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Bipolar and borderline personality disorder associated with unemployment

Unemployment poses a significant burden on the public no matter what the cause. But for those who have been diagnosed with a psychiatric illness, chronic unemployment is often coupled with significant health care costs. A Rhode Island Hospital study compared unemployment rates among those with various psychiatric disorders, and found that borderline personality disorder is associated with as much unemployment as bipolar disorder.

12 Dec 2012

Autism associated with reductions in cellular adhesion molecules in the blood

A new study published in Biological Psychiatry suggests that autism is associated with reductions in the level of cellular adhesion molecules in the blood, where they play a role in immune function.

12 Dec 2012

Ultrasonography effective for diagnosing childhood pneumonia

Point-of-care ultrasound scanning can be used to diagnose pneumonia accurately in children and young people, show study findings.

11 Dec 2012

Spinal manipulations do not overstrain internal carotid artery

Chiropractic cervical spinal manipulations do not pose undue stress and strain on the internal carotid artery, researchers affirm.

11 Dec 2012

New coronavirus can infect cells from humans and bats alike

The SARS epidemic of 2002-2003 was short-lived, but a novel type of human coronavirus that is alarming public health authorities can infect cells from humans and bats alike, a fact that could make the animals a continuing source of infection, according to a study to be published in in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, on December 11.

11 Dec 2012

Combination of imaging and biomarker tests helps predict Alzheimer's in patients with MCI

Employing a combination of imaging and biomarker tests improves the ability of doctors to predict Alzheimer's in patients with mild cognitive impairment, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.

11 Dec 2012

Merrimack announces results from MM-302 Phase I trial on advanced HER2 positive breast cancer

Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced Phase I clinical trial results for MM-302, the company's novel agent for the treatment of advanced HER2 positive (HER2+ or ErbB2+) breast cancer.

11 Dec 2012

Combination of diagnostic tests can predict conversion from MCI to Alzheimer's

A combination of diagnostic tests, including imaging and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers can improve prediction of conversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.

11 Dec 2012

Viewpoints: Girding for a 'beloved' Medicare fight; Two views about health law's employer mandate; Doctors fear 'SGR cliff'

It's a shame that Republicans are playing into Mr. Obama's hands, negotiating in public among themselves, ... Tennessee Senator Bob Corker made the case for this strategic retreat on "Fox News Sunday," arguing that if Republicans raise tax rates as Mr. Obama wants, "the focus then shifts to entitlements and maybe it puts us in a place where we actually can do something that really saves the nation."

10 Dec 2012

Microarray analysis ‘best test for prenatal diagnosis’

Chromosomal microarray analysis is able to identify significantly more clinically relevant information for prenatal diagnosis than is karyotyping, and is equally able to highlight aneuploidies and unbalanced rearrangements, US study findings suggest.

10 Dec 2012

Cervical disc replacement: an interview with Joe Ross, VP of U.S. Marketing at LDR

Cervical disc replacement is a surgical procedure that involves removing a damaged or degenerated cervical disc and replacing it with an artificial disc device.

10 Dec 2012

Physician's Technology launches WilloMD iLaserX device

The Italian Renaissance sculptor Michelangelo once declared "everything hurts". Baby boomers are more active than ever and stress their joints. Millions rely on dangerous pain meds and injections to stay active. Pain medication and injections can be dangerous and even lethal. Popular therapeutic pain laser technology offers hope but is not practical for home use and is out of reach of a vast patient population.

10 Dec 2012

Treadmill test can accurately predict coronary artery disease in women over 65

Although there is a widespread belief among physicians that the exercise treadmill test (ETT) is not reliable in evaluating the heart health of women, UC Davis researchers have found that the test can accurately predict coronary artery disease in women over the age of 65. They also found that two specific electrocardiogram (EKG) indicators of heart stress during an ETT further enhanced its predictive power.

8 Dec 2012

ADHD comorbidity confounds brain findings in bipolar disorder

Structural brain abnormalities found in patients with bipolar disorder may have been wrongly attributed to the condition and in fact be associated with comorbid attention–deficit hyperactivity disorder, US researchers believe.

7 Dec 2012

Ultrasound applied to fingertips can stimulate sensory pathways leading to the brain

A century after the world's first ultrasonic detection device - invented in response to the sinking of the Titanic -Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists have provided the first neurophysiological evidence for something that researchers have long suspected: ultrasound applied to the periphery, such as the fingertips, can stimulate different sensory pathways leading to the brain.

7 Dec 2012

JAACAP editorial addresses 'translation gap' in autism research

An editorial published in the November 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) discusses the challenge of translating scientific research in autism into clinical practice, and presents a series of studies published over several months that address this 'translation gap'.

7 Dec 2012

Positive results from NanoString's second clinical study of PAM50-based breast cancer assay

NanoString Technologies, Inc., a privately held provider of life science tools for translational research and developer of molecular diagnostic products, today announced positive results from the second clinical validation study of its in vitro diagnostic breast cancer assay based on the PAM50 gene expression signature.

From NanoString Technologies 7 Dec 2012

Maryland P3 Program can improve outcomes of patients with chronic diseases

A new program guide, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), features the Maryland Patients, Pharmacists, Partnerships (P3) as an effective model of how health care teams that include pharmacists can improve the outcomes of patients with chronic diseases.

6 Dec 2012

Biomatrica completes $5 million in private financing

Biomatrica, Inc., a leader in ambient temperature biostability technology, today announced the completion of $5 million in private financing. Biomatrica has developed SampleMatrix technology which has pioneered recent innovations in ambient storage of biological samples, from purified DNA, RNA, and proteins to complex systems such as tissue, cell lines, biopsies and whole blood.

6 Dec 2012

Surprising discovery about physical properties of cancer cells

A surprising discovery about the physical properties of cancer cells could help improve a new diagnostic approach - a liquid biopsy - that detects, measures, and evaluates cancer cells in blood.

5 Dec 2012