Medical News

RSS

American Heart Association proposes new metrics to monitor quality of stroke care

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association has proposed metrics that healthcare professionals can use to monitor the diagnosis and treatment of patients at stroke centers to help improve the quality of care stroke patients receive.

14 Jan 2011

Researchers discover molecular mechanism behind coffee's protective effect

Coffee, that morning elixir, may give us an early jump-start to the day, but numerous studies have shown that it also may be protective against type 2 diabetes. Yet no one has really understood why.

14 Jan 2011

12-HETE enzyme inhibition can prevent ischemic retinopathy: Study

The inhibition or removal of an enzyme may prevent or treat ischemic retinopathy by stalling growth of unwanted vessels in the retina, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.

14 Jan 2011

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grants $1.5million to Liverpool University for bacterial study

A University of Liverpool-led consortium has received $1.5million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to study a bacterium that causes serious disease and epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa.

14 Jan 2011

20% of cancer survivors experience chronic pain: Study

Surviving cancer may also mean surviving pain, according to a study by the University of Michigan Health System showing 20 percent of cancer survivors at least two years post diagnosis have current cancer-related chronic pain.

13 Jan 2011

New research shows enzyme-armed oncolytic virus may help fight brain tumors

New research shows that oncolytic viruses, which are engineered to destroy cancer cells, might be more effective in treating deadly brain tumors if equipped with an enzyme that helps them penetrate the tumor.

13 Jan 2011

First Edition: January 13, 2011

Today's headlines feature reports about how House GOP leaders -- in the aftermath of last weekend's Tucson, Ariz., tradgedy -- are wrestling with how best to retool their health repeal effort and bring the measure forward for a vote.

13 Jan 2011

Medtronic acquires Ardian

Medtronic, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of privately-held Ardian, a developer of catheter-based therapies to treat hypertension and related conditions.

13 Jan 2011

Kaneka, Atrium Medical introduce FDA-approved Xpress-Way RX Extraction Catheter

Atrium Medical Corporation and Kaneka Corporation are proud to announce the introduction of the Xpress-Way RX Extraction Catheter. Xpress-Way RX has recently received FDA 510K clearance and is indicated for the removal of fresh, soft emboli and thrombi from vessels in the coronary and peripheral vasculature.

13 Jan 2011

FDA approves Cumberland's Acetadote Injection

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals today announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a new formulation of Acetadote Injection, the Company's product used to treat acetaminophen poisoning.

13 Jan 2011

Combination therapy initially, best for blood pressure control: ACCELERATE study

A new study published online Jan. 13 in The Lancet shows that patients with high blood pressure respond better to a combination drug therapy than those on monotherapy. Also patients who undergo the two-drug treatment after taking the single-drug therapy also experience better blood pressure outcomes, though not at the same level as those who began with the combination treatment, according to research.

13 Jan 2011

Good cholesterol efficiency more important than quantity: Study

According to a new study the amount of good cholesterol a person has is not as important as how well that good cholesterol works to stop heart disease. Good cholesterol or High-Density Lipoprotein—also known as HDL is known to be healthy for the heart with people having high blood levels of HDL being at a lower risk of developing heart disease than people with low levels.

13 Jan 2011

FDA calls for cuts in Acetaminophen in painkillers

The US FDA has asked for a limit on the amount of acetaminophen in prescription pain medicines in an effort to reduce the risk of liver damage. The announcement yesterday asked manufacturers to limit combination drugs such as the opioids Percocet and Vicodin to 325 milligrams of acetaminophen per pill and asked them to carry a “black box” warning about potential liver failure. At present these combinations carry up to 750 milligrams of acetaminophen.

13 Jan 2011

Chicks that don’t pass on bird flu

Influenza from birds, commonly known as H5N1 avian flu, has killed at least 306 people during the past seven years and innumerable birds and poultry. Now a team of scientists in Britain have developed a way to breed poultry that are genetically resistant to H5N1 or any other avian flu virus. The study by Scientists from Cambridge and Edinburgh universities was reported in the Jan. 13 issue of Science.

13 Jan 2011

Nurses stop bed closures as government makes offer

Nurses who were closing down beds over staffing issues have stopped but have not ruled out the possibility of more bed closures in the future. Beds at the Tamworth Base Hospital that were closed before Christmas re-opened yesterday (Thursday). A total 570 beds were reopened. The New South Wales Nurses Association is considering an offer by the State Government. The protest was in favour of a standard minimum ratio of one nurse for every four patients.

13 Jan 2011

Next-generation hospital design can improve health and save money

Extra large private hospital rooms with plenty of natural light and artwork may seem like unaffordable luxuries, but new research shows that these and other architecture and design features can improve patient care and in the long run reduce health care expenses. They are among the elements of the “Fable hospital,” an ideal health care facility as conceived and analyzed by leaders in health care and design. Elements of the Fable hospital are being adopted on the ground today, with the imperative to improve quality and value.

13 Jan 2011

Adjunctive lacosamide reduces seizures and improves responder rates

Comprehensive analyses of pooled data from three randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase II/III trials showing the efficacy and tolerability of Vimpat® (lacosamide) C-V for patients with partial-onset seizures, regardless of the type of concomitant AED used, have been published in the drug evaluation journal, CNS Drugs.

13 Jan 2011

Free concert to bring the magic of music to young people with autism and their families

The Help Group and Music for Autism are proud to present the first of a series of four autism-friendly interactive concerts designed for young people with autism and their families.

13 Jan 2011

Metabolic profiling of tissue samples may transform the way surgeons make decisions

Metabolic profiling of tissue samples could transform the way surgeons make decisions in the operating theatre, say researchers at a new laboratory being launched today. Scientists at Imperial College London, in partnership with clinicians at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, have installed a high resolution solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer in St Mary's Hospital.

13 Jan 2011