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Large-scale randomized treatment study on adrenocortical cancer

Adrenocortical cancer is an uncommon form of cancer that is often fatal. For the first time, a large-scale randomized treatment study has now been carried out. The study is being published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine and constitutes an important and long-awaited platform for continued research.

8 Jun 2012

Concussion victims have unique spatial patterns of brain abnormalities that change over time

Patients vary widely in their response to concussion, but scientists haven't understood why. Now, using a new technique for analyzing data from brain imaging studies, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Montefiore Medical Center have found that concussion victims have unique spatial patterns of brain abnormalities that change over time

8 Jun 2012

eHealth offers Europe solutions that can help avoid healthcare crisis

Healthcare systems face enormous challenges over the coming years. The increasing demands of an aging population, the rising cost of treatments and medications, and budget shortfalls are all issues that will need to be addressed if Europeans are to continue to enjoy high standards of care. eHealth, enabled by information and communication technologies, offers Europe solutions that can help avoid healthcare crisis.

8 Jun 2012

Second-hand cigarette smoke linked with moderate to severe urinary disorders in children

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, parents are responsible for 90 percent of children's exposure to environmental (second-hand) tobacco smoke. Children with mothers who smoke are at even higher-risk for developing health disorders.

8 Jun 2012

Relationship between coworkers plays an important role in the quality of care

Nursing homes that foster an environment in which workers feel they are valued contributors to a team of caregivers provide better care to their residents. That is the conclusion of a study out this month in the journal Health Services Research.

8 Jun 2012

Erivedge drug shows promise against advanced basal cell carcinoma

It's the most common form of skin cancer, but in its advanced stages, basal cell carcinoma has the potential to become disfiguring and life threatening. An international phase 2 study headed by Mayo Clinic led to the recent Food and Drug Administration approval of the first drug of its kind to help advanced basal cell carcinoma patients who have few treatment options.

8 Jun 2012

Focus on health care jobs 'misguided'

News outlets report on a New England Journal of Medicine piece that argues that providing access to affordable health care is more important than protecting health industry jobs.

8 Jun 2012

Lung changes in association with ACPA status are a primary manifestation of RA

A new study presented today at EULAR 2012, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, shows that lung changes in association with anti-citrullinated protein autoantibody (ACPA) status are a primary manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

8 Jun 2012

Survey finds 1 in 10 new cases of TB in China are drug-resistant

"One in 10 cases of tuberculosis in China cannot be treated by the most commonly-used drugs, driven by a lack of testing and misuse of medicine, according to a national survey that showed for the first time the size of the drug-resistant epidemic," the Associated Press reports.

8 Jun 2012

Fluorinov Pharma receives OICR grant to develop new drug against blood cancers

The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) today announced $1.5 million in funding over three years for the development of a new drug by Toronto-based Fluorinov Pharma, Inc. The drug, called FV-162, is a highly potent, orally-delivered small molecule proteasome inhibitor with significant advantages over drugs currently used to treat multiple myeloma and some forms of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

8 Jun 2012

Experimental drug tested against multi-drug resistant TB

"Researchers who tested a novel type of antibiotic against multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis [MDR-TB] are reporting that nearly half of patients who got the new drug cleared the bacteria from their lung fluid in two months," according to a study published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, Reuters reports.

8 Jun 2012

Cardinal Health to launch new technology enhancements at SNM annual meeting

At the Society of Nuclear Medicine's (SNM) 59th Annual Meeting in Miami Beach, Fla., June 9-12, Cardinal Health will introduce new technology enhancements that make it possible for hospital nuclear medicine departments and imaging centers to seamlessly improve data integration and the overall efficiency of their operations.

8 Jun 2012

New study into pain associated with diabetes

Researchers in Sheffield have been awarded over £310,000 to carry out a study that could help revolutionise the way clinicians treat the pain experienced by thousands of people with diabetes.

8 Jun 2012

Tp53 genetic mutation may play an important role in prostate cancer

A team of UC Davis investigators has found that a genetic mutation may play an important role in the development of prostate cancer. The mutation of the so-called p53 (or Tp53) gene was previously implicated in late disease progression, but until now has never been shown to act as an initiating factor. The findings may open new avenues for diagnosing and treating the disease.

8 Jun 2012

Preterm birth rates over past 20 years only dropped in 3 countries

Nearly 15 million babies were born prematurely in 2010—more than one in ten of all births. Sixty percent of these premature babies were born in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, but this is not just a problem of the poorest nations: the USA (517 000 preterm births) and Brazil (279 300) ranked in the top ten countries with the highest number of premature births in 2010. Worse still, over the past 20 years preterm birth rates have decreased in just three countries, according to the first ever national level estimates and time series published in this week’s Lancet.

8 Jun 2012

Scientists uncover origin of Langerhans cells

Scientists at A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN) uncovered the origin of a group of skin-deep immune cells that act as the first line of defence against harmful germs and skin infections. SIgN scientists discovered that these sentry cells of the skin, called the Langerhans cells (LCs), originate from two distinct embryonic sites - the early yolk sac and the foetal liver.

8 Jun 2012

Study assesses impact of postoperative nHb and transfusion in patients with PAD

Vascular surgeons from Baylor College of Medicine and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans' Administration Medical Center in Houston, TX, have released a study about the impact of transfusion and postoperative nadir postoperative hemoglobin (nHb) on short- and long-term outcomes after interventions for peripheral arterial disease.

8 Jun 2012

Study identifies 29 potential DS biomarker proteins in maternal serum

Prenatal screening for Down syndrome (DS) is still in need of improvement. Perinatal medicine experts have worked hard to find new biomarkers for screening of DS. Dr. Shi he Shao and his co-investigators, from Jiangsu University and Changzhou Woman and Children Health Hospital, report in the May 2012 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine that they have successfully identified twenty-nine differentially expressed proteins in maternal serum from pregnancies carrying DS fetuses with proteomic approaches.

8 Jun 2012

Kaiser Permanente expands relationship with NMF to address shortage of physicians

As more patients from underserved populations start to enter the health care system through health care reform, there will be an increasing need to have more African-American and Latino physicians to help provide quality health care. Kaiser Permanente is working to address the shortage of physicians by expanding its relationship with National Medical Fellowships and contributing $1 million to support medical students through education and training programs.

8 Jun 2012

Study identifies molecular changes responsible for abnormal cholesterol production and metabolism

A new study from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine has identified molecular changes responsible for abnormal cholesterol production and metabolism in the livers of patients with a common liver condition, and these changes may explain the severity of a patient's liver disease and risks to their heart health.

8 Jun 2012