Medicine News and Research

RSS

Asynchronous telepsychiatry provides primary-care physicians greater access to psychiatric consultation

A new study by researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine has found that psychiatrists can accurately assess a patient's mental health by viewing videotaped interviews that are sent to them for consultation and treatment recommendations.

7 Aug 2010

UCSF researchers discover new technology purifying special types of stem cells

UCSF researchers are reporting the first success in very rapidly purifying one type of embryonic stem cell from a mix of many different types of embryonic stem cells in the culture dish. The technique, which avoids the need to genetically alter the cells to distinguish them, is a key advance, the researchers say, for obtaining the appropriate cells for repairing specific damaged tissues.

7 Aug 2010

Multiple tattoos increase risk of contracting hepatitis C: Study

Youth, prison inmates and individuals with multiple tattoos that cover large parts of their bodies are at higher risk of contracting hepatitis C and other blood-borne diseases, according to a University of British Columbia study.The researchers reviewed and analysed 124 studies from 30 countries, including Canada, Iran, Italy, Brazil and the United States, and found the incidence of hepatitis C after tattooing is directly linked with the number of tattoos an individual receives. The findings are published in the current issue of the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.

7 Aug 2010

S-ICD subcutaneous implantable defibrillator restores normal heartbeat in high risk cardiac arrest

Scottsdale Healthcare is the only Arizona hospital system testing a new under-the-skin device that uses an electrical shock to interrupt possibly fatal heart rhythms, restoring a normal heartbeat for patients at high risk of sudden cardiac arrest.The first Arizona patient received the device Thursday at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea Medical Center. Scottsdale Healthcare is the only Phoenix area hospital and one of only 35 in the world participating in the study.

7 Aug 2010

Research Roundups: Expanding Medicaid; More spending doesn't reduce mortality; Colonoscopy cost effectiveness; Kids, asthma and access to care

Health Affairs: Little Evidence Of Correlation Between Growth In Health Care Spending And Reduced Mortality - This study examines differences in hospital mortality and cost between 2000 and 2004 for patients at 122 U.S. hospitals, with seven common medical diagnoses: acute myocardial infarction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, community-acquired pneumonia, congestive heart failure, cerebrovascular accident (also called ischemic stroke), sepsis, or urinary tract infection.

7 Aug 2010

Scientists identify role of PNPASE in regulating RNA import into mitochondria

Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and the departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine have uncovered a role for an essential cell protein in shuttling RNA into the mitochondria, the energy-producing "power plant" of the cell. The import of nucleus-encoded small RNAs into mitochondria is essential for the replication, transcription and translation of the mitochondrial genome, but the mechanisms that deliver RNA into mitochondria remain poorly understood.

7 Aug 2010

ViroPharma announces data on safety, efficacy of Cinryze to treat acute angioedema attacks

ViroPharma Incorporated today announced that data from Phase 3 studies of Cinryze (C1 esterase inhibitor [human]) have been published in the August 5, 2010 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The paper entitled Nanofiltered C1 Inhibitor Concentrate for Treatment of Hereditary Angioedema by Dr. Bruce L. Zuraw et al. describes the safety and efficacy of Cinryze in treating and preventing attacks of hereditary angioedema. Cinryze is the first and only FDA-approved C1 esterase inhibitor therapy indicated for routine prophylaxis against angioedema attacks in adolescent and adult patients with hereditary angioedema (HAE), a rare, debilitating and potentially fatal disease; it is not approved by the FDA to treat acute angioedema attacks.

6 Aug 2010

Salamander research findings bring scientists closer to future regenerative therapies

Tissue regeneration in salamanders and newts seems like it should be the stuff of science fiction. But it happens routinely. Why can't we mammals just re-grow a limb or churn out a few new heart muscle cells as needed? New research suggests there might be a very good reason: Restricting our cells' ability to pop in and out of the cell cycle at will - a prerequisite for the cell division necessary to make new tissue - reduces the chances that they'll run amok and form potentially deadly cancers.

6 Aug 2010

Kaiser Family Foundation/CSIS forum reviews AIDS 2010, looks ahead to AIDS 2012

Last month's 18th International AIDS Conference-AIDS 2010 in Vienna, Austria, will be remembered as the first since the global economic downturn, the growing recognition of treatment as part of prevention and a focus on the importance of human rights, HIV/AIDS experts said Thursday during a panel discussion in Washington, D.C. A webcast of the event is available online.

6 Aug 2010

Threshold Pharmaceuticals reports net loss of $0.3M for second-quarter 2010

Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

6 Aug 2010

Need for trained medical professionals to treat medical emergencies in high school athletes

As summer football practice gets into full swing, it's essential to be aware of the risk of exertional heat stroke (EHS) in high school athletes, according to a Safety Alert in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, official research journal of the National Strength and Conditioning Association. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

6 Aug 2010

Adversity-exposure may protect against psychiatric disturbances that occur with CBP: Study

A new study by researchers at the University at Buffalo and the University of California, Irvine, to be published in the September issue of the journal Pain, reveals that, for people with chronic back pain, having a little adversity in your life can be protective and beneficial.

6 Aug 2010

BioMimetic Therapeutics reports net loss of $7.7M for second-quarter 2010

BioMimetic Therapeutics, Inc. today reported its financial results as of and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010. For the three months ended June 30, 2010, the Company reported a net loss of $7.7 million, or $0.35 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $6.3 million, or $0.32 per diluted share, for the same period in 2009. For the six months ended June 30, 2010, the Company reported a net loss of $16.2 million, or $0.73 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $14.3 million, or $0.75 per diluted share, for the same period in 2009.

6 Aug 2010

Dyax announces first Phase 3 trial results of KALBITOR for acute HAE

Dyax Corp. announced today that results from EDEMA3, the Company's first Phase 3 trial evaluating KALBITOR (ecallantide) for the treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema, were published in the August issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. KALBITOR, discovered and developed by Dyax, is available in the United States for the treatment of acute attacks of HAE in patients 16 years of age and older.

6 Aug 2010

Researchers reprogram human embryonic stem cells to iPS cells for use in regenerative medicine

Human embryonic stem (ES) cells and adult cells reprogrammed to an embryonic stem cell-like state-so-called induced pluripotent stem or iPS cells-exhibit very few differences in their gene expression signatures and are nearly indistinguishable in their chromatin state, according to Whitehead Institute researchers.The pluripotency of ES cells fueled excitement over their use in regenerative medicine. While ethical hurdles associated with the clinical application of human ES cells appeared to have been overcome with the development of methods to create iPS cells, some recent research has suggested that ES and iPS cells have substantial differences in which sets of genes they express.

6 Aug 2010

Survey reveals need for nutrition education among African Americans for disease prevention, management

Researchers looking for differences in eating habits of African Americans based on whether or not they had Type 2 diabetes uncovered an unexpected result: No matter what the blood sugar level was, the dietary intakes were pretty much the same.African Americans are 1.8 times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes and 1.4 times more likely to be obese than are non-Hispanic whites, according to federal health agencies. Obesity is a leading risk factor for development of diabetes, a condition that results when the body cannot properly use insulin to transfer sugar from the blood to muscle and fat cells that use glucose for energy.

6 Aug 2010

HHS Secretary announces $159.1M in grants to health care workforce training programs

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today will announce $159.1 million in grants to health care workforce training programs. These grants build on the multimillion dollar investments made under the Affordable Care Act and Recovery Act to strengthen and grow our primary care workforce. The grants will target three types of programs: Nursing Workforce Development programs; interdisciplinary geriatric education and training programs; and Centers of Excellence programs for underrepresented minority students.

6 Aug 2010

Alnylam publishes research findings of Sort1 gene role in cardiovascular disease development

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today the publication of new research findings in the journal Nature describing the discovery and validation of the role of the gene Sort1 in the development of cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction (MI). This work was done with collaborators at University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) School of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and the Broad Institute. The collaborative effort combined genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and RNAi technology to identify and validate novel genes as targets for new therapies for heart disease.

6 Aug 2010

Study identifies options for restoring knee cartilage lubrication to prevent OA

An injury to the anterior cruciate ligament is fairly common, especially among young athletes. While it can often be corrected through surgery, the injury can lead to increased risk of developing degenerative joint diseases, including osteoarthritis. The problem is that fluid in the knee joint, which lubricates the cartilage, is impacted by the trauma of the injury and begins to deteriorate.

6 Aug 2010

Vyvanse Capsules CII demonstrates significant improvement in adults with ADHD: Phase 3b study

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced that a Phase 3b study published in Behavioral and Brain Functions found adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder who took once-daily Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) Capsules CII demonstrated significant improvement in attention.

6 Aug 2010

Medicine News and Research

Asynchronous telepsychiatry provides primary-care physicians greater access to psychiatric consultation

UCSF researchers discover new technology purifying special types of stem cells

Multiple tattoos increase risk of contracting hepatitis C: Study

S-ICD subcutaneous implantable defibrillator restores normal heartbeat in high risk cardiac arrest

Research Roundups: Expanding Medicaid; More spending doesn't reduce mortality; Colonoscopy cost effectiveness; Kids, asthma and access to care

Scientists identify role of PNPASE in regulating RNA import into mitochondria

ViroPharma announces data on safety, efficacy of Cinryze to treat acute angioedema attacks

Salamander research findings bring scientists closer to future regenerative therapies

Kaiser Family Foundation/CSIS forum reviews AIDS 2010, looks ahead to AIDS 2012

Threshold Pharmaceuticals reports net loss of $0.3M for second-quarter 2010

Need for trained medical professionals to treat medical emergencies in high school athletes

Adversity-exposure may protect against psychiatric disturbances that occur with CBP: Study

BioMimetic Therapeutics reports net loss of $7.7M for second-quarter 2010

Dyax announces first Phase 3 trial results of KALBITOR for acute HAE

Researchers reprogram human embryonic stem cells to iPS cells for use in regenerative medicine

Survey reveals need for nutrition education among African Americans for disease prevention, management

HHS Secretary announces $159.1M in grants to health care workforce training programs

Alnylam publishes research findings of Sort1 gene role in cardiovascular disease development

Study identifies options for restoring knee cartilage lubrication to prevent OA

Vyvanse Capsules CII demonstrates significant improvement in adults with ADHD: Phase 3b study

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Latest News