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Transplant wait-list deaths not just due to organ availability: Study

Most liver transplant candidates who died or were removed from the transplant list actually received one or more liver donation offers, according to a recent UCSF study.

23 Oct 2012

Computers, TVs may increase risk of poor lifestyle habits among children

Children who bask in the nighttime glow of a TV or computer don't get enough rest and suffer from poor lifestyle habits, new research from the University of Alberta has shown.

23 Oct 2012

Highlights of colorectal cancer research from ACG annual scientific meeting

Women under age 50 who have been diagnosed with endometrial cancer, and first, second and third degree relatives of patients with colorectal cancer may have an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC), according to two separate studies unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 77th Annual Scientific meeting in Las Vegas.

23 Oct 2012

SLU medical students to raise awareness about teen suicide among tech savvy millennials

Two Saint Louis University medical students are taking the multimedia route to raise awareness about teen suicide among tech savvy millennials.

23 Oct 2012

KIF3A protein ferries HIV to the plasma membrane

A study in The Journal of Cell Biology identifies a motor protein that ferries HIV to the plasma membrane, helping the virus escape from macrophages.

23 Oct 2012

Genzyme, Alnylam partner to develop and commercialize RNAi therapeutics against ATTR

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Genzyme, a Sanofi company, announced today that they have formed an exclusive alliance to develop and commercialize RNAi therapeutics targeting transthyretin (TTR) for the treatment of transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (ATTR) in Japan and other Asia-Pacific countries.

23 Oct 2012

Austrian researchers receive $7.4 million award to verify new breast cancer pathways

The innovator's award recognises Josef Penninger's work in identifying a key molecular pathway how hormone replacement therapies and contraceptive pills can lead to breast cancer. His team provided the first genetic proof that a protein called RANKL is the master regulator of bone loss, which has contributed to the development of a novel drug already approved for the treatment of osteoporosis and skeletal related events in multiple cancers.

23 Oct 2012

U.N. official calls food shortages in Southern Africa 'a chronic problem'

U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Catherine Bragg on Saturday said food shortages are "a chronic problem" in southern Africa, "where more than 5.5 million people in eight countries need aid this year, a 40 percent increase compared to 2011," according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Associated Press reports.

23 Oct 2012

Most pediatric hospital physicians communicate through cell phone text messaging

More pediatric hospital physicians are communicating through cell phone text messaging, rather than the traditional pager method, according to research presented Oct. 21 at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans.

23 Oct 2012

Romney, Ryan would support U.S. cuts in international family planning aid

"If Republican presidential nominee Gov. Mitt Romney and his vice-presidential running mate, Representative Paul Ryan, were to win next month's election, the harm to women's reproductive rights would extend far beyond the borders of the United States," a New York Times editorial says.

23 Oct 2012

Magnet hospitals reduce rates of patient death

Patients treated in magnet hospitals (specially designated for their nursing excellence) had 14 percent lower odds of death than those in non-magnet hospitals in a four-state study of 564 hospitals led by the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

23 Oct 2012

Abbott announces results from HUMIRA clinical studies on ulcerative colitis

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced results from an analysis of three-year long-term data from an ongoing open-label extension of the HUMIRA (adalimumab) ULTRA 1 and ULTRA 2 studies.

23 Oct 2012

Presidential candidates must discuss food, hunger in foreign policy debate

"What should President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Gov. Mitt Romney talk about during Monday's foreign policy debate? The force that can make or break a foreign policy: food," author William Lambers, who partnered with the U.N. World Food Programme on the book "Ending World Hunger: School Lunches for Kids Around the World," writes in a Tennessean opinion piece.

23 Oct 2012

Study looks at DNA sequences for receptors in T lymphocytes

Our immune system must be tremendously complex to respond to the unending assault of viruses, bacteria and cancerous cells. One of the mechanisms used by the immune system to cope with the huge variety of possible threats is to randomly combine DNA segments for the production of receptors on lymphocytes - a type of white blood cell.

23 Oct 2012

Examining ethics surrounding Taliban's ban on polio vaccination in Pakistan

Writing in the Global Bioethics Blog, Stuart Rennie, a bioethics researcher and professor, notes another polio worker was killed in Pakistan last week and describes Taliban opposition to U.S.-supported polio vaccination efforts in Pakistan.

23 Oct 2012

Combining distal protection devices with nicardipine improves post-PCI outcomes

Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital have shown that combining distal protection devices with the prophylactic use of the drug nicardipine is more effective at preventing life-threatening complications following a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (angioplasty, stenting) on patients who have undergone previous bypass surgery than distal protection devices alone.

23 Oct 2012

States facing, making health law decisions that could all change post-election

While next month's election will likely affect how states implement the health law's insurance exchange and Medicaid expansion provisions, state legislators are facing -- and making -- decisions on them now.

23 Oct 2012

X-ray technology improves early detection of pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is considered the fourth most common cause of death in the United States. Usually the precursor to this life-threatening lung disease is a chronic bronchitis. Partially destroyed alveoli and an over-inflation of the lungs, known as emphysema, are serious side effects. However, the subtle differences in the tissue are barely discernable in standard X-ray images.

23 Oct 2012

Reuters special report examines PAHO's 'partnership' with food, beverage industry

To fight chronic "diseases in Mexico, the nation with the world's highest rate of obese and overweight adults, a Reuters investigation found that WHO's regional office has turned to the very companies whose sugary drinks and salty foods are linked to many of the maladies it's trying to prevent," the news service reports.

23 Oct 2012

Experts discuss ways to improve outcomes in patients with acute cardiac disease

Experts in emergency cardiac care from around the world met in Istanbul to discuss ways to improve outcomes in patients with acute cardiac disease. This was the first annual meeting of the newly launched Acute Cardiovascular Care Association (ACCA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

23 Oct 2012