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Committed action, continued funding needed in global campaign against TB

A Lancet editorial responds to WHO's sixteenth annual report on global tuberculosis (TB) control, released on Oct 11, which shows that the incidence of tuberculosis has been falling worldwide since 2002, writing, "Successes in disease control in China and other countries show what sustained political and economic support can achieve. Rather than waiting for the elixir of economic success to arrive in all high-burden countries, committed action by donors, agencies, and governments in the most challenging settings is needed in the global campaign against tuberculosis."

22 Oct 2011

MRI helps researchers to study molecules directly in organs and tissue

Researchers at Lund University can now study molecules which are normally only found in very small concentrations, directly in organs and tissue. After several years of work, researchers in Lund have managed to construct an instrument that 'hyperpolarises' the molecules and thus makes it possible to track them using MRI.

22 Oct 2011

Researchers identify cancer cell cycle-regulated mechanism

Researchers from the NYU Cancer Institute, an NCI-designated cancer center at NYU Langone Medical Center, have identified a cell cycle-regulated mechanism behind the transformation of normal cells into cancerous cells.

22 Oct 2011

JAMA examines KFF/UNAIDS analysis on global HIV/AIDS funding

A news and perspectives piece in the current issue of JAMA examines a recent funding analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation and UNAIDS showing that "governments that support treatment and services for people with HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries cut their annual contributions in 2010 by 10 percent," spending $6.9 billion last year compared with $7.6 billion in 2009.

22 Oct 2011

Urban environments and women's health

Women's Health and the World's Cities (Penn Press 2011) explores the relationships of urban environments and women's health worldwide, a topic expected to grow in importance in the coming decades.

22 Oct 2011

Romark announces results from NT-300 Phase 2B-3 trial on influenza

Romark Laboratories announced that results of a large Phase 2B-3 US clinical trial of its new flu drug, NT-300 (nitazoxanide), will be presented as an oral late-breaking communication at the 49th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) being held in Boston, October 20-23, 2011.

22 Oct 2011

E-voucher program providing food to malnourished Zimbabweans living with HIV, TB

An electronic voucher system, introduced by the World Food Programme (WFP) and implemented by the health ministry and non-governmental organizations, is helping Zimbabweans living with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) and their families obtain food and fight malnutrition, PlusNews reports.

22 Oct 2011

New sleepwear now available for post-surgery breast cancer patients

For breast cancer patients, surgery is often the first line of treatment. Following surgery, patients must deal not only with the healing process, but also with lasting after effects such as scarring, skin sensitivity and body asymmetry. A new line of sleepwear now available to breast cancer survivors is the result of an ongoing research partnership between Ryerson University and Princess Margaret Hospital that examines how the side effects of surgery and treatment affect women's physical comfort, confidence and sexuality.

22 Oct 2011

Two proteins bind together to ignite and sustain malignant brain tumors

Two previously unassociated proteins known to be overly active in a variety of cancers bind together to ignite and sustain malignant brain tumors, a research team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reports this week in the journal Cancer Cell.

22 Oct 2011

U.N., U.S. Peace Corps sign agreement to work together to tackle food insecurity in 76 countries

"The United Nations and the United States Peace Corps signed an agreement [Thursday] to cooperate in combating worldwide hunger by increasing food security in the 76 countries where the more than 8,600 U.S. volunteers currently work," the U.N. News Centre reports.

22 Oct 2011

New neuroconomics study reveals how you make decisions

New research reveals how we make decisions. Birds choosing between berry bushes and investors trading stocks are faced with the same fundamental challenge - making optimal choices in an environment featuring varying costs and benefits.

22 Oct 2011

PATH B programme for patients with hepatitis B launches in Europe

A pioneering educational resource, designed to improve the lives of people living with chronic hepatitis B, was launched today at an annual conference organised by Bristol-Myers Squibb in Hong Kong where 26 patient advocacy groups from 14 countries and regions gathered to discuss viral hepatitis.

22 Oct 2011

Viewpoints: The toll of Medicare fraud; insurer's Medicare Advantage switch can confuse seniors

In a searing two-part investigative series earlier this week, the Chronicle's Terri Langford wrote about unscrupulous operators, here in Houston, who make millions of Medicare dollars exploiting the most vulnerable of our local residents through private ambulances and for-profit psychiatric clinics. Medicare, and American taxpayers, are footing the bill, which is enormous.

22 Oct 2011

AAN recognizes Loyola faculty member with nursing fellowship

Fran Vlasses, RN, PhD, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAAN, was inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Nursing on Oct. 15 at the academy's 38th Annual Meeting and Conference in Washington, DC. Dr. Vlasses is an associate professor and chair in the Department of Health Systems, Leadership and Policy at Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing.

22 Oct 2011

CHEMM-IST helps first responders to identify hazardous chemical exposure

Exposure to hazardous chemicals can cause serious illness quickly, but emergency medical providers often don't know the key piece of information that determines treatment: Which of the tens of thousands of toxic chemicals is making patients sick?

22 Oct 2011

Water shortages lead to cholera threat in Harare, government says measures in place to contain outbreak

Radio VOP reports on water shortages in the high-density suburbs of the Zimbabwean capital of Harare, writing that some "have gone for a week without water raising fears of a cholera outbreak and bringing back fresh memories of the 4,000 people across the country killed in a cholera disaster in 2008."

22 Oct 2011

Xencor commences XmAb5871 Phase 1 trial in autoimmune diseases

Xencor, Inc., a company using its proprietary Protein Design Automation (PDA) platform technology to engineer next-generation antibodies, announced today the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial of XmAb5871, the company's therapeutic antibody for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

22 Oct 2011

C-11 choline PET/CT scans can be utilized as prostate cancer staging tool

Recent studies have suggested that C-11 choline positron emission tomography/computerized tomography (PET/CT) scans can be utilized as a staging and potentially therapeutic tool in prostate cancer.

22 Oct 2011

WHO Director-General calls for sustainable development, investment to address social determinants of health

"Representatives from more than 100 governments around the world, health experts, civil society organizations and other stakeholders are converging in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for three days" at the WHO-convened World Conference on Social Determinants of Health "to discuss how social, economic and environmental conditions could be improved to reduce the health gaps within and between countries," a WHO press release states.

22 Oct 2011

No link between shockwave lithotripsy and diabetes: Study

A Mayo Clinic study finds no correlation between the use of shock waves to break up kidney stones and the long-term development of diabetes. The study was released Friday during a meeting of the North Central Section of the American Urological Association in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

22 Oct 2011