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Accidental ingestion of Tessalon could be dangerous for young children, FDA warns

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning that accidental ingestion of Tessalon (benzonatate) by children younger than 10 years can result in serious side effects or death.

15 Dec 2010

New software predicts key information about nasal insulin treatment regimens in type 1 diabetes

A La Jolla Institute team, led by leading type 1 diabetes researcher Matthias von Herrath, M.D., has demonstrated the effectiveness of a recently developed computer model in predicting key information about nasal insulin treatment regimens in type 1 (juvenile) diabetes. Development of the software, the Type 1 Diabetes PhysioLab- Platform, was funded through the peer-reviewed grant program of the American Diabetes Association.

9 Dec 2010

Expansion of newborn screening throws some families on a journey of great uncertainty

Mandatory genetic screening of newborns for rare diseases is creating unexpected upheaval for families whose infants test positive for risk factors but show no immediate signs of the diseases, a new UCLA study warns.

7 Dec 2010

Research shows anti-microbial medications lead to acute liver failure

New research shows that anti-microbial medications are a common cause of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) leading to acute liver failure (ALF), with women and minorities disproportionately affected.

1 Dec 2010

Keryx announces positive top-line results from Zerenex Phase 3 study for hyperphosphatemia

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced positive top-line results from the Phase 3 short-term efficacy study component of its Phase 3 registration program of Zerenex (ferric citrate), the Company's ferric iron-based phosphate binder for the treatment of elevated serum phosphorus levels, or hyperphosphatemia, in patients with end-stage renal disease on dialysis.

30 Nov 2010

Study analyzes neurological recovery after hypothermia treatment in cardiac arrest patients

Heart experts at Johns Hopkins say that physicians might be drawing conclusions too soon about irreversible brain damage in patients surviving cardiac arrest whose bodies were for a day initially chilled into a calming coma.

15 Nov 2010

Malaria drug artesunate found more effective than quinine at preventing severe falciparum malaria deaths in children, study says

Researchers found that the death rate among children diagnosed with severe falciparum malaria was almost one-fourth lower when they received the drug artesunate rather than the standard treatment of quinine, according to research which was presented at the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) over the weekend and published Monday in the Lancet, HealthDay News/U.S. News and World Report writes.

10 Nov 2010

New malaria drug can save millions of lives: Study

A landmark trial showed that the replacement of the standard malaria drug Quinine with the newer drug Artesunate for children with severe malaria could save 100,000 lives a year. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended that artesunate derived from a Chinese plant called sweet wormwood, replace the four-century-old remedy of quinine for treating severe malaria in adults in 2006. Similar recommendations were not made for children with further trial results pending.

8 Nov 2010

Hyperion HPN-100 phase III pivotal study for urea cycle disorders meets primary endpoint

Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that the Company's phase III pivotal study of glycerol phenylbutyrate (HPN-100), an investigational drug for the treatment of urea cycle disorders (UCDs), met its primary endpoint. The non-inferiority study, conducted under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2009, evaluated the ammonia control of glycerol phenylbutyrate as compared to sodium phenylbutyrate (BUPHENYL®).

3 Nov 2010

Older adults are three times as likely to die following ground-level fall

While simple falls, such as slipping while walking off a curb, may seem relatively harmless, they can actually lead to severe injury and death in elderly individuals, according to a new study published in The Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care.

2 Nov 2010

Hospital mortality rates decline by 7.98% from 2007 to 2009

A new independent study by HealthGrades of patient outcomes at America's hospitals found that patients at 5-star rated hospitals had a 72% lower risk of dying when compared with patients at 1-star-rated hospitals -- an enormous gap that has held steady over the past years even as overall mortality rates have improved.

20 Oct 2010

UT Southwestern initiates study on hormone leptin for people with type 1 diabetes

A clinical trial at UT Southwestern Medical Center aims to determine whether adding the hormone leptin to standard insulin therapy might help rein in the tumultuous blood-sugar levels of people with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes.

11 Oct 2010

Hypertonic fluids do not improve outcomes or survival for severe traumatic brain injury: Study

Patients with a severe traumatic brain injury (and not in shock because of blood loss) who received out-of-hospital administration of hypertonic fluids (a solution with increased concentration of certain electrolytes and thought to help reduce intracranial pressure) as initial resuscitation did not experience better 6-month neurologic outcomes or survival compared to patients who received a normal saline solution, according to a study in the October 6 issue of JAMA.

6 Oct 2010

Research shows dexamethasone treatment effective for bacterial meningitis

New research shows that an intravenous (IV) treatment may cut a person's risk of dying from bacterial meningitis. The research is published in the September 29, 2010, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The treatment is called dexamethasone.

30 Sep 2010

Type 1 diabetes, early recognition, telltale signs

Though they may present in a similar fashion, type 1 diabetes mellitus is vastly different from type 2, and Ralph Schmeltz, MD, incoming president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, says it’s important to recognize and diagnose it early.

23 Sep 2010

Hyponatremia may lead to neurological complications

A new study published in the October issue of the journal Hepatology found that patients with severe portal-hypertensive bleeding who are treated with terlipressin may experience an acute reduction of sodium in their blood. This reduction in serum sodium, known as hyponatremia, can cause adverse reactions such as neurological complications, and is rapidly reversible upon terlipressin withdrawal.

23 Sep 2010

Researchers to discuss brain's secrets at neuroscience conference

Top brain researchers from around the world will be in Milwaukee, Sept, 16-19, 2010, for a neuroscience conference focused on gaining insights into the brain's inner workings to better understand how the brain thinks, how the brain develops, and how the brain is altered by neurological diseases and how it responds to treatment.

14 Sep 2010

'Neural inertia' may explain brain's resistance to changes in consciousness

Despite the fact that an estimated 25 million patients per year in the U.S. undergo surgeries using general anesthesia, scientists have only been able to hypothesize exactly how anesthetics interact with the central nervous system. They previously thought that the processes of "going under" and waking up from anesthesia affected the brain in the same way.

27 Aug 2010

Department of Health reports 2010's first human case of West Nile virus in Pennsylvania

The Department of Health today reported this year's first human case of West Nile virus in Pennsylvania. The individual is a 69-year-old man from Philadelphia County.

26 Aug 2010

Brisbane building site accident raises safety issues

After an accident that involved a subcontractor at a Brisbane CBD building site, workers have refused to return to work until they are satisfied with the safety arrangements. The subcontractor Braedon Webber, 25 is still in an induced coma this morning after being trapped between a piece of equipment and a concrete beam at the Laing O'Rourke tower at 123 Albert Street shortly before 7am yesterday.

25 Aug 2010