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Study shows that anticoagulant medicine appears to protect patients against stroke

Heart palpitations. Shortness of breath. Tiredness. More and more people can recognise the symptoms of atrial fibrillation, which is one of the most common types of heart disease.

9 Jan 2014

Dementia detracts from PD patients’ life expectancy

Patients with Parkinson’s disease have an increased risk for mortality, especially if they have dementia, a meta-analysis confirms.

8 Jan 2014

IQWiG study finds no added benefit of teriflunomide

Teriflunomide (trade name: Aubagio) has been approved in Germany since August 2013 for adults with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. In an early benefit assessment pursuant to the Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products, the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) examined whether this new drug offers an added benefit over the appropriate comparator therapy specified by the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA).

8 Jan 2014

Cancer statistics 2014 finds steady declines in death rates

The annual cancer statistics report from the American Cancer Society finds steady declines in cancer death rates for the past two decades add up to a 20 percent drop in the overall risk of dying from cancer over that time period.

8 Jan 2014

Yale study on impact of anti-smoking measures that began half century ago

A Yale study estimates that 8 million lives have been saved in the United States as a result of anti-smoking measures that began 50 years ago this month with the groundbreaking report from the Surgeon General outlining the deadly consequences of tobacco use. The Yale School of Public Health-led analysis is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

8 Jan 2014

Added benefit of dabrafenib not proven

Dabrafenib has been approved in Germany since August 2013 for the treatment of advanced melanoma. In an early benefit assessment pursuant to the Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products, the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care examined whether this new drug offers an added benefit over the appropriate comparator therapy.

7 Jan 2014

Landes Bioscience releases special issue on sepsis

A special issue on sepsis has been released by the publisher Landes Bioscience (Austin, TX USA). The articles contained in this special issue of the journal Virulence have been authored by world-class investigators and provide new insights into both the pathogen-related factors and the host defense mechanisms that lead to septic shock and contribute to its resolution or fatal outcome.

7 Jan 2014

10 simple points to know and monitor alcohol intake

Much the same way individuals are encouraged to know their blood pressure and cholesterol numbers to maintain a healthy lifestyle, a new editorial in the Journal of Psychopharmacology urges the European public to know and monitor their alcohol intake number using a simple 10 point plan.

7 Jan 2014

Substance use ‘dramatically’ high in severe psychosis

Patients with severe psychotic disorders have a risk for smoking, heavy alcohol use, and other drug use that “far exceeds” that documented in patients with mild mental illness, shows a large study.

7 Jan 2014

Barostim Therapy: A cost-effective treatment for patients with drug resistant hypertension

CVRx, Inc., a privately held medical device company, today announced findings from a health-economic analysis published in the Journal of Hypertension that indicates Barostim Therapy is a cost-effective treatment option for patients with drug resistant hypertension.

7 Jan 2014

EC grants approval for ABRAXANE in combination with gemcitabine for metastatic pancreatic cancer

Celgene International Sàrl, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Celgene Corporation, today announced that the European Commission has granted approval for ABRAXANE (paclitaxel formulated as albumin bound nanoparticles, or nab-paclitaxel) in combination with gemcitabine for first-line treatment of adult patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, or metastatic pancreatic cancer.

7 Jan 2014

Researchers receive $540M from Ludwig Cancer Research to accelerate research on metastasis

Cancer researchers at the University of Chicago and five other leading institutions will share equally in a $540 million gift from Ludwig Cancer Research, on behalf of its founder Daniel K. Ludwig. Ludwig Cancer Research is an international community of researchers dedicated to pursuing life-changing discoveries to alter the course of cancer.

7 Jan 2014

USAMRMC to develop strategic research plan that identifies critical research priority areas in TBI

The U.S. Department of Defense funds more than 500 neurotrauma research projects totaling over $700 million. Yet there remains a large unmet medical need for effective treatments of traumatic brain injury (TBI), a major cause of disability and mortality.

6 Jan 2014

Clinical features not sufficiently pathognomonic in pneumonia

Clinical signs and symptoms are not sufficiently reliable to distinguish the different etiologies of pneumonia, Dutch researchers report.

6 Jan 2014

People with severe mental illness may have higher risk for substance use

People with severe mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder have a higher risk for substance use, especially cigarette smoking, and protective factors usually associated with lower rates of substance use do not exist in severe mental illness, according to a new study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health.

5 Jan 2014

Study explores safety and efficacy of scoop and run approach in Philadelphia

A new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has found no significant difference in adjusted overall survival rates between gunshot and stabbing (so-called penetrating trauma injuries) victims in Philadelphia whether they were transported to the emergency department by the police department or the emergency medical services division of the fire department.

3 Jan 2014

Blood conservation strategy during AVR can reduce costs, complications

Incorporating a blood conservation strategy (BCS) during aortic valve replacement (AVR) can reduce the likelihood of transfusion-related complications, as well as reduce blood-product utilization, according to a study in the January 2014 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

2 Jan 2014

TAVI is an effective alternative to AVR for treating aortic stenosis in very elderly patients

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) appears to be an effective alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) for the treatment of aortic stenosis in very elderly patients, including those age 85 years and older, according to a study in the January 2014 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

2 Jan 2014

Women with high blood pressure need more optimal treatment than men

Doctors may need to treat high blood pressure in women earlier and more aggressively than they do in men, according to scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

2 Jan 2014

Controlling tobacco marketing may reduce number of smokers by one-third

Tripling taxes on cigarettes around the world would reduce the number of smokers by one-third and prevent 200 million premature deaths from lung cancer and other diseases this century, according to a review published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

2 Jan 2014