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Oxytocin does not boost prospects for normal births

A new Cochrane review says that oxytocin, a medication often used to quicken slow-paced labor in its early stages, doesn't boost the prospects for normal births. Riskier births that required cesarean section or the use of forceps didn't become less common.

15 Jul 2011

Longer looks: Penalties for doctors who keep patients waiting

When she makes a doctor's appointment, Cherie Kerr makes it clear that she better not be kept waiting long. She said she usually tries to schedule the first appointment of the day, or the first one after lunch. But if the doctor is going to be late, she insists the staff give her a call -- lest the office be billed for her time in the waiting room.

15 Jul 2011

Simple dental algorithm can effectively identify patients with unrecognized diabetes

In a study, Identification of unrecognized diabetes and pre-diabetes in a dental setting, published in the July 2011 issue of the Journal of Dental Research, researchers at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine found that dental visits represented a chance to intervene in the diabetes epidemic by identifying individuals with diabetes or pre-diabetes who are unaware of their condition.

15 Jul 2011

BK channel activation involves structural rearrangements: Study

BK channels are essential for the regulation of important biological processes such as smooth muscle tone and neuronal excitability. New research shows that BK channel activation involves structural rearrangements formerly not understood.

15 Jul 2011

Bariatric surgery cost-effective for all obese

Bariatric surgery is not only cost-effective for treating people who are severely obese, but also for those who are mildly obese, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

15 Jul 2011

Short telomeres may increase risk of emphysema

Telomeres, the body's own cellular clocks, may be a crucial factor underlying the development of emphysema, according to research from Johns Hopkins University.

15 Jul 2011

State roundup: Model insurance brings 'modest' savings

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts' alternative quality contract, which Governor Deval Patrick has held up as a potential model for controlling health care costs, produced "modest" savings in its first year while yielding improved quality of care in some areas, according to a new study in this week's New England Journal of Medicine.

15 Jul 2011

NeoStem to acquire Amorcyte

NeoStem, Inc., an international biopharmaceutical company, announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement whereby NeoStem will acquire Amorcyte, Inc., a development stage cell therapy company focusing on novel treatments for cardiovascular disease.

15 Jul 2011

Cancer may soon affect 40% of UK’s population: Report

Macmillan Cancer Support this Thursday revealed warning estimates that four in 10 people in the UK will get cancer at some point in their lives, up from one in three a decade ago. Cancer experts now believe 42% of Britons will get the disease.

14 Jul 2011

Being health wards off dementia and Alzheimer's: Study

According to a new study even relatively minor health problems seemingly unrelated to the mind may affect a person's risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. This is apart from the other known risk factors like heart disease, strokes and other serious health conditions that affect the circulatory system or brain. The study was published this week in the journal Neurology.

14 Jul 2011

Tea or coffee can protect from MRSA superbug

According to the latest study in the Annals of Family Medicine, people who drink tea or coffee regularly may be less likely to carry the Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in their nostrils.

14 Jul 2011

Medical community welcomes $30 million funding to fast track cancer research

The medical research community can only be encouraged by the level of commitment demonstrated by the NSW government’s $30 million funding to fast track cancer research, the Dean of Medicine at the University of New South Wales, Professor Peter Smith, said today.

14 Jul 2011

Study finds structural determinants of adolescent girls' vulnerability to HIV

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows that community members correlate an increase in HIV vulnerability among adolescent girls with weak structural support systems.

14 Jul 2011

DVS Sciences completes $14.6M series A financing

The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) and DVS Sciences Inc., today announced that DVS Sciences has completed a $14.6 million series A financing.

14 Jul 2011

Children's Hospital of Alabama purchases iRISecure tissue tracking system from Mobile Aspects

In an effort to insure JCAHO compliance and continue its tradition of providing the highest quality of care to its young patients, the Children's Hospital of Alabama has purchased the iRISecure tissue tracking system from Mobile Aspects.

14 Jul 2011

EC grants marketing authorization for BENLYSTA to treat SLE

GlaxoSmithKline and Human Genome Sciences, Inc. announced today that the European Commission has granted marketing authorization for BENLYSTA 10mg/kg as an add-on therapy in adult patients with active autoantibody-positive systemic lupus erythematosus, with a high degree of disease activity, despite standard therapy.

14 Jul 2011

Religion, spirituality boost hospital patients' satisfaction

Hospitalized patients who had conversations about religion and spirituality with the healthcare team were the most satisfied with their overall care. However, 20 percent of patients who would have valued these discussions say their desires went unmet, according to a new study by Joshua Williams from the University of Chicago and his colleagues.

14 Jul 2011

Study examines teaching hospitals' so-called 'July Effect'

A new study reports that more patients receive worse-quality care or die at teaching hospitals during July because experienced residents shuffle off to greener pastures, leaving untrained "newbies" to take their spots and learn the ropes.

14 Jul 2011

New low-energy method for terminating cardiac fibrillation

An international team of scientists from the Max-Planck-Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Cornell University the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, the University Medicine Göttingen, the Rochester Institute of Technology, and the Institut Non-Linéaire de Nice have developed a new low-energy method for terminating life-threatening cardiac fibrillation of the heart.

14 Jul 2011

New less painful technique to end life-threatening heart fibrillations

Cornell scientists, in collaboration with physicists and physician-scientists in Germany, France and Rochester, N.Y., have developed a new - and much less painful and potentially damaging - method to end life-threatening heart fibrillations.

14 Jul 2011