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Reboxetine drug does not alleviate depression, says new study

There is no scientific proof that people suffering from depression can benefit from taking reboxetine. However, clinical trials do provide proof of benefit of bupropion XL and mirtazapine: both agents can alleviate symptoms. This is the conclusion of the final report of the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) published on 24 November 2009.

24 Nov 2009

Also in Global Health news: Home HIV treatment; voluntary testing in Kenya; women/HIV scorecard; Global Fund Zimbabwe grant; contraceptives in Tanzania

The New York Times reports on a Lancet study that found treating Ugandan HIV patients at home is cheaper and just as effective as treating them in a clinic.

24 Nov 2009

Medical advances abound while surgeons report concerns about medical errors

The Wall Street Journal reports on "20 health-care advances to give thanks for this Thanksgiving." Among the most key: "Life expectancy in the U.S. reached an all-time high of 77.9 years in 2007, the latest year for which statistics are available, continuing a long upward trend. (That's 75.3 years for men and 80.4 years for women.) ... Death rates dropped significantly for eight of the 15 leading causes of death in the U.S., including cancer, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, accidents, diabetes, homicides and pneumonia, from 2006 to 2007."

24 Nov 2009

Americans with hepatitis C are at increased risk of developing liver cancer, says NVHR

New peer-reviewed data finding that fewer than one-fifth of the nearly 4 million Americans infected with chronic hepatitis C virus have received anti-viral therapy in recent years should be a wake-up call that Congress needs to move urgently on bipartisan legislation to support new state-based detection, research, and surveillance efforts, the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR) said today.

24 Nov 2009

New MEMS sensor may help clinicians distinguish stable and unstable plaque during cardiac emergencies

University of Sourthern California biomedical engineer and cardiologist Tzung "John" Hsiai hopes to develop a new tool to help clinicians distinguish cardiac emergencies requiring immediate surgery from chronic problems manageable with drugs and lifestyle change.

24 Nov 2009

MRSA making its way into hospitals, says study

The community-associated strain of the deadly superbug MRSA-an infection-causing bacteria resistant to most common antibiotics-poses a far greater health threat than previously known and is making its way into hospitals, according to a study in the December issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

24 Nov 2009

USC University Hospital receives Heart Transplant Excellence Award

The University of Southern California (USC) University Hospital received a Heart Transplant Excellence Award from the independent healthcare ratings organization Health Grades, ranking among the top one percent of hospitals in the U.S. that perform heart transplants.

24 Nov 2009

Human-derived UCB stem cell transplant has positive therapeutic effects on specific lung and heart disorders

Two separate studies published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation (18:8), - now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct - have shown that transplanted human-derived umbilical cord blood (UCB) stem cells transplanted in an animal model had positive therapeutic effects on specific lung and heart disorders the animal models.

24 Nov 2009

Vitamin D: A multi-purpose nutrient for overall health

A string of recent discoveries about the multiple health benefits of vitamin D has renewed interest in this multi-purpose nutrient, increased awareness of the huge numbers of people who are deficient in it, spurred research and even led to an appreciation of it as "nature's antibiotic."

24 Nov 2009

LCA-NY issues 2009 Report Card on Lung Cancer

Today, Lung Cancer Alliance-New York (LCA-NY) issued its 1st Report Card on Lung Cancer. This Report is an assessment of progress being made against lung cancer in the state of New York. LCA-NY is a chapter of Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA), the only national organization dedicated exclusively to patient support and advocacy for people living with or at risk for lung cancer.

23 Nov 2009

UT Southwestern Medical Center among 10 institutions to share $56 million from NIH as part of ICAC

UT Southwestern Medical Center is among 10 institutions selected by the National Institutes of Health to share $56 million over five years as part of the Inner City Asthma Consortium (ICAC).

23 Nov 2009

FDA grants Fast Track designation for ARCA biopharma's Gencaro

ARCA biopharma, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated as a Fast Track development program the investigation of GencaroTM, the Company’s investigational, pharmacologically unique beta-blocker and mild vasodilator, for the reduction of cardiovascular mortality and cardiovascular hospitalizations in a genotype-defined heart failure population.

23 Nov 2009

Medical report showing the devastating impacts of coal on human body released

Physicians for Social Responsibility today released a groundbreaking medical report, "Coal's Assault on Human Health," which takes a new look at the devastating impacts of coal on the human body.

23 Nov 2009

UT Southwestern Medical Center receives NIH funds for asthma research

UT Southwestern Medical Center is among 10 institutions selected by the National Institutes of Health to share $56 million over five years as part of the Inner City Asthma Consortium (ICAC).

23 Nov 2009

RSV found to cause more emergency department visits and hospitalizations than seasonal flu

Influenza, particularly H1N1, has understandably captured the attention of public health officials, the media and the public. However, an analysis from Children's Hospital Boston, based on patients seen in its emergency department (ED) during several recent flu seasons, shows that another virus - respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) - takes a substantially greater disease toll among young children than does seasonal flu.

23 Nov 2009

HKI to raise over $700,000 for the SickKids Global Child Health Program

To celebrate the United Nations Universal Children's Day, HealthyKids International (HKI) today announces its campaign to raise over $700,000 to fund SickKids Global Child Health Program in Ghana, Tanzania and Ethiopia.

21 Nov 2009

Prolonged exposure to formaldehyde linked with increased risk of myeloid leukemia

Long durations of exposure to formaldehyde used for embalming in the funeral industry were associated with an increased risk of death from myeloid leukemia, according to a new study published online November 20 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

21 Nov 2009

UNICEF report highlights gains in child health, while 1b still lack essential services

A special edition of UNICEF's annual State of the World's Children report, released 20 years after the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, shows that "fewer youngsters are dying and more are going to school - but an estimated 1 billion still lack services essential to their survival and development," the Associated Press reports.

20 Nov 2009

Study examines temporal association between media coverage and opioid-related deaths

Increases in deaths from opioid drugs such as OxyContin may be linked to the volume of coverage such deaths receive in the news, according to a study from Children's Hospital Boston and the University of North Carolina (UNC), Chapel Hill. The study compared patterns of opioid deaths and patterns of news coverage between 1999 and 2005, during which time mortality rates from opioid abuse doubled.

20 Nov 2009

Leading driver of antibiotic selection in nosocomial pneumonia in Europe found

Arlington Medical Resources (AMR) and Decision Resources find that the leading driver of antibiotic selection in nosocomial pneumonia in Europe is broad-spectrum activity against gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens.

20 Nov 2009

Mortality News and Research

Reboxetine drug does not alleviate depression, says new study

Also in Global Health news: Home HIV treatment; voluntary testing in Kenya; women/HIV scorecard; Global Fund Zimbabwe grant; contraceptives in Tanzania

Medical advances abound while surgeons report concerns about medical errors

Americans with hepatitis C are at increased risk of developing liver cancer, says NVHR

New MEMS sensor may help clinicians distinguish stable and unstable plaque during cardiac emergencies

MRSA making its way into hospitals, says study

USC University Hospital receives Heart Transplant Excellence Award

Human-derived UCB stem cell transplant has positive therapeutic effects on specific lung and heart disorders

Vitamin D: A multi-purpose nutrient for overall health

LCA-NY issues 2009 Report Card on Lung Cancer

UT Southwestern Medical Center among 10 institutions to share $56 million from NIH as part of ICAC

FDA grants Fast Track designation for ARCA biopharma's Gencaro

Medical report showing the devastating impacts of coal on human body released

UT Southwestern Medical Center receives NIH funds for asthma research

RSV found to cause more emergency department visits and hospitalizations than seasonal flu

HKI to raise over $700,000 for the SickKids Global Child Health Program

Prolonged exposure to formaldehyde linked with increased risk of myeloid leukemia

UNICEF report highlights gains in child health, while 1b still lack essential services

Study examines temporal association between media coverage and opioid-related deaths

Leading driver of antibiotic selection in nosocomial pneumonia in Europe found

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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