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Study sheds new light on how surgery impacts chronic kidney disease, bone health

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have shed new light on how surgery impacts both chronic kidney disease and bone health, particularly in women.

5 Aug 2011

Entomologist to study how immune system responds to rickettsial infection

Summer for most people means time spent outdoors, which could also mean increased exposure to bugs and, possibly, arthropod-borne diseases, such as "rickettsial diseases" - infectious diseases spread by bacteria, which, generally, are transmitted by lice, fleas, ticks and mites.

5 Aug 2011

Levels of body chemical PCT influence duration of antibiotic use

Measuring the levels of a natural body chemical may allow doctors to reduce the duration of antibiotic use and improve the health outcomes of critically ill patients.

5 Aug 2011

Novel DNA sensing pathway linked to increased susceptibility to malaria

Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School have uncovered a novel DNA-sensing pathway important to the triggering of an innate immune response for malaria. Activation of this pathway appears to stimulate production of an overabundance of type-1 interferon by the immune system that may contribute to inflammation and fever in malaria patients and could play a part in susceptibility for the most common and lethal form of malaria known as plasmodium falciparum.

5 Aug 2011

Elsevier announces Braunwald's Heart Disease Practice Guides App for iPad users

Elsevier, the leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announced its Braunwald's Heart Disease Practice Guides App for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch is now available on the App Store.

5 Aug 2011

Predictive genetic testing may identify children's risk for developing common, treatable disorders

Predictive genetic testing may be able to identify children's risk for developing common, treatable, and possibly preventable disorders.

5 Aug 2011

FDA approves first scorpion antivenom

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Anascorp-, an antivenom produced in Mexico and tested in clinical trials conducted through the University of Arizona, for use in treating patients suffering the effects of scorpion sting.

5 Aug 2011

PCF funds 10 new Challenge Awards for prostate cancer research

The Prostate Cancer Foundation today announced that it has funded 10 new Challenge Awards for accelerating scientific discovery and new treatments for prostate cancer patients.

5 Aug 2011

Roadmap to overcome obstacles for using induced pluripotent stem cells

The possibility of developing stem cells from a patient's own skin and using them to treat conditions as diverse as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and cancer has generated tremendous excitement in the stem cell research community in recent years. Such therapies would avoid the controversial need for using stem cells derived from human embryos, and in theory, also bypass immunological problems inherent in using cells from one person to treat another.

5 Aug 2011

Viewpoints: 'Real' Medicare cuts?; HIV/AIDS prevention push; contraceptive coverage

Well, not really. A primer on the debt deal's health-care bookkeeping. All politicians—but these days especially Democrats—like to pretend they'll pay providers somewhat less in the future, despite knowing that is unlikely to happen in practice. Medicare's prospective payments are low enough that further reductions may jeopardize access to care and in many cases threaten the viability of hospitals and physician practices.

5 Aug 2011

Virginia Tech student receives prestigious award for cellular signaling receptor study linked to diabetes, obesity

Stephanie Nicole "Nikki" Lewis, a graduate student in the interdisciplinary doctoral program in genetics, bioinformatics, and computational biology at Virginia Tech, has been awarded the prestigious Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award for Predoctoral Research through the National Institutes of Health for her study of a cellular signaling receptor that is associated with chronic inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and inflammatory bowel disease.

5 Aug 2011

Shear stress-based method can identify vulnerable plaque in coronary arteries

Researchers at Emory and Georgia Tech have developed a method for predicting which areas of the coronary arteries will develop more atherosclerotic plaque over time, based on intracoronary ultrasound and blood flow measurements.

5 Aug 2011

Safe Kids USA to host Youth Sports Safety Clinics

With many young school athletes working hard this month to prepare for fall sports, Safe Kids USA is hosting Youth Sports Safety Clinics across the country to educate parents and coaches on how to keep children safe and prevent sports injuries, including heat-related illnesses. Nearly 3/4 of U.S. households have at least one child who plays organized sports.

4 Aug 2011

Dyax initiates ecallantide Phase 2 trial for ACE inhibitor-induced angioedema

Dyax Corp. announced today treatment of the first patient in a Phase 2 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of ecallantide, a potent, selective, reversible inhibitor of plasma kallikrein, for acute treatment of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor-induced angioedema.

4 Aug 2011

NIH-funded study to assess biomarkers in the blood of TBI patients

Biomarkers in the bloodstream could provide physicians with a quick and accurate method of assessing the severity of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and helping deliver and monitor the results of therapies, such as progesterone treatment.

4 Aug 2011

Loyola's lung-kidney transplant patient wins Bronze medal for bowling

Loyola University Medical Center patient Nathan Weimer, who has undergone transplants of both lungs and one kidney, has won a Bronze medal for bowling in the 2011 World Transplant Games.

4 Aug 2011

NIA, ACRO collaborate to create disease site-specific radiation oncology practice guidelines

National Imaging Associates (NIA), a subsidiary of Magellan Health Services, and the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO), the professional medical society established for educational and scientific purposes to advance the science and practice of radiation oncology, today announced the signing of a collaborative agreement.

4 Aug 2011