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High levels of calcium in coronary arteries increase risk of stroke, heart attack

The presence of calcium in coronary arteries is a much better predictor of heart attack and stroke than C-reactive protein among people with normal levels of LDL cholesterol, according to a study of more than 2,000 people led by a Johns Hopkins heart specialist.

19 Aug 2011

Study confirms tamoxifen is superior to fulvestrant in blocking estrogen

For the first time, researchers at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance have demonstrated the feasibility of using serial positron emission tomography (PET) scans, using a special estrogen-containing isotope, to confirm the relative effectiveness of estrogen-blocking and estrogen-depleting therapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

19 Aug 2011

Cannabis Science enters distribution agreement with PVM for marijuana dispensing machines

Cannabis Science, Inc., a pioneering US biotech company developing pharmaceutical cannabis products, is pleased to announce that Cannabis Science has entered into an exclusive distribution Agreement with Prescription Vending Machines Inc. ("PVM") and contracted with PVM's principal Vincent Mehdizadeh to provide industry specific consulting and advisory services to Cannabis Science.

19 Aug 2011

Echocardiogram may not improve patients' survival rates after elective surgery

A new study has found no evidence that patients who had a heart ultrasound known as an echocardiogram before major surgery had improved survival rates one month or one year after their operation.

19 Aug 2011

Only 15 U.S. pharmaceutical ads adhere to FDA Prescription Drug Advertising Guidelines

A study led by Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers of 192 pharmaceutical advertisements in biomedical journals found that only 18 percent were compliant with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines, and over half failed to quantify serious risks including death.

19 Aug 2011

Dog fecal material may constitute the dominant source of airborne bacteria

Bacteria from fecal material -- in particular, dog fecal material -- may constitute the dominant source of airborne bacteria in Cleveland's and Detroit's wintertime air, says a new University of Colorado Boulder study.

19 Aug 2011

CJASN: Most dialysis patients are not prepared to effectively handle disasters

Most dialysis patients are not prepared to effectively handle man-made or natural disasters, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

19 Aug 2011

Southampton scientists to progress nutrition and respiratory research

Clinicians and scientists working in the Southampton Centre for Biomedical Research, established by the partnership between Southampton's University Hospitals Trust (SUHT) and the University of Southampton, have been awarded £17m to progress the city's world-leading nutrition and respiratory research facilities.

19 Aug 2011

ASA launches new video that highlights need for responsible use of pain medication

The American Society of Anesthesiologists launched a new video today on its lifelinepatients YouTube channel that highlights the need for responsible use of pain medication and proper disposal of the drugs.

19 Aug 2011

Mount Sinai to begin largest study of personalized medicine in clinical care setting

Mount Sinai School of Medicine has been awarded a $3.4 million grant over four years from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to begin the largest study of its kind, in which a patient's genomic risk for disease is revealed in a lab, and then entered into an electronic medical record for use in determining treatment in the clinical care setting.

19 Aug 2011

Time-release corticosteroid implant effective in treating uveitis

A team of researchers comparing the two leading treatment approaches for the eye condition uveitis, which is the fifth leading cause of blindness in the US, have found that a time-release corticosteroid implant placed surgically in the eye is similarly effective in treating the disease as anti-inflammatory corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs taken orally. The report was published online this week in the journal Ophthalmology.

19 Aug 2011

Study: Medical malpractice cases common, payouts are not

The findings of new research published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggest that only one in five malpractice lawsuits results in a payout. The authors conclude that the truth behind these numbers is complicated.

19 Aug 2011

Powerful X-rays help develop new drug treatment for malignant melanoma

Powerful X-ray technology developed at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) national laboratories is revealing new insights into diseases ranging from Alzheimer's to the swine flu, and, most recently, enabled the discovery of a groundbreaking new drug treatment for malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

19 Aug 2011

Longer looks: Doctors advocating less care; addiction as a 'disease'

These physicians are not anti-medicine. They are not trying to save money on their copayments or deductibles. And they are not trying to rein in the nation's soaring health-care costs, which at $2.7 trillion account for fully one sixth of every dollar spent in the U.S. They are applying to their personal lives a message they have become increasingly vocal about in their roles as biomedical researchers and doctors: more health care often means worse health.

19 Aug 2011

IOM may miss deadline for essential benefits report

In other news related to the health law's implementation, policy analysts offer their views of the challenges ahead for the creation of accountable care organizations.

19 Aug 2011

Conference to discuss latest research on gender disparities in cardiovascular disease

Heart disease has sometimes been considered a men's health issue, but the statistics prove otherwise. In the US alone, more than 42 million women live with the problem. Heart disease is responsible for more than one-third of deaths among American women each year, making it the number one killer of females older than 20.

19 Aug 2011

Celiac disease more prevalent among women with unexplained infertility

A recent study demonstrated increased rates of celiac disease in women who present with unexplained infertility. Published in the May-June 2011 issue of The Journal of Reproductive Medicine, the study evaluated 191 female patients presenting with infertility.

19 Aug 2011

New book on hemophilia, unintended consequences of medical progress

The Bleeding Disease: Hemophilia and the Unintended Consequences of Medical Progress (John Hopkins University Press) is the new book by NJIT Associate Professor Stephen Pemberton. The book recounts the promising and perilous history of medical and social efforts to manage hemophilia in 20th-century America.

19 Aug 2011

Female TBI patients more likely to report headaches during first year after injury

Recurring headaches are common during the year following a traumatic brain injury (TBI), regardless of the severity of the TBI, and they tend to occur more often among females and those with a pre-TBI history of headache, according to an article in Journal of Neurotrauma, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

19 Aug 2011

IRSF announces new Rett syndrome translational research awards

The International Rett Syndrome Foundation (IRSF) announced today that it is awarding over $650,000 to support eight cutting-edge projects that aim to accelerate translational research to develop treatments for Rett syndrome.

19 Aug 2011