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Global Fund to resume suspended grants to China

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which "froze disbursements of its AIDS grant to China in November and all other grants in May over suspected misuse of the money and the government's reluctance to involve community groups, ... said Tuesday that it was lifting the freeze on financing to ensure that AIDS work in China continued while it worked with government officials, representatives from United Nations agencies and private groups to resolve the dispute," the Associated Press reports.

25 Aug 2011

Study: Bone marrow transplantation may prolong period of cancer-free survival

Bone marrow transplantation with genetically modified cells may prolong the period of cancer-free survival, suggests a study led by Dr. Vivek Rangnekar, associate director of translational research for the Markey Cancer Center at the University of Kentucky.

25 Aug 2011

USPTO issues Notice of Allowance for Cortex AMPAKINE molecules to treat respiratory depression

Cortex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a patent that protects the use of AMPAKINE molecules for the treatment or prevention of respiratory depression.

25 Aug 2011

Researchers discover NPC1 protein as crucial for Ebola virus to enter host cells

Although outbreaks are rare, Ebola virus, the cause of Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is one of the deadliest known viruses affecting humans. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 1,850 EHF cases with more than 1,200 deaths have been documented since the virus was identified in 1976.

25 Aug 2011

Azithromycin can effectively reduce acute COPD exacerbations

A common antibiotic added to the usual treatment plan for some patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can reduce acute exacerbations — sudden onsets of worsened cough, wheezing and labored breathing — and improve quality of life, according to findings from the COPD Clinical Research Network reported in the Aug. 25, 2011, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

25 Aug 2011

Patients with liver disease may now access UCSD's new Nevada clinic

Patients in Nevada seeking care for liver disease may now access the university-level expertise of UC San Diego Health System's Center for Hepatobiliary Disease and Abdominal Transplantation.

25 Aug 2011

IMMY, University of Nevada receive FDA clearance for CrAg Lateral Flow Assay

The Food and Drug Administration has cleared a new diagnostic test that will help save the lives of hundreds of thousands of AIDS patients stricken with cryptococcosis, a fungal meningitis.

25 Aug 2011

Healthways to acquire Navvis

Ben R. Leedle, Jr., president and CEO of Healthways, announced that the Company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Navvis & Company, a St. Louis-based firm providing strategic counsel and change management services both to enable its healthcare system clients to become future-ready clinical enterprises and to align the incentives for all stakeholders.

25 Aug 2011

FDA approves Allergan's BOTOX to treat specific form of urinary incontinence

Allergan, Inc. today announced the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved BOTOX for injection for the treatment of urinary incontinence due to detrusor overactivity associated with a neurologic condition in adults who have an inadequate response to or are intolerant of an anticholinergic medication.

25 Aug 2011

Roundup: Interim agreement between Planned Parenthood and Ariz. approved; Kan. to release budget plan

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Richard Gama this week signed off on an agreement between Planned Parenthood and the state that allows most of the 2011 regulations to go into effect while the legal challenge continues.

25 Aug 2011

Married couples survive heart bypass surgery longer: Study

Research suggests that a happy marriage lengthens the lives of cardiac bypass patients. The researchers say that supportive spouses can provide encouragement to make it through tough lifestyle changes.

24 Aug 2011

Heart failure risk rises in people with diastolic dysfunction: Study

New research suggests that a common form of heart trouble called diastolic dysfunction appears to worsen over time and may lead to an increased risk of heart failure. In people with diastolic dysfunction, which often comes with advancing age, the heart's left ventricle fills with blood in an abnormal way and is accompanied by elevated filling pressures.

24 Aug 2011

Psoriasis drug and heart attack risk association unclear: Study

According to American researchers, although a review of published studies reveals that a new and highly effective class of psoriasis drugs does not appear to raise the risk of heart problems, the studies may not have been big enough to detect rare cases.

24 Aug 2011

Britons largely unaware of risks and symptoms of bowel cancer: Survey

The latest research reveals that many people are unaware of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer and do not know how lifestyle factors can contribute to risk.

24 Aug 2011

Parkinson’s disease breakthrough with stem cell research

A new stem cell study has raised hopes for therapy in Parkinson's disease. Researchers said they have, for the first time, generated stem cells from one of the most rapidly-progressing forms of the disease. They said the development will boost research into the condition because it will allow scientists to model the disease in laboratories and help them shed light on why certain nerve cells die. The research was led by the University of Edinburgh in collaboration with University College London (UCL).

24 Aug 2011

Rising numbers of assisted suicides, coroners turning a blind eye: Study

At least 10% of suicides in England are by someone with a chronic or terminal illness, found researchers who tried to obtain information on the subject from local health authorities.

24 Aug 2011

Health costs watch dog established

An organization that would independently determine the efficient price of services in hospitals will be announced by the Australian federal government as consumer concern about the rising cost of healthcare deepens.

24 Aug 2011

Physio-Control announces commercial availability of ReadyLink 12-Lead ECG device

Physio-Control, Inc., a global leader in emergency medical solutions and wholly‐owned subsidiary of Medtronic, Inc.,, today announced commercial availability of the ReadyLink™ 12-Lead ECG device, a new, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k)-cleared solution designed to improve care for heart attack patients and expand regional STEMI systems.

From Medtronic 24 Aug 2011

Constituents try to connect with deficit panel members over possible spending cuts

With the work of the 'super committee' picking up steam, news outlets report on how, while back in their districts for the August recess, some of the panelists are hearing concerns about Medicare and other entitlement programs. Meanwhile, former GOP Senator John Danforth recollects his first-hand experiences with the politics of deficit-cutting commissions.

24 Aug 2011

GetWellNetwork doing well with hospitals

In other health IT news, a study found that Google-type word searches of hospital medical records are better at detecting patient safety issues than searches using numerical billing codes.

24 Aug 2011