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Tai chi could benefit Parkinson’s disease patients

A new study found that a six-month program of Tai Chi exercises helped people with various stages of Parkinson's disease improve stability, their ability to walk and reduced the frequency of falls.

12 Feb 2012

Cancer drug bexarotene effective in mouse model of Alzheimer’s

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine neuroscientist Gary Landreth and colleagues reported Thursday that the drug - bexarotene quickly cleared away beta-amyloid plaque, believed to cause the cognitive deficits of Alzheimer's disease, from the brains of genetically engineered mice.

12 Feb 2012

Preliminary results from Soligenix SGX201 Phase 1/2 trial on acute radiation enteritis

Soligenix, Inc., a development stage biopharmaceutical company, announced preliminary results today from a Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating SGX201, a time-release formulation of oral beclomethasone 17,21-dipropionate (oral BDP), for the prevention of acute radiation enteritis.

10 Feb 2012

Study investigates how cytokine IFN-λ release is regulated

In new research appearing in this month's issue of the journal Nature Immunology, Roy Curtiss, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, along with international collaborators, investigates the coordination of a particular type of immune response, involving the release of of IFN-λ- a cell-signaling protein molecule known as a cytokine.

10 Feb 2012

Two studies on shoulder instability in military population

Two studies on shoulder instability in a military population were presented today by U.S. Army sports medicine surgeons at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' annual meeting.

10 Feb 2012

Web-based tool suite helps first responders rapidly coordinate resources during disasters

A Web-based tool suite that helps first responders rapidly coordinate resources during disasters, co-sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), is being introduced at a University of Connecticut panel Feb. 8-11 as part of a month-long rollout.

10 Feb 2012

VCU program reduces cost and utilization of ED among uninsured population

The cost of caring for the uninsured population who will gain coverage through the Affordable Care Act of 2014 can be reduced by almost half once the act is implemented, according to a new study from Virginia Commonwealth University researchers.

10 Feb 2012

Survey finds doctors not always honest with patients

Most physicians paint overly optimistic prognoses for their patients, and many have withheld information concerning their medical mistakes and financial relationships with drug companies and device manufacturers, according to a national survey published in Health Affairs.

10 Feb 2012

Automated insulin pump delivery can reduce hypoglycemia in individuals with type 1 diabetes

An automated on/off feature built into insulin pump systems can suspend insulin delivery when it detects low blood glucose levels (via continuous glucose monitoring), significantly reducing the severity and duration of hypoglycemia in individuals with type 1 diabetes, according to a study published in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

10 Feb 2012

VTT develops new NFC-based applications for visually impaired

As the proportion of senior citizens grows, their special needs are gaining momentum. Human eyesight, for example, weakens with age. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has been developing new NFC-based applications that make life easier for the visually impaired.

10 Feb 2012

Democrats to unveil options to pay for 'doc fix,' other measures

Republicans expect to receive on Thursday a list of Democratic options to pay for a large tax-cut extension measure that includes a freeze in scheduled cuts to Medicare physician pay rates. However, at least one Republican expects negotiations on the legislation to make little progress before a law freezing current policy in place expires at the end of the month.

10 Feb 2012

Researchers call for collective effort to halt increases in drug-resistant gonorrhea

Researchers are continuing to sound the alarm on the growing threat of multi-drug resistant gonorrhea in the United States, according to a Perspective commentary in the Feb. 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

10 Feb 2012

Hospitals seek to consolidate in Ga., Wis. and N.Y.; Other state hospital news

Hospitals in Atlanta, Wisconsin and New York are consolidating or partnering more closely with others in a bid to reduce costs and save themselves. In other hospital news, small California hospitals market back surgery to patients and a Minnesota hospital faces a "patient abuse" crisis.

10 Feb 2012

UofL to receive Grand Challenges tuberculosis biomarkers grant

The University of Louisville announced today that it will receive a tuberculosis (TB) biomarkers grant through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges in Global Health program, an initiative which seeks to overcome persistent bottlenecks in creating new tools that can radically improve health in the developing world. James E. Graham, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the UofL School of Medicine, will pursue an innovative research project to identify and validate TB biomarkers, titled "Disposable Sampling Plate and Breath Test to Identify Patients with Active Tuberculosis."

10 Feb 2012

Viewpoints: Many weigh in on contraception controversy; NEJM on essential benefits

Critics are missing the larger point. Why should the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) decree that any of us must pay for "insurance" that covers contraceptives? ... Insurance is a bad idea for small, regular and predictable expenses. There are good reasons that your car insurance company doesn't add $100 per year to your premium and then cover oil changes, and that your health insurance doesn't charge $50 more per year and cover toothpaste.

10 Feb 2012

Induction of labor does not minimize risk of respiratory problems, infection in infants

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that suggest that induction of labor in patients who suffer a rupture of membranes between the 34th and 37th week of gestation (before the onset of labor) does not reduce the risk of infection or respiratory problems in the newborn.

10 Feb 2012

Injecting MWCNTs can kill tumor initiating breast cancer stem cells

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center researchers have again proven that injecting multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) into tumors and heating them with a quick, 30-second laser treatment can kill them.

10 Feb 2012

Prescription medications may affect 17-OHPC metabolism in women

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that indicate that prescription medications may affect the body's ability to metabolize 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-OHPC), the only FDA approved medication for the prevention of recurrent preterm birth.

10 Feb 2012

Most disabled seniors rate their quality of life 'fair to very good'

Quality of life for disabled elderly people is most closely tied to two factors: a sense of dignity and a sense of control, according to a study by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) and the University of California, San Francisco.

10 Feb 2012

U-M research sheds light on aging process

Beauty is more than skin deep, at least for fruit flies studied in new research that demonstrates how age-related changes in pheromone production can reduce sexual attractiveness.

10 Feb 2012