Medicine News and Research

RSS

Cardiff develops simple and effective wound test that could save NHS millions

Scientists in Cardiff are developing a simple but effective test to predict whether chronic wounds will respond to conventional treatment - which could save the NHS tens of millions of pounds annually.

20 Sep 2011

Global trade negotiations must consider inequalities in access to medicines

Some of the issues to be addressed at the U.N. High-level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) taking place this week in New York "are controversial, including those relating to intellectual property rights for new medicines, diagnostics and medical devices," James Love, director of Knowledge Ecology International, writes in an Al Jazeera opinion piece.

20 Sep 2011

AMGA presents 2011 Acclaim Award to Geisinger Health System

The American Medical Group Association (AMGA) today presented the 2011 AMGA Acclaim Award to Geisinger Health System for "Transforming Care Delivery: Patient-centric, Value-driven Innovation," a patient-centered system redesign focusing on quality and safety, cost, innovative care delivery, and interdisciplinary care coordination across the large healthcare organization.

20 Sep 2011

NYU Langone creates new Joan H. Tisch Center for Women's Health in New York City

NYU Langone Medical Center announced the establishment of its new Joan H. Tisch Center for Women's Health on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City.

20 Sep 2011

Many parents turn their child's car seat to face forward before the age of two

The American Academy of Pediatrics updated their guidelines for child passenger safety in April 2011, recommending children stay in rear-facing car seats until the age of two. But a new report from the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health shows that many parents turn their child's seat to face forward before their second birthday.

20 Sep 2011

Study explores differences in referral decisions between primary care and specialist physicians

How do physicians decide which colleague to refer their patient to? It differs depending on whether you ask primary care or specialist physicians, according to research from Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, USA, led by Michael Barnett.

20 Sep 2011

UNC researchers reveal genetic underpinnings of Foxp3-expressing regulatory T cells

Within the immune system, a subtle balance exists between the cells that destroy alien pathogens and those that preserve the body's own tissues. When the balance gets out of whack, the cells that normally target viruses or bacteria can go astray, attacking innocent cells and causing autoimmune and inflammatory disease.

20 Sep 2011

Calgary researchers discover new class of anti-inflammatory agents

By using a mouse model of inflammation researchers at the University of Calgary have discovered a new class of molecules that can inhibit the recruitment of some white blood cells to sites of inflammation in the body.

20 Sep 2011

CMA announces winners of Canada's premier health journalism awards

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is proud today to announce the recipients of the 2011 Media Awards for Health Reporting, Canada's premier health journalism awards.

20 Sep 2011

Keryx completes enrollment in Zerenex Phase 3 long-term study for hyperphosphatemia

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals today announced completion of patient enrollment in the long-term study component of its Phase 3 registration program of Zerenex, the Company's ferric iron-based phosphate binder for the treatment of elevated serum phosphorus levels, or hyperphosphatemia, in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on dialysis.

20 Sep 2011

Multispectral fluorescence imaging system can localize cancer cells during surgery

Ovarian cancer is one of the most frequent forms of cancer that affect women. As tumors can initially grow unchecked in the abdomen without causing any major symptoms, patients are usually diagnosed at an advanced stage and have to undergo surgery plus chemotherapy. During the operation, surgeons attempt to remove all tumor deposits as this leads to improved patient prognosis. To do this, however, they primarily have to rely on visual inspection and palpation - an enormous challenge especially in the case of small tumor nests or remaining tumor borders after the primary tumor excision.

20 Sep 2011

Scientists pioneer new combination treatment for prostate cancer

Scientists at Queen's University have pioneered a new combination treatment for prostate cancer. The treatment, which has been successful in phase one of trials, will now be tested for efficacy in a second phase.

20 Sep 2011

Cosmetic Surgery Code of practice aids informed consent

According to the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery, a just-released study of medical negligence claims between 2002 and 2008 published in the Medical Journal of Australia underlines the importance that codes of practice can play in ensuring that a proper process is observed to obtain informed consent for cosmetic surgical procedures.

19 Sep 2011

No room for Medicare patients

When I went into solo practice of internal medicine in 1981, it was very easy to get a doctor to see a Medicare patient. All I had to do was make a phone call. A courteous receptionist answered. If the doctor couldn't come to the phone right away, I could count on a prompt callback.

19 Sep 2011

Too many kids poisoned with prescription drugs: Study

Figures show that each year half a million kids age 5 and younger get into household medications and are poisoned. Though parents tend to believe that these tragic accidents will never happen to their kids, Dr. Randall Bond, a leading advocate for better prescription drug safety in the home, believes it can happen to anyone.

19 Sep 2011

Drug overdose deaths surpass road traffic accident deaths in U.S.

According to newly released figures, drug-related deaths now outnumber traffic fatalities in the U.S., with the rise driven by an increase in prescription narcotic overdoses.

19 Sep 2011

Successful separation of twin girls joined at the head

British surgeons have successfully separated conjoined twin baby girls in a complex and extremely rare operation. Sudan-born Rital and Ritag Gaboura are craniopagus twins, meaning they were born joined at the head.

19 Sep 2011

Feds OK Mich. request to reduce premium costs for state's pre-existing condition insurance plan

Other news reports related to health law implementation include the latest on a push by the Department of Health and Human Services for state insurance exchange partnerships, speculation about the measure's essential benefits rule and efforts on Capitol Hill to block the law's funding.

19 Sep 2011

Republican candidates are unabashed in opposition to 'Obamacare' but stay quiet on Medicare's drug plan

The Associated Press reports that, even with their emphasis on deficit reduction, most of the GOP presidential candidates don't seem to be talking about the Medicare drug program, a massive entitlement with future unfunded costs of about $7 trillion, as much as the 2010 health law.

19 Sep 2011

Phytel launches new suite of automated care management solutions

Phytel today launched the next generation of automated care management solutions with its integrated Atmosphere™ platform, which enables providers to better manage quality and proactively improve chronic and preventive care across their populations. These scalable, Software-as-a-Service automation tools together comprise the first comprehensive, integrated population health management solution designed for providers.

19 Sep 2011