Medical News

RSS

Pfizer acquires King Pharmaceuticals

Pfizer Inc. today announced that it has combined operations with King Pharmaceuticals, Inc. On February 28, 2011, Pfizer completed its acquisition of King through the merger of its wholly owned subsidiary, Parker Tennessee Corp., with and into King. King is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Pfizer.

1 Mar 2011

High blood pressure medications useful even in those without hypertension: Study

Researchers have studied existing evidence to suggest that people who have had a stroke or a heart attack might benefit from taking blood pressure medications, even if they do not have high blood. They noted that for every 1,000 people taking the drugs in clinical trials, on average 15 fewer died from heart disease than when the patients got dummy treatment. The study however could not explain the cause for this benefit. The study, which was funded by Tulane University and the National Institutes of Health, was published in the March 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

1 Mar 2011

Think positive for a healthy heart: Study

Researchers suggest that heart disease patients are more likely to survive if they have a positive outlook. The study was published Feb. 28 in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

1 Mar 2011

New drug approved for COPD by the FDA

The U.S. FDA has approved a new treatment for people with worsening symptoms of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD affects smokers and the elderly and leads to severe difficulty in breathing, chronic cough and excessive mucus production. An exacerbation can last up to several weeks and result in a decline in lung function and increased risk of death, and it may be associated with severe anxiety, the FDA says.

1 Mar 2011

Rise of the female smoker in developing world

...

1 Mar 2011

Tougher smoking restrictions in South Australia

Smokers are in for tougher restrictions as smoking is soon to be banned in bus, tram and train shelters, at taxi stands and near playgrounds in South Australia. These new laws will also allow local councils and other bodies to have events declared smoke-free while cigarettes will no longer go on display in shops or service stations from January next year. Specialist tobacconists will have until 2015 to adjust to the new measures.

1 Mar 2011

Fake pot now illegal in U.S.

...

1 Mar 2011

Supporters of open letter say 'Patent Amendment Bill' misses the point

An open letter with signatories including AusBiotech, Medicines Australia, Research Australia, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and Foursight has been addressed to members of the Australian Parliament, urging them to reject the ‘Patent Amendment (Human Genes and Biological Materials) Bill 2010’ as it misses the point on patient access and research exemption.

1 Mar 2011

UIC researchers receive USDA grant to reduce obesity in preschool children

The preschool years are a critical period for addressing weight-related behaviors among at-risk groups, say researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Among young children, obesity has tripled since 1980, and the prevalence is highest among black and Hispanic children.

1 Mar 2011

$1 million USDA grant aims to reduce obesity in preschoolers

1 Mar 2011

Combined diagnosis and treatment of tumors: photothermically activated ultrasound contrast agent

Diagnosis and treatment form the basis of modern medicine. Traditionally, they are two separate steps; however, it doesn’t have to be that way. The term “theranostic” refers to the combination of a diagnostic test with a specific treatment based on the result of the test. This integrated approach should be particularly helpful in providing more targeted treatment for cancer patients.

1 Mar 2011

Bioanalysis accepted for coverage by EMBASE & Scopus

EMBASE is a premier online resource for biomedical literature, with over 24 million indexed records and more than 7,500 current, mostly peer-reviewed journals, EMBASE quickly and accurately delivers biomedical answers. Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database of research literature and quality web sources covering nearly 18,000 titles from more than 5,000 publishers.

1 Mar 2011

Building trust with cooperative witnesses in a crime investigation

Imagine that you witness a crime. The police investigator brings you to the police station to obtain an official statement, but between the crime and your official witness statement, you are exposed to other (potentially inaccurate) information about the crime. Before administering the criminal interview, the investigator asks you a litany of mundane demographic questions in a dry and uninterested manner, then moves directly into the interview about the crime. Would you feel comfortable? Most importantly, would your report be accurate and detailed, uninfluenced by the outside information you received?

1 Mar 2011

Quebec researchers use Malvern’s new high temperature chromatography system in novel work

Researchers working at NanoQAM, the nanotechnology research centre of the University of Quebec (Montreal, Canada), are successfully innovating novel polymer coatings on the basis of data measured using a Viscotek high temperature gel permeation chromatography (HT-GPC) system from Malvern Panalytical.

From Malvern Panalytical 1 Mar 2011

World’s largest gay media co. partners on cross-cutting HIV/AIDS campaign

Here Media, the world’s largest gay media company, has joined with Greater Than AIDS -- a new national movement to respond to AIDS in America -- to inform and engage the LGBT community about HIV/AIDS. The multimedia partnership includes public service announcements (PSAs) and expanded HIV/AIDS news and editorial across Here Media’s iconic brands -- including Gay.com, OUT, The Advocate, HIV Plus, and MPOWRPlus.com. A dedicated new web portal, http://www.gay.com/greaterthan, provides targeted information and resources for gay and bisexual men.

1 Mar 2011

Nanotechnology holds promise for developing surgical measures

A new review published in WIREs Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology explores how nanotechnology may provide powerful new tools that could have a marked impact on the therapeutic and diagnostic measures available to surgeons.

1 Mar 2011

Tengion prices $31.4 million through private placement financing

Tengion, Inc., a leader in regenerative medicine, today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements with certain investors in connection with a PIPE financing transaction pursuant to registration exemptions under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

1 Mar 2011

New therapeutic strategy improves superior renal function after kidney transplantation

Researchers at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, together with 16 other transplant centers in Germany and Switzerland successfully tested a new therapeutic strategy that allows for superior renal function after kidney transplantation. The results were published online in the journal "The Lancet".

1 Mar 2011

LHC enters home health joint venture with CHRISTUS

LHC Group, Inc., a national provider of home health and hospice, announced today that it has entered into a home health joint venture with CHRISTUS Continuing Care, which is part of CHRISTUS Health, to provide home health services in Texarkana, Texas, and the surrounding communities.

1 Mar 2011

Bruegger's to donate $90,000 to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals

Today, Bruegger's announced that it will donate approximately $90,000 to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals - largely the result of its "Bottomless Mug" campaign, which ran October 27, 2010 through January 31, 2011.

1 Mar 2011