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Medtronic acquires PEAK and Salient

Medtronic, Inc. today announced that it has completed the acquisition of two privately-held companies, PEAK Surgical, Inc. and Salient Surgical Technologies, Inc. Both of the companies are focused on advanced energy surgical technologies and will broaden Medtronic Surgical Technologies' portfolio of innovative surgical products to meet customer and patient needs worldwide.

From Medtronic 2 Sep 2011

MRSA ‘superbug’: Everyone at risk!

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of staph bacteria that does not respond to commonly used antibiotic treatments, is a type of infection that has been a problem in hospital settings for many years. Back in 2000 it began steadily making its way into the lives of otherwise healthy people, especially children, who are not typically at risk for the fast-moving bacteria.

2 Sep 2011

Eating potatoes good for lowering blood pressure, also no weight gain

A new study refutes previous knowledge that potatoes lead to excessive weight gain. The study claims that eating ‘spuds’ daily can help lower your blood pressure; and moreover, there is also no weight gain involved.

2 Sep 2011

Viewpoints: Barrasso on employer insurance; Oberlander on austerity, Jennings on 'pick your poison'; Lamm on your mother

Most American workers value their employer-provided health insurance. It gives them the security of knowing they can get the care they need, from the doctor they want, at a price they can afford. All that will change drastically if the president's health care law remains on the books.

2 Sep 2011

FDA may be allowed an extra 2 months to review new drugs

The deadline for approval or rejection of new drugs by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could be extended by two months say U.S. regulators and drug industry officials.

2 Sep 2011

9/11 firefighters at greater risk of cancer

A new study shows that firefighters who were exposed to toxic dust and fumes clogging the air after the World Trade Center towers collapsed 10 years ago are more likely to develop cancer.

2 Sep 2011

Longer CPR may do more harm than good: Study

A new study reveals that providing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) for a longer period of time could actually harm certain patients. “We found that extra CPR didn't help and, in fact, in some patients it was not a good thing. It would make it worse,” said Dr. Ian Stiell, lead author of a paper published in the Sept. 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. “Our study showed that there's no reason to do two minutes of CPR or to delay defibrillation.”

31 Aug 2011

Bowel cancer, coffee and diabetes: Two new studies

Australian researchers have identified a link between type 2 diabetes in men and a significantly increased risk of bowel cancer, triggering calls for diabetics to have regular checks.

31 Aug 2011

Further acne treatment studies necessary: Experts

Researchers writing in the journal The Lancet suggest further research that is urgently needed for effective non-antibiotic treatments for acne, because of concerns regarding long-term antibiotic use and its contribution to bacterial resistance. Pharmacies are well stocked with a wide range of acne medications. However, evidence regarding their efficacy and which treatments work best for whom are limited, the authors added.

31 Aug 2011

Sunscreen pills from coral

Researchers have found that coral does not suffer from sunburn despite living in shallow water in tropical areas, because it is able to produce its own “natural sunscreen”. By studying the compounds which protect it from UV rays, researchers hope to develop a tablet which can protect human skin and eyes without the need for dark glasses or sun cream. Scientists from King's College London said the first sunscreen pill could be available within five years.

31 Aug 2011

Prostate cancer linked to pesticides: Study

Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have found an increased prevalence of prostate cancer among older men exposed to certain pesticides in Central Valley neighborhoods.

31 Aug 2011

FDA panel on post-approval studies of silicone breast implants

A panel of expert advisors to the FDA has been asked to look into the matter of the thousands of women who enrolled in studies designed to evaluate rare complications that might arise years after they received silicone gel breast implants.

31 Aug 2011

Americans ‘gulping’ down sweetened beverages: Study

According to health experts half of Americans drink a soda or sugary beverage each day. One in 20 people drinks the equivalent of more than four cans of soda each day. This is in spite of the health officials’ recommendation to limit sweetened beverages to less than half a can.

31 Aug 2011

New guidelines for the treatment of acromegaly, a serious growth hormone disorder

It’s said a lot can happen in seven days. In seven years, a lot has happened in the understanding of acromegaly, a debilitating condition that causes a patient to have too much growth hormone. It’s seven years since the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists last produced guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acromegaly. Their 2004 guidelines were just 13 pages long. Their latest, the 2011 guidelines, have grown – to 44 pages.

31 Aug 2011

U.S. newborn mortality rate higher than South Korea, Cuba, Malaysia, Lithuania, Poland and Israel: Report

According to a new report babies in the United States have a higher risk of dying during their first month of life than do babies born in 40 other countries. Some of the countries that outrank the United States in terms of newborn death risk are South Korea, Cuba, Malaysia, Lithuania, Poland and Israel, according to the study.

31 Aug 2011

Inadequate sleep linked to high blood pressure: Study

In the study, men with the lowest level of the deeper stages of slumber, known as slow-wave sleep, had an 80 percent higher chance of developing high blood pressure than men with the highest level of this restorative sleep. The link held regardless of other factors, such as obesity or how long the men slept.

31 Aug 2011

Aerobic exercise best for belly fat reduction: Study

A new study has shown that the best type of exercise to burn unhealthy belly fat is aerobic exercise. The results showed that people who did aerobics for eight months lost about 2.5 square inches of belly fat, as measured on a CT scan. That's about 1.5 times as much as people who did a combination of aerobic exercise and weight lifting, and about 20 times as much as those who only lifted weights.

31 Aug 2011

Guatemalan Syphilis study in 1940’s violated ethical standards: US presidential commission report

The U.S. presidential commission has found that U.S. government researchers violated ethical standards by deliberately infecting Guatemalan prison inmates and mental patients with syphilis for an experiment in the 1940s. This research did not treat Guatemalan participants as human beings and failed to inform them they were taking part in research study, calling into question the bioethics behind the study design.

31 Aug 2011

Women who eat fast have higher risk for obesity: Study

Researchers at Otago University say that more than a third of middle-aged New Zealand women eat fast and this tendency could be leading to increased weight gain. The advice “eat slowly, eat less” has been around for decades but, unlike many dieting myths, this one seems to hold water.

31 Aug 2011

HPV vaccination drives to prevent cervical cancers

Mexico plans to administer the vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cervical cancer, to all girls beginning next year, the country's health ministry said Tuesday.

31 Aug 2011