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FDA draft guidance aims to foster early-stage development of medical devices

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a draft guidance aimed at fostering early-stage development of medical devices within the United States. Doing early-stage development is important to help stimulate U.S.-based innovation and contribute to medical research.

11 Nov 2011

Action on climate change required to prevent harm to health, development, reports say

"A lack of action on climate change and habitat destruction will threaten the progress of developing countries," because environmental sustainability affects "a wide range of social issues," including "health, education, income, gender disparities and energy production, combined with protection of the ecosystem," according to the U.N. Development Program (UNDP)'s Human Development Report 2011, titled, "Sustainability and Equity: a Better Future for All," VOA News reports.

11 Nov 2011

Translating science into service delivery to achieve Clinton's vision of an AIDS-free generation

In this post in the Huffington Post's "Impact" blog, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby responds to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's speech on HIV/AIDS given at the NIH on Wednesday, in which she called for an "AIDS-free generation," writing that "her vision was an affirmation of the progress made over the past decade, and a mandate to redouble our efforts with global partners to bring the latest scientific advances to bear in order to save lives."

11 Nov 2011

Study examines potential cost effectiveness of TAVR versus SAVR

The cost effectiveness of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVR) compared to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) depends on whether TAVR is performed via the femoral artery or transapically, through a small incision in the chest, according to a new study.

11 Nov 2011

Global Health Service Corps essential to improve African health systems, achieve 'AIDS-free generation'

"A notable feature of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's 'AIDS-free generation' initiative is to strengthen health care systems in sub-Saharan Africa, ... a view echoed by many eminent voices in the global health community," Anand Reddi of the University of Colorado Medical School writes in a post on Huffington Post's "Impact" blog.

11 Nov 2011

School lunches improve health outcomes of children

The federally funded National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides free and reduced-price meals to more than 31 million children every school day, according to its website.

11 Nov 2011

N-acetylcysteine plus cortisone shows promise against acute alcoholic hepatitis

Acute alcoholic hepatitis is one of the most serious forms of alcoholic liver disease, affecting individuals with chronic excessive alcohol consumption, which generally equates to more than 50 grams of alcohol per day, over a period of more than three to six months. The disease is characterized by liver failure and acute jaundice (icterus), which may induce a coma through liver failure and an ensuing death rate of between 40-45% within the first six months.

11 Nov 2011

Link between physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep in teens

Earlier research has had similar findings, but this is the first large, nationally representative study to connect physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep in high school students, explained Kathryn Foti, M.P.H., a health scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Adolescent and School Health and lead author of the paper.

11 Nov 2011

Deficit panel at impasse despite offers

The Democrats outlined a new "tax trigger" as a means to overhaul the tax code. Meanwhile, news outlets reports that the two sides have largely agreed to a broad outline of spending reductions, including to Medicare and other domestic programs, but Democrats will agree to such cuts only if Republicans compromise by putting new tax revenues on the table.

11 Nov 2011

Psychotherapy technique can help reduce dementia caregivers' stress

Family caregivers of people with dementia experience more burden and are at greater risk of developing depression than caregivers of people with a chronic illness. A new evidence review from the Netherlands finds that a psychotherapy technique called cognitive reframing can help reduce caregivers' stress when they are caring for loved ones with dementia.

11 Nov 2011

First large scale trial of acupuncture for prevention of xerostomia

When given alongside radiation therapy for head and neck cancer, acupuncture has shown for the first time to reduce the debilitating side effect of xerostomia, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center.

11 Nov 2011

New potential target to slow breast cancer tumor progression and metastasis

A new potential target to slow breast cancer tumor progression and metastasis has been identified by a team of researchers led by Dr. Richard Kremer from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre.

11 Nov 2011

British researchers discover receptor necessary for malaria parasite to invade red blood cells, offering new vaccine hope

Researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the U.K. have "made a critical discovery about the way the most deadly species of malaria parasite invades human red blood cells," Reuters reports.

11 Nov 2011

High-fiber diets may lower risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes in teens

A diet high in fiber - but not necessarily one low in saturated fat or cholesterol - is tied to a lower risk of heart disease and type-2 diabetes in teenagers, according to new findings from Michigan State University.

11 Nov 2011

New unsuspected role for nuclear receptor corepressor protein

By knocking out a key regulatory protein, scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland dramatically boosted insulin sensitivity in lab mice, an achievement that opens a new door for drug development and the treatment of diabetes.

11 Nov 2011

Insights into potential causes of temporomandibular joint disorders

New findings about painful jaw problems that plague millions of Americans are leading to a better understanding of pain disorders.

11 Nov 2011

Classical DCs associated with protection against atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis, commonly referred to as "hardening of the arteries," is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. The cause of atherosclerosis is not well understood but, for some time, chronic inflammatory immune responses have been implicated in driving disease pathology. Now, a new study, published online on November 10th by Cell Press from the journal Immunity, identifies a type of immune cell that is not associated with promoting disease, but with protection against atherosclerosis.

11 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: The role of IT in transforming health care; the GOP raises super committee stakes

Why can't Americans tap into the ingenuity that put men on the moon, created the Internet and sequenced the human genome to revitalize our economy? I'm convinced we can. We are in the early phases of the next big technology-driven revolution, which I call "consumer health." When fully unleashed, it could radically cut health care costs and become a huge global growth market.

11 Nov 2011

Intelligent Fingerprinting launches prototype of hand-held drug testing device

The world's first prototype of a hand-held fingerprint drug testing device has been created by UK technology company Intelligent Fingerprinting.

11 Nov 2011

Long-range wind transport of an infectious agent may cause KD

Kawasaki Disease (KD) is a severe childhood disease that many parents, even some doctors, mistake for an inconsequential viral infection. In fact, if not diagnosed or treated in time, it can lead to irreversible heart damage. After 50 years of research, including genetic studies, scientists have been unable to pinpoint the cause of the disease.

10 Nov 2011