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New study will examine why people live exceptionally long lives

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis will head an ambitious study of people who live exceptionally long and healthy lives to identify the factors that account for their longevity.

10 Sep 2004

Hospitals should use latex medical gloves with lower protein and powder levels to reduce latex sensitivity rather than synthetic alternatives

The non-profit, independent evaluator of medical devices notes that while some synthetic alternatives may cost less, latex gloves are still the most cost-effective choice when a glove offering a good level of protection is required.

8 Sep 2004

First indication that Parkinson’s disease can be caused by a defect in a protein

The findings of Finnish scientists with their multinational collaborators shed light to the mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease and early menopause.

8 Sep 2004

Researchers have successfully produced small quantities of a new vaccine for anthrax using Bacillus bacteria

Tiny types of soil bugs already make many of the products we use in washing detergents, foods, and waste treatment, but scientists now hope that similar bacteria will also make the vaccines and drugs of the future

7 Sep 2004

U.S. FDA study shows Canadian drugs to be more expensive

If you think all drugs from Canada are cheaper than U.S. drugs, think again. In the United States, generic drugs - roughly half of all prescriptions - are often cheaper than both Canadian brand-name drugs and Canadian generic drugs, according to a study by the Food and Drug Administration.

29 Aug 2004

Legislation introduced to enable Australia's national DNA database system to be used to identify the victims of disasters within Australia

Legislation has been introduced into Federal Parliament to enable Australia's national DNA database system to be used to identify the victims of disasters within Australia, the Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison, said today.

11 Aug 2004

Third of heart failure patients face increased risk of death because they do not receive an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor

Overwhelming evidence accumulated during almost 20 years of clinical experience has established the benefits of this drug, which blocks the harmful effects of angiotensin, a substance that causes blood vessels to narrow, said the study authors.

3 Aug 2004

Injuries kill more Washingtonians under the age of 45 than all diseases combined

Injuries are the leading cause of death and disability for younger people in Washington and are largely preventable. During the summer months, there are more deaths and hospitalizations due to injury.

2 Aug 2004

Emerging nanomedicine technologies could dramatically transform medical science

Emerging nanomedicine technologies could dramatically transform medical science as we know it today with their potential to address unmet medical needs and provide targeted therapy.

23 Jul 2004

Malaria mortality rate in Africa and Asia could double in a few decades as the drug used most frequently is rendered useless

Within the next five years, international organizations and world leaders should begin collectively to contribute $300 million to $500 million annually to create a global subsidy that would make new combination malaria treatments available to the world's poor for as little as 10 cents per treatment course

23 Jul 2004

Test that is 100% effective in detection of early ovarian cancer

The journal Endocrine-Related Cancer has published work showing that scientists from the Clinical Proteomics Program of the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) have discovered a test that was 100% effective for detecting early ovarian cancer in their study.

21 Jul 2004

Four new AIDS medicines added to the World Health Organization prequalification list

Four new AIDS medicines are this week being added to the World Health Organization prequalification list, thus further increasing access to a choice of quality products.

15 Jul 2004

Quality HIV/AIDS treatment eased through extended agreement about lowest-priced drugs and diagnostics

During the International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, IDA ARV Procurement Services BV and Clinton Foundation announced the agreement that enables developing countries to purchase high-quality AIDS medicines and diagnostics at the lowest available prices.

15 Jul 2004

Computer-based program that assesses the health of people enrolled in a given health plan

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have signed a multi-year agreement with PharMetrics, Inc., of Watertown, Mass., to acquire data from the company’s proprietary Anonymous Patient-Centric Database.

13 Jul 2004

Nanotechnology-based applications are accelerating the development of nanomedicine

With the potential for targeted therapy, and therefore reduced side effects, nanomedicine holds the promise of significantly improving quality of life parameters.

5 Jul 2004

Doctors failing to identify smoking in adolescents

Doctors are failing to identify smoking status in about half of the adolescent patients seen, according to a University of Wisconsin-Madison study.

24 Jun 2004

Recommended guidelines to govern genetic testing in Europe

Genetic testing may soon prove that prevention is better than cure. However, the emerging practice could have certain less desirable ethical and practical implications.

17 Jun 2004

In-depth examination of potential improvements for breast cancer screening

A report released today by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the National Research Council of the National Academies provides an in-depth examination of potential improvements for breast cancer screening and detection services in the United States.

11 Jun 2004

Conflicting views on embryonic and adult stem cells complicate research in stem cell therapeutics

Though there has been considerable biological and political debate over the use of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) vs. adult stem cells (ASCs) as therapies for tissue engineering and organ transplants, inherent benefits and drawbacks in both techniques compel them to coexist and complement each other.

10 Jun 2004

Over one-third of British population cannot name a famous disabled person

Scope, the national disability organisation, has surveyed the British public to test their attitudes towards disabled people. Despite the achievements of Home Secretary David Blunkett, Professor Stephen Hawking and sportsperson Tanni Grey-Thompson, 36 per cent of those questioned in a YouGov survey could not name one single famous disabled person.

7 Jun 2004