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Fragile X syndrome iPS cells and embryonic stem cells behave differently: Study

In the last three years, a new technique for reprogramming adult cells has given scientists an easier and less controversial way to harness the power of embryonic-like stem cells to study human disease from its earliest beginnings in hopes of gleaning new insights into the root causes of disease and developing new therapies.

7 May 2010

First Edition: May 7, 2010

Today's health policy headlines explore a range of issues -- from how health reform politics are playing in midterm election campaigns to hospital action in the marketplace.

7 May 2010

MUHC's Henry C. Witelson Ocular Pathology Laboratory celebrates tenth anniversary

The Burnier International Ocular Pathology Society is holding a Scientific Colloquium in Montreal today to mark the tenth anniversary of the McGill University Health Centre's Henry C. Witelson Ocular Pathology Laboratory. The lab is an internationally reputed centre for the study and treatment of eye diseases and is leading a global network for the sharing of healthcare knowledge and expertise.

7 May 2010

First clinical trial results of camera chip implanted under retina presented at 2010 ARVO meeting

Retina Implant, AG, a leading developer of subretinal implants for the visually impaired, today announced the presentation of findings from their first clinical trial in which blind patients were able to view and focus on objects as their eye and head naturally moved as opposed to needing to constantly move their head to scan a scene, which is the case for other implants in which a camera is mounted to the patient's head.

7 May 2010

HTRN's revenue for fourth-quarter 2009 totaled $50.3M: MicroStockProfit.com

MicroStockProfit.com announces an investment report featuring HealthTronics Inc. The report includes financial, comparative and investment analyses, and industry information you need to know to make an educated investment decision.

7 May 2010

ETH Zurich researchers discover HIV transmission chains

Since the emergence of the first AIDS cases in the early 1980s, an infectious wave has spread over Switzerland. Every year, several hundred people are infected with the HI-virus which triggers the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, AIDS. Does the infection spread according to a particular pattern? Do these patterns vary among the transmission groups such as drug addicts, homosexual or heterosexual persons?

7 May 2010

Postpartum hemorrhage increases 28% between 1995 and 2004

A new study of U.S. maternal outcomes after vaginal and cesarean deliveries published in the May 2010 issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, a peer-reviewed academic journal, shows that between 1995 and 2004, postpartum hemorrhage (excessive blood loss after delivery) increased 28% in prevalence. Postpartum hemorrhage is one of today's most common complications for delivering mothers that according to the study, "markedly increases the odds of in-hospital mortality" and causes 19% of in-hospital maternal deaths.

7 May 2010

MBPs offer no clinical benefit to patients undergoing PD: Research team

Mechanical bowel preparations are commonly administered preoperatively to patients who undergo a pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple procedure) to treat benign and malignant tumors of the pancreas, common bile duct or duodenum. MBPs are employed as a preventative measure in gastrointestinal surgery but their effectiveness in reducing perioperative infectious complications remains unclear.

7 May 2010

APA president highlights challenges faced in child healthcare

Whether you live in Haiti or in Harlem, the impact of poverty is the same. Children suffer from poor nutrition, environmental degradation, violence and poor development in the U.S. just as they do in less developed nations, and the consequences can be equally profound, according to Dr. Danielle Laraque, MD, president of the Academic Pediatric Association (APA).

7 May 2010

Celebrity chef extends support to prevent malnutrition in older people

Pioneering research from the University of Reading is being used to enhance the taste of hospital food to help prevent or treat malnutrition in older people.

7 May 2010

Survey reveals low awareness of postherpetic neuralgia amongst Americans

The American Pain Foundation (APF) announced today at the American Pain Society (APS) Annual Meeting the results of a national survey that showed postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), also known as after-shingles pain, continues to be a condition with low awareness amongst Americans, demonstrating a need for health care provider (HCP) intervention.

7 May 2010

RFID tags could be used in the immediate aftermath of earthquake to save lives: Research

Radio frequency identification, RFID, could be used in the immediate aftermath of a major earthquake to save lives, according to new research published in the International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development.

7 May 2010

Advances in genetic research could help develop personalized pain medications

In the not too distant future, it may be possible to discern an individual's genetic predisposition to chronic pain conditions and treat them proactively to prevent lifetime afflictions, according to research presented today at the American Pain Society's (www.ampainsoc.org) annual scientific meeting.

7 May 2010

Neuroscientists show how individual neurons carry significant aspects of sensory processing

Pioneering a novel microscopy method, neuroscientist Arthur Konnerth and colleagues from the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) have shown that individual neurons carry out significant aspects of sensory processing: specifically, in this case, determining which direction an object in the field of view is moving.

7 May 2010

Hepcidin is found in various biological fluids, says new research

Recent studies have highlighted the importance of hepcidin in iron metabolism, particularly anaemia of chronic disease and iron overload. There have also been reports of its expression in various proinflammatory disorders and various organs, linking it to innate immunity and iron metabolism.

7 May 2010

HealthMap's H1N1 survey identifies disparities in international public health systems

As H1N1 began to emerge in April 2009, HealthMap - an automated online disease tracking and mapping tool created by researchers in the Informatics Program at Children's Hospital Boston - was already collecting information about the virus and plotting that information on a map of the globe, creating a freely available, real-time, digestible display of the outbreak.

7 May 2010

THI at St. Luke's reveals new insights on how adult stem cells repair damaged hearts following heart attack

Physician scientists at the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital (THI at St. Luke's) are publishing research this week that reveals new insights into how a particular set of human adult stem cells helps repair damaged hearts following a heart attack in laboratory mice.

7 May 2010

New study may help design better vaccines for dengue fever

Some of the human immune system's defences against the virus that causes dengue fever actually help the virus to infect more cells, according to new research published today in the journal Science.

7 May 2010

DXA testing can prevent osteoporosis in at-risk women

Geisinger has exceeded the national benchmark for testing women who are at risk for developing osteoporosis - a silent and serious disease.

7 May 2010

VA plans to limit surgeries at some of its facilities

The Department of Veterans Affairs will limit the kinds of surgeries at some hospitals after a review of surgical deaths at a hospital in southern Illinois, The Associated Press reports. "Under a new system, the VA has given each hospital a 'surgical complexity' level. Because of that, hospitals in at least five states — Louisiana, West Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois and Washington state — will now only perform less-complicated surgeries. The VA will pick up the tab for patients who have surgeries performed elsewhere" (Hefling, 5/6).

7 May 2010