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CME Medical helps healthcare professionals to gain confidence in end of life and palliative care

CME Medical, is helping healthcare professionals to gain confidence in caring for patients at the end of their lives. Managing end of life care is a challenge for all health staff, as it often involves dealing with complex and emotional communication with patients and relatives and managing patient symptoms. But now highly sophisticated mannequins – which can talk and simulate signs and symptoms of advanced illness – are being used in a pioneering and unique training programme in Birmingham.

30 Oct 2013

ATS and ACCP release five recommendations for tests, procedures in pulmonary medicine

A list released today identified five commonly performed tests and procedures in pulmonary medicine that may not always be necessary. The list, part of the ABIM Foundation's Choosing Wisely® campaign, was produced by a collaborative task force assembled by the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP).

30 Oct 2013

Reduce tobacco consumption, reduce childhood asthma

A scientific study recently published on International Journal of Statistics in Medical Research states that tobacco consumption must be decreased by 15% in Spain, particularly at home, in order to reduce the number of childhood asthma cases.

30 Oct 2013

Phase 3 study shows STELARA inhibits structural damage in patients with active psoriatic arthritis

New findings from two integrated Phase 3 Janssen Research & Development, LLC (Janssen)-sponsored studies showed treatment with STELARA- (ustekinumab) resulted in significantly greater inhibition of structural damage in patients with active psoriatic arthritis compared with placebo.

29 Oct 2013

Lipid secreted by tumors inhibits immune response against cancer

Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered how a lipid secreted by cancer tumors prevents the immune system from mounting an immune response against it. When lysophosphatidic acid binds to killer T cells, it acts almost like an "invisibility cloak," preventing T cells from recognizing and attacking nascent tumors.

29 Oct 2013

Complement protein holds diagnostic, prognostic promise in lung cancer

A complement activation product known as “C4d” may have value as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for lung cancer, research suggests.

28 Oct 2013

COPD–asthma overlap heightens exacerbation risk

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and concomitant asthma have significantly more exacerbations and hospitalizations than patients with COPD alone, research shows.

28 Oct 2013

Teleflex wins AARC Zenith Award for 2013

Teleflex Incorporated, a leading global provider of medical devices for critical care and surgery, announced that it has received the prestigious American Association for Respiratory Care Zenith Award for 2013.

28 Oct 2013

Smartphone-enabled otoscope provides clear images of ear tympanic membrane

A new, smartphone-enabled otoscope provides clear, transmittable images of the ear drum, or tympanic membrane, which someday may allow for ear infection diagnosis without a visit to the doctor's office, according to an abstract presented Monday, Oct. 28, at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando.

28 Oct 2013

COPD telemonitoring ‘costly and ineffective’

Results of a UK-based study indicate that telemonitoring adds little benefit to the self-management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

25 Oct 2013

Scientists develop new drug to treat obstructive airway diseases

Scientists have developed a new drug (RPL554) that could treat obstructive airway diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in two ways at once, according to new research published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

25 Oct 2013

New study finds association between OSA and subclinical myocardial injury

Obstructive sleep apnea is known to be associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease. Now a new study indicates that OSA is associated with subclinical myocardial injury, as indicated by increased high sensitivity troponin T levels. Elevated hs-TnT levels are predictive of both coronary heart disease and heart failure in the general population.

25 Oct 2013

Pertussis incidence: an interview with Leonard Friedland, M.D., V.P. and Director of Scientific Affairs and Public Health for GSK Vaccines

Distinguishing pertussis (also known as whooping cough) from other respiratory illnesses is challenging in particular among adults because the signs and symptoms of pertussis overlap with those of other respiratory diseases.

24 Oct 2013

New Centre for Stratified Medicine opened in Ireland

The University of Ulster has opened a new Centre for Stratified Medicine. The only Centre of its kind in Ireland, £11.5m research facility in Derry~Londonderry puts the University at the forefront of medical research into chronic degenerative diseases.

24 Oct 2013

Doctors-in-training must employ etiquette-based communications to improve medical recovery, patient satisfaction

Johns Hopkins investigators have found that doctors-in-training are unlikely to introduce themselves fully to hospitalized patients or sit down to talk to them eye-to-eye, despite research suggesting that courteous bedside manners improve medical recovery along with patient satisfaction.

23 Oct 2013

Carcinogens detected in emissions downwind of 'Industrial Heartland'

Levels of contaminants higher than in some of the world's most polluted cities have been found downwind of Canada's largest oil, gas and tar sands processing zone, in a rural area where men suffer elevated rates of cancers linked to such chemicals.

23 Oct 2013

Influenza vaccination linked with reduced risk of adverse cardiovascular events

Receiving an influenza vaccination was associated with a lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events such as heart failure or hospitalization for heart attack, with the greatest treatment effect seen among patients with recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS; such as heart attack or unstable angina), according to a meta-analysis published in the October 23/30 issue of JAMA.

23 Oct 2013

Age at onset presents opportunity to improve asthma management

Researchers have shown that age at diagnosis of asthma may influence future outcomes and level of symptom control.

22 Oct 2013

AstraZeneca begins selumetinib Phase 3 clinical trial in NSCLC patients

AstraZeneca today announced the first patient randomized in a Phase 3 clinical trial for selumetinib, an oral, potent, selective MEK inhibitor, being investigated as second-line therapy in patients with advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer whose tumors are KRAS mutation-positive.

22 Oct 2013

COPD treatments: an interview with Professor Price, University of Aberdeen

The first thing is that we can’t cure COPD. The problem we have with COPD is that the process itself is not treatable, certainly not once it gets to the extent that it’s advanced.

22 Oct 2013