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Blood biomarker panel can predict survival in IPF patients

A panel of blood proteins can predict which patients with the progressive lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are likely to live at least five years or to die within two years, say researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Centocor R&D.

27 Oct 2011

Drug-resistant infections may not contribute to higher surgical ICU death rates

The rates of antibiotic-resistant infections in the intensive care unit (ICU) have increased over the last decade. But new research from the University of Virginia suggests that surgical ICU death rates may, in fact, be declining and that drug-resistant infections are not likely to be a significant factor in overall mortality rates.

27 Oct 2011

Elsevier / CPM announces availability of CarePoints Emergency

Elsevier / CPM Resource Center (CPM), a leader in developing clinical decision support tools for healthcare, announced today the availability of CPM CarePoints Emergency.

24 Oct 2011

Six prominent surgeons receive ACS' Honorary Fellowship

Honorary Fellowship in the American College of Surgeons (ACS) was awarded to six prominent surgeons from South Africa, England, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, and the People's Republic of China last night during Convocation ceremonies that preceded the official opening of the College's 97th Annual Clinical Congress.

24 Oct 2011

NIPPV helps decrease mortality rates among hospitalized COPD patients

Although increased use of noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NIPPV) nationwide has helped decrease mortality rates among patients hospitalized with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a small group of patients requiring subsequent treatment with invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) have a significantly higher risk of death than those placed directly on IMV, according to researchers in the United States who studied patterns of NIPPV use.

22 Oct 2011

New 'law of biology' can predict patient-specific health events

Bioengineers from Rice University and physicians from Emory University are going to test whether a new "law of biology" can predict when a critically ill patient is about to worsen, and more importantly, which treatment is likely to prevent it.

21 Oct 2011

HHS issues regs to reduce red tape for hospitals, providers

The Obama administration moved Tuesday to roll back numerous rules that apply to hospitals and other health care providers after concluding that the standards were obsolete or overly burdensome to the industry. Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, said the proposed changes, which would apply to more than 6,000 hospitals, would save providers nearly $1.1 billion a year without creating any "consequential risks for patients."

20 Oct 2011

Study finds why corticosteroids do not work well for COPD patients

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) leads to persistent inflammation of the airways and is typically managed with corticosteroids, a class of anti-inflammatory medication. However, corticosteroids do not improve survival nor alter the progression of COPD and may reduce lung symptoms as little as 20 percent.

19 Oct 2011

African-American or Hispanic children less likely to receive CT scans after head trauma

White children are far more likely to receive cranial computed tomography (CT) scans in an emergency department following minor head trauma than are African-American or Hispanic children, a study by researchers at UC Davis has found.

18 Oct 2011

Headache are among the top reasons for medical evacuation of soldiers

Headaches, a virtually universal human complaint at one time or another, are among the top reasons for medical evacuation of military personnel from Iraq and Afghanistan, and for ongoing depletion of active-duty ranks in those countries, according to research led by Johns Hopkins specialists. Just one-third of soldiers sent home because of headaches return to duty in either place, the research shows.

14 Oct 2011

Echo Therapeutics to begin Symphony tCGM System clinical study in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes

Echo Therapeutics, Inc., a company developing the Symphony tCGM System as a non-invasive, wireless, transdermal continuous glucose monitoring (tCGM) system and the Prelude® SkinPrep System for transdermal drug delivery, today announced that it is initiating a clinical study of its Symphony tCGM System in patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

13 Oct 2011

FDA grant to foster development of novel pediatric medical devices

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has awarded the Georgia Institute of Technology, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University and Saint Joseph's Translational Research Institute (SJTRI) a two-year, $1.8 million grant to foster the development of medical devices focused on the special needs of children.

13 Oct 2011

Welch Allyn's high-performance healthcare solutions to be showcased at Medica 2011

Welch Allyn, a leading global provider of medical diagnostic devices headquartered in Skaneateles Falls, NY, will showcase its newest generation of connected solutions designed to address the needs of busy medical practices next month at the 2011 Medica International Trade Fair and Congress in Dusseldorf, Germany.

10 Oct 2011

NIH awards LSUHSC $9 million grant to develop pneumonia vaccine

Dr. Judd Shellito, Chief of the Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has been awarded approximately $9 million in grant funding to develop a vaccine against Pneumocystis, an important cause of pneumonia in people with HIV infection. This potentially fatal illness is the most common serious opportunistic infection in people with HIV.

7 Oct 2011

African-Americans have higher overall post-scene of injury mortality rate than whites

New research based on post-hospital arrival data from U.S. trauma centers finds that even after adjusting for differences in injury severity, gun use, and other likely causes of race difference in death from assault, African-Americans have a significantly higher overall post-scene of injury mortality rate than whites.

7 Oct 2011

House lawmaker looks into drug shortages, price markups

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-Md., the ranking member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has begun an investigation into 'gray market' drug distributors and how they may be driving up costs and adding to the nation's current shortage of cancer and critical-care products.

7 Oct 2011

MD Anderson's pediatric surgeon receives Geneva and James Briscoe Physician Assistant Award

Holly Green, a pediatric surgery physician assistant in the Department of Surgical Oncology, division of pediatrics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital, is the recipient of the 2011 Geneva and James Briscoe Physician Assistant Award for Excellence.

7 Oct 2011