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Hawaii bags “Happiest State” award for third year in a row

After an assessment of health and well-being of Americans in 2011 – known as Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, it was found that among the 50 U.S. states, Hawaii, with a score of 70.2, tops the list with the highest level of well-being. This is the third year in a row that Hawaii has come in first.

29 Feb 2012

Biogen Idec announces new easier to use injection for multiple sclerosis

The Food and Drug Administration approved the company's Avonex pen, an injection designed to reduce pain and anxiety when patients self-administer the drug. The FDA also approved a new dosing schedule for the drug intended to reduce flu-like symptoms often associated with the drug.

29 Feb 2012

HIV treatment to be extended to asylum seekers in UK

Now foreign nationals are to be offered free treatment for HIV under the NHS under plans backed by the government. Campaigners say the move in England will reduce the risk of Britons being infected and cut the costs of more expensive later treatment. Currently only British residents are eligible, which excludes migrants.

29 Feb 2012

Texas doctor caught in a $375 million fraud

A Texas doctor has been accused of running a massive health fraud care scheme with thousands of fraudulent patients and intermediaries allegedly offering cash, food stamps or free groceries, to cheat the Medicare and Medicaid of nearly $375 million.

29 Feb 2012

Sleeping pills may raise risk of death: Study

According to a U.S. study, people who take certain prescription sleeping pills even once in a while may be up to five times more susceptible to early death. In the U.S., an estimated six per cent to 10 per cent of adults used the drugs in 2010.

29 Feb 2012

Americans visiting the ER for dental problems ignoring preventive services: Report

Latest figures show that more Americans are turning to the emergency room for routine dental problems. This choice often costs 10 times more than preventive care and offers far fewer treatment options than a dentist's office. This comes from an analysis of government data and dental research.

29 Feb 2012

Statins to carry revised warning labels: FDA

The U.S. FDA announced today that they would add additional safety warnings to the labels on statins, a class of drugs that lower cholesterol. Statins – with brand names Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor work by inhibiting the enzyme that plays a big part in the liver's production of cholesterol.

29 Feb 2012

Walnuts associated with better memory scores and cognitive function

Do you recall what you ate for breakfast today or dinner last night? According to new research, you may have a better chance of remembering if you include walnuts. Recent findings published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease report walnut consumption in a Mediterranean diet is associated with better memory scores and cognitive function.

29 Feb 2012

Health care costs after self-castration significantly greater than elective outpatient surgical castration

Michael S. Irwig, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine, Anton Trinidad, M.D., PhD., associate professor of Psychiatry, and Matthew St. Peter, a fourth year medical student at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences, co-authored an article in the Journal of Sexual Medicine entitled, "Self-Castration by a Transsexual Woman: Financial and Psychological Costs: A Case Report."

29 Feb 2012

U.N. helps kick off polio immunization campaigns in Angola, Central African Republic

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday "launched a national polio vaccination campaign in Angola, where the crippling disease has returned despite being eradicated in 2001, and praised the government for its leadership on the issue," the U.N. News Centre reports.

29 Feb 2012

Tenfold increase in OARnet network bandwidth speeds will boost medical research

Following his State of the State announcement of a tenfold boost to OARnet's statewide network bandwidth, Governor John R. Kasich joined medical researchers from across the state on Feb. 27 in a video teleconference to discuss how the faster network speeds will help enhance innovation.

29 Feb 2012

Positive reaction from hospitals, consumer groups on 'stage 2' health IT rules

Both hospital and consumer groups are reacting positively to new federal rules meant to improve the effective use of the technology, and new electronic health records certification rules are released.

29 Feb 2012

Scientists to speak on cultural issues pertinent to rehabilitation research

Two scientists will represent Kessler Foundation at the 2012 Race, Ethnicity and Disabilities State of the Science Conference on March 1-2 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia.

29 Feb 2012

Novartis defends challenge to Indian medicines patent law

Pharmaceutical company Novartis "has spoken out following criticism about its challenge to India's patent laws, insisting that access to life-saving drugs is not under peril by the move," Pharma Times World News reports. The case, which the Indian Supreme Court is scheduled to hear next month, challenges "Indian patent law, notably Section 3(d), which states that a modification of a known chemical composition is non-patentable," the news service writes.

29 Feb 2012

Combination treatment for pancreatic cancer increases intratumoral gemcitabine levels

Oncologists who treat patients with pancreatic cancer may be one step closer to understanding why gemcitabine, the only currently available treatment, works in some cases but not in others, according to a paper in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

29 Feb 2012

Cold air can trigger coronary events

People with heart disease may not be able to compensate for their bodies' higher demand for oxygen when inhaling cold air, according to Penn State researchers, making snow shoveling and other activities dangerous for some.

29 Feb 2012

First Edition: February 29, 2012

Today's headlines include reports on yesterday's GOP presidential primary elections and how health policy played a role in some of the rhetoric.

29 Feb 2012

Alzheimer's disease drugs may act like a bad electrician

Alzheimer's disease drugs now being tested in clinical trials may have potentially adverse side effects, according to new Northwestern Medicine research. A study with mice suggests the drugs could act like a bad electrician, causing neurons to be miswired and interfering with their ability to send messages to the brain.

29 Feb 2012

Creabilis initiates CT327 Phase IIb trial in psoriasis vulgaris

Creabilis SA, a European biotechnology company specialising in the development of treatments for dermatology, inflammation and pain, today announced the start of the Phase IIb global clinical trial of its lead product CT327 in patients with psoriasis vulgaris. Recruitment is progressing well.

29 Feb 2012

Physical activity and diet program in doctor's office may be effective for obese people

A physical activity and diet program implemented by health educators working in a doctor's office may be a more effective way to get obese people to lose abdominal fat than advice from a doctor alone, according to a study from Queen's University.

29 Feb 2012