Hospital News and Research

RSS

Alloantigen-specific Treg cells targeted for organ transplantation

An increased understanding of the role of the body's immune system in the development of diseases such as prostate cancer, squamous cell carcinoma (a type of skin cancer), type 1 diabetes, autoimmune liver disease, and in the rejection of transplanted organs by some transplant patients, has paved the way for a pioneering research programme which aims to develop 'enhanced' cells as therapies.

3 Sep 2009

Tort reform and changes to doctor payment could cut health costs

Limiting medical malpractice lawsuits and changing the doctor payment system are being debated as possible ways to make health care more cost-effective.

3 Sep 2009

Avastin increases survival rates in recurrent glioblastoma affected patients

The targeted therapy Avastin, alone and in combination with the chemotherapy drug CPT-11, significantly increased response rates, progression-free survival times and survival rates in patients with a deadly form of brain cancer that had recurred.

3 Sep 2009

New target for cancer cure identified

Researchers Dr. Marc Therrien at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Universit- de Montr-al, and Dr. Frank Sicheri, at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, have discovered a new target that may be instrumental in the development of new, more effective cancer therapies.

3 Sep 2009

New therapy for advanced and metastatic basal cell skin cancer

A study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine reports a potential new investigational therapy for advanced and metastatic basal cell skin cancer tested at the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare and other sites appears to demonstrate tumor shrinkage and limited side effects in patients.

3 Sep 2009

New method for treating hand disorder discovered

Researchers in the Department of Orthopaedics at Stony Brook University Medical Center have developed an injectable form of the enzyme, collagenase, that significantly improves outcomes of Dupuytren's contracture (or disease), a debilitating disorder caused by progressive accumulation of collagen that deforms fingers and limits motion. Reported in September 3, 2009, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, the study involved treatment of 308 patients with Duputren's disease in 16 sites nationwide. The results indicate that the injections are safe and effective.

3 Sep 2009

AVA issues guidelines for disinfecting IV catheters

How to meet new infection-control guidelines from the Joint Commission and the SHEA/IDSA Compendium will be the focus of a panel discussion at the upcoming annual meeting of the Association for Vascular Access (AVA).

3 Sep 2009

Scientists demonstrate the link between cancer and diesel fumes

Scientists here are the first to demonstrate that the link between diesel fume exposure and cancer lies in the ability of diesel exhaust to induce the growth of new blood vessels that serve as a food supply for solid tumors.

2 Sep 2009

Innovative way for culturing liver cells improves drug toxicity screening

A team led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers has developed an innovative way to culture liver cells for drug toxicity screening. In a report to be published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that has been released online, the investigators describe how liver cells grown in a high-oxygen environment and in a culture medium free of animal-derived serum quickly begin to function as they do within the liver.

2 Sep 2009

Accumetrics signs a distribution agreement with Grifols for its VerifyNow System in Spain, Portugal and Chile

Accumetrics, Inc. has announced the signing of a new exclusive distribution agreement for its VerifyNow(R) System in Spain, Portugal and Chile with Grifols S.A.. This distribution agreement will continue to expand Accumetrics' reach in both scope and geography, and add to the growing numbers of countries where physicians have access to the VerifyNow System.

2 Sep 2009

Kaiser Foundation invites nominations for 2010 National Awards for Excellence Program

The Kaiser Foundation is pleased to announce the Call for Nominations for the 2010 National Awards for Excellence Program in mental health and addictions initiatives.

2 Sep 2009

SynerMed's announces a 35 percent growth in membership since the beginning of the first quarter of 2009

SynerMed, Inc. today announced a 35 percent growth in membership since the beginning of the first quarter of 2009. Representing 550,000 beneficiaries through its clients, SynerMed is the largest Medicaid managed service organization (MSO) in the country.

2 Sep 2009

Dr. Samadi of the Mount Sinai Medical Center stresses on prostate cancer awareness

September signifies the start of fall, back to school and back to homework. September is also National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. The awareness month was proclaimed by President Bush in 2003, and bolstered later that year by former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, a prostate cancer survivor, who became the spokesman for the National Prostate Cancer Coalition.

2 Sep 2009

Ektron reports growth as more consumers select Ektron CMS400.NET

Ektron Inc., a technology and market leader in Web content management software, reports a steady growth in customers in the Healthcare industry. Ektron attributes this growth to its Healthcare Practice, a team dedicated to working with healthcare providers in the development of their Web strategy using Ektron CMS400.NET.

2 Sep 2009

HIS market grows in Europe due to governments' investment in healthcare IT sector

Although most hospitals in Europe have some kind of information system in place, very few have a fully integrated and functional hospital information systems (HIS) solutions installed. The adoption rate of HIS solutions in 2008 in Europe varied from about 73.0 per cent in Italy and Spain to 95.0 per cent in Scandinavia. Increasing accountability pressures on the government and regulatory authorities to garner more investments into healthcare IT adoption is boosting the HIS market potential.

2 Sep 2009

Survey on the current routine practice in CRT implantations in patients with heart failure

The European cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) Survey is a joint initiative taken by the Heart Failure Association (HFA) and European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) of the European Society of Cardiology. Its primary objective is to describe current European practice and routines associated with the implantation of a CRT device with or without an ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) capability in patients with heart failure.

2 Sep 2009

Pre-hospitalization strategies will bring down mortality rate of patients with heart disorders

Mortality rate following a heart attack has fallen by more than 50% in Europe over the past 25 years. However, because only minor advances in the medical treatment of AMI are expected over the next decade, it is through organisational changes in the pre-hospital phase that mortality rate will continue this decline to below 5%.

2 Sep 2009

Gene causing periodontitis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis identified

Investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery, collaborating with researchers from other institutions, have contributed to the discovery that a gene called interferon regulator factor-8 (IRF-8) is involved in the development of diseases such as periodontitis (gum disease), rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. The study, which will be published online August 30, ahead of print, in the journal Nature Medicine, could lead to new treatments in the future.

2 Sep 2009

Future Alzheimer's treatments may be effective before the onset of symptoms

Memory lapses that occur with normal aging are a source of worry for many who fear Alzheimer's disease. Now a new Mayo Clinic-led study published in the July 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that the carriers of a common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease begin to have memory declines in their mid-50s, far earlier than previously thought.

2 Sep 2009

Research is active and diverse in U.S. academic medical centers

A survey indicates that research is active and diverse at U.S. academic medical centers and that a substantial proportion of faculty conduct research and publish without sponsorship, according to a study in the September 2 issue of JAMA.

2 Sep 2009