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Atorvastatin shows potential as a new treatment for spinal cord injuries

A multidisciplinary investigation led by Inderjit Singh, Ph.D, of the Medical University of South Carolina, has resulted in a new treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI). The study investigates the efficacy of atorvastatin (AT), (i.e. Lipitor) as a treatment for spinal cord injuries following trauma.

22 Mar 2007

FDA approves Soliris (eculizumab), first treatment for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Soliris (eculizumab), the first product for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), a rare type of blood disorder that can lead to disability and premature death.

19 Mar 2007

New Zealand's Ministry of Health releases revised maternity facilities access agreement

The New Zealand's Ministry of Health has released the revised Maternity Facilities Access Agreement, a contract which sets out the obligations of Lead Maternity Carers (LMCs) when bringing women to hospitals and birthing units for labour and birth services, and of District Health Boards, who provide LMCs with access to their facilities to provide labour and birth services.

14 Mar 2007

New screening tool for anxiety disorders

A new study by researchers led by Kurt Kroenke, M.D., of the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Regenstrief Institute, Inc. reports that nearly 20 percent of patients seen by primary care physicians have at least one anxiety disorder.

12 Mar 2007

Army appoints Deputy General of Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Gen. Richard Cody, the Army's vice chief of staff, announced on Thursday that Brig. Gen. Michael Tucker will take over as deputy commanding general of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Washington Post reports.

11 Mar 2007

Quick diagnosis test for streptococcal strains

A streptococcal infection may initially cause nothing more than a relatively harmless sore throat. It can, however, also lead to potentially fatal disease or lifelong disability.

8 Mar 2007

Response to opinion piece saying global maternal health programs deserve more support

The New York Times on Sunday published several letters to the editor in response to a Feb. 25 Times column by Nicholas Kristof. According to Kristof, maternal health programs should receive support from the U.S. in part because the country knows how to lower maternal mortality and morbidity.

8 Mar 2007

President Bush appoints Dole, Shalala to lead panel examining veterans' care

President Bush during a speech before the American Legion on Tuesday named former Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) and former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala as co-chairs of a commission that will examine the care that wounded veterans receive after they return from war, both at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and at other military hospitals across the nation, the Washington Post reports

8 Mar 2007

Health status of Gypsies and Travellers in England

The health of Gypsies and Travellers is significantly worse than that of other vulnerable groups, reveals research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

4 Mar 2007

Treatment for gum disease could also help the heart

Scientists at University College London (UCL) have conducted the first clinical trial to demonstrate that an intensive treatment for periodontitis (gum disease) directly improves the health of blood vessels.

4 Mar 2007

New York reverses HIV/AIDS housing rent increase

The recently appointed New York state commissioner of temporary and disability assistance, David Hansall, on Tuesday reversed a state-ordered rent increase for HIV-positive people living in subsidized housing in New York City, the New York Times reports (Chan, New York Times, 2/28).

1 Mar 2007

Relationship between appearance and psychological distress in rheumatic diseases

Patients with rheumatic disease can experience physical deformities, especially of the hands and feet in the case of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or skin rashes and lesions and hand deformity in the case of systemic lupus erthyematosus.

28 Feb 2007

Heart attacks can give couples a new lease of life

A third of people who suffer heart attacks discover new meaning to their lives and reconnect with their partner, but others see it as a threat to their well-ordered existence, according to research published in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing.

28 Feb 2007

Defense Secretary Gates announces creation of independent panel to study military health care conditions

Department of Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday announced the creation of an independent panel to examine outpatient conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and other military hospitals, the Los Angeles Times reports (Barnes, Los Angeles Times, 2/24).

27 Feb 2007

FDA approves antidepressant Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) for treatment of generalized anxiety disorder

Eli Lilly and Company announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the antidepressant Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), a condition that affects more than 6.5 million American adults in a given year.

26 Feb 2007

Old drug pentylenetetrazole may improve learning and memory in Down syndrome victims

Researchers in the United States have discovered that an old drug once used to study epilepsy substantially improved learning and memory in mice with Down syndrome symptoms.

26 Feb 2007

Experimental vector vaccine reduces stillbirths from cytomegalovirus

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed an experimental vaccine that reduces stillbirths among rodents born to mothers infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV) - a common virus that can also cause mental retardation and hearing loss in newborn children who were infected in early fetal life.

21 Feb 2007

Imaging of disease dynamics during meningococcal sepsis

Each year 170,000 people around the world die of this type of meningitis, according to the World Health Organization, (WHO).

21 Feb 2007

Racial/ethnic disparities in symptom severity among children hospitalized with asthma

Children in this country suffer from asthma more than any other chronic illness, and new research finds African-American children with the condition have a greater risk than others of experiencing severe symptoms that escalate into an emergency.

20 Feb 2007

Genetic variations contribute to a person's risk for nicotine dependence

Americans are bombarded with antismoking messages, yet at least 65 million of us continue to light up. Genetic factors play an important role in this continuing addiction to cigarettes, suggest scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

18 Feb 2007

Disability News and Research

Atorvastatin shows potential as a new treatment for spinal cord injuries

FDA approves Soliris (eculizumab), first treatment for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria

New Zealand's Ministry of Health releases revised maternity facilities access agreement

New screening tool for anxiety disorders

Army appoints Deputy General of Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Quick diagnosis test for streptococcal strains

Response to opinion piece saying global maternal health programs deserve more support

President Bush appoints Dole, Shalala to lead panel examining veterans' care

Health status of Gypsies and Travellers in England

Treatment for gum disease could also help the heart

New York reverses HIV/AIDS housing rent increase

Relationship between appearance and psychological distress in rheumatic diseases

Heart attacks can give couples a new lease of life

Defense Secretary Gates announces creation of independent panel to study military health care conditions

FDA approves antidepressant Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) for treatment of generalized anxiety disorder

Old drug pentylenetetrazole may improve learning and memory in Down syndrome victims

Experimental vector vaccine reduces stillbirths from cytomegalovirus

Imaging of disease dynamics during meningococcal sepsis

Racial/ethnic disparities in symptom severity among children hospitalized with asthma

Genetic variations contribute to a person's risk for nicotine dependence

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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