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Novartis' Arcapta Neohaler now available in the U.S. for COPD treatment

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation today announced that once-daily Arcapta Neohaler (indacaterol inhalation powder) 75 mcg is now available in the US and in pharmacies nationwide.

20 Mar 2012

Americans not adhering to the 7 healthy heart recommendations

A new study of nearly 45,000 adults showed that participants who met more of seven recommended cardiovascular health behaviors or factors (such as not smoking, having normal cholesterol levels, eating a healthy diet), had a lower risk of death compared to participants who met fewer factors. The study was published in Journal of American Medical Association. The study is being published early online to coincide with its presentation at a specialty meeting of the American Heart Association.

19 Mar 2012

Low literacy equals high death risk among elderly

A new study that appeared last Friday in British Medical Journal showed that one in three adults aged over 65 in England have difficulty understanding basic health-related information. They are more than twice as likely to die within five years as adults with no literacy problems, it was found.

19 Mar 2012

Al Jazeera examines global maternal mortality

Al Jazeera examines maternal mortality worldwide, saying, "If the situation continues at its current rate, the world will not meet" the U.N. Millennium Development Goal "to reduce maternal mortality by 75 percent between 1990 and 2015."

19 Mar 2012

Improvements in trauma care could save two million lives

Up to two million lives, annually, could be saved globally with improvements in trauma care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This estimate by Charles Mock, from the University of Washington in Seattle, and his team provides support for investment in and greater attention to strengthening trauma care services globally. Their work is published online in Springer's World Journal of Surgery.

19 Mar 2012

High job strain decreases risk of mortality in white-collar women

Work defined by high job demand and also high control, a so-called 'active job', decreased the risk of mortality in white-collar women, the Finnish study published in BMJ Open found.

19 Mar 2012

U.S. to launch graphic anti-smoking warnings

The United States Government is starting a major new effort to cut the country's smoking rate by showing graphic images of people who have sustained life-altering health problems after smoking for years.

18 Mar 2012

Researchers report higher price tag for robotic prostatectomy surgery

In perfecting the science of medicine, advancements always face exhaustive scrutiny and opposition. Typically, these rigors focus on confirming the efficacy of a procedure or treatment to ensure it remains in the patient's best interest for healing or wellness. More recently, with heightened emphasis on government-funded healthcare, medical procedures such as robotic prostatectomy surgery for prostate cancer treatment are under fire for cost.

17 Mar 2012

WHO releases global report on Mortality Attributable to Tobacco

A global report published by the WHO, titled "Mortality Attributable to Tobacco," "provides information by country on the proportion of adult (age 30 years and above) deaths attributable to tobacco by major communicable and non-communicable causes by age and sex," the agency's website states.

17 Mar 2012

Only 21 states require public reporting of hospital data on surgical site infections

Only 21 states require public reporting of hospital data on surgical site infections and, even when disclosure is mandated, the information is often not easily accessible to patients who could use it to make decisions about their medical care, according to new Johns Hopkins research.

17 Mar 2012

Positive data from VBL Therapeutics' VB-201 Phase 2 study on psoriasis, atherosclerosis

VBL Therapeutics, a clinical stage biotechnology company committed to the development of novel treatments for immune-inflammatory diseases and cancer, today announced that a Phase 2 sub-study of VB-201 in moderate to severe psoriasis patients with cardiovascular risk has successfully achieved its primary endpoint demonstrating a statistically significant reduction in vascular inflammation associated with atherosclerotic lesions as measured by PET-CT imaging.

17 Mar 2012

Obesity appears to increase risk of mortality tied to sleeping pills

Obesity appears to significantly increase the risk of death tied to sleeping pills, nearly doubling the rate of mortality even among those prescribed 18 or fewer pills in a year, researchers reported Friday.

17 Mar 2012

Guidelines for cervical cancer screening revised

The guidelines say that women between 30 and 65 can wait five years between screenings if they get both a Pap test and an HPV test.

16 Mar 2012

Depression increases risk of death in PCI patients

Depression increases the risk of death in patients who have a coronary stent implanted. After seven years of follow up, depressed patients were 1.5 times more likely to have died than non-depressed patients. The findings were independent of age, gender, clinical characteristics, anxiety and the distressed (Type D) personality.

16 Mar 2012

Addition of inflammatory biomarkers to clinical variables improve mortality prediction in COPD

The addition of changes in inflammatory biomarkers to established clinical variables improves the prediction of mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a new study.

16 Mar 2012

Research looks at how perceived discrimination influences smoking rates among minority groups

Smoking, the leading preventable cause of mortality in the United States, continues to disproportionately impact lower income members of racial and ethnic minority groups. In a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health, Jason Q. Purnell, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, looked at how perceived discrimination influences smoking rates among these groups.

16 Mar 2012

Panel of 10 serum protein biomarkers could help in lung cancer diagnosis

A panel of serum biomarkers could help predict the level of lung cancer risk in high-risk patients, offering doctors an option before proceeding with a biopsy. Research presented in the April 2012 issue of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's (IASLC) Journal of Thoracic Oncology shows that a panel of 10 serum protein biomarkers could help in the lung cancer diagnosis.

16 Mar 2012

Deadly link between higher BMI and colorectal cancer

The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) and the Campaign to End Obesity (CEO) are joining forces to highlight the potentially deadly link between higher Body Mass Index (BMI) and colorectal cancer.

16 Mar 2012

Patients with early stage MPM may be eligible for aggressive multi-modality therapy

Patients with early stage malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), a cancer that develops in the lining of the lungs, may be eligible for aggressive multi-modality therapy involving surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

16 Mar 2012

CSL Behring initiates FCH Phase III trial to control bleeding during cardiovascular surgery

CSL Behring announced today that the first patient has been treated as part of the REPLACE Phase III clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of fibrinogen concentrate (Human) (FCH) in controlling microvascular bleeding during aortic aneurysm surgery.

16 Mar 2012