Medical News

RSS

Baby Jaya receives a pacemaker 15 mins after birth

Little Jaya lived up to her name which in Hindi means victorious. Jaya Maharaj became one of the smallest recipients of a pacemaker when she was just 15 minutes old.

15 Feb 2012

Counterfeit anti-cancer drug Avastin raises concerns

The market is flooded with a counterfeit version of cancer drug Avastin worry doctors and patients. Injectable drugs have become increasingly attractive to counterfeiters, in part because they often fetch a higher price than regular pills.

15 Feb 2012

Researchers develop new way to culture TB bacteria

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one-third of the world's population is currently infected with tuberculosis bacteria. The bacteria is incredibly resistant to treatment, and despite its prevalence, very little is known about why it is so stress tolerant. But, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have been developing a new way of culturing tuberculosis bacteria, which could lead to new insights and treatments.

15 Feb 2012

Mencap accuses hospitals of discriminating against patients with learning disabilities

Mencap - a charity organization claimed today that 74 NHS patients with learning disabilities have needlessly died in the last decade because of discrimination. It accused the health system of failing to provide adequate care to those with learning disabilities.

15 Feb 2012

Disrupted sleep may raise risk of Alzheimer’s disease

According to a new study, which will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans, April 21st to April 28th, the amount of sleep people get may later affect their memory's function and the risk of Alzheimer's.

15 Feb 2012

St. Jude Medical to examine cost-effectiveness of FFR-guided therapy in Australia, Asia

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, announced today it will evaluate the incremental cost-effectiveness of Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR)-guided treatment for patients with multivessel coronary artery disease in Japan, China, India, Korea, and Australia.

15 Feb 2012

Patient feedback on how NHS hospitals are doing important

Patients are reportedly happy with the services they received at the Weston General Hospital outpatient department. The survey of 850 patients revealed Weston Area Health NHS Trust has improved in 13 areas since the last survey in 2009 and performs significantly better than other NHS trusts in 12 areas.

15 Feb 2012

Gen-Probe receives FDA approval for PROGENSA PCA3 assay

DiagnoCure, Inc., a Quebec life sciences company that develops and commercializes high‐value cancer diagnostic tests, announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Gen-Probe's PROGENSA PCA3 (Prostate Cancer Antigen 3) assay, the first molecular test to help determine the need for repeat prostate biopsies in men who have had a previous negative biopsy.

15 Feb 2012

Large number of Australians with high blood pressure and heart disease risk

For the study researchers from Melbourne-based Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute looked at medical records of 532,050 patients who visited GPs between 2005 and 2010 and found 36 per cent, had high blood pressure. At least 250,000 patients did not meet individual blood pressure targets, placing them at risk of future heart attacks or strokes.

15 Feb 2012

World’s “fattest man” needs an army of carers

Keith Martin, 42, a 58-stone man who is believed to be the world’s fattest person, has revealed he is tended to by seven carers a day, costing an estimated £50,000 a year to the taxpayer.

15 Feb 2012

Kansas House approves 'compact' bill opposing health law; Conn., Alaska moving ahead with exchanges; Mass. reform very popular

The proposed change has the support of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, who chairs the exchange board. The bill would add two voting members to the board. One would be a small employer and ... [the other] would be "a consumer of specialized health care services for a disability, a chronic illness or special needs, or of health care services."

15 Feb 2012

Pregnant mothers who are vitamin D deficient raise risk of language difficulties in kids: Study

The Telethon Institute for Child Health Research study is the first to show low levels of the vitamin in utero can harm a child's language development, including the ability to pick up new words and string together sentences.

15 Feb 2012

FDA approves preservative-free drug for glaucoma

The U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has approved tafluprost ophthalmic solution (Zioptan, Merck) 0.0015%, the first preservative-free prostaglandin analog ophthalmic solution for glaucoma.

15 Feb 2012

Air pollution raises risk of stroke and cognitive decline

According to data from two studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine exposure to air pollution may have serious cognitive and cardiovascular health consequences, even at levels currently deemed acceptable by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

15 Feb 2012

Mediterranean diet could prevent brain damage in the long term: Study

A new study suggests that people who follow a Mediterranean-style diet have less small blood vessel damage in the brain. The study appeared in the February issue of the Archives of Neurology.

15 Feb 2012

400 lipsticks found to contain too much lead and could be harmful

Reuters first reported that a new study conducted by the FDA found that 400 lipsticks on the market tested positive for lead, according to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition that advocates for safer cosmetics and hygiene products.

15 Feb 2012

Heart attack scars mended using stem cells

Researchers from United States have successfully healed the scars caused by a heart attack using stem cells gathered from the patient's own heart. The amount of scar tissue was halved in the small safety trial reported in the Lancet medical journal. The authors said there was also an “unprecedented” increase in new heart muscle.

15 Feb 2012

IOM recommendations for healthful diet to children and adolescents not fully implemented

New research has found that the US government and schools have made mixed progress to comprehensively address food and beverage marketing practices that put young people's health at risk.

15 Feb 2012

Online anatomy dissector a 'superb learning tool': JAMA

A Georgetown University School of Medicine professor's online anatomy dissector designed to assist medical students in learning gross anatomy is described as a "superb learning tool" in a review published in the February 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

15 Feb 2012

Surgeons fix plumbing in the heart of newborn 5 days old

Keyota Cole was born with a bad heart. The 33-year-old from of Bakersfield, Calif., suffers from a congenital heart disease called Ebstein's malformation of the tricuspid valve, and from abnormal pulmonary veins. She has undergone multiple surgeries over her lifetime, including one to repair a hole in her heart, a valve replacement and the implantation of a pacemaker.

15 Feb 2012