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Tragedy of disabled boy and carer raises issues on disability services in Tasmania

Although the search for a 15-year-old autistic boy and his carer who are thought to have drowned at Clifton Beach in Tasmania continues, police are not optimistic.

17 Mar 2008

The NHS is failing people with learning disabilities

The NHS is failing people with learning difficulties, according to an editorial published in the BMJ today.

17 Mar 2008

New drug protects nerve cells from damage in mice

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the brain and spinal cord. Individuals with MS develop progressive neurological disability, and this is thought to be caused by degradation of the nerve cells.

14 Mar 2008

Teamwork the key to better patient care and sustainable health services

A new project will change the way medical, nursing and allied health professional are educated, with university courses set to put an increased emphasis on interprofessional teamwork, collaboration and learning.

11 Mar 2008

Risks of long-term hormone therapy continue to outweigh benefits

New results from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) confirm that the health risks of long-term use of combination (estrogen plus progestin) hormone therapy in healthy, postmenopausal women persist even a few years after stopping the drugs and clearly outweigh the benefits.

6 Mar 2008

Parasitic flatworm schistosomiasis much more debilitating than previously thought

In a new study, published March 5 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, the researchers calculate that the impact of symptoms associated with schistosomiasis japonica is 7 to 46 times greater than current global estimates.

6 Mar 2008

Dietary supplement called NutraStem protects against stroke damage

A unique dietary supplement called NutraStem has been shown to have beneficial effects following experimental stroke.

6 Mar 2008

Cigarette smoke prevents stem cells from becoming cartilage

A toxic pollutant spread by oil spills, forest fires and car exhaust is also present in cigarette smoke, and may represent a second way in which smoking delays bone healing, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society in San Francisco.

4 Mar 2008

Does depression lead to stroke?

Psychological distress, but not depression, may increase the risk of stroke, according to a study published in the March 4, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

4 Mar 2008

Large-scale study of traumatic brain injury

In a rare, large-scale study of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients who span the full range of severity from mild to moderate and severe, Canadian researchers have found that the more severe the injury, the greater the loss of brain tissue, particularly white matter.

4 Mar 2008

FDA approves PRISTIQ for the treatment of adult patients with major depressive disorder

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth, has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved PRISTIQ (desvenlafaxine), a structurally novel, once-daily serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), to treat adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).

3 Mar 2008

AstraZeneca submits sNDA for SEROQUEL XR for treatment of major depressive disorder

AstraZeneca has announced the submission of a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for once- daily SEROQUEL XR (quetiapine fumarate) Extended-Release Tablets to seek approval for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) as monotherapy, adjunct therapy, and maintenance therapy in adult patients.

1 Mar 2008

Are cataract rates on the decline?

Should glaucoma patients seeking alternative therapies trust what they find online? Are seatbelts still important to protect eyes in auto accidents, now that most cars have airbags? What's the connection between hearing loss and one form of glaucoma? These are among the topics explored in the March 2008 issue of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

28 Feb 2008

The impact of breast cancer on financial status of patients and their families

Canadian women diagnosed with early breast cancer lose, on average, more than a quarter of their typical income during the first 12 months after their diagnosis, according to a study published online February 26 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

27 Feb 2008

Cognitive impairment among older Americans is declining

Rates of cognitive impairment among older Americans are on the decline, according to a new study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) comparing the cognitive health of older people in 1993 and 2002.

27 Feb 2008

Spinal cord injury may not increase risk of heart disease

Americans who live with spinal cord injury do not appear to be at greater risk of developing carbohydrate and lipid disorders such as insulin resistance, diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, and high or low blood cholesterol levels - risk factors for heart disease - than able-bodied persons, according to a new evidence review by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

27 Feb 2008

Early and intensive lowering of high blood pressure improves stroke outcomes

Early and intensive lowering of high blood pressure has shown promising effects in stroke patients, according to results of a new stroke study by The George Institute for International Health.

26 Feb 2008

Abbott receives approval for HUMIRA (Adalimumab) for polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Abbott has announced that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to market HUMIRA (adalimumab) as a treatment to reduce signs and symptoms of moderately to severely active polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in patients four years of age and older.

26 Feb 2008

Moderate level of aerobic fitness may lower stroke risk

A moderate level of aerobic fitness can significantly reduce stroke risk for men and women, according to a large, long-running study presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2008.

22 Feb 2008

Wireless devices increasingly helping people with disabilities

Mirroring a trend among the general public, an increasing number of people with disabilities regularly use wireless technologies, including cell phones - and find them easier to use.

22 Feb 2008