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CAM may have several positive effects on people with type 2 diabetes

A new joint study by Group Health Research Institute and Bastyr University Research Institute found that type 2 diabetes patients who received naturopathic care (as an adjunct to conventional care) had lower blood-sugar levels, better eating and exercise habits, improved moods, and a stronger sense of control over their condition than did patients receiving only conventional care.

19 Apr 2012

Study explains why some people develop kidney stones and others do not

Kidney stones strike an estimated 1 million Americans each year, and those who have experienced the excruciating pain say it is among the worst known to man (or woman).

19 Apr 2012

BCCA, UBC scientists identify new breast cancer genes

Scientists at the BC Cancer Agency and University of British Columbia have identified new breast cancer genes that could change the way the disease is diagnosed and form the basis of next-generation treatments.

19 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Insurance regulation a 'special interest'?; Washington's wrong health care battle; Will the health law turn us into part-time employees?

It takes a certain amount of chutzpah to name a group that opposes government oversight of health insurance premiums "Californians Against Higher Healthcare Costs." Especially when the group includes the trade associations for doctors and hospitals, two sets of Californians who've contributed mightily to the high cost of health care.

19 Apr 2012

1 in 5 Australians expect antibiotics for coughs and colds: New NPS campaign

The survey also revealed a plethora of misconceptions when it comes to antibiotics with only half of respondents knowing that bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics. Only 40% knew antibiotics should not be taken for viruses and many (40%) did not know that taking antibiotics when they’re not needed contributes to antibiotic resistance. More than half did not know resistance increases when you don’t complete the course as directed and in general, the youth audience had less knowledge.

18 Apr 2012

Trauma patients flown in to the A&E may fare better: Study

A new study has found that transport by helicopter to a level I or II trauma center was associated with improved survival to hospital discharge compared with ground emergency medical services. The study, which appears in the April 18 issue of JAMA, included data on more than 200,000 adult patients.

18 Apr 2012

Brain size and IQ secret may lie in genes: Study

The study, conducted by a team of more than 200 scientists from 100 institutions worldwide, measured the size of the brain and its memory centers in thousands of MRI images from 21,151 healthy people while simultaneously screening their DNA. According to the researchers, a variant in a gene called HMGA2 affected the brain size, as well as a person's intelligence.

18 Apr 2012

Blood test to diagnose depression in adolescents

Researchers have developed a blood test that can diagnose depression in teens, a step they hope will lead to a better way to identify the disorder in young people. At present diagnosing depression depends entirely on a patient's willingness to report symptoms. For teens, the diagnosis is particularly challenging, given the natural emotional ups and downs of adolescence.

18 Apr 2012

Testosterone may help heart failure patients: Study

The researchers used testosterone patches and injections that improved the breathing and exercise abilities of people with heart failure, a chronic inability of the heart to pump enough blood to the rest of the body. Although most of the study participants were men, the researchers said the results would likely apply to women as well, through much smaller doses of testosterone.

18 Apr 2012

PCMD chosen as collaborator in new NIHR School for Public Health Research

The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD) is one of just eight health research institutions in England to be chosen as a collaborator in the new National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) School for Public Health Research.

18 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 18, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about the latest Capitol Hill developments related to the budget.

18 Apr 2012

Romney begins vice presidential search and Rep. Ryan could be on the short list

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the author of the House GOP budget plan which revamps Medicare, helped Romney in Wisconsin. In other campaign news, Romney renews attack on health law to woo conservative leaders.

18 Apr 2012

Strengthening collective voice, influence of biomedical researchers in global health field

In this post in the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases' "End the Neglect" blog, guest blogger Jessica Taaffe, founder of Scientists for Global Health (SciGlo) and a postdoctoral fellow researching severe malaria immunopathogenesis at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, "discusses the importance of the biomedical community's contributions to improving health worldwide,"

18 Apr 2012

New PBC tool for prioritizing laboratory-based CD-4 cell count testing

One of the major problems that has slowed progress toward universal access to life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ART) to treat AIDS in developing nations has been limited availability of laboratories and trained medical staff to conduct blood tests of immune system CD-4 T-cell levels that indicate when to start ART.

18 Apr 2012

Rep. Frank says Obama's push for health law was 'mistake'

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said in a magazine interview that President Obama made a "mistake" pushing for health reform and that he urged Obama to take up financial system reform instead. In the meantime, Rep. Dennis Kucinich said a single-payer health care system is the only "obviously constitutional" health care plan.

18 Apr 2012

Abbott reports positive results from LCIG Phase 3 trial for advanced Parkinson's disease

Abbott announced today the results from a Phase 3 trial evaluating the company's investigational compound for advanced Parkinson's disease, levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG).

18 Apr 2012

Washington Post examines research assessing public health benefits of clean cookstoves

"One of the most talked-about public-health initiatives is improving indoor air quality in the rural developing world," the Washington Post reports, noting "Over the past two years, the United States has pledged $105 million to fighting the cookstove problem."

18 Apr 2012

Streamlining federal restrictions on low-risk clinical comparative effectiveness research

In an opinion article published in this week's theme edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association focusing on comparative effectiveness research, a team of Johns Hopkins University bioethicists argues forcefully for streamlining federal restrictions on at least some low-risk clinical comparative effectiveness research, instead of easing them - as is now proposed - solely for low-risk social and behavior research involving surveys, interviews and focus groups.

18 Apr 2012

Lawyers eye Disability Act for lawsuit opportunities

A small cadre of lawyers, some from out of state, are using New York City's age and architectural quirkiness as the foundation for a flood of lawsuits citing violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act. The lawyers are generally not acting on existing complaints from people with disabilities.

18 Apr 2012

Large study examines diagnostic yield of colonoscopy to investigate melena

A new study from researchers in Oregon reports that the diagnostic yield of colonoscopy to investigate melena after a nondiagnostic upper endoscopy is lower, 4.8 percent, than previously reported. The rate of therapeutic intervention in this population is very low; therefore, patients with melena and a nondiagnostic upper endoscopy who are stable and without evidence of ongoing bleeding may be able to safely undergo elective colonoscopy.

18 Apr 2012