the Children's Health Research Institute, an Institute within the Lawson Health Research Institute, have identified the critical role of a receptor called c-Kit in the development and function of insulin-producing beta cells, making it an exciting therapeutic target for the management of diabetes.

18 Jul 2012

Memantine boosts memory function in people with Down syndrome

Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have found a drug that boosts memory function in those with Down syndrome, a major milestone in the treatment of this genetic disorder that could significantly improve quality of life.

18 Jul 2012

Combination of Dox with MCP shows promise against prostate cancer

Doxorubicin (Dox) is an effective anti-cancer drug, but it's also a very toxic one, causing severe heart and immune damage. The doses needed to impact tumors are not well tolerated by patients, however, researchers may have found an answer through combination therapy.

18 Jul 2012

Jade, BioTime sign exclusive sublicense and supply agreement for HyStem

BioTime, Inc., a biotechnology company that develops and markets products in the field of regenerative medicine, today announced the signing of an exclusive sublicense agreement and a supply agreement with Jade Therapeutics, LLC, a developer of an ophthalmological therapeutic sustained-release drug delivery platform.

18 Jul 2012

Wake Forest, UCSD develop new genetic test for prostate cancer

Karim Kader, MD, PhD, associate clinical professor at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, together with a team of researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, have developed a genetic test to predict a man's risk for prostate cancer. Use of the test could reduce the need for repeat biopsies in men who have had a negative biopsy.

18 Jul 2012

Emmaus receives EC Orphan Medicinal Product designation for Levoglutamide

Emmaus Medical, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical and regenerative medicine technology company, and subsidiary of Emmaus Life Sciences, Inc., today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted Orphan Medicinal Product designation for the company's investigational drug Levoglutamide (L-glutamine) for the treatment of sickle cell disease.

18 Jul 2012

Combination of tPA and 3K3A-APC may effectively treat stroke

A team led by a physician-scientist at the University of Southern California (USC) has created an experimental drug that reduces brain damage and improves motor skills among stroke-afflicted rodents when given with federally approved clot-busting therapy.

18 Jul 2012

Study suggests link between binge drinking and risk of dementia in older adults

Researchers from the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD), University of Exeter, will present the findings of a new study suggesting a link between binge drinking in older adults and the risk of developing dementia.

18 Jul 2012

Preventable hospital deaths: An interview with Dr Helen Hogan

In 2007/8 when we were thinking about the study, there wasn’t a clear picture of the number of preventable deaths in English hospitals. There had been an important report by the chief medical officer of the NHS in 2000 (An Organisation with a Memory) and he talked of the possibility of between 60,000 and 250,000 cases of severe disability or death arising in hospitals.

18 Jul 2012

How does exercise improve heart function in diabetics?

A detailed study of heart muscle function in mice has uncovered evidence to explain why exercise is beneficial for heart function in type 2 diabetes.

18 Jul 2012

Heart defects at birth linked to workplace exposure to solvents

Workplace exposure to organic solvents is linked to several types of heart defects at birth, indicates research published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

18 Jul 2012

Risk of birth defects linked to certain jobs dads do

Several types of job carried out by future fathers may be linked to an increased risk of birth defects in their babies, suggests research published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

18 Jul 2012

Smoking, hepatitis and liver transplantation: An interview with Dr Peter Ghali

We are very interested in hepatitis C as it is the most common indication for liver transplant in the Western world. The difficulty is that recurrence happens in the majority of patients within the first 2 to 7 years after transplant, and occasionally sooner.

18 Jul 2012

Ticagrelor ‘now on equal footing’ with other antiplatelets

The platelet aggregation inhibitor ticagrelor is now considered of equal effectiveness to clopidogrel and prasugrel for patients who have experienced a heart attack or have unstable angina, a report states.

17 Jul 2012

Arrhythmia finding could enhance COPD management

Arrhythmias could precede exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, raising the possibility of a new target for management and treatment, say researchers.

17 Jul 2012