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Primary care shortage affecting communities as hospitals struggle to keep up

CNN reports that five years ago "roughly half the doctors leaving medical school entered the work force as primary-care physicians; just 20 percent of current medical students are planning to work in primary care."

15 Dec 2009

Study shows elderly blacks more likely to skip medication compared to white counterparts

Older adults experience a number of medication-related problems, including under treatment, suboptimal drugs, suboptimal dosing, and non-adherence, which can have negative effects on their quality of life. Now new research, from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows that blacks have more medication-related problems than whites, and non-adherence to medical regimens is a particular issue for this group.

15 Dec 2009

Brain plaques associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease

Scientists have long assumed that amyloid brain plaques found in autopsies of Alzheimer's patients are harmful and cause Alzheimer's disease. But autopsies of people with no signs of mental impairment have also revealed brain plaques, challenging this theory.

15 Dec 2009

Maine-based EMHS recognized for creating system-wide culture of safety

A poor economy in a rural area might seem like overwhelming obstacles to creating a sophisticated culture of safety in a health care system that serves the largest aging population in the country, but leaders at Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems (EMHS) beat those odds in 2009.

14 Dec 2009

Several DNA sequences linked to impaired pulmonary function, uncovers new study

A new study involving data from more than 20,000 individuals has uncovered several DNA sequences linked to impaired pulmonary function. The research, an analysis that combined the results of several smaller studies, provides insight into the mechanisms involved in reaching full lung capacity.

14 Dec 2009

NICE guidelines limit options for low cost osteoporosis drugs

Low cost osteoporosis drugs are strictly rationed for the under 75s, and UK physicians hampered by restrictive guidelines, according to findings which appear today in the journal Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease, published by SAGE.

14 Dec 2009

Special issue focuses on cardiovascular disease prevention and outcomes

Emerging research on cardiovascular risk factors and treatment effects are helping clinicians gain a better understanding of which patients are most likely to benefit from close monitoring, lifestyle changes and/or additional therapeutic interventions.

14 Dec 2009

UPMC Health Plan signs agreement to offer brain fitness software from Posit Science

UPMC Health Plan announced today that it has signed an agreement to offer award-winning brain fitness software from Posit Science®, at no cost, to all UPMC for Life Medicare Advantage members.

12 Dec 2009

New data suggests bisphosphonate drug may play a role in reducing recurrent breast cancer

Bisphosphonates are routinely given to women with postmenopausal breast cancer, but new data suggests that these agents may play a role in reducing recurrent breast cancer as well.

11 Dec 2009

ThromboGenics initiates Phase II trial of microplasmin for wet AMD

ThromboGenics NV, a biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative medicines for eye disease, vascular disease and cancer, announces today that it has started a Phase II trial of microplasmin for the treatment of exudative (wet) Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

11 Dec 2009

Nobel Prize discovery opens new perspectives for detection and prevention of age-related diseases

This year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to three American scientists Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak for the discovery of "how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase”. The research contributed to the understanding of how telomeres protect chromosomes from degradation and identified telomerase, the enzyme that preserves telomere length and integrity.

11 Dec 2009

Mouse study shows delaying the ageing process may offer protection against Alzheimer’s disease

Aging is the single greatest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. In their latest study, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies found that simply slowing the aging process in mice prone to develop Alzheimer's disease prevented their brains from turning into a neuronal wasteland.

10 Dec 2009

GP Publishing releases "The Miracle of ViaViente"

GP Publishing has just released "The Miracle of ViaViente," authored by world renowned medical journalist Dr. Morton Walker.

10 Dec 2009

Vitamin K2 in Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica

Cyanotech Corporation, a world leader in microalgae-based, high-value nutrition and health products, today announced its Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica® has achieved another nutritional first. Already the most nutritious Spirulina in the world, it is also a good source of Vitamin K2.

10 Dec 2009

Public health information website to provide information about advanced disinfectants launched

TouchSurfaces.Org launches a public health information website alerting visitors on how the hard surfaces in the home, the work place, and in public venues can act as host to a multitude of infectious viruses and bacteria including H1N1, MRSA, HIV, and others.

10 Dec 2009

Immune-based treatment promising for AD

The results of a new study on immune-based treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD), which was conducted at 30 sites around the country, will be published in the December 15 issue of Neurology®. Lead author, Stephen P. Salloway, MD, MS, director of the Butler Hospital Memory and Aging Program and a professor of neurology and psychiatry at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, says that this 18-month phase two study on slowing the disease process in Alzheimer's patients offers promising results.

10 Dec 2009

OPDQ adopts global vision on food and nutrition

The Ordre professionnel des diététistes du Québec (OPDQ) believes it is time to reflect on the future of the profession. The OPDQ has therefore initiated a wide-scale consultation process, first with its own members and later with partners and stakeholders in various food-related and nutrition-related sectors. The results of this process will ultimately be the topic of discussions during an interdisciplinary summit to be held next March.

9 Dec 2009

BIOLASE Technology's Waterlase MD laser system receives FDA marketing clearance

BIOLASE Technology, Inc., the world's leading dental laser company, today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its Waterlase MD™ laser system for removal of subgingival calculi to prevent and treat periodontitis, the greatest cause of tooth loss for adults over 35 and a condition impacting more than half of Americans over the age of 55, as reported by the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP).

9 Dec 2009

2009 Ward Burdick Award for UAB Director

The director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Center for Metabolic Bone Disease has won the 2009 Ward Burdick Award for Distinguished Service to Clinical Pathology from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).

9 Dec 2009

Experts call on Europe's policy makers to take urgent action against preventable strokes

A report launched today by experts from medical and patient communities calls on Europe's policy makers to take urgent action against preventable strokes that strike thousands of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients each year

9 Dec 2009