Research News and Research

RSS

Attentional biases toward emotion help characterize bipolar disorder

Attentional biases toward emotional images are a key feature of bipolar disorder and may contribute to increased vulnerability and continued maintenance of the condition, researchers report.

24 Jan 2014

Novel HER2 mutation identified in familial lung adenocarcinomas

Researchers have identified a novel germline mutation in the transmembrane domain of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 gene in familial lung adenocarcinomas.

24 Jan 2014

Daclatasvir–sofosbuvir combo effective in chronic HCV infection

Research shows that the combination of daclatasvir and sofosbuvir leads to high rates of sustained virologic response in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection, including those who have not responded to previous therapy.

24 Jan 2014

Looking at electronic health records diverts doctors' attention from patients during office visits

When physicians spend too much time looking at the computer screen in the exam room, nonverbal cues may get overlooked and affect doctors' ability to pay attention and communicate with patients, according to a Northwestern Medicine- study.

24 Jan 2014

Mayors also have a stake in the Medicaid expansion's 'promise and pitfalls'

This health law topic is high on the agenda of this week's U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Washington. Meanwhile, Utah's Gov. Gary Herbert said he will pursue some form of the expansion. Also in the news, related developments in Montana and Missouri.

24 Jan 2014

Scientists identify genetic alterations in pediatric soft-tissue cancer

Scientists have mapped the genetic changes that drive tumors in rhabdomyosarcoma, a pediatric soft-tissue cancer, and found that the disease is characterized by two distinct genotypes. The genetic alterations identified in this malignancy could be useful in developing targeted diagnostic tools and treatments for children with the disease. The study, by researchers at the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, and their colleagues, appeared in the Jan. 23, 2014, issue of the journal Cancer Discovery.

24 Jan 2014

Aspirin intake correlates with halted growth of lethal intracranial tumor

Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Massachusetts General Hospital have demonstrated, for the first time, that aspirin intake correlates with halted growth of vestibular schwannomas (also known as acoustic neuromas), a sometimes lethal intracranial tumor that typically causes hearing loss and tinnitus.

24 Jan 2014

Moody's downgrades outlook for health insurers

The credit-rating firm downgraded the outlook for health insurers from stable to negative, citing the health law's troubled rollout. Meanwhile, Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini predicted that companies would soon spend billions on consumer advertising. And The New York Times explores allegations that Health Management Associates, a for-profit hospital chain based in Naples, Fla., pursued strategies to increase admissions, regardless of whether a patient needed hospital care.

24 Jan 2014

ADDF, Alzheimer's Society partner to provide funding for research in Alzheimer's disease

Today the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation and the Alzheimer's Society (UK) announced a new partnership that will provide funding for research in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, with the goal of accelerating critical development programs and bringing new treatments to patients. The partnership intends to fund projects up to $1.5 million each focused on drug repurposing, leveraging existing scientific evidence and research to accelerate the drug development process.

24 Jan 2014

NJHA honors several individuals and organizations for commitment to healthcare

Several individuals and organizations were honored today at the 95th Annual Meeting of the New Jersey Hospital Association at the Hyatt Regency Princeton.

24 Jan 2014

Researchers suggest possible novel target for seizure-blocking medicines

Researchers in the biomedical engineering department at Case Western Reserve University have found that epileptic activity can spread through a part of the brain in a new way, suggesting a possible novel target for seizure-blocking medicines.

24 Jan 2014

Medicaid 'death debt' causes some to step away from coverage

A little-known aspect of Medicaid allows states, in certain cases, to recoup medical costs by claiming deceased people's homes, which is causing some people to avoid coverage, even those who are newly eligible under the health law's expanded eligibility.

24 Jan 2014

Early onset of dietary treatment may slow down progression of Alzheimer's disease

New research findings indicate that an early onset of dietary treatment may slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The study was conducted on mice, and the results will be published in the February issue of Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland played a key role in the study, which was carried out as part of the LiPiDiDiet project funded by the European Union.

24 Jan 2014

Bristol-Myers Squibb fourth quarter 2013 revenues increase 6% to $4.4 billion

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today reported results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2013. The fourth quarter was highlighted by the company's announcement to sell its diabetes business as part of the continued evolution of its successful BioPharma strategy to a specialty care model. The company achieved important regulatory milestones in the quarter for Eliquis in the U.S., daclatasvir/asunaprevir in Japan, daclatasvir in Europe and Farxiga in the U.S. In addition, the company provided financial guidance for 2014.

24 Jan 2014

Political cartoon: 'Friends With Benefits?'

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with "Friends With Benefits?" by Mike Lester.

24 Jan 2014

Research finds spousal diabetes is a diabetes risk factor

Living in a household implies sharing duties and responsibilities but it could also imply sharing your diabetes. A research team from the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) has shown, through combined analyses of several studies, evidence that spousal diabetes is a diabetes risk factor. These findings, published today in the open access journal BMC Medicine, have important clinical implications since they can help improve diabetes detection and motivate couples to work together to reduce the risk of developing the condition.

24 Jan 2014

Selective FAK inhibition within endothelial cells prevents spontaneous tumor metastasis

A team of scientists, led by principal investigator David D. Schlaepfer, PhD, a professor in the Department of Reproductive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has found that a protein involved in promoting tumor growth and survival is also activated in surrounding blood vessels, enabling cancer cells to spread into the bloodstream.

24 Jan 2014

Scientists aim to develop business plan to guide drug development for potential use in patients

What if an experimental treatment for an aggressive breast cancer had the potential to save women's lives, but nobody could use it because there was no money to develop and test it? With funding sources for research and development more scarce than in the past, it is not an unusual situation. It's a problem that Sourav Sinha, a Master's degree candidate at Rutgers' Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, is working to tackle head-on.

24 Jan 2014

First Edition: January 24, 2014

Today's headlines include reports that a federal district court judge in Missouri has blocked state officials from restricting groups efforts to help people sign up for coverage as part of the federal health law.

24 Jan 2014

Researchers locate two molecules involved in perpetuating chronic pain

Setting the stage for possible advances in pain treatment, researchers at The Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland report they have pinpointed two molecules involved in perpetuating chronic pain in mice. The molecules, they say, also appear to have a role in the phenomenon that causes uninjured areas of the body to be more sensitive to pain when an area nearby has been hurt.

24 Jan 2014