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UK Government plans to remove logos from cigarette packets

UK Government plans to remove logos from cigarette packaging risk "dangerous unintended consequences", including a price war that could actually lead to more smoking, a law expert at the University of Abertay Dundee has warned.

4 Dec 2010

Robotics and machine-brain interface may benefit paraplegics

A ballet dancer grasps her partner's hand to connect for a pas de deux. Later that night, in the dark, she reaches for her calf to massage a sore spot. Her brain is using different "maps" to plan for each of these movements, according to a new study at UC Santa Barbara.

4 Dec 2010

MD Anderson honors CBS correspondent Bob Schieffer

A Conversation With a Living Legend® in Dallas, benefiting The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, showcases CBS chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer as its 21st annual honoree in an interview with NBC News special correspondent Tom Brokaw, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Dec. 13 in the Chantilly Ballroom of the Hilton Anatole, 2201 Stemmons Freeway.

4 Dec 2010

Study reveals higher mortality rate among veteran status epilepticus patients

Status epilepticus (SE) is a true medical and neurologic emergency. To better understand the causes, treatment approaches and associated outcomes among SE patients, investigators at the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System retrospectively reviewed all SE cases treated within their system over an eight year period.

4 Dec 2010

THCA has serious concerns regarding any effort to drop elders out of federal Medicaid program

On behalf of an aging Texas elderly population who depend upon adequate Medicaid funding to meet their growing care needs, and on behalf of the staff and facilities that are a mainstay of local economies throughout the state, THCA has serious concerns regarding any effort to drop out of the federal Medicaid program.

4 Dec 2010

HCW, CAI invite NC employers to participate in Healthcare Benefits & Cost Survey

Hill, Chesson & Woody and Capital Associated Industries have launched their sixth annual Healthcare Benefits & Cost Survey, and all N.C.-based employers are invited to participate and strengthen the sample by visiting the surveys tab on CAI's Web site, www.capital.org.

4 Dec 2010

Closer to restoring vision loss due to optic nerve damage

Damage to the optic nerve, connecting the eye with the brain, is a major cause of blindness. The most common culprit is glaucoma, estimated to affect more than 4 million Americans. There is currently no way to restore the lost vision, because the optic nerve, like other nerves in the mature central nervous system (CNS), cannot regenerate. Now, scientists at Children's Hospital Boston report achieving the greatest regeneration to date in the mammalian optic nerve.

4 Dec 2010

Wide-scale study of flu vaccine's effectiveness in European children needed

A wide-scale study of the effectiveness of flu vaccine in children is needed in Europe to fully assess the benefits, not only in keeping the kids from getting sick, but limiting the spread of flu to adults.

4 Dec 2010

ETP, EF announce latest grant recipients of New Therapy Grants Program

The Epilepsy Therapy Project and the Epilepsy Foundation today announced the latest grant recipients of their New Therapy Grants Program, a unique joint venture of two non-profit epilepsy organizations, to advance promising epilepsy research in clinical development.

4 Dec 2010

Increase in suicide rates underestimated

Ian Rockett, Ph.D, M.P.H., professor of epidemiology and associate chair of the West Virginia University Department of Community Medicine, isn't buying the story the suicide numbers are telling.

4 Dec 2010

Positive results from Neuraltus NP002 Phase 1/2 study for levodopa-induced dyskinesias in Parkinson's disease

Neuraltus Pharmaceuticals, a privately held biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing high-impact therapeutics that address critical unmet medical needs, primarily for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, announced today top-line results from the Company's Phase 1/2 clinical study of NP002 for the treatment of dyskinesias (muscle movement disorders) resulting from levodopa therapy for patients with Parkinson's disease.

4 Dec 2010

Healthy People 2020 targets barriers to breastfeeding

For the first time, the barriers to breastfeeding are being addressed at the highest level of government. With the release today of Healthy People 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has targeted the new 10-year goals for our nation's health - and supporting breastfeeding is prominent among them.

4 Dec 2010

Pharnext receives French approval for Pleodrug Phase II clinical trial in Charcot-Marie Tooth disease type 1A

Pharnext SAS, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of innovative treatments for severe neurological diseases and other major unmet medical needs, today announced that the French Agency for Healthcare Product Safety (AFSSAPS) has authorized a Phase II clinical trial with the first drug (a Pleodrug™) generated by the company's Pleotherapy™ technology platform in patients suffering from Charcot-Marie Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A.

4 Dec 2010

LHC Group alters 2010 guidance due to reduction in Medicare reimbursement

LHC Group, Inc., a national provider of home health and hospice services, announced today that the Company is adjusting its full year earnings per share outlook for 2010 solely due to the 4.89% reduction to Medicare reimbursement that was outlined in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update for Calendar Year 2011, which was released on November 3, 2010, following the Company's third quarter earnings call.

4 Dec 2010

HHS, CCSC establish new national awards program

The US Department of Health and Human Services and the Critical Care Societies Collaborative have established a new national awards program. The National Awards Program to Recognize Achievements in Eliminating Healthcare-Associated Infections will annually recognize teams of critical care professionals and healthcare institutions that achieve excellence and notable, sustained improvements in preventing healthcare-associated infections, specifically infections in critical care.

4 Dec 2010

Companies, media organizations join Georgia Prostate Cancer Coalition to launch pledge campaign

Prostate cancer is a serious health concern in Georgia. According to the American Cancer Society, the state of Georgia ranks 11th in number of estimated deaths per capita from the disease. In an effort to raise awareness about prostate cancer and ensure more men commit to be informed and screened, several companies and media organizations have joined the Georgia Prostate Cancer Coalition in launching a pledge campaign.

4 Dec 2010

Music benefits patients on mechanical ventilation

The benefits of listening to music for patients on mechanical ventilation was revealed in a systematic review by a team of Cochrane researchers led by Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions associate professor Dr. Joke Bradt. The review found that listening to music may relax patients and potentially result in fewer complications.

4 Dec 2010

Decrease in physician reimbursement leads to decline in AST usage for prostate cancer

The use of androgen suppression therapy (AST) in prostate cancer for low-risk cases declined following a decrease in physician reimbursement, according to a study published online TK in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute. However, the indicated use of AST for metastatic disease in the palliative setting did not decline in the same period.

4 Dec 2010

Pfizer plans regulatory submissions of bosutinib for CML based on BELA study

Pfizer Inc. announced today it is planning regulatory submissions of bosutinib in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) based on data from a clinical program evaluating the compound in newly diagnosed and previously treated patients. These regulatory submissions are planned for 2011.

4 Dec 2010

IOM releases new dietary recommendations for calcium, vitamin D intakes

The Institute of Medicine recently released new dietary recommendations for calcium and vitamin D intakes, known as Dietary Reference Intakes, used broadly by health professionals and policy makers to guide consumers' dietary patterns. Citing a strong body of new scientific evidence, the IOM based their recommendations on bone health outcomes, confirming the importance of vitamin D and calcium in promoting bone growth and maintenance through various stages of life.

4 Dec 2010