Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

FDA warns Bayer HealthCare on over-the-counter aspirin product

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today sent Warning Letters to Bayer HealthCare concerning two unlawful, over-the-counter (OTC) aspirin products - Bayer Women's Low Dose Aspirin + Calcium (Bayer Women's) and Bayer Aspirin with Heart Advantage (Bayer Heart Advantage).

28 Oct 2008

Newspapers examine effect of economic downturn on prospects for candidates' health proposals

The current economic downturn and the recent enactment of a $700 billion bailout for Wall Street firms could have implications for the next president's health care proposal, as well as other plans, the Chicago Tribune reports.

28 Oct 2008

Improved communication about medications reduces complications among patients using common blood thinner

Patients who report receiving written and verbal instructions on the proper way to take the blood thinner warfarin are significantly less likely to suffer the serious gastrointestinal and brain bleeding problems that are associated with misuse of the drug, according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

27 Oct 2008

New strategy to treat human infections caused by the yeast Candida albicans

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) have successfully tested a genetic strategy designed to improve treatment of human infections caused by the yeast Candida albicans, ranging from diaper rash, vaginitis, oral infections (or thrush which is common in HIV/AIDS patients), as well as invasive, blood-borne and life-threatening diseases.

27 Oct 2008

Sensitive ultrasound to spot early-stage cancer

European researchers have developed highly sensitive ultrasound equipment that can detect tiny quantities of reflective microbubbles engineered to stick to specific tumour cells. The technique should pick up tumours early and improve patients' chances of survival.

26 Oct 2008

Women who are overweight and obese find healthcare access and attitudes a constant struggle

Women who are overweight and obese can find accessing healthcare difficult and stressful, according to research in the latest UK-based Journal of Advanced Nursing.

23 Oct 2008

Mouse genes guide search for human anxiety disorder genes

We are all familiar with the question - "Are you a man or a mouse?" What if the answer is "a little of both"? Because of the power of molecular genetics research in animals and the maturation of animal models, the path to identifying genes involved in particular types of behavior, such as fear, is much clearer in animals than in humans.

23 Oct 2008

Could brain abnormality predict drug addiction?

Scientists at The University of Nottingham are to use MRI technology to discover whether abnormalities in the decision-making part of the brain could make some people more likely to become addicted to drugs.

22 Oct 2008

Developing depression after a heart attack increases one’s risk of death or readmission

Science has found many links between depression and other serious medical illnesses, such as cancer, stroke, diabetes, and heart disease. For example, people who develop depression following a heart attack (myocardial infarction) or chest pain (angina) have an elevated risk of cardiac death or hospital readmission over the following year.

22 Oct 2008

High-dose hormone treatment might reduce risk for posttraumatic stress disorder

Cortisol helps our bodies cope with stress, but what about its effects on the brain? A new study by Cohen and colleagues, appearing in the October 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry, suggests that the answer to this question is complex.

22 Oct 2008

New tuberculosis test reveals patients at risk

A recently introduced blood test can reveal which patients may develop active tuberculosis (TB) much more precisely than the 100-year old TB skin test, according to a new study published today in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

20 Oct 2008

Junior doctors in Australia struggling to cope

A new study by the Australian Medical Association (AMA) has found close to half of Australia's junior doctors think their heavy workload could compromise patient care.

20 Oct 2008

More hospital cleaners the answer to superbugs

Governments urged to fight pneumococcal disease

Pneumococcal disease, one of the world's leading causes of death and serious illness, must be recognised as an urgent global health issue together with HIV, malaria and TB, say the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Pneumococcal Disease Prevention in the Developing World in a report launching at the House of Lords today. Between 700,000 and one million children under the age of five die each year from pneumococcal disease, equivalent to malaria and more than AIDS and tuberculosis.

16 Oct 2008

Medication error rates to be reduced by technology

The use of new information technology could significantly reduce the number of drug-related injuries in Australian hospitals, according to Professor Johanna Westbrook.

16 Oct 2008

neuMirRx issued U.S. patent for "methods for enhancing solubility of compounds

neuMirRx Corp today welcomed the issuance of U.S. patent 7,345,093, entitled "Methods for Enhancing Solubility of Compounds" which covers novel formulation methods to enhance the solubility of hydrophobic compounds.

15 Oct 2008

HealthGrades buys Australian health portal WrongDiagnosis.com

Health Grades, Inc. has announced the acquisition of WrongDiagnosis.com, a highly trafficked health information and community web site based in Cairns, Australia.

14 Oct 2008

GE announces battery-free RFID sensor

GE Global Research has announced a battery-free, multi-detection radio-frequency identification (RFID) sensing platform that could enable a wide range of low cost wireless sensing products in healthcare, security, food packaging, water treatment and pollution prevention. GE's unique RFID sensors are built on traditional RFID tags.

14 Oct 2008

Lab tests online to benefit Czech Republic

EDMA, the European Diagnostic Manufacturers Association is proud to announce that the multilingual website, Lab Tests Online is now also available in Czech. The website, an online encyclopaedia on laboratory testing and related conditions, has been developed in Czech by the Czech Society of Clinical Biochemistry, CSKB, in cooperation with the national and European Diagnostics industry associations, CZEDMA and EDMA.

14 Oct 2008

TB Alliance receives pledge of up to $40 million from USAID

The Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance), a not-for-profit, product development partnership leading the development of new and affordable tuberculosis (TB) drugs, announced today a new grant and pledge of up to $40 million over the next five years from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

13 Oct 2008