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Mayo Clinic offers new technology for treatment of dry eye

Mayo Clinic in Arizona is the first medical center in Arizona and the Southwest to provide a new technology that treats dry eye by targeting blocked eyelid glands. Blocked glands can inhibit production of oil that is necessary for healthy tears needed to lubricate the eyes.

31 May 2012

Tart cherries may help reduce chronic inflammation in people with osteoarthritis

Tart cherries may help reduce chronic inflammation, especially for the millions of Americans suffering from debilitating joint pain and arthritis, according to new research from Oregon Health & Science University presented today at the American College of Sports Medicine Conference (ACSM) in San Francisco, Calif.

31 May 2012

New photoactive compound eradicates 'Iraqibacter' from wounds and skin infections

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have developed a novel approach for eradicating drug-resistant bacteria from wounds and skin infections, using light to trigger the controlled release of nitric oxide. The UCSC team developed a photoactive compound that releases nitric oxide when exposed to light, and loaded it into a porous, biocompatible material that could be applied as a sprayable powder.

31 May 2012

Men are not better at quitting smoking than women according to new study

There is “no convincing evidence” that men are better than women at quitting smoking, finds research published online in Tobacco Control.

31 May 2012

4,600 lives could be saved a year by cutting daily alcohol intake to half a unit (5g)

Cutting daily alcohol intake to just over half a unit (5 g), could save 4,600 lives a year in England, say experts in the online journal BMJ Open.

31 May 2012

Ketamine reduces suicidal thoughts in patients with bipolar depression

Bipolar disorder is a serious and debilitating condition where individuals experience severe swings in mood between mania and depression. The episodes of low or elevated mood can last days or months, and the risk of suicide is high. Antidepressants are commonly prescribed to treat or prevent the depressive episodes, but they are not universally effective. Many patients still continue to experience periods of depression even while being treated, and many patients must try several different types of antidepressants before finding one that works for them.

31 May 2012

Taiho to initiate TAS-102 Phase III trial in colorectal cancer

Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. announced on May 31 that a global Phase III clinical trial (RECOURSE) for the novel combination antimetabolite TAS-102 will start in June this year.

31 May 2012

NYU Langone establishes unique neuromodulation center

The Department of Neurosurgery at NYU Langone Medical Center has established a unique, multidisciplinary neuromodulation center for the treatment of complex neurological conditions including movement disorders like Parkinson's disease, chronic pain and psychiatric condition such as obsessive compulsive disorder and severe depression.

31 May 2012

Researchers look into value of adapted yoga for stroke rehabilitation

Researchers looking into the value of adapted yoga for stroke rehabilitation report that after an eight-week program, study participants demonstrated improved balance and flexibility, a stronger and faster gait, and increased strength and endurance.

31 May 2012

Skin transplant surgery safe and effective for patients with vitligo

Henry Ford Hospital dermatologists say skin transplant surgery is safe and effective for restoring skin pigmentation caused by the skin disease vitligo.

31 May 2012

Every Child Deserves a 5th Birthday weekly theme is PMTCT

"The Every Child Deserves a 5th Birthday theme for this week is prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT)," an e-mail alert from USAID reports, noting, "PMTCT provides HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support services for the whole family and is the most effective way to create an HIV-free generation."

31 May 2012

Top-line data from Flexion‘s FX005 Phase 2 trial on osteoarthritis

Flexion Therapeutics, Inc. today reported that its lead osteoarthritis drug candidate, FX005, demonstrated significant pain relief over placebo at four weeks in a Phase 2 proof-of-concept trial. Top-line data showed FX005, delivered intra-articularly to the knee, was well-tolerated and resulted in prolonged improvement in joint pain and function throughout the 12-week duration of the study.

31 May 2012

Aeras, IDRI partner to develop novel TB vaccine

In a guest post on the Global Health Technologies Coalition's "Breakthroughs" blog, Jamie Elizabeth Rosen, media and communications manager at Aeras, interviews Steven Reed, founder, president, and chief scientific officer of the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), "a 120-person non-profit biotech committed to applying innovative science to the research and development of products to prevent, detect, and treat infectious diseases of poverty."

31 May 2012

UCLA research projects aim to improve lives of children with serious illnesses

New hope for deadly pediatric brain tumors; opening the door to improved diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy in children; and advanced genetic testing to better understand the causes of autism and cancer in kids. These research projects are currently underway at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA under the umbrella of the UCLA Children's Discovery and Innovation Institute (CDI), and aim to dramatically improve the lives of children with serious illnesses.

31 May 2012

U.S. House poised for a series of health-related votes

Included on the list is a bill to repeal the health law's medical device tax and another to repeal the OTC ban. The device-tax issue has already emerged as a hot topic in many congressional races.

31 May 2012

Nouveau Life Pharmaceuticals launches new supplement for women with FSD

Nouveau Life Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the release of the first product in the Company's New Life Naturals line of quality, all-natural dietary supplements.

31 May 2012

U.N. releases annual Central Emergency Response Fund report

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Tuesday released its 2011 Annual Report of the Central Emergency Response Fund, which highlights the contributions of the U.N. Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to humanitarian partners in 45 countries in 2011, the U.N. News Centre reports.

31 May 2012

Three U.S. Army medical residents earn national awards at ACP annual meeting

Last month, U.S. Army medical residents and their program directors from around the country attended the American College of Physicians' (ACP) annual meeting to present their research, compete in national medical student abstract competitions and share their perspective as military officers with civilian peers. Three Army medical residents earned national awards for their research.

31 May 2012

IPS, AlertNet report on health issues resulting from climate change

Inter Press Service examines the relationship between climate change and family planning in least-developed countries (LDCs), writing the "double challenge of mitigating climate change and combating crushing poverty makes improving reproductive rights and promoting gender equality imperatives that can no longer be delayed, according to several recent reports and agreements."

31 May 2012

ProCure Proton Therapy Center successfully treats first cancer patient

Bound Brook, N.J. resident Frank Mackinson became the first patient to complete treatment at the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Somerset, N.J.— a milestone that was celebrated with family, friends and Mackinson's treatment team. The Somerset Center opened officially on March 20 (one month ahead of schedule), enabling Mackinson to begin treatment on March 28. Proton therapy is a precise form of radiation treatment for cancer without many of the short- and long-term side effects often experienced with standard X-ray radiation.

31 May 2012