Medical News

RSS

Viewpoints: Blocking an abortion option for military women; Plan B pushback; Solving Wis. doc shortage

Republican Senate leaders have an odd way of showing gratitude for the dedication and sacrifices of the more than 200,000 women on active duty in the military. Late last month, they blocked consideration of an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would have lifted the statutory ban that denies female service members coverage for abortion care in cases of rape and incest.

13 Dec 2011

ADHD drugs not bad for the heart: Study

Drugs widely prescribed for attention disorders like Ritalin, Adderall and other drugs, did not increase the risk of serious heart problems in a major study published Monday. This could assure parents of children on these medications on heart-related safety of the medicines.

12 Dec 2011

Detox diets useless – eat less and exercise more for good health

Detox diets may promise to help lose weight and purge the body of poisoning chemicals but the only thing that detox products will help lose is money, a British researcher says.

12 Dec 2011

Parents blame swine flu vaccine for son’s narcolepsy

A six year old boy’s parents have claimed that he developed narcolepsy after a swine flu vaccination. Caroline Hadfield said son Josh lost muscle control and started sleeping up to 19 hours a day three weeks after being given Pandemrix nearly two years ago.

12 Dec 2011

Alternative cures for cancer lure people and may cause more harm than good: Study

According to doctors thousands of cancer patients are turning to alternative treatments that could harm them and ultimately claim their lives. There have been cases of alternative practitioners who have tricked vulnerable patients into fraudulent cancer therapies. This fails to deter most people shows a new study.

12 Dec 2011

New nutrition guidelines for healthier living

Figures reveal that more than one third of an average Australian’s diet is made up of fast food that is energy rich but nutrient poor foods and sugary drinks. This is coupled with 62% Australian adults and 25 per cent of children and adolescents being clinically obese. Well balanced nutrition can reduce health risks and only an apple a day can save up to $55m a year in health costs.

12 Dec 2011

Alzheimer’s disease vaccine developed by Australian scientists

Scientists from the University of Sydney on Saturday have announced that they have developed a vaccine to help halt the progression of Alzheimer's disease of humans. The progress of neurodegenerative condition affects more than 35 million people worldwide.

12 Dec 2011

Sound sleep despite technology overload: Study

Researchers at the University of Sydney have found there has been no significant change over almost 20 years in the average amount of sleep that Australians are getting. There have been concerns that an average Australian might be losing out on sleep due to the technology overload from computers and mobile phones.

12 Dec 2011

Abortion does not raise risk of mental ailment: Experts

A major review by experts concludes that abortion does not raise the risk of a woman suffering mental health problems. Data from 44 studies showed women with an unwanted pregnancy have a higher incidence of mental health problems in general. This is not affected by whether or not they have an abortion or give birth.

12 Dec 2011

Side effects and non-compliance with breast cancer therapy

Yet another study showed that more than a third of women taking a certain class of breast cancer drugs are so bothered by side effects that they stop taking the pills before their treatment is complete

12 Dec 2011

Risk of breast cancer in the genetically predisposed

A new study showed that women who have been successfully treated for cancer in one breast and who carry the BRCA1 or BRCA2 cancer gene are at increased risk for developing cancer in their other breast.

12 Dec 2011

Bone drug effective in improving breast cancer survival

In a chance finding a bone drug was found to be effective in breast cancer. While doctors were prescribing young women a medicine to keep their bones strong during breast cancer treatment they noted that after seven years it did more than that - the bone drug improved survival, as much as most chemotherapy could do.

12 Dec 2011

Gene therapy for bleeding disorder Hemophilia B

In a landmark study, researchers used gene therapy to successfully treat six patients with severe hemophilia, a blood-clotting disorder. Despite the early nature of the study, it is promising. A single infusion using the new treatment worked in some patients for more than a year, boosting their clotting ability significantly.

12 Dec 2011

IRIDEX announces data from MicroPulse laser therapy study on DME

IRIDEX Corporation today announced that data from a clinical study compiled over 10 years demonstrates the safety and efficacy of MicroPulse laser therapy for treating diabetic macular edema (DME) without the retina tissue damage associated with conventional laser therapy.

12 Dec 2011

Second annual clinical meeting of Cell Society to be held in San Diego

Although demand and interest in adult stem cell therapies are increasing, it has been challenging for physicians, patients and policy-makers to retrieve the most current and accurate information available. Cell Society International is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the clinical applications of adult stem cell therapies worldwide. Cell Society firmly believes that cell therapies offer improved medical treatment for many complicated and hard to treat diseases/injuries.

12 Dec 2011

InVivo co-founder receives 2011 The Economist annual Innovation Award in Bioscience

InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp., a company focused on the development of groundbreaking technologies for the treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI), today congratulates Robert S. Langer, Sc.D., InVivo co-founder and member of the Company's Scientific Advisory Board, for his selection as the recipient of the 2011 The Economist annual Innovation Award in Bioscience.

12 Dec 2011

WTC disaster results in increased risk of physical and mental health conditions after 9/11

The World Trade Center disaster exposed nearly half a million people to hazardous chemicals, environmental toxins, and traumatic events. According to research published in the December 2011 issue of Elsevier-published journal Preventive Medicine, this has resulted in increased risk of developing physical and mental health conditions after 9/11.

12 Dec 2011

PDL corrects earlier-announced adjusted conversion rates for two Notes

PDL BioPharma, Inc. (PDL) today corrected its earlier-announced adjusted conversion rate for its: 2.875% Convertible Senior Notes due February 15, 2015 (February 2015 Notes), to 155.396 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount, reflecting a conversion price of approximately $6.44 per share, effective December 9, 2011.

12 Dec 2011

Soligenix reports results from orBec Phase 2 trial on acute GVHD

Soligenix, Inc., a development stage biopharmaceutical company, announced the publication of results from its investigator-initiated Phase 2 "proof-of-concept" exploratory clinical trial of orBec for the prevention of acute Graft-versus-Host disease (GVHD) in patients undergoing myeloablative conditioning regimens with initiation of dosing prior to hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and continuing through the post-transplantation period.

12 Dec 2011

Mazor Robotics to purchase Renaissance system for spine surgeries

Mazor Robotics Ltd., the leader in innovative surgical robots and complementary products for spine surgery, signed an agreement for the purchase of a Renaissance system with Richard R. M. Francis, MD, of Spine Associates of Houston and the Houston Orthopedic and Spine Hospital, formerly known as Foundation Surgical Hospital, in Bellaire, Texas.

12 Dec 2011