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New robotic surgical system can treat early-stage lung cancer

In a Canadian first, thoracic surgeons at Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network used a robotic surgical system to treat early-stage lung cancer by removing the cancer, along with a lobe of the lung. The use of this system improves outcomes after surgery and will expand the numbers of patients who can benefit from this type of minimally invasive surgical treatment.

1 Mar 2012

Cyclotides discovery may open up new possibilities for immune suppression

A team of researchers at the MedUni Vienna, together with scientists from the University Hospital of Freiburg, has decoded a mechanism in cyclic plant peptides, known as cyclotides, from the family of coffee plants (Rubiaceae) that could open up new possibilities for immune suppression.

1 Mar 2012

New data on how genes and age influence AD plaque deposition

When 225 researchers from around the world convened in Miami to exchange the latest on β amyloid positron emission tomography in January, there was a palpable sense of urgency. At the 6th Annual Human Amyloid Imaging (HAI) Conference, the possibility of approval, potentially within months, of the first amyloid-scanning compound for clinical use hung over the room.

1 Mar 2012

Parasitic worms could offer new treatment hope for MS patients

Parasitic worms could offer a new treatment hope for patients suffering from the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis, scientists believe.

1 Mar 2012

SIR to showcase latest minimally invasive treatments at 37th annual meeting

Health, science and medical reporters are invited to register now for the Society of Interventional Radiology's 37th Annual Scientific Meeting March 24 at Moscone Center (North), San Francisco, Calif. The meeting's theme, "IR Evidence," was chosen to focus on the results of care-changing investigations that showcase research into minimally invasive treatments that provide treatment options, advance patient care and improve quality of life.

1 Mar 2012

CD4 T cells can directly kill HIV-infected cells

A subpopulation of the immune cells targeted by HIV may play an important role in controlling viral loads after initial infection, potentially helping to determine how quickly infection will progress. In the February 29 issue of Science Translational Medicine, a team of researchers from the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), MIT and Harvard describe finding a population of HIV-specific CD4 T cells - cells traditionally thought to direct and support activities of other immune cells - that can directly kill HIV-infected cells.

1 Mar 2012

FoxO protein plays a significant role in regulation of skeletal muscle mass

If you want big muscles without working out, there's hope. In the March 2012 print issue of the FASEB Journal, scientists from the University of Florida report that a family of protein transcription factors, called "Forkhead (Fox0)" plays a significant role in the regulation of skeletal muscle mass.

1 Mar 2012

U-M summit to focus on shortage of medical technologies for children

The University of Michigan is hosting the three-day summit that will focus attention on the widespread shortage of medical technologies to help sick children.

From Medtronic 1 Mar 2012

Kodak seeks to end health coverage for Medicare-eligible retirees

Eastman Kodak Co., looking to whittle expenses as it reorganizes under bankruptcy protection, wants to end health care benefits for about 16,000 retirees who are over age 65 and thus eligible for Medicare.

1 Mar 2012

'The Harris County Jail: The Largest Mental Health Provider in Texas' to take place on March 2

Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia will deliver the keynote address, "The Harris County Jail: The Largest Mental Health Provider in Texas" at 9 a.m., Friday (March 2) at the University of Houston (UH), Rockwell Pavilion, M.D. Anderson Library. Media are welcome to attend the keynote address. A question-and-answer period will follow.

1 Mar 2012

Detailing efforts to implement the health law - an insider's view

After leaving ACA's Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight this year, Jay Angoff has remained a senior adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. ... Q: How did politics make it difficult for you to implement ACA? Angoff: The hard part had nothing to do with politics.

1 Mar 2012

Loss of STAT1 transcription factor causes breast cancer development

Breast cancer represents about a fifth of all cancers diagnosed in women. The reasons for the rapid progression of the disease remain relatively poorly understood but recent work in the group of Veronika Sexl at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna has pointed the finger strongly at loss or inactivation of the transcription factor STAT1.

1 Mar 2012

Romney wins Michigan, Arizona; Rivals press health policy barbs

In exit polls, some GOP voters said they were concerned about Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's health care policies. Rivals Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich offered parallels between the federal health law and the measure Romney signed while governor of Massachusetts.

1 Mar 2012

Gluten-free, casein-free diet more effective in improving ASD behaviors and symptoms

A gluten-free, casein-free diet may lead to improvements in behavior and physiological symptoms in some children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to researchers at Penn State. The research is the first to use survey data from parents to document the effectiveness of a gluten-free, casein-free diet on children with ASD.

1 Mar 2012

Sebelius testifies before House Ways and Means Committee

The Health and Human Services secretary said the administration was vetting candidates for the the Independent Payment Advisory Board and defended President Barack Obama's 2013 budget.

1 Mar 2012

Researchers refute widely accepted hypothesis about causative step in ALS

In science, refuting a hypothesis can be as significant as proving one, all the more so in research aimed at elucidating how diseases proceed with a view toward preventing, treating, or curing them. Such a discovery can save scientists from spending precious years of effort exploring a dead end. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Munich-based researchers refute a widely accepted hypothesis about a causative step in neurodegenerative conditions.

1 Mar 2012

Va. lawmakers approve scaled-back abortion ultrasound bill

Lawmakers in Virginia have passed a scaled-back version of a contentious ultrasound proposal that would force women to get a "non-invasive" ultrasound before having an abortion.

1 Mar 2012

ROSETTA Study to compare two therapies in women with overactive bladder

Overactive bladder, or the sudden urge to urinate, affects the quality of life of many women. Studies have shown that not all women respond to or can tolerate oral medications and may benefit from other therapies.

1 Mar 2012

Clinton discusses GHI in testimony on FY13 USAID, state department budget request

"People look to the U.S. to protect our allies; stand by our principles; serve as an honest broker in making peace; to fight hunger, poverty, and disease; to stand up to bullies and tyrants everywhere," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Tuesday in testimony to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, and she added that to do so "takes more than just resolve.

1 Mar 2012

New portable device can quickly diagnose infectious disease

Infectious diseases can spread very rapidly, so quickly identifying them can be crucial to stopping an epidemic. However, current testing for such diseases can take hours and days. But not for much longer.

1 Mar 2012