Disability News and Research

RSS

Standardized guidelines for stroke care offer improved outcomes and fewer complications

Patients suffering from a stroke are more likely to have improved outcomes and fewer complications when hospitals use standardized guidelines for stroke care during a patient's admission and discharge from the hospital, according to a study led by researchers at UCSF Medical Center.

11 Aug 2005

Enzyme involved in blood pressure regulation may also influence how the body responds to exercise

New research suggests why some older adults who exercise have better physical function than others. Surprisingly, researchers found that an enzyme involved in blood pressure regulation may also influence how the body responds to exercise.

9 Aug 2005

New guidance highlights pharmacist's role in protecting vulnerable adults

Two new pieces of guidance, Child Protection and Protection of Vulnerable Adults, published by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain this week 6 August 2005 will help pharmacists and registered pharmacy technicians recognise and act on instances where they believe patients may be victims of abuse.

4 Aug 2005

Obese people are less likely to receive preventive services such as mammograms, Pap smears and flu shots

The Duke study showed that, for a sample of white middle-aged women, as body mass index (BMI) went up, the odds of receiving mammograms and Pap smears went down.

3 Aug 2005

Obesity's effects on mortality may have been over-estimated

New research shows that obese adults who reach the age of 70 are at no greater risk of dying than their non-obese counterparts, but they do have a much greater probability of spending their remaining years disabled. The data supporting this is reported in the August 2005 issue of The Gerontologist (Vol. 45, No. 4).

3 Aug 2005

American Psychological Association lauds action agendas to transform U.S. mental health system

The American Psychological Association (APA) lauds the release of the Campaign for Mental Health Reform's action agenda, Emergency Response: A Roadmap for Federal Action on America's Mental Health Crisis, designed to help the federal government transform the delivery of mental health services.

2 Aug 2005

Medicare at 40: Past Accomplishments and Future Challenges

As Americans commemorate Medicare's 40th Anniversary, AARP's Public Policy Institute (PPI) has released the report, "Medicare at 40," which examines the program's successes as well as the challenges that lie ahead. It found that Medicare has largely accomplished its original goals of ensuring access to care and establishing financial protections for medical costs.

2 Aug 2005

MediciNova starts phase II clinical trial of MN-166 for multiple sclerosis

MediciNova today announced the enrollment of patients in a Phase II clinical study with MN-166 for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. MN-166 is an orally administered drug with a novel mechanism of action that includes the inhibition of phosphodiesterase IV.

2 Aug 2005

Most people with knee pain also have pain elsewhere

Joint pain, especially in the knees, is a common complaint in older patients and can impact quality of life. A team of researchers recently set out to examine how often knee pain is accompanied by pain elsewhere in the body and whether the presence of multiple joint pain affects older patients' general health and psychological status.

28 Jul 2005

Proportion of health spending on asthma highest for children

The proportion of total health expenditure attributed to asthma care is highest for children-particularly boys aged 5-14 years, according to a new report released by the Australian Centre for Asthma Monitoring (ACAM)-a collaborating unit of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

26 Jul 2005

Rush to offer new treatment for arterio-venous malformations

Rush University Medical Center will be the first in Chicago and among the first hospitals in the nation to offer a promising new treatment for arterio-venous malformations (AVMs) following its approval by the FDA on July 21.

26 Jul 2005

ev3 announces FDA approval of treatment for brain vascular disorder

ev3 today announced that its majority-owned subsidiary Micro Therapeutics has received pre-market application (PMA) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to commercialize its Onyx Liquid Embolic System (Onyx) for the treatment of arterio-venous malformations (AVMs), a vascular disorder in the brain.

21 Jul 2005

Brain computer map could prevent strokes

A grant from the Neurological Foundation of New Zealand will allow researchers at the University of Canterbury New Zealand, to fine-tune a computer model of cerebral bloodflow that could become a tool in predicting, treating and preventing strokes.

21 Jul 2005

FDA approval for VNS Therapy will help people with epilepsy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent approval of Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy for treatment of chronic depression provides a novel single-treatment option for two major symptoms suffered by people with epilepsy.

21 Jul 2005

Study provides evidence that hormone treatments can be beneficial to limiting cardiovascular ailments

UC Irvine School of Medicine researchers have identified how estrogen helps prevents a cardiac ailment often seen in women who have heart attacks. This research provides further evidence that hormone replacement therapy after menopause can help prevent certain forms of cardiovascular disease in women.

19 Jul 2005

Two regions of the human genome that appear to explain variation in IQ

It may be that IQ tests are not the only way to measure human intelligence. Scientists at The Queensland Institute of Medical Science (QIMR) have identified two regions of the human genome that appear to explain variation in IQ. Their work was published this week in the American Journal of Human Genetics and has drawn world-wide interest.

19 Jul 2005

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) rates in women skyrocket

The death rate for one of the most lethal diseases in North America has skyrocketed for women in the last 20 years, and a team of researchers from the University of British Columbia and the B.C. Centre of Excellence for Women's Health wants to find out why.

19 Jul 2005

1 in 166 children under age 10 are affected by autism

New statistics surrounding autism make it the number one growing developmental disability in the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates as many as one in 166 children under age 10 are affected by the disorder. Nearly two million people in the U.S. are living with autism.

19 Jul 2005

ACE inhibitors should be available at no cost to the 8 million Americans over age 65 who have diabetes

Nothing in life is free, the old saying goes. But maybe some things should be, according to a new University of Michigan Health System study.

18 Jul 2005

Dental X-rays effectively identify stroke risk

General dentists from across the United States exchanged vital information today showing that dental X-rays, known as panoramic radiographs, used for oral health examinations, are effective in detecting some cases of clinically significant carotid artery stenosis, or blockages in the carotid artery, which can potentially lead to stroke.

15 Jul 2005