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Optimer receives FDA approval for Dificid tablets to treat C. difficile-associated diarrhea

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Dificid tablets for the treatment of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea.

30 May 2011

McConnell, Romney, freshmen Republicans face tough questions on GOP Medicare plan

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Friday that Medicare reform must be part of an agreement to raise the debt ceiling, despite indications that changing the entitlement will be politically unpopular. Democrats made Medicare reforms pushed by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan a central issue in a special election in upstate New York they won last week.

30 May 2011

Cholesterol drug Niaspan fails to protect heart: Study

According to researchers at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), increasing the dose of niacin to patients with heart disease who are already taking a cholesterol-lowering statin does nothing extra to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Approximately one out of seven Americans have high blood cholesterol, a main risk factor in heart disease, which kills some 800,000 people in the United States annually.

29 May 2011

FDA scraps food pyramid for food plate

The Obama government is all set to ignore the food pyramid, that symbol of healthy eating for the last two decades. In its place officials are dishing up a simple, plate-shaped symbol, sliced into wedges for the basic food groups and half-filled with fruits and vegetables.

29 May 2011

Ultra bad cholesterol

Bad cholesterol, known as LDL is known to be sticky but this ultra –bad called MGmin-LDL is found to be stickier meaning it's more likely to attach to arterial walls. This is more dangerous because when LDL attaches to artery walls it forms fatty plaques that cause coronary heart disease (CHD). As fatty plaques grow, they narrow the arteries and reduce blood flow and also may trigger a stroke or heart attack. CHD is the most common type of heart disease and kills almost 450,000 Americans each year.

29 May 2011

Flu vaccines at the ready this season

Manufacturers of flu vaccines are nearly ready with the new supply of vaccinations for this upcoming flu season in the northern hemisphere. Two weeks ago, five vaccine manufacturers announced plans to make between 166 million and 173 million doses for the coming season. That's at least 6 million more than the maximum ever produced. However they add that many might not actually need the shots.

29 May 2011

Alcohol related hospital admissions rise sharply: Report

The number of alcohol-related hospital admissions in England has exceeded one million in a year for the first time say reports. The reports reveal that the number of drink-induced hospital visits has more than doubled since 2003, with a 12 per cent year-on-year increase between April 2009 and March 2010 pushing the total to 1,057,000.

29 May 2011

Doctor rating website upsets medical groups

Australian doctors are miffed about a website that will for the first time publicly rank the performance of the nation's medical practitioners. The Newcastle-based health fund NIB will launch a website - whitecoat.com.au next month which will compare dentists, physiotherapists and other health providers on the internet. But the Australian Medical Association (AMA) says it is certain to make unfair comparisons.

29 May 2011

High blood pressure becoming more common in young adults: Study

According to a new study about one in five young adults may have high blood pressure. The researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill analyzed blood pressure data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, called Add Health, and compared it with data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, commonly referred to as NHANES. They focused specifically on the information about adults age 24 to 32.

29 May 2011

Efficacy of Abbott cholesterol drug in question

A latest study has found that using medication to raise good cholesterol while lowering the bad does NOT translate into fewer adverse cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes. The study was revealed Thursday by the National Institutes of Health and it found that high dosages of Abbott Laboratories' Niaspan failed to prevent heart attacks and boosted the likelihood of a stroke when combined with the popular generic cholesterol pill Simvastatin, also known under the brand name Zocor.

29 May 2011

Rise of obesity - risks at work

A team of researchers have found that the American workplace is a significant contributor to the obesity epidemic. In the review of shifts in the labor force since 1960 it was suggested that a sizable portion of the national weight gain can be explained by declining physical activity during the workday.

29 May 2011

New smart phone application provides pediatric and adult ER wait times directly to phone

Managing your health just got easier with the launch of Emergency Room (ER) wait times for adult and pediatric HealthONE ERs throughout the Denver metro area. The new Denver smart phone application, HealthONE Fast LocatER, will provide wait times directly to your smart phone as well as locate the nearest HealthONE ER, find a physician, make an appointment request, call 911 and more.

27 May 2011

The Economist examines lack of attention to Plasmodium vivax malaria parasite

The Economist profiles Plasmodium vivax, a type of malaria that affects between 80 million to 390 million people worldwide annually with a cost to sufferers between $1.4 billion and $4 billion each year.

27 May 2011

AHRQ: 94% of women hospitalized for pregnancy and delivery in the U.S. had complications

Over 9 out of every 10 women giving birth in the United States had some complication in 2008, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

27 May 2011

Parties craft strategies, Medicare spin in aftermath of NY-26 special election results

Because the of what many view as the vote-changing impact that Medicare had on this congressional contest, Democrats and Republicans are considering how to advance their positions toward 2012.

27 May 2011

Research Roundup: Medicaid co-payments, access to docs causes worse health

Disparities In Child Access To Emergency Care For Acute Oral Injury -- This study looked at the "impact of insurance status on dental practices' willingness to schedule an appointment for a child with a symptomatic fractured permanent front tooth." Six researchers posed as mothers of 10-year-old boys who all had the same injury but different coverage: Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) or private Blue Cross dental insurance.

27 May 2011

Lilly disappointed with Court's decision to grant Amylin's request for temporary restraining order

Eli Lilly and Company today commented on a ruling issued by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California granting a request by Amylin Pharmaceuticals for a temporary restraining order (TRO) related to litigation involving the two companies' diabetes collaboration agreement.

27 May 2011

U.N., U.S. re-evaluate HIV/AIDS treatment targets

Ahead of the U.N. High Level Meeting on AIDS, scheduled for June 8-10 in New York, "public-health leaders face a paradox: New evidence suggests the epidemic can finally be controlled, but that would demand increased spending at a time of severe global budget restraints," the Wall Street Journal reports.

27 May 2011

IBM expands Dallas Health Analytics Solution Center

IBM today announced the expansion of its Health Analytics Solution Center. Located in Dallas, the center is adding new technology and has doubled the number of healthcare solution architects and technology specialists working at the center.

27 May 2011

Current efforts not enough to halt HIV/AIDS in Philippines, UNAIDS country coordinator says

"The Philippines has not been making progress in meeting its sixth Millennium Development Goal, which is halting and reversing the spread of ... HIV/AIDS..., according to the country coordinator of the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)," the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports.

27 May 2011

Medical News

Optimer receives FDA approval for Dificid tablets to treat C. difficile-associated diarrhea

McConnell, Romney, freshmen Republicans face tough questions on GOP Medicare plan

Cholesterol drug Niaspan fails to protect heart: Study

FDA scraps food pyramid for food plate

Ultra bad cholesterol

Flu vaccines at the ready this season

Alcohol related hospital admissions rise sharply: Report

Doctor rating website upsets medical groups

High blood pressure becoming more common in young adults: Study

Efficacy of Abbott cholesterol drug in question

Rise of obesity - risks at work

New smart phone application provides pediatric and adult ER wait times directly to phone

The Economist examines lack of attention to Plasmodium vivax malaria parasite

AHRQ: 94% of women hospitalized for pregnancy and delivery in the U.S. had complications

Parties craft strategies, Medicare spin in aftermath of NY-26 special election results

Research Roundup: Medicaid co-payments, access to docs causes worse health

Lilly disappointed with Court's decision to grant Amylin's request for temporary restraining order

U.N., U.S. re-evaluate HIV/AIDS treatment targets

IBM expands Dallas Health Analytics Solution Center

Current efforts not enough to halt HIV/AIDS in Philippines, UNAIDS country coordinator says

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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