Medical News

RSS

Females can manipulate sex of their offspring

Females influence the gender of their offspring so they inherit either their mother's or grandfather's qualities. 'High-quality' females - those which produce more offspring - are more likely to have daughters. Weaker females, whose own fathers were stronger and more successful, produce more sons.

10 Jan 2012

Researchers create prostate cancer drug delivery system

Honing chemotherapy delivery to cancer cells is a challenge for many researchers. Getting the cancer cells to take the chemotherapy "bait" is a greater challenge. But perhaps such a challenge has not been met with greater success than by the nanotechnology research team of Omid Farokhzad, MD, Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) Department of Anesthesiology Perioperative and Pain Medicine and Research.

10 Jan 2012

Scientists analyze effect of nationwide tax on sweetened beverages

Every year, Americans drink 13.8 billion gallons of soda, fruit punch, sweet tea, sports drinks, and other sweetened beverages—a mass consumption of sugar that is fueling soaring obesity and diabetes rates in the United States. Now a group of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (SFGH) and Columbia University have analyzed the effect of a nationwide tax on these sugary drinks.

10 Jan 2012

Viewpoints: Santorum's record on health care; Forcing care on the mentally ill

In Iowa, the Republican presidential contenders tried to outdo one another in attacking reproductive rights as they sought the support of caucusgoers from the religious right. In New Hampshire, where voters are less socially conservative, the candidates have focused more on economic issues.

10 Jan 2012

Urinary biomarkers can diagnose AKI in high-risk patients

Acute kidney injury (AKI) has severe consequences, with a 25 to 80 percent risk of in-hospital death. Researchers have found a way to diagnose AKI using a urine test, enabling emergency departments to identify these high-risk patients when they first arrive at the hospital.

10 Jan 2012

Personalized therapies may improve survival and QoL of patients with glioblastoma

Personalized prognostic tools and gene-based therapies may improve the survival and quality of life of patients suffering from glioblastoma, an aggressive and deadly form of brain cancer, reports a new University of Illinois study funded by the NIH National Cancer Institute.

10 Jan 2012

Modified probiotics could one day decrease risk of Listeria infection

Modified probiotics, the beneficial bacteria touted for their role in digestive health, could one day decrease the risk of Listeria infection in people with susceptible immune systems, according to Purdue University research.

10 Jan 2012

Researchers create SketchUp program to help kids with autism

These days, we hear a lot about the disorder of autism, but researchers at the University of Utah have created a program that helps kids with autism focus on building their skills and utilizing an aptitude for visual-spatial thinking, computers and other electronic media.

10 Jan 2012

Biomet second quarter net sales increase 4% to $725.1 million

Biomet, Inc. announced today financial results for its second fiscal quarter ended November 30, 2011.

10 Jan 2012

AAN, Wolters Kluwer Health announce launch of Neurology Today for the iPad

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and Wolters Kluwer Health today announced the launch of Neurology Today for the iPad, a digital app of the most widely read newspaper for neurologists.

10 Jan 2012

RUMC moves 200 patients into new 14-story hospital building

After more than seven years of planning and three years of construction, Rush University Medical Center successfully moved approximately 200 patients into the Tower, Rush's new, 14-story, state-of-the-art hospital building, located at Ashland Avenue and the Eisenhower Expressway.

10 Jan 2012

DHA plays an essential role in creating healthy sperm

Who knew that male fertility depends on sperm-cell architecture? A University of Illinois study reports that a certain omega-3 fatty acid is necessary to construct the arch that turns a round, immature sperm cell into a pointy-headed super swimmer with an extra long tail.

10 Jan 2012

Insulin induces formation of new elastin in cultures of human aortic smooth muscle cells

New research reveals that insulin applied in therapeutic doses selectively stimulates the formation of new elastic fibers in cultures of human aortic smooth muscle cells.

10 Jan 2012

Roundup: Iowa weighs mental health care changes; Ariz. clinic seeks to cut ER costs

Republican and Democratic legislators and Gov. Terry Branstad have said they want to reform Iowa's mental health system to reduce waiting lists and provide more equitable services. Currently, each of Iowa's counties performs or contracts for mental health services for indigent residents. Critics contend the 99-county system has led to pockets of inferior, inequitable service, particularly in rural areas.

10 Jan 2012

Life Technologies takes orders for new benchtop Ion Proton Sequencer

Life Technologies Corporation today announced it is taking orders for the new benchtop Ion Proton Sequencer that is designed to sequence the entire human genome in a day for $1,000.

10 Jan 2012

Amylin outlines key strategic priorities for 2012

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today outlined its key strategic priorities for 2012, with a strong focus on driving the global commercial value of its diabetes franchise.

10 Jan 2012

Nicotine patch may boost memory in individuals with MCI

Wearing a nicotine patch may help improve memory loss in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, according to a study published today in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

10 Jan 2012

CNBG, Aeras reach final agreement to develop new TB vaccines

The global fight against the tuberculosis epidemic receives a boost today as Aeras and the China National Biotec Group (CNBG) announce that they have reached final agreement to jointly develop new tuberculosis (TB) vaccines.

10 Jan 2012

Fallujah doctors say chemicals from U.S. weapons to blame for high levels of birth defects

"While the U.S. military has formally withdrawn from Iraq, doctors and residents of Fallujah are blaming weapons like depleted uranium and white phosphorous used during two devastating U.S. attacks on Fallujah in 2004 for what are being described as 'catastrophic' levels of birth defects and abnormalities," Al Jazeera reports.

10 Jan 2012

Researchers uncover exact function of LARGE enzyme linked with MD

Researchers at the University of Iowa have worked out the exact function of an enzyme that is critical for normal muscle structure and is involved in several muscular dystrophies. The findings, which were published Jan. 6 in the journal Science,, could be used to develop rapid, large-scale testing of potential muscular dystrophy therapies.

10 Jan 2012