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Medicare coverage of unproven mammography screening device leads to surge in usage

In a study illustrating the potentially powerful influence of political pressure on medical practice, a UC Davis physician-researcher has found that use of a largely unproven mammography screening device has surged since Medicare began covering its cost.

15 Jun 2010

Researchers discover microRNA biomarkers to treat patients with SCLC

Researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute, the Van Andel Research Institute and the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare have discovered a biomarker that could help in the treatment of patients with an aggressive type of lung cancer.

15 Jun 2010

Micromet's blinatumomab demonstrates potential to change outcome for patients with ALL

Micromet, Inc. today announced the presentation of updated results from a Phase 2 trial of the Company's lead product candidate blinatumomab (MT103) in adult patients with minimal residual disease (MRD) positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Results of the analysis demonstrate that a prolonged hematologic relapse free survival was observed in patients treated with blinatumomab.

15 Jun 2010

Certain PTSD symptoms may be key to treating anger among Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans: Study

Focusing on certain PTSD symptoms may be key to treating anger among Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans, according to a study by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Veterans Affairs researchers.

15 Jun 2010

Pediatric oncologist describes current state of science in combating neuroblastoma

Pediatric oncologist John M. Maris, M.D., describes the current state of the science in combating neuroblastoma, the most common solid cancer of early childhood. In his article in the June 10, 2010 New England Journal of Medicine, "Recent Advances in Neuroblastoma," Maris reviews the field's latest research knowledge—much of it based on efforts by Maris and his colleagues at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

15 Jun 2010

Study shows NAT programs increase HIV detection yield by 23%

Community-based HIV testing programs generally use only HIV antibody testing, but nucleic acid testing can detect the presence of HIV earlier. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine studied more than 3,000 patients who sought HIV testing in community-based clinics in or near San Diego to examine the yield of testing with a rapid test plus NAT and to see whether patients would be willing to access their results by phone or computer.

15 Jun 2010

2,300 researchers under one roof at American Society of Echocardiography 21st Annual Scientific Sessions

Research released today at the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) 21st Annual Scientific Sessions unveiled findings that will have a significant impact on the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease and the application of echocardiography in the future.

15 Jun 2010

Noninvasive carotid artery ultrasound helps avoid coronary angiography

New research from NYU Langone Medical Center shows that a simple, inexpensive and noninvasive carotid artery ultrasound of the neck can be used as a preliminary diagnostic tool for coronary artery disease (CAD). This may be an alternative to the standard, expensive and more invasive coronary angiography.

15 Jun 2010

Free clinics across the U.S. care for 1.8M uninsured patients annually: Survey

Free clinics across the U.S. provide care to about 1.8 million mostly uninsured patients annually and the majority of clinics receive no government support, according to the first comprehensive survey of all known free clinics since the 1960s.

15 Jun 2010

Researchers discover how bacteria boost the immune system

Scientists have long known that certain types of bacteria boost the immune system. Now, Loyola University Health System researchers have discovered how bacteria perform this essential task.

15 Jun 2010

FDA grants HeartWare approval for IDE destination therapy study of Ventricular Assist System

HeartWare International, Inc., a leading innovator of less invasive, miniaturized circulatory support technologies that are revolutionizing the treatment of advanced heart failure, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted HeartWare conditional approval to begin enrollment in an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) destination therapy clinical study for the HeartWare® Ventricular Assist System.

15 Jun 2010

Increased risk of cardiovascular problems can affect people with mild to moderate SDB: Research

Doctors have long known that snoring is hazardous to health for a number of reasons. In addition to restless nights and increased daytime sleepiness, sleep-disordered breathing has a series of associated health problems, including increased risk of cardiovascular disease. While it is not always clear what the association between SDB and a given health problem is, new research exposes that at least one factor may help to explain the increased risk of cardiovascular problems that affects even people with mild to moderate SDB.

15 Jun 2010

Researchers establish link between air pollution and SDB

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health have established the first link between air pollution and sleep-disordered breathing, a known cause of cardiovascular diseases.

15 Jun 2010

Insulin-producing beta cells can proliferate in patients recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes: Researchers

Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School, working in collaboration with colleagues from Glasgow Royal Infirmary and the University of Brighton, have used a unique collection of pancreas specimens taken from patients who died soon after diagnosis of type 1 diabetes to show that they respond to the ongoing process of destruction by inducing their islet cells to proliferate.

15 Jun 2010

New form of artificial human skin

Australian researchers are on the road to the discovery of a new form of artificial human skin that could be a boon to burn victims and other patients needing skin grafts. At present the available skin grafts are only 1 millimeter thick and serve only to replace the top epidermis layer.

14 Jun 2010

Cheap drug that prevents bleeding may save 100,000 lives each year: Study

Researchers have shown that a cheap and easy to use drug that stops bleeding may save up to 100,000 lives each year from injuries associated with road accidents and violence. The study was published this Tuesday in the acclaimed international journal The Lancet and was conducted by doctors at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

14 Jun 2010

AMA's support for health law sparks infighting

A fissure has developed in the American Medical Association, the powerful physicians' lobby that backed the health reform bill earlier this year, about support for the sweeping measure, according to news reports.

14 Jun 2010

Today's Opinions: Medicare advantage to shrink; Insurers anti-trust protection; Health law regulations; The need for maternity leave

In the long run, there's no getting around the fact that Advantage plans will shrink in generosity and availability (Austin Frakt, 6/14).

14 Jun 2010

Programs try cash incentives to get forgetful patients to take meds

The New York Times reports on a new approach to getting patients to take their medications consistently: financial incentives. "One-third to one-half of all patients do not take medication as prescribed, and up to one-quarter never fill prescriptions at all, experts say. Such lapses fuel more than $100 billion dollars in health costs annually because those patients often get sicker. Now, a controversial, and seemingly counterintuitive, effort to tackle the problem is gaining ground: paying people money to take medicine or to comply with prescribed treatment."

14 Jun 2010

Medical marijuana advocates bypassing traditional approval, effectiveness regulations

NPR continues its examination of medical marijuana: "Fourteen states and the District of Columbia have launched a medical experiment that doesn't follow any of the rules of science. By approving the use of marijuana as a medicine — with varying kinds of restrictions — these jurisdictions are bypassing the federal government's elaborate processes for approving medicines."

14 Jun 2010

Medicine News and Research

Medicare coverage of unproven mammography screening device leads to surge in usage

Researchers discover microRNA biomarkers to treat patients with SCLC

Micromet's blinatumomab demonstrates potential to change outcome for patients with ALL

Certain PTSD symptoms may be key to treating anger among Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans: Study

Pediatric oncologist describes current state of science in combating neuroblastoma

Study shows NAT programs increase HIV detection yield by 23%

2,300 researchers under one roof at American Society of Echocardiography 21st Annual Scientific Sessions

Noninvasive carotid artery ultrasound helps avoid coronary angiography

Free clinics across the U.S. care for 1.8M uninsured patients annually: Survey

Researchers discover how bacteria boost the immune system

FDA grants HeartWare approval for IDE destination therapy study of Ventricular Assist System

Increased risk of cardiovascular problems can affect people with mild to moderate SDB: Research

Researchers establish link between air pollution and SDB

Insulin-producing beta cells can proliferate in patients recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes: Researchers

New form of artificial human skin

Cheap drug that prevents bleeding may save 100,000 lives each year: Study

AMA's support for health law sparks infighting

Today's Opinions: Medicare advantage to shrink; Insurers anti-trust protection; Health law regulations; The need for maternity leave

Programs try cash incentives to get forgetful patients to take meds

Medical marijuana advocates bypassing traditional approval, effectiveness regulations

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

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