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Epilepsy patients can benefit from gamma knife radiosurgery

Neurosurgeons continue to explore minimally invasive surgery with gamma radiation (gamma knife surgery / GKS) in the treatment of brain lesions causing seizures and epilepsy. Studies of the procedure are showing it to be an effective alternative to invasive microsurgery for hypothalamic hamartomas and other lesions that lie deep within the brain.

5 Dec 2011

Cancer cells can 'bag up and bin' a toxic protein to cheat death

Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered that cancer cells can 'bag up and bin' a toxic protein to cheat death - revealing a new Achilles heel in cancer cells that could be targeted for treatment, reveals research in Nature Cell Biology today.

5 Dec 2011

Researchers identify ADHD gene variants involved in glutamate signaling

Pediatric researchers analyzing genetic influences in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have found alterations in specific genes involved in important brain signaling pathways. The study raises the possibility that drugs acting on those pathways might offer a new treatment option for patients with ADHD who have those gene variants—potentially, half a million U.S. children.

5 Dec 2011

Candidates answer GOP attorneys general's questions at campaign forum

Six presidential candidates participated in Mike Huckabee's presidential forum in New York City Saturday, fielding questions from three Republican attorneys general - Pam Bondi of Florida, Ken Cuccinelli of Virginia, and Scott Pruitt of Oklahoma. ... Texas Governor Rick Perry asked viewers to take a "second look" at him in his closing arguments.

5 Dec 2011

Just a few days left for Medicare open enrollment

Seniors and persons with disabilities have only days left to enroll in or make changes to their Medicare coverage. Open enrollment, known as the Annual Election Period (AEP) began a month earlier this year, on October 15, and will end three weeks earlier than usual, on December 7. The open enrollment period is when recipients may change their Medicare health plan and/or make changes to Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage.

5 Dec 2011

Bromide shows promise against SCN1A-associated Dravet syndrome with intractable seizures

In the mid-nineteenth century Charles Locock, physician to Queen Victoria, introduced bromide as the first effective treatment for epilepsy. The drug was little used in treating the disorder until 1868, however, when its efficacy against seizures was first demonstrated in a clinical trial. Bromide was the sole anticonvulsant available until 1912 and the introduction of phenobarbital.

5 Dec 2011

Berwick's exit interview with NY Times: 'I came with an agenda' for improvement

The official in charge of Medicare and Medicaid for the last 17 months says that 20 percent to 30 percent of health spending is "waste" that yields no benefit to patients, and that some of the needless spending is a result of onerous, archaic regulations enforced by his agency. The official, Dr. Donald M. Berwick, listed five reasons for what he described as the "extremely high level of waste." They are overtreatment of patients, the failure to coordinate care, the administrative complexity of the health care system, burdensome rules and fraud.

5 Dec 2011

Study busts myth that men think about sex every seven seconds

It is a wide notion that men think of sex too often. A new study busts that myth. The research in college-age participants suggests that while men do think about sex more often than women, the subject crosses their mind an average of only about 19 times per day, compared to 10 times per day for women. The study is published online and in the January print issue of the Journal of Sex Research.

4 Dec 2011

Dads may be helping out but Moms still multi-tasking and stressed: Study

A new study shows that in dual earning families, fathers and mothers are spending roughly equal amounts of time doing paid and unpaid work, but mothers are spending nine more hours a week multitasking.

4 Dec 2011

FDA guides novel diabetes device manufacturers towards easier approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a rule book for scientists and device manufacturers who are working towards an artificial pancreas – a portable device to help people with type 1 diabetes control their blood sugar levels.

4 Dec 2011

Insight into plant mechanism may protect other organisms against dehydration

Plant seeds represent a special biological system: They remain in a dormant state with a significantly reduced metabolism and are thus able to withstand harsh environmental conditions for extended periods. The water content of maturing seeds is lower than ten percent. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne have now discovered that the genetic material in seeds becomes more compact and the nuclei of the seed cells contract when the seeds begin to mature.

3 Dec 2011

Novartis to showcase 160 presentations on breast cancer, hematological disease drugs at SABCS and ASH

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation will showcase more than one hundred and sixty presentations on data from its robust oncology portfolio at two key medical congresses this month, demonstrating significant advances for patients with cancers and hematological diseases.

3 Dec 2011

State news: Mass. seeks Medicaid waiver extension; Calif. payment reform

The Employees Retirement System of Texas removed about 5 percent of those receiving state health benefits as dependents after they couldn't prove their rights to get the aid, the pension plan said in a report, citing an audit. Health care cost the $23.6 billion fund $2.29 billion in fiscal 2011.

3 Dec 2011

American Society of Hematology 2012 Scholar Awards announced

The American Society of Hematology (ASH) announces the recipients of its 2012 Scholar Awards. The ASH Scholar Awards provide monetary support for fellows and junior faculty pursuing research careers to assist them during the critical period in which they must complete their training and achieve status as an independent investigator.

3 Dec 2011

Product Development Partnerships 'essential' in fight against global diseases

"If the momentum gained in the last few years" in fighting global diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, measles, and meningitis "is any indicator of our future trajectory, we are standing on the threshold of a revolutionary change in the state of global health," Wendy Taylor, senior adviser of Innovative Finance and Public Private Partnerships at USAID, and David Cook, executive vice president and COO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI),

3 Dec 2011

Evaluating passive harms requires more thought, finds study

People typically say they are invoking an ethical principle when they judge acts that cause harm more harshly than willful inaction that allows that same harm to occur. That difference is even codified in criminal law.

3 Dec 2011

Nations at Busan Forum sign non-binding declaration to form worldwide aid partnership

Representatives of organizations and governments from 160 countries "agreed on Thursday to form a worldwide partnership to ensure tens of billions of dollars in foreign aid goes to help the neediest," Agence France-Presse reports.

3 Dec 2011

Obesity significantly affects personal finances

A new report from The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services' Department of Health Policy (GW) uncovered an overall wage differential between those of normal weight and those who are obese, especially when it comes to women. The research, released today, demonstrates the impact obesity may have on a person's paycheck.

3 Dec 2011

Senate Republicans reject payroll tax extension measures

Proposals to extend payroll tax relief, as well as take steps to prevent a scheduled 30 percent reduction in Medicare physician reimbursements from taking effect in January, are high on the congressional to-do list. A House vote on a doc-fix patch could take place as soon as next week.

3 Dec 2011

HRF inhibitors may provide new therapeutic avenue for treatment of asthma and allergies

La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology scientists have identified the histamine releasing factor (HRF) molecule as a promising target for developing new treatments for a number of allergic reactions including asthma.

3 Dec 2011