Medical News

RSS

Australian TGA approves Genzyme’s AUBAGIO to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis

Genzyme, a Sanofi company, announced today that the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved AUBAGIO (teriflunomide) 14 mg as a new once-daily, oral treatment indicated for patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

21 Nov 2012

Viewpoints: Protecting us from counterfeit medicines; Governors making excuses on insurance exchanges?; Simpson-Bowles and the health law

HHS has made it clear that after federally operated exchanges are up and running, states may eventually take over operations. This seems like wasted effort. States have the information they need to move on insurance exchanges. Governors who care about fiscal responsibility, strong state government and the basic welfare of their residents would do well to get with the program.

21 Nov 2012

Promising results for pneumococcal vaccine

Research published in The Lancet shows that the PHiD-CV10 vaccine is highly effective at protecting children against invasive pneumococcal disease.

21 Nov 2012

Poor oral health linked to severe mental health issues

UK study results show that individuals with severe mental illness who live in the community and receive community-based psychiatric care have poorer oral health than the national adult population.

21 Nov 2012

Scars mark hypertension risk in vesicoureteral reflux

Renal scarring associated with vesicoureteral reflux is a significant risk factor for developing hypertension, shows a study of pediatric patients.

21 Nov 2012

Flame retardants may cause neurodevelopmental problems in children

Children exposed to high levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers either prenatally or during childhood have poorer attention, fine motor coordination, and intelligence quotients than those exposed to low levels, show results from two studies.

21 Nov 2012

Cryoprecipitate plus tranexamic acid boost war injury survival

Administration of cryoprecipitate and tranexamic acid significantly improves the likelihood of survival among seriously injured patients requiring packed red blood cells, suggest results from MATTERS II.

21 Nov 2012

Metabolomics clue to postoperative delirium

The choice of general anesthetic in children influences their cerebral metabolism, which in turn affects their risk for postoperative delirium, an imaging study shows.

21 Nov 2012

Alternatives to colonoscopy for monitoring colorectal cancer risk

Researchers have found that there are effective alternatives to colonoscopy screening for managing people who have received an initial negative colonoscopy result for colorectal cancer.

21 Nov 2012

Watch-and-wait approach feasible following adjuvant therapy for rectal cancer

Patients with rectal cancer managed conservatively following a complete response to chemoradiotherapy achieve similar rates of disease control as those who undergo rectal resection, research shows.

21 Nov 2012

Personality influences placebo response

Researchers have found that resilient, altruistic, and straightforward individuals are significantly more likely to respond to a sham painkilling or placebo injection than those who are angry and hostile.

21 Nov 2012

Cataract specifics are not relevant to postsurgery improvement

Patient-reported improvements in vision after cataract surgery are high and are unrelated to the level of ocular comorbidity or whether the surgery is in the first or second eye, report researchers.

21 Nov 2012

Exercise relieves cancer fatigue

A review of studies spanning 45 years shows that exercise, particularly aerobic rather than strength- or flexibility-based training, improves fatigue in cancer patients.

21 Nov 2012

Symptomatic voice therapy enhances vocal exercise response in transgender patients

Vocal function exercises do not significantly improve the voice feminization of male-to-female transgender patients, but researchers say that symptomatic voice therapy and the experience of full-time living as a woman may help.

21 Nov 2012

Factors linked to cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia identified

The cognitive dysfunction regularly seen in schizophrenia patients may be associated with negative symptoms and medication-induced extrapyramidal symptoms, show study findings.

21 Nov 2012

Bipolar patients oblivious to medication non-adherence risks

European psychiatrists’ survey findings suggest that over half of all patients with bipolar disorder on prescribed medication show compliance issues, with most unable to attribute their deteriorating condition to this behavior.

21 Nov 2012

Computational apolipoprotein estimates ‘reliable’ for CV risk

Computational estimates of apolipoprotein B and apolipoprotein A1 can be used as reliable markers for atherosclerosis, report researchers.

21 Nov 2012

Electrophysiology: an interview with Dr Kaylene Young

Bioelectricity is an essential part of our make-up. All cells in our body communicate by electrical activity. If an electrical charge is applied to one of our muscles it will interpret that electrical activity as a signal telling it to contract.

21 Nov 2012

Tips on how to help children understand concepts of thankfulness during holidays

Most people are looking forward to the food, family gatherings and gift giving that comes along with the holiday season. Dr. William Hansen, a psychologist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, reminds parents that this is also the time of year when they should pause to say thanks and also reinforce this idea in their children.

21 Nov 2012

Health care executives accused of insider-trading scheme

Secrets passed at recreational basketball games, code words and calls on a pay phone outside a Virginia K-Mart marked what prosecutors say was a five-year insider-trading scheme fueled by corporate secrets leaked by health care executives. Federal prosecutors in New Jersey have accused six men -- including former executives at pharmaceutical company Celgene Corp. and medical-technology firm Stryker Corp. and some of their high-school friends -- of passing corporate secrets about their companies and using that information to make profitable trades.

21 Nov 2012