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A cluttered brain doesn't remember

Lapses in memory occur more frequently with age, yet the reasons for this increasing forgetfulness have not always been clear. According to new research from Concordia University, older individuals have reduced learning and memory because their minds tend to be cluttered with irrelevant information when performing tasks.

20 Apr 2011

FDA approves Rituxan-corticosteroid combination for Wegener's Granulomatosis and Microscopic Polyangiitis

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group and Biogen Idec announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Rituxan® (rituximab), in combination with corticosteroids, as a new medicine for adults with Wegener's Granulomatosis (WG) and Microscopic Polyangiitis (MPA).

20 Apr 2011

Offensive editorial leads to resignation of the president-elect of the American College of Surgeons

The president-elect of the American College of Surgeons had to resign from his position Sunday after weeks of controversy surrounding a Valentine’s Day editorial he wrote speaking of the mood-enhancing effects of semen on women during unprotected sex.

20 Apr 2011

Wrong eye operated on by mistake in a 4 year old

Tasha Gaul, mother of 4-year-old Jesse said they had gone to a doctor today to find out if he suffered any permanent damage when a surgeon performed corrective surgery on the wrong eye and then, without consulting the boy's parents, quickly operated on the correct eye. “Right now we're in the dark about what this will be like in the future,” she said. The doctor they saw today told her they will have to wait 5 weeks for his eyes to completely heal before they can determine if there has been any permanent damage.

19 Apr 2011

First hand transplant in western United States

Ms Emily Fennell, a 26-year-old California woman became the first person in the western United States to receive a hand transplant.

19 Apr 2011

Alzheimer’s diagnostic guidelines released

Neurologists and experts have come up with a set of guidelines to better diagnose Alzheimer's disease in the clinic for the first time in nearly three decades. The advice also helps doctors identify the earliest signs of the degenerative condition, even before symptoms of memory loss begin. The hope is that they can help patients prepare early, and eventually treat, the disease.

19 Apr 2011

Plans to combat painkiller abuse

This Tuesday, the Obama administration announced a plan to fight prescription drug abuse, warning that accidental fatal overdoses now exceed the combined deadly overdoses from the crack epidemic of the 1980s and black tar heroin in the 1970s.

19 Apr 2011

Are GPs preventing patients from hearing properly?

Nearly 15,000 UK consumers answered questions about their hearing and their knowledge of hearing aids in the most comprehensive and largest survey ever undertaken in this field. The EuroTrak UK study will provide invaluable data for GPs, the NHS, Department of Health and the audiology profession. This study is now being publicised by The British Hearing Aid Manufacturers Association (BHAMA).

19 Apr 2011

Effects of obesity on the brain: first evidence of sex-related differences

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19 Apr 2011

High rates of substance use disorders among veterans with mental illness

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19 Apr 2011

Ohio State biophysicist disrupts cellular messages through fragment-based drug design

An Ohio State biophysicist used a supercomputer to search thousands of molecular combinations for the best configuration to block a protein that can cause breast or prostate cancer.

19 Apr 2011

Cervical cancer vaccine target falls short: Report

Data from the Australian federal government shows that the target to immunize 80 per cent of 12-year-old girls against cervical cancer is not being met because many of them are failing to have all three doses of the vaccine. This potentially undermines the effectiveness of the $436 million program started in 2007.

19 Apr 2011

“Possible” Smoking ban inside homes: Cancer Council SA

The Cancer Council of South Australia is planning to ban smoking inside Australian apartments and calls this plan “entirely possible and even probable.” Earlier this month an eight-unit apartment block in western Sydney introduced a by-law making the premises, including balconies, completely smoke-free.

19 Apr 2011

Parents open to genetic tests for children

Genetic testing techniques have not been perfected yet but parents are willing to take the risk to know if their children are at risk for diseases in adulthood. Some parents would like the ability to predict the future, in terms of their child's risk for certain chronic health conditions. This comes in a new study published online in the journal Pediatrics. Experts, however, say the tests are of little value at this time.

19 Apr 2011

African AIDS drug trial stopped prematurely

One of the studies in three African countries where women were given an AIDS drug to prevent HIV infection is being stopped because the project is not working, researchers said Monday. These women on the trial were taking a daily dose of the drug Truvada or a look-alike placebo pill and had an equal chance of becoming infected. The ones taking Truvada were expected to have had a much lower infection rate.

19 Apr 2011

Hangovers affect surgeon's performance

A new study has shown that excessive alcohol consumption, even on the previous day, appears to be associated with changes in some surgical skills performed on virtual reality simulator testing the following day. The study appeared in the April issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

19 Apr 2011

Study finds abnormal fetal circulation as a risk factor for fetal thrombotic vasculopathy

Examination of the placenta can offer answers to the questions that arise following an adverse perinatal outcome, such as stillbirth or intrauterine growth restriction. A placental lesion known as fetal thrombotic vasculopathy (FTV) has been associated with a number of adverse outcomes. By studying placentas with this lesion, researchers hope to determine the risks of such serious complications that affect fetuses and newborns.

19 Apr 2011

New guidelines allow definition of pre-Alzheimer's

The emphasis on the need to diagnose Alzeheimer's during its earliest stages is also evident in Congress, where legislation introduced this month would create new, specific Medicare cost codes for early-disease diagnosis to address these steps, including the discussions between the physician and caregivers.

19 Apr 2011

Forest Labs fourth quarter net sales increase 9.7% to $1,091.9 million

Forest Laboratories, Inc., an international pharmaceutical manufacturer and marketer, announced that reported earnings per share equaled $1.12 in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011.

19 Apr 2011

EMA CHMP grants positive opinion for Biogen Idec's AVONEX PEN

Biogen Idec announced today that the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has issued a positive opinion recommending the approval of AVONEX® PEN™ for patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) and patients with a single demyelinating event.

19 Apr 2011