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Neuroscientists pinpoint how neural activity boosts blood flow to the brain

New research from Harvard University neuroscientists has pinpointed exactly how neural activity boosts blood flow to the brain. The finding has important implications for our understanding of common brain imaging techniques such as fMRI, which uses blood flow in the brain as a proxy for neural activity.

26 Jun 2008

House votes 355-59 to approve legislation that would delay Medicare physician fee cut

The House on Tuesday voted 355-59 to approve legislation (HR 6331) that would delay for 18 months a 10.6% reduction to Medicare physician fees scheduled to take effect on July 1, among other provisions, the Washington Post reports (Kane, Washington Post, 6/25).

26 Jun 2008

House to vote on modified version of Senate Democrats' Medicare physician pay patch bill

The House on Tuesday is scheduled to vote on a modified version of Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus' (D-Mont.) legislation (S 3101) that would eliminate a 10.6% reduction to Medicare physician fees scheduled for July 1, CQ Today reports. According to CQ Today, "If the House moves a bill, it will put pressure on Senate Democrats and Republicans to reach an accord."

24 Jun 2008

Premature babies feel pain but don't show it

Brain scans of premature babies undergoing a simple medical procedure have revealed though they may appear to be pain free, they are experiencing pain.

24 Jun 2008

New details on how low blood flow promotes vascular disease

Researchers have found the first direct proof that a key protein drives the clogging of arteries in two ways, and that lowering levels of it opens them up, according to study results published in the June edition of the journal Circulation.

24 Jun 2008

Lower blood levels of vitamin D linked to increased heart problems

Individuals with lower blood levels of vitamin D appear to have an increased risk of death overall and from cardiovascular causes, according to a report in the June 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

23 Jun 2008

Hedgehog signaling is critical for maintenance of the adult coronary vasculature

A set of promising new anticancer agents could have unforeseen risks in individuals with heart disease, suggests research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

23 Jun 2008

Study provides direct proof on how key protein promotes vascular disease

23 Jun 2008

New method for bone tissue engineering wins award

A new and better method for accelerating bone formation in cases of orthopedic injuries and conditions, such as osteoporosis, fractures and disc disorders, has been developed by Nadav Kimelman at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Faculty of Dental Medicine.

23 Jun 2008

Gene radiotherapy system shows promise for fighting treatment-resistant cancer cells

A gene radiotherapy system that detects and treats cancer cells that are resistant to traditional forms of chemotherapy and radiation showed success in the laboratory and could eventually prove beneficial for cancer patients, according to researchers at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 55th Annual Meeting.

16 Jun 2008

Smoking and obesity linked to hearing loss

One of the largest studies into the risk factors for age-related hearing loss has found that smoking and body mass index (BMI) are two of the main culprits whereas alcohol has a protective effect, but high levels of work noise remain the biggest risk.

11 Jun 2008

Oxygen-rich lifesaving efforts pose risk for respiratory infections

Each year, thousands of premature infants battle to breathe. Thanks to life-saving interventions developed in the past couple decades - steroids given to their mothers to stall pre-term labor, mechanical ventilation, air enriched with extra oxygen, and surfactant, a crucial wetting agent that makes breathing less work - most of these newborns survive with enough lung function to grow and go home.

11 Jun 2008

Memory loss linked to sleep apnea

For the first time, UCLA researchers have discovered that people with sleep apnea show tissue loss in brain regions that help store memory.

11 Jun 2008

CQ's Carey discusses Democratic, GOP Medicare proposals, VA mental health bill, health care IT measure

Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, discusses Senate Democratic and Republican measures to halt a 10.6% reduction to Medicare physician fees; Senate legislation involving veterans' mental health; and a House bill that encourages greater adoption of electronic health records in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ."

10 Jun 2008

California Legislature takes up multiple health care bills

"More than a dozen health bills are advancing through the [California] Legislature," some of which contain elements of a health care overhaul plan backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) that passed the state Assembly but was rejected in the Senate earlier this year, the Los Angeles Times reports.

8 Jun 2008

Optimising use of ventilators to treat patients while minimising risk of injury

The ventilators on an intensive care ward of a hospital offer a vital lifeline to the sickest and most vulnerable patients, providing the oxygen that keeps them alive when they are unable to breathe for themselves.

3 Jun 2008

ThromboGenics and BioInvent report positive results for anti-PlGF cancer therapeutic TB-403

ThromboGenics NV and co-development partner BioInvent International AB today reported that the results from the first Phase l study of novel anti-cancer agent TB-403 showed that it is safe and well tolerated, with pharmacokinetic properties enabling it to be developed for the treatment of cancer

3 Jun 2008

Chronic inflammation of the intestine or stomach damages DNA

Chronic inflammation of the intestine or stomach can damage DNA, increasing the risk of cancer, MIT scientists have confirmed.

2 Jun 2008

Smoking during pregnancy and SIDS

A new study provides the most direct evidence that there exists a causal link between smoking during pregnancy and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

1 Jun 2008

Why some treatments rescue aging skin

Fine wrinkles, deeper creases, saggy areas around the mouth and neck - the sights in the mirror that make baby boomers wince - are not inevitable. They result from a structural breakdown inside the skin that some existing treatments effectively counteract by stimulating the growth of new, youthful collagen, University of Michigan scientists say.

28 May 2008