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Good oral health habits begin even before the first baby teeth appear

For many parents, thoughts of their children's dental health often comes long after the first baby teeth appear. Yet a lifetime of good oral health habits begins even with toothless infants, says Dr. Louis Amendola, D.D.S., Chief Dental Director at Western Dental Services, Inc.

2 Mar 2011

New study identifies recurrent wound botulism among injection drug users

Botulism is a rare disease and recurrent botulism even more rare. However, in California, recurrent wound botulism among injection drug users has been on the rise and makes up three-quarters of reported cases in the United States.

28 Feb 2011

Study investigates risk of dysphagia after radiotherapy treatment for head & neck cancer

At the 3rd International Conference on innovative approaches in Head and Neck Oncology (ICHNO), Dr Hanna Rahbek Mortensen and colleagues at hospitals and institutes in Denmark presented results from a large prospective trial, the DAHANCA 6 & 7 study. The study, conducted across the country, investigated risk factors for developing dysphagia (swallowing dysfunction), after undergoing radiotherapy treatment for a head & neck cancer.

25 Feb 2011

Tulane surgeon performs new robotic-assisted surgery to treat head, neck cancers

Tulane University School of Medicine surgeon Dr. Paul Friedlander is performing a new, less-invasive form of robotic surgery to treat head and neck cancers.

9 Feb 2011

Study finds heartburn as a common condition in Iceland

Heartburn is a signature symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which is a cluster of symptoms and signs associated with regurgitation of stomach acid up to the pharynx and mouth. Patient-based studies of GERD have shown high prevalence and chronicity, particularly in Western societies. GERD is associated with significant health-care utilization and diminished quality of life.

8 Feb 2011

Dermatologists offer preventative tips to minimize pesky skin problems caused by plants

What may start as a seemingly harmless day of gardening or yard work can quickly take a turn for the worse when common plants make their mark on the skin, causing a host of mild to even severe skin reactions. That is why dermatologists are arming outdoor enthusiasts with preventative tips to keep these perils of the great outdoors at arm's length.

4 Feb 2011

Tonsillectomy linked to obesity later in life: Study

The study involved 795 children from 0 to 18 years who were described as normal to overweight prior to their operations, and they were separated into three separate groups. Group 1 included three studies involving 127 children, whose body mass index (BMI) increased by 5.5 per cent to 8.2 per cent.

2 Feb 2011

Successful larynx transplant for Californian woman

In a breakthrough, a surgical team in California on Thursday announced that they had successfully replaced the larynx of a 52-year-old woman who hadn’t been able to speak or breathe on her own for more than a decade.

20 Jan 2011

New study provides insight into developing therapeutics for airway disease

Researchers from Duke University Medical Center have identified how nanoparticles from diesel exhaust damage lung airway cells, a finding that could lead to new therapies for people susceptible to airway disease.

19 Jan 2011

Magnetic maneuverable capsule safe and well-tolerated in the stomach

A study from researchers in Germany showed that magnetic maneuvering of a modified capsule endoscope in the stomach of healthy volunteers under clinical conditions is safe, well-tolerated, and technically feasible. Maneuverability of the capsule within the stomach was excellent and visualization of the gastric mucosa, the inner lining of the stomach, was satisfactory in the majority of subjects.

19 Jan 2011

SciClone initiates phase 2b study of SCV-O7 for oral mucositis

SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCLN) today announced the enrollment of the first patient in the company's phase 2b clinical trial of SCV-07 for the prevention of oral mucositis (OM) -- a painful, debilitating, and costly toxicity caused by chemoradiotherapy regimens used to treat head and neck cancer.

11 Jan 2011

New research sheds light on complex regulatory pathways for effective innate immune system

New research by scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences reveals that the immune system has an effective backup plan to protect the body from infection when the "master regulator" of the body's innate immune system fails.

21 Dec 2010

Robotic surgery as effective as other minimally invasive techniques for head and neck squamous cell carcinomas

Less-invasive robotic surgery for upper airway and digestive track malignant tumors is as effective as other minimally invasive surgical techniques based on patient function and survival, according to University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers.

21 Dec 2010

Geisinger Medical Center performs first transcervical thymectomy

The Department of Thoracic Surgery at Geisinger Medical Center (GMC) recently performed its first transcervical thymectomy, joining other major academic medical centers nationwide that perform the minimally invasive surgical procedure.

9 Dec 2010

CSC files IND application to commence Phase I study for Spinal Muscular Atrophy

California Stem Cell, Inc. (CSC) and Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (FSMA) announced today that CSC has filed an investigational new drug (IND) application with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval to commence a Phase I safety study on a jointly-developed stem cell-derived motor neuron transplantation therapy for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type I.

2 Dec 2010

Collegium completes spin-out of Onset Therapeutics

Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, announced today that it has completed the spin-out of Onset Therapeutics, LLC, its wholly owned subsidiary focused on the Dermatology market.

2 Dec 2010

New experimental device could offer effective treatment option for people with swallowing disorders

In what might be one of the world's first medicinal body piercings, UC Davis Health System surgeons announced today that they have successfully implanted an experimental device in the throat of a man that will enable him to manually control his ability to swallow.

1 Dec 2010

NC family hopes to win Pepsi Refresh Project grant to fund research for Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood

A Rolesville, NC family is hoping to win the Pepsi Refresh Project that could help to find a cure for a rare neurological disorder for which there is no current cure. Matthew Wuchich, age 3, was diagnosed with Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood or AHC when he was 18 months old. Winning the grant is important to the family and to others with the disease since rare diseases often are overlooked by more common ailments.

23 Nov 2010

New editorial dispel doubts about Lou Gehrig's ALS diagnosis

A recent study suggesting that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may be attributed to repetitive head trauma experienced in collision sports lacks scientific epidemiological evidence to support this claim.

20 Nov 2010

Robot-assisted endoscope removes salivary stone, repairs duct

Dr. Rohan Walvekar, Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Director of Clinical Research and the Salivary Endoscopy Service at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has reported the first use of a surgical robot guided by a miniature salivary endoscope to remove a 20mm salivary stone and repair the salivary duct of a 31-year-old patient.

19 Nov 2010