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New way to control protein activity could lead to cancer therapies

Investigators at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found a way to quickly and reversibly fine-tune the activity of individual proteins in cells and living mammals, providing a powerful new laboratory tool for identifying - more precisely than ever before - the functions of different proteins.

28 Sep 2008

Multifunctional polymer nanoparticles pass critical in vivo test

In an effort to overcome the drug resistance that often occurs in cancer, a team of investigators has developed a nanoparticle made of a blend of polymers that first releases a powerful anticancer drug and then delivers an agent that tricks a drug-resistant cell into committing suicide. Now, tests in mice with human breast cancer have shown that these blended nanoparticles are effective in maintaining high levels of both drugs in the vicinity of tumors.

28 Sep 2008

Oversize waistlines are a potent risk factor for heart disease in women

A heart expert at Johns Hopkins is calling for all women with a waistline measuring more than 35 inches to get an annual check-up and detailed risk assessment for heart problems because excess abdominal fat, even in the mildly obese and overweight, leads more than a third of women to underestimate their lifetime risk of having a heart attack, stroke or chest pain (angina).

24 Sep 2008

What to do with leftover embryos in fertility clinics?

The majority of infertility patients are in favor of using left-over embryos for stem cell research and would also support selling left-over embryos to other couples, according to a recent survey.

24 Sep 2008

One week radiation treatment for breast cancer as effective as standard 6 to 7 week course

A new type of radiation treatment rapidly speeds up treatment for some breast cancer sufferers.

24 Sep 2008

Medical tourism business projected to grow eightfold by 2010

The number of people in the U.S. who plan to travel abroad for medical care, where the costs for various medical and surgical procedures often are comparatively lower, is projected to increase by eight times by 2010, according to a recent study by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

24 Sep 2008

Stopping smoking reduces postoperative complications

Patients who stop smoking four weeks before an operation reduce the risk of complications, according to a doctoral thesis from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet. Moreover, many of those who receive help with this ahead of operations remain non-smokers for a long time afterwards.

23 Sep 2008

Isoflavone dietary supplement improves the functioning of the arteries in stroke patients

A dietary supplement containing isoflavone - a chemical found in soybeans, chickpeas, legumes and clovers - can improve artery function in stroke patients according to new research published online in Europe's leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal today.

23 Sep 2008

Chinese baby milk scandal spreads to countries across Asia

The latest victim of the Chinese baby milk scandal appears to be the head of the country's quality watchdog, who has resigned.

23 Sep 2008

Obesity linked to repeated miscarriages

Research carried out by specialists in Britain has found that women who have experienced a number of miscarriages are more likely to continue to miscarry if they are obese - they say obesity significantly increases the risk of further miscarriages.

23 Sep 2008

Study finds Medicare's benefits are less generous than large-employer plans

Medicare on average provides less generous benefits to seniors than they would receive under a typical large-employer health plan or the most popular plan available to federal employees – even with the program’s new drug benefit, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis.

22 Sep 2008

Associated Press examines drug disposal practices of hospitals, long-term care facilities

Hospitals, hospices and nursing homes dump at least 250 million pounds of unused medications and contaminated packaging into the U.S. drinking water supply each year, according to an ongoing Associated Press investigation, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports.

22 Sep 2008

House could remove provision from mental health parity bill banning some referrals to specialty hospitals

House leaders said they will change plans to move stand-alone mental health parity legislation after Senate Republicans opposed a provision of the bill that would offset costs by banning physician referrals to specialty hospitals in which the doctors have an ownership interest, CQ Today reports.

22 Sep 2008

U.S. citizens cutting back on health care

U.S. spending on health care services is "under pressure" as Americans are "cutting back on health care," an area of the economy "once thought to be invulnerable to recession," the Wall Street Journal reports.

22 Sep 2008

Cost of uncompensated care for undocumented immigrants difficult to calculate, experts say

Pinpointing the exact cost of providing hospital care to undocumented immigrants in the U.S. is challenging for several reasons, according to government officials and health care experts, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.

22 Sep 2008

Medicare Part B premiums in 2009 will not increase for most beneficiaries

CMS on Friday announced that monthly outpatient care premiums for about 95% of Medicare recipients will remain at $96.40 in 2009, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Colliver, San Francisco Chronicle, 9/20).

22 Sep 2008

Research shows mobile phones raise children's risk of brain cancer by five times

New research from Sweden is certain to alarm many as it has found that young people today are five times more likely to get brain cancer if they are mobile phones users.

22 Sep 2008

Almost 13,000 Chinese babies now sick from contaminated milk

China's Health Ministry says almost 13,000 babies have been taken to hospital suffering from the effects of drinking milk contaminated with the chemical melamine - most 2 years old or younger and four children have already died.

22 Sep 2008

Pennsylvania, New Jersey release hospital quality performance reports

Death rates from heart bypass and valve surgeries performed at Pennsylvania hospitals have declined significantly in recent years, according to a Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council report released on Thursday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

22 Sep 2008

Studies look at Hispanics' access to U.S. health care system

Three studies published online on Wednesday in the American Journal of Public Health look at how poverty, language and health insurance coverage affect access to care among foreign-born U.S. residents, particularly Hispanics, HealthDay/U.S. News & World Report reports.

22 Sep 2008