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Researchers call for more public disclosure about clinical drug trials

When published results are systematically tracked for drug trials registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, those from industry-funded trials are the likeliest to be favorable to the drug in question, report researchers at Children's Hospital Boston. Publishing in the August 3 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, the researchers call for more public disclosure about clinical drug trials at their outset to reduce the possibility of bias in the findings.

3 Aug 2010

Scientists discover factors that reduce breast screening effectiveness

Scientists have found evidence that the reduced effectiveness of breast screening in women in their 40s is mainly due to their tumours being harder to detect, rather than because they grow faster.Previous research has suggested that breast screening is less effective in women in their 40s than in older women.Two reasons have been identified for this - firstly, that younger women tend to have denser breast tissue which makes it harder to detect tumours on a mammogram; and secondly, because younger women's tumours tend to grow more quickly.

3 Aug 2010

RIT professor designs database with physician input and novel eye-tracking techniques

Digital archives of biomedical images could someday put critical information at doctors' fingertips within seconds, illustrating how computers can improve the way medicine is practiced. The current reality, however, isn't quite up to speed, with databases virtually overwhelmed by the explosion of medical imaging.

3 Aug 2010

Group skill building intervention programs for foster care children may help improve mental health

Incorporating mentoring and group skill-building intervention programs for children in foster care may help improve mental health outcomes in this population, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

3 Aug 2010

White House predicts overhaul will save $8 billion for Medicare by the end of 2011

The White House says the new health law will save Medicare about $8 billion by the end of next year and $575 billion during the rest of the decade, according to a new report the Obama administration is releasing Monday, The Associated Press reports.

3 Aug 2010

Pairing adolescents with college student mentors keeps kids healthy, fit

A program pairing healthy young adults with urban middle school students helped the adolescents adopt healthy habits, active lifestyles and a healthy weight, according to a new study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The study, published August 2 in the journal Pediatrics, found that linking African American, inner city adolescents in Baltimore with one-on-one mentorship from college students prevented the schoolchildren from becoming overweight for at least two years after the mentorship experience. Researchers found the adolescents ate fewer snacks and desserts, and engaged in active play more often. The rate of overweight/obesity in the group declined five percent.

3 Aug 2010

Study finds hunger as a serious risk factor for long-term poor health among children, youth

Children and youth who experience hunger appear more likely to have health problems, and repeated episodes of hunger may be particularly toxic, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

3 Aug 2010

Toxic protein in bee venom improves liposome encapsulated drug effectiveness

The next time you are stung by a bee, here's some consolation: a toxic protein in bee venom, when altered, significantly improves the effectiveness liposome-encapsulated drugs or dyes, such as those already used to treat or diagnose cancer. This research, described in the August 2010 print issue of the FASEB Journal, shows how modified melittin may revolutionize treatments for cancer and perhaps other conditions, such as arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and serious infections.

3 Aug 2010

Particles of iron oxide enhance tumor visibility through MRI

Tiny particles of iron oxide could become tools for simultaneous tumor imaging and treatment, because of their magnetic properties and toxic effects against brain cancer cells. In mice, researchers from Emory University School of Medicine have demonstrated how these particles can deliver antibodies to implanted brain tumors, while enhancing tumor visibility via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

3 Aug 2010

PHD1 useful for pharmacologic inhibition in IBD: Research

Research into inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) led by UCD Conway Institute scientists with national and international collaborators has identified a key regulator involved in maintaining the functional integrity of the gut lining. The findings, published recently in the scientific journal, Gastroenterology, provide information that may be important in developing a new therapeutic approach to the treatment of the disease.

3 Aug 2010

Using internet can develop depression among teens

Teens who use the Internet pathologically appear more likely to develop depression than those who do not, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the October print issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

3 Aug 2010

Study finds low carbohydrate diet may help improve cardiovascular risk factors

The effectiveness of a low-carbohydrate diet versus a low-fat diet for weight loss have been frequently debated. According to a new study published in Annals of Internal Medicine, both diets produce identical weight loss when coupled with comprehensive behavior treatment, but a low-carbohydrate diet may help improve cardiovascular risk factors.

3 Aug 2010

Americans halved their risk of dying from CHD over past 20 years: Study

By smoking less, watching their cholesterol and lowering their high blood pressure, Americans halved their risk of dying from coronary heart disease over the past 20 years, a new study shows.

3 Aug 2010

Rush University Medical Center first to receive Octapharma grant under anniversary program

Octapharma USA today announced the first grant recipient of the Octapharma 25th Anniversary Grants Program is the Rush Hemophilia & Thrombophilia Center at Rush University Medical Center. The Octapharma grants program supports clinical or pre-clinical research focused on human protein therapies in hematology, immune therapy, intensive care and emergency medicine.

3 Aug 2010

Free health clinic planned for D.C. area; University of Kansas to study Indian health; Ga. weighs health needs of older prisoners

In the run-up to this week's giant free clinic in the District, Nicole Lamoureux, the lead organizer, could tell that hearts were racing, blood pressure was increasing and tension was rising. Calls from patients scheduling appointments were starting to pour into her office, but there weren't enough volunteer medical workers to see them.

3 Aug 2010

Study reveals potential marker for prostate cancer

Studies by a Purdue University-led team have revealed a potential marker for prostate cancer that could be the starting point for less invasive testing and improved diagnosis of the disease.

3 Aug 2010

Oxygen Biotherapeutics collaborates with U.S. Navy to develop treatment for DCS

Oxygen Biotherapeutics, Inc. today announced it has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) to conduct preclinical trials to assess the safety and efficacy of Oxygen Biotherapeutics' proprietary Oxycyte perfluorocarbon emulsion (PFCE) for the prevention and treatment of decompression sickness and related injuries.

3 Aug 2010

Mount Sinai joins MMRC to develop new treatments for multiple myeloma

The Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC) and Mount Sinai School of Medicine today announced that Mount Sinai has become the newest Member Institution to join the MMRC to accelerate the development of new treatments for multiple myeloma.

3 Aug 2010

Methods to boost neutralizing antibody may prevent HIV-1 transmission

Monkeys repeatedly immunized with a particular form the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein generated antibodies capable of neutralizing diverse strains of HIV-1, according to a paper published online in the Journal of Experimental Medicine on August 2.

3 Aug 2010

Patients' requests to doctors receive varied responses

USA Today: According to a study appearing in the Journal Of Emergency Medicine, "Emergency room patients who ask to be seen by a physician of their same gender, race or religious background are not always treated equally, U.S. researchers find. The request is most often granted when the patient is a woman, a racial minority, or a Muslim.

3 Aug 2010