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Patients to benefit from multi-million pound research funding

NHS patients in North West London will benefit from a multi-million pound research project leading to the rapid introduction of new, effective treatments for a wide range of medical conditions.

27 May 2008

Digital Healthcare appointed to major NHS Framework contract

NHS Connecting for Health, on behalf of the NHS, has appointed Digital Healthcare to the NHS Additional Supply Capability & Capacity (ASCC) Framework following open competition bids to provide additional capacity and capability in the supply of IT products and services to the NHS.

27 May 2008

Avoiding spleen removal for Cooley's anemia sufferers

Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College may have discovered the precise role of a gene in one of the world's most common blood disorders, beta-thalassemia, commonly known as Cooley's anemia. Along with sickle-cell anemia, Cooley's anemia is the most commonly inherited disease in the world, affecting many people of Mediterranean descent, and 20 out of every 100,000 African-Americans. The World Health Organization estimates that between 50,000-100,000 children are born with the disease each year.

27 May 2008

Bone repair using patient's stem cells comes closer

Hitherto it has been difficult to induce adult human stem cells to produce bone, e.g. in order to repair bone tissue. Researchers at the University of Twente have shown that if the enzyme PKA is previously activated in the stem cells in the lab, following implantation this results in substantial bone formation.

26 May 2008

Many men with androgen deficiency do not receive treatment

The majority of men with androgen deficiency may not be receiving treatment despite having sufficient access to care, according to a report in the May 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

26 May 2008

Flavanols in cocoa improve artery function, help relieve stress on heart

For people with diabetes, sipping a mug of steaming, flavorful cocoa may seem a guilty pleasure. But new research suggests that indulging a craving for cocoa can actually help blood vessels to function better and might soon be considered part of a healthy diet for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

26 May 2008

Discovery of potential target for elevated triglycerides

Diabetes researchers at the John G. Rangos Sr. Research Center at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC have identified a potential target for the development of new therapies to treat hypertriglyceridemia, a lipid disorder commonly seen in people who are obese and diabetic. Results of their study are published in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

26 May 2008

Americans believe wounded Iraq war veterans generally neglected

As part of the ongoing poll series, Debating Health: Election 2008, a recent survey by the Harvard Opinion Research Program at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Harris Interactive finds that a majority of Americans (62%) believe that wounded Iraq war veterans do not receive high quality care in military and Veteran's Administration (VA) hospitals once they return to the U.S. Similar majorities feel that veterans requiring rehabilitation care and mental health care do not receive high quality care (62% and 65% respectively).

26 May 2008

Preservatives and food colours may be the culprits in ADHD

The suspicion that additives such as preservatives and artificial food colours can contribute to hyperactive behaviour in children has been around for years.

25 May 2008

FDA will monitor medical records of Medicare beneficiaries to identify potential prescription drug, medical device safety problems

HHS on Thursday announced the creation of a new program that will allow FDA, state agencies and academic researchers to use medical record data to ensure drugs and medical devices are safe for consumers after they enter the market, the Washington Post reports (Stein, Washington Post, 5/23).

25 May 2008

Florida Governor signs health care bill that allows insurers to sell bare-bones health plans

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) on Wednesday signed into law a bill that will allow the sale of low-cost, bare-bones health insurance policies, the New York Times reports (Sack, New York Times, 5/22).

25 May 2008

The emerging role of infection in Alzheimer’s

A number of chronic diseases are in fact caused by one or more infectious agents. For example, stomach ulcers are caused by Helicobacter pylori, chronic lung disease in newborns and chronic asthma in adults are both caused by Mycoplasmas and Chlamydia pneumonia, while some other pathogens have been associated with atherosclerosis. The realization that pathogens can produce slowly progressive chronic diseases has opened new lines of research into Alzheimer's disease.

25 May 2008

Embryonic pathway delivers stem cell traits

Studies of how cancer cells spread have led to a surprising discovery about the creation of cells with adult stem cell characteristics, offering potentially major implications for regenerative medicine and for cancer treatment.

25 May 2008

RTOG study likely treatment option for brain tumor patients like Sen. Kennedy

A Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) study which seeks to establish whether high-doses of the chemotherapy drug temozolomide after radiotherapy can improve outcome for patients with newly diagnosed malignant glioma is a possible consideration for Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and other patients with this type of brain tumor.

22 May 2008

Experimental drug blocks prostate cancer in animal study

An experimental drug has blocked the progression of prostate cancer in an animal model with an aggressive form of the disease, new research shows.

22 May 2008

CBO finds health IT unlikely to generate significant savings

Health information technology by itself is unlikely to produce the significant cost savings projected by economic analysts and policymakers, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis released Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reports.

22 May 2008

Louisiana Gov. Jindal's administration asks State Senate to restore millions in health care budget cuts

The administration of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) on Monday called on state senators to restore millions of dollars in health care program cuts that were approved last week by the House, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. The House approved a $30 billion state budget for fiscal year 2009 that includes $240 million less than Jindal's proposed budget.

22 May 2008

Knee injuries among most costly high school sports-related injuries

Knee injuries, among the most economically costly sports injuries, are the leading cause of high school sports-related surgeries according to a study conducted at the Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP) of the Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital and published in the June issue of The American Journal of Sports Medicine.

22 May 2008

Emergency measures employed to stop measles epidemic

Emergency measures are being adopted in Britain to tackle the escalating numbers of new measles cases.

22 May 2008

Latest research into common eye problem, nystagmus to be presented at University of Leicester

As part of the University of Leicester's 50th Anniversary celebrations, a world leader in eye disorders is to give a talk on 'Dancing Eyes' on Monday 30th June 2008 at 5.30pm.

22 May 2008