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New noninvasive imaging technique may help detect heart transplant rejection in children

Cardiologists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a noninvasive imaging technique that may help determine whether children who have had heart transplants are showing early signs of rejection. The technique could reduce the need for these patients to undergo invasive imaging tests every one to two years.

14 Jul 2012

College-age children also need immunizations, says UMDNJ professor

Most parents take their young children regularly for immunization shots that protect against polio, diphtheria, measles, mumps and other diseases. But many do not consider that their college-age children also need immunizations.

14 Jul 2012

Health risks of egg donation for young females

News is just breaking in India about Sushma Pandey, a 17-year-old young woman who died in 2010, two days after her third "egg donation." Her death is being attributed to the procedures used to extract eggs from healthy, desirable young females like Ms. Pandey. These eggs are often resold to affluent westerners for use in commercial production of their children. Her post-mortem report states she had "one abrasion, four contusions and a blood clot in the head, plus six injection marks" as well as "congestion in the ovaries and uterus."

14 Jul 2012

AHA statement addresses varied cardiac evaluation and management of transplant patients

As thousands of Americans await a life-saving kidney or liver transplant, medical teams are paying close attention to another organ: their hearts. This month the American Heart Association attempts to bring harmony to the varied cardiac evaluation policies created at U.S. hospitals that assess a patient's overall health before transplant surgery.

14 Jul 2012

Bioethicists discuss personal experiences with cancer in new book

"Since my diagnosis, I had been immersed in a crash course in real-world medical ethics," writes Rebecca Dresser, editor of Malignant: Medical Ethicists Confront Cancer, published by Oxford University Press. She and five other bioethicists discuss their personal experiences with cancer or caring for loved ones with the disease, with lessons for doctors and nurses, patients, and caregivers.

14 Jul 2012

TGen's customized procedure produces high amounts of exosomes for treatment of CKD

Researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) have developed a method of isolating biospecimens that could lead to a less costly, less invasive and more accurate way of diagnosing chronic kidney disease, or CKD.

12 Jul 2012

BWH performs New England's first implant of SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart

SynCardia Systems, Inc., manufacturer of the world's first and only FDA, Health Canada and CE (Europe) approved Total Artificial Heart, announced today that Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston has performed New England's first implant of the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart.

11 Jul 2012

HIV infection risk reduced by same drugs that treat HIV

People at high risk of HIV infection can reduce their risk of acquiring the disease by taking antiretroviral drugs, according to Cochrane researchers. In an update of a systematic review first published in 2009, the researchers found that uninfected people in relationships with HIV-infected partners, men who have sex with men and those in other high risk groups are at a lower risk of becoming infected with the virus if they regularly take drugs that are normally prescribed to treat people with HIV.

11 Jul 2012

New CBO numbers on health law expected soon, a GOP-led Senate would focus on cost control

This Capitol Hill news roundup includes reports about new health law budget numbers, and about how the GOP -- if it gained control of the Senate -- would focus on health care cost control rather than coverage expansion. Also in the news, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, is proceeding with his questions about nonprofit hospitals and charity care. Finally, an ethics panel inquiry regarding a Nevada lawmaker moves forward.

11 Jul 2012

Research finds new single-gene cause of chronic kidney disease

A new single-gene cause of chronic kidney disease has been discovered that implicates a disease mechanism not previously believed to be related to the disease, according to new research from the University of Michigan.

11 Jul 2012

Nutrient cocktail can boost memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment

A clinical trial of an Alzheimer's disease treatment developed at MIT has found that the nutrient cocktail can improve memory in patients with early Alzheimer's. The results confirm and expand the findings of an earlier trial of the nutritional supplement, which is designed to promote new connections between brain cells.

11 Jul 2012

Kidney treatment could affect mouth health

Study results indicate a positive association between the type of treatment modality chronic kidney disease patients receive and the likelihood for them having periodontitis.

10 Jul 2012

First Edition: July 10, 2012

Today's headlines include findings of a new Washington Post poll indicating Americans remain divided on the health law. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, cracks may be emerging in the Republican's repeal effort.

10 Jul 2012

Lipid ceramide helps cells keep cilium or antenna from retracting

A lipid that helps lotion soften the skin also helps cells find and stay in the right location in the body by ensuring they keep their "antennae" up, scientists report.

10 Jul 2012

Scientists develop novel anticancer drug designed to travel through the bloodstream

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, working with Danish researchers, have developed a novel anticancer drug designed to travel -- undetected by normal cells -- through the bloodstream until activated by specific cancer proteins.

10 Jul 2012

Measuring creatinine and cystatin C more accurately estimates kidney function

Measuring creatinine and cystatin C - two markers for chronic kidney disease (CKD) - more precisely estimates kidney function than either marker alone, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Results appear in the July 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

10 Jul 2012

Ampio announces results from Optina trial on DME

Ampio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative proprietary drugs for inflammation, eye disease, kidney disease, CNS disease, metabolic disease and male sexual dysfunction and conducting clinical trials on its three lead drugs (Ampion, Optina & Zertane), announced the significant results from their further analysis of its Optina trial on DME.

9 Jul 2012

Targeting double-stranded RNA dependent protein kinase could treat inflammation

Researchers at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered that inflammation could be treated by targeting a molecule called the double-stranded RNA dependent protein kinase (PKR). These findings are published in the July issue of Nature.

9 Jul 2012

Robot assists in complex uro surgery for pediatric patient

Pediatric specialists of Apollo Hospitals successfully completed a complex surgery on the bladder base of a 7 year old child from Africa with the assistance of a Robot. The child's urethra, the tube from the urinary bladder, was crushed in a road accident.

7 Jul 2012

AHF calls for reasonable pricing of Gilead’s Quad AIDS drug

Today AIDS Healthcare Foundation, in response to recent press reports regarding drug manufacturer Gilead Sciences, Inc.'s new four-drug HIV/AIDS pill, known as the "Quad," renewed its call for company to price the drug reasonably, particularly in light of the fact that it represents only a marginal improvement over existing medications.

7 Jul 2012