Medicine News and Research

RSS

New diagnostic technique detects possible Alzheimer's biomarker in blood

A new diagnostic technique which may greatly simplify the detection of Alzheimer's disease has been discovered by researchers at McGill University and the affiliated Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research at Montreal's Jewish General Hospital (JGH).

17 Jun 2009

Taxol-carrying nanoparticles

Nanoparticles specially engineered by University of Central Florida Assistant Professor J. Manuel Perez and his colleagues could someday target and destroy tumors, sparing patients from toxic, whole-body chemotherapies.

17 Jun 2009

GOP returns fire on comparative effectiveness, health reform

"GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, Ky., GOP Senate Whip Jon Kyl, Ariz., Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander, Tenn., and House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence, Ind., went on the offensive following Obama's speech in Chicago to the American Medical Association. Kyl and McConnell unveiled a bill to rival the Democratic bill, while Alexander and Pence spoke to reporters," according to the Hill.

17 Jun 2009

Obama takes public plan case to doctors, push-back continues

President Barack Obama told the American Medical Association Monday that a health care fix can't wait, The New York Times reports.

17 Jun 2009

Discovery of genetic markers to help fight diabetes

Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) scientists have identified five genetic biomarkers that could help lead to improved treatments, with fewer side-effects, for patients with diabetes.

17 Jun 2009

Simple blood test detects molecular marker of aging in humans

In 2004, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center announced a crucial discovery in the understanding of cellular aging. They found that as cells and tissues age, the expression of a key protein, called p16INK4a, dramatically increases in most mammalian organs. Because p16INK4a is a tumor suppressor protein, cancer researchers are interested in its role in cellular aging and cancer prevention.

17 Jun 2009

Trial of new ‘combo’ treatment for hepatitis C

In a multi-center trial led by a Saint Louis University researcher, investigators found that a new combination therapy of daily consensus interferon and ribavirin helps some hepatitis C patients who have not responded to previous treatment.

17 Jun 2009

Preventing spread of infectious diseases is everyone’s responsibility – and everyone’s job

According to a report published today, we must all share responsibility for preventing the spread of diseases such as swine flu, SARS, avian influenza, diarrhoeal and skin diseases, and even the common cold.

16 Jun 2009

Income, education, important factors in heart disease risk

Doctors who ignore the socioeconomic status of patients when evaluating their risk for heart disease are missing a crucial element that might result in inadequate treatment, according to a University of Rochester Medical Center study published in the June 2009 American Heart Journal.

16 Jun 2009

First health study of teenage boys using cellular telephones

A $4.15 million, four-year National Institutes of Health grant will enable researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine to conduct the first health study of teenage boys using cellular telephones.

16 Jun 2009

Jeffrey Friedman receives Shaw Prize for discovery of leptin

Jeffrey M. Friedman, Marilyn M. Simpson Professor and head of the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics at Rockefeller University, has received the 2009 Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine. The prize was announced today by the Hong Kong-based Shaw Prize Foundation.

16 Jun 2009

Expert physician on “meaningful use” guidelines

Jonathan Teich, M.D., is the Chief Medical Informatics Officer (CMIO) at Elsevier, the world's largest publisher of scientific, technical and medical information. He is also an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a board-certified attending physician in emergency medicine at Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston.

16 Jun 2009

Dilon Technologies delivers enhanced imaging capabilities

Dilon Technologies, Inc., the leader in molecular breast imaging, today announced the release of the newest Dilon 6800 Software update including enhancements for both breast and general nuclear medicine applications image processing. The new software functionalities complement the Slant15 Collimator for breast imaging and the Low Energy High-Resolution (LEHR) Collimator for general nuclear medicine applications, both released earlier this year as purchase options for the Dilon 6800 gamma camera.

16 Jun 2009

HIV Medicine Association supports public plan option to ensure patients' needs are met

As Congress drafts health care reform legislation, HIV clinicians urge lawmakers to include a public plan option to ensure affordable access to comprehensive care for HIV patients - nearly 30 percent of whom have no insurance. The HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) believes that a public plan option can help offer everyone the chance to benefit from early and reliable access to lifesaving HIV care and treatment.

16 Jun 2009

Cannabis smoke damages DNA – cancer risks

A new study published by University of Leicester researchers has found "convincing evidence" that cannabis smoke damages DNA in ways that could potentially increase the risk of cancer development in humans.

16 Jun 2009

Pneumococcal vaccine effective in preventing severe pneumonia

A new trial has found that pneumococcal vaccine is effective in preventing severe pneumonia, the leading cause of death among children in developing countries. Co-ordinated by the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) between 2000 and 2004, a large scale efficacy trial - first of its kind in Asia - was carried out in the Philippines to investigate the effect of an investigational pneumococcal vaccine.

16 Jun 2009

Skin disease psoriasis associated with cardiovascular disease and increased mortality

The skin disease psoriasis is associated with atherosclerosis (a buildup of plaque in the arteries) characterized by an increased prevalence of ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral artery disease and an increased risk of death, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Dermatology.

16 Jun 2009