Medical News

RSS

Global Health Technologies Coalition blog reports on health research projects in Kenya

In a post in the Global Health Technologies Coalition's "Breakthroughs" blog, GHTC's Kim Lufkin reports on her travels to Kenya this month "to visit global health research projects and see the impact on people in the country," writing, "Although we visited a range of projects, I was left with the lasting impression that much of this research is so close to producing new health tools that can lead to amazing innovations in public health," including "the first ever malaria vaccine, gels women can use to protect themselves from HIV, and new drugs for neglected diseases that affect the poorest of the poor."

29 Oct 2011

Researcher's compound disables bacteria instead of killing them

After 70 years, antibiotics are still the primary treatment for halting the spread of bacterial infections. But the prevalence of antibiotic resistance is now outpacing the rate of new drug discovery and approval. A microbiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) has discovered a different approach: Instead of killing the bacteria, why not disarm them, quashing disease without the worry of antibiotic resistance?

29 Oct 2011

Research roundup: Medicaid's long-term care bill; work-based coverage and the health law

This study examined Medicare data on beneficiaries diagnosed with colorectal cancer between 1995 and 2005 who ranged from 67 to 85 years old. The authors found, "Medicare beneficiaries with colon cancer had better outcomes if they had more primary care utilization before diagnosis. Even within this universally insured population, 28% of Medicare beneficiaries with colon cancer had no or only 1 contact with primary care physicians in the 3 to 27 months before the diagnosis.

29 Oct 2011

ZIOPHARM reports promising preclinical data with palifosfamide in pediatric sarcoma model

ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc., a drug development company employing small molecule and synthetic biology approaches to cancer therapy, today announced the presentation of promising preclinical data with palifosfamide in a pediatric sarcoma model.

29 Oct 2011

Researchers identify compound that inhibits viral replication

Broad-spectrum antibiotics, which are active against a whole range of bacterial pathogens, have been on the market for a long time. Comparably versatile drugs to treat viral diseases, on the other hand, have remained elusive. Using a new approach, research teams led by Dr. Albrecht von Brunn of LMU Munich and Professor Christian Drosten from the University of Bonn have identified a compound that inhibits the replication of several different viruses, including the highly aggressive SARS virus that is responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome.

29 Oct 2011

Scientists identify nicotinamidase enzyme as new drug target for Leishmaniasis

IRD scientist and their research partners recently identified the key role of nicotinamidase, an enzyme in the parasite Leishmania, essential for its survival but which does not exist in humans. The pathogen is incapable of developing in mammals In the absence of this enzyme. Specific targeting of this enzyme could lead to more effective ways of controlling this neglected tropical disease.

29 Oct 2011

Obama ahead in campaign cash race

The National Journal reports that President Barack Obama is outpacing the GOP candidates in fundraising from the health industry.

29 Oct 2011

NYUCN to study 'Test and Linkage to Care Among Injecting Drug Users Kenya'

New York University College of Nursing (NYUCN) received a five-year, $4,161,665.00 grant from the National Institute of Health's National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH/NIDA) to research "Test and Linkage to Care Among Injecting Drug Users (TLC_IDU) Kenya."

29 Oct 2011

Research breakthrough in lung regeneration

Scientists at A*STAR'S Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB), have made a breakthrough discovery in the understanding of lung regeneration. Their research showed for the first time that distal airway stem cells (DASCs), a specific type of stem cells in the lungs, are involved in forming new alveoli to replace and repair damaged lung tissue, providing a firm foundation for understanding lung regeneration.

29 Oct 2011

Tanzania becomes first country to use self-destructing syringes; designer hopes others will follow suit

"Tanzania is to become the first country in the world to move exclusively to using syringes that self-destruct after a British entrepreneur played the health minister undercover footage of children being injected with used needles," the Guardian reports.

29 Oct 2011

Free computer application accurately models human motion

There are 640 muscles in the human body, or maybe it is 639. Or maybe it is 850. Or 656. It all depends on whom you ask. In any case, it is a lot. Stanford bioengineer Scott Delp knows; he has programmed almost every one into his latest work, OpenSim, a software application that helps medical professionals and bioengineers study, diagnose and correct abnormalities in how people move.

29 Oct 2011

Thanksgiving Day tips for people with food allergies

Thanksgiving is about family, food and travel. And for the millions of Americans with allergies or asthma, it's about navigating a minefield of triggers, from the pumpkin pie to the dusty guest bedroom. "A number of holiday-related triggers can make people sneeze, wheeze or, in the case of food allergies, have a more serious reaction," said allergist Dr. Myron Zitt, past president of the Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). "But by planning ahead, the day can go smoothly for people with allergies or asthma."

29 Oct 2011

Pall, NIBRT co-host master class on single-use systems in manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals

Pall Life Sciences and the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) in Ireland recently co-hosted a master class on the use of single-use systems in the development and manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals.

From Pall Corporation 29 Oct 2011

More than 50,000 patients at high risk of SCA have been prescribed ZOLL's LifeVest

ZOLL Medical Corporation, a manufacturer of medical devices and related software solutions, announced today that more than 50,000 patients at high risk of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) have been prescribed the LifeVest Wearable Defibrillator.

29 Oct 2011

Food aid vouchers are faster, cheaper alternative than shipping food aid abroad

In this New York Times opinion piece, author Tina Rosenberg reports on the use of food vouchers by some aid organizations in Somalia, highlighting the efforts of World Concern, "a Seattle-based Christian humanitarian group, and its Somali partner, the African Rescue Committee, [which] provide 1,800 families every two weeks with rice, beans, cooking oil, salt and sugar for their tea."

29 Oct 2011

Number of polio cases in Pakistan exceeds total number reported in three other endemic countries, report says

According to a report published earlier this month in Virology Journal by a team at the bioinformatics laboratory of the Centre for Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB) in Lahore, Pakistan, that country is reporting more polio cases than Nigeria, India and Afghanistan -- the three other countries where the disease is endemic -- combined, SciDev.Net reports.

29 Oct 2011

Tips for people with allergies and asthma to enjoy holiday gatherings

Holiday gatherings are festive fun, but it's not easy to be the life of the party when you're sniffling, sneezing and wheezing. From the host's overpowering perfume to the nuts in the snack bowl, holiday parties can be a challenge for people with allergies and asthma.

29 Oct 2011

AAOS offers fall clean-up safety tips

Fall is the season for football, changing leaf colors, and – because of yard work – back injuries, tumbles from ladders and lawn mower accidents. Each year, thousands of Americans are injured cleaning gutters, raking leaves, washing windows and doing other chores. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) urges people to take the proper safety precautions to reduce the number of cleaning-related accidents this season.

29 Oct 2011

Study: Reduced secretion of beta-amyloid signals beginning of Alzheimer's

For decades the amyloid hypothesis has dominated the research field in Alzheimer's disease. The theory describes how an increase in secreted beta-amyloid peptides leads to the formation of plaques, toxic clusters of damaged proteins between cells, which eventually result in neurodegeneration. Scientists at Lund University, Sweden, have now presented a study that turns this premise on its head.

29 Oct 2011

NYUCN to study 'Midwifery: Primary Care and Health Literacy Program Enhancement'

New York University College of Nursing (NYUCN) received a three -year, $1,002,318.00 grant from the Human Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) to research "Midwifery: Primary Care and Health Literacy Program Enhancement."

29 Oct 2011

Medical News

Global Health Technologies Coalition blog reports on health research projects in Kenya

Researcher's compound disables bacteria instead of killing them

Research roundup: Medicaid's long-term care bill; work-based coverage and the health law

ZIOPHARM reports promising preclinical data with palifosfamide in pediatric sarcoma model

Researchers identify compound that inhibits viral replication

Scientists identify nicotinamidase enzyme as new drug target for Leishmaniasis

Obama ahead in campaign cash race

NYUCN to study 'Test and Linkage to Care Among Injecting Drug Users Kenya'

Research breakthrough in lung regeneration

Tanzania becomes first country to use self-destructing syringes; designer hopes others will follow suit

Free computer application accurately models human motion

Thanksgiving Day tips for people with food allergies

Pall, NIBRT co-host master class on single-use systems in manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals

More than 50,000 patients at high risk of SCA have been prescribed ZOLL's LifeVest

Food aid vouchers are faster, cheaper alternative than shipping food aid abroad

Number of polio cases in Pakistan exceeds total number reported in three other endemic countries, report says

Tips for people with allergies and asthma to enjoy holiday gatherings

AAOS offers fall clean-up safety tips

Study: Reduced secretion of beta-amyloid signals beginning of Alzheimer's

NYUCN to study 'Midwifery: Primary Care and Health Literacy Program Enhancement'

Advancing Menopause Care: Non-Hormonal Treatments for Vasomotor Symptoms

Building quality into drug development for safer, faster medicines

How Pulp Fixin Is Turning Paper into High-Performance Sustainable Labware

Latest News