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Opioid-dependent patients have worse outcomes before knee replacement surgery

Patients who are dependent on opioids (narcotic pain relievers) for pain management before knee replacement surgery have much more difficulty recovering, a study recently published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) has found.

13 Nov 2011

New stem cell technique hopes to replace damaged cells in Parkinson's

Australian scientists have developed a new technique using stem cells, in the hope to replace damaged cells in Parkinson's disease. The technique could be developed for application in other degenerative conditions.

13 Nov 2011

Brazilian Ministry of Health, Bristol-Myers Squibb sign technology transfer agreement for Reyataz

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced a technology transfer agreement with the Brazilian Ministry of Health to expand access to Reyataz (atazanavir sulfate) in Brazil.

13 Nov 2011

Parkinson’s disease breakthrough using stem cell therapy

Australian scientists are on the brink of a discovery that could change treatment of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Transplanting stem cells could be the next big thing in PD therapy they claim.

13 Nov 2011

NICE refuses AstraZeneca breast cancer drug on NHS

Britain’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has refused another breast cancer drug from routine NHS use. This was not met with enthusiasm by the cancer charities which said that drugs of this type are “particularly valuable”.

13 Nov 2011

Salt – is it bad for the heart? Debate continues

Salt or high sodium intake in diet has drawn attention of researchers for a while now. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration held a day-long hearing today, discussing strategies to help Americans cut the salt from their diets as a latest attempt to curb sodium in the American diet.

13 Nov 2011

Religion promotes optimism, support systems, and reduced mortality risk in older women: Study

A new study released last Thursday showed that those who attend religious services regularly are more optimistic and have a lesser tendency to be depressed, compared to those who do not attend services at all.

13 Nov 2011

FDA warnings to retailers selling cigarettes to under-18s

The federal health regulators have lashed out at some 1,200 retailers for unlawfully selling cigarettes and other tobacco products to children under 18.

13 Nov 2011

Smoke-reducing chimneys prevent pneumonia among young children

Researchers at the University of Liverpool and the universities of California, Berkley and del Valle, Guatemala, have found that cases of severe pneumonia among young children are reduced by one-third in homes with smoke-reducing chimneys on cooking stoves.

11 Nov 2011

Including evangelical Christians in U.S. foreign aid discussion

"Washington is in an era of budget-cutting, so we frequently hear calls to shrink or eliminate U.S. foreign-assistance programs," which is why "several religious groups ... are highlighting how these programs reduce global poverty and hunger, saving millions of lives," Richard Stearns, president of World Vision USA, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

11 Nov 2011

Penn study on gut cell regeneration reconciles long-standing research controversy

The lining of the intestine regenerates itself every few days as compared to say red blood cells that turn over every four months. The cells that help to absorb food and liquid that humans consume are constantly being produced. The various cell types that do this come from stem cells that reside deep in the inner recesses of the accordion-like folds of the intestines, called villi and crypts.

11 Nov 2011

Rapid expansion of global vaccine campaign against pneumonia 'unprecedented'

"A global push to bring a vaccine against the bacterial cause of pneumonia to communities that need it most is ramping up quickly, expanding to nearly 60 countries in the next five years," PBS NewsHour's "The Rundown" reports.

11 Nov 2011

Super committee stalled as Nov. 23 deadline approaches

The panel's top Republican said Thursday the main obstacle to a deal is Democratic insistence that tax increases be coupled with reforming health care programs.

11 Nov 2011

Inflammatory arthritis or autoimmune disease ruled out as cause for joint pain associated with AIs

Researchers exploring why some women who take a common breast cancer drug develop serious joint pain have eliminated two possible causes: inflammatory arthritis and autoimmune disease.

11 Nov 2011

PEPFAR AIDSRelief shows success of country partnerships

Leia Isanhart Balima of Catholic Relief Services writes in this ONE blog post about the successes of the AIDSRelief program in Rwanda, and how that country's Ministry of Health has taken ownership over operations.

11 Nov 2011

UNICEF distributing hygiene, sanitation items in flood-affected Thailand to help prevent disease spread

"The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is distributing more than 300,000 hygiene and sanitation items to flood-affected families in Thailand, in an effort to prevent the spread of communicable diseases in the Asian country," Bernama reports.

11 Nov 2011

Medicaid update: Wis. approves big cuts; Wash. state lawsuit on ER visits; Kansas electronic medical records initiative

The Wisconsin Legislature's Republican-controlled state budget committee voted Thursday to approve about $225 million in Medicaid cuts expected to result in about 65,000 poor adults and children leaving health insurance programs, either because they would no longer be eligible or they could no longer afford coverage.

11 Nov 2011