Medical News

RSS

Reducing consumption of sugary drinks can lower blood pressure: Research

Research led by Liwei Chen, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Public Health at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has found that there is an association between sugary drinks and blood pressure and that by cutting daily consumption of sugary drinks by just one serving a day, people can lower their blood pressure.

25 May 2010

One-third of Minnesotans understate their weight problems

When it comes to self-perceptions about their own healthy weight, many Minnesotans appear to be adapting Garrison Keillor's famous quip: "I believe in looking reality straight in the eye and denying it."

25 May 2010

Advances in health IT

The New York Times: A "broad transformation in health care underway" is "fueled in good part by technology" that "promises to shift a lot of the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of disease from hospitals and specialized clinics, where treatment is expensive, to primary care physicians and patients themselves — at far less cost."

25 May 2010

Obama's health IT leader says doctors will embrace change

Irene Wielawski writes for Kaiser Health News that electronic medical records may be as important as stethoscopes. "Dr. David Blumenthal was not happy to find a new computer installed on his desk when he showed up for work one morning eight years ago at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

25 May 2010

AMA's code of conduct helps ensure greater transparency and accountability from health insurers

The American Medical Association (AMA) today released its Health Insurer Code of Conduct Principles and called on all U.S. health insurance companies to adopt consistent corporate practices that will bring transparency and accountability to the multibillion-dollar health insurance industry

25 May 2010

Delphinus Medical Technologies secures $8M in venture capital to commercialize SoftVue system

The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute announced today that its spin-off company Delphinus Medical Technologies, LLC, has secured $8 million in venture capital to start the commercialization process of SoftVue, an alternative to mammography.

25 May 2010

Silver nanoparticles effective at killing all kinds of bacteria

Writing in the International Journal of Nanoparticles, Rani Pattabi and colleagues at Mangalore University, explain how blasting silver nitrate solution with an electron beam can generate nanoparticles that are more effective at killing all kinds of bacteria, including gram-negative species that are not harmed by conventional antibacterial agents.

25 May 2010

STOP Obesity Alliance researchers receive $250,000 donation to research on health impact of obesity

The research team of The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services' Department of Health Policy's Strategies to Overcome and Prevent Obesity Alliance received a $250,000 donation from Allergan, Inc. to support public health, policy analysis and research about the economic and health impact of obesity and related chronic diseases.

25 May 2010

FDA issues 510(k) clearance to Simplexa Influenza A H1N1 (2009) test on 3M Integrated Cycler

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued 510(k) clearance to the Simplexa Influenza A H1N1 (2009) test on the 3M Integrated Cycler. The Simplexa test, developed and manufactured by Quest Diagnostics' Focus Diagnostics business, is the first to be cleared by the FDA for use as an aid in the detection and differentiation of influenza A and 2009 H1N1 influenza viral RNA.

25 May 2010

DU receives $17.5M as gift to establish Knoebel Center for the Study of Aging

Betty Knoebel, widow of Denver food services pioneer Ferdinand "Fritz" Knoebel, has given the University of Denver $17.5 million, among the largest gifts in its history. DU will use the gift to establish the Knoebel Center for the Study of Aging and to support the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management in DU's Daniels College of Business.

25 May 2010

Beta-blocker medications provide new hope for patients with COPD: Study

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may have fewer respiratory flare-ups and longer survival if they take beta-blocker medications, according to a report in the May 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

25 May 2010

Florida health care providers offer language services, medical homes

As "the region continues to attract residents from all over the country and the world, local health care providers and educators are searching for ways to better serve them." Some use "cultural toolkits," and have guides to help providers relate to patients' cultural and religious preferences. "'From a business perspective, it makes a lot of sense,' said Bernardo Ramirez, assistant professor of health services administration at the University of Central Florida.

24 May 2010

Abbott's new FreeStyle Lite blood glucose test strips receive FDA clearance

Abbott today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its new FreeStyle Lite blood glucose test strips. The new FreeStyle Lite test strips minimize interference during blood glucose testing and are designed to offer a better testing experience.

24 May 2010

Baxa announces release of InFuse T-10 Syringe Infuser

Baxa Corporation, a leading provider of medical devices and systems that automate pharmacy operations and increase patient safety, today announced the release of the InFuse T-10 Syringe Infuser. Specifically designed for the delivery of intermittent antibiotics and other non-rate critical intravenous doses, the Baxa InFuse T-10 Syringe Infuser frees up expensive, smart infusion pumps for more critical applications and gives nurses more time to focus on patient care.

24 May 2010

Scientists develop DNA-vaccine that restricts supply of blood to tumours

A DNA-vaccine that restricts the supply of blood to tumours has been developed by scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet. The vaccine slows the growth of breast cancer tumours in mice.

24 May 2010

Vaso Healthcare, GE Healthcare sign sales representative agreement

Vasomedical, Inc. today announced that its subsidiary, Vaso Diagnostics Inc. d/b/a Vaso Healthcare, has signed a sales representative agreement with GE Healthcare, the healthcare business unit of GE, for the sale of select GE Healthcare Diagnostic Imaging products. Under the Agreement, Vaso Healthcare has been appointed the exclusive representative for these products to specific market segments in the 48 contiguous states of the United States and District of Columbia.

24 May 2010

Research work holds promise for biological substitute for dental implants

A technique pioneered in the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory of Dr. Jeremy Mao, the Edward V. Zegarelli Professor of Dental Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, can orchestrate stem cells to migrate to a three-dimensional scaffold infused with growth factor, holding the translational potential to yield an anatomically correct tooth in as soon as nine weeks once implanted.

24 May 2010

Somanetics' Vital Sync bedside monitor system receives FDA clearance

Somanetics Corporation announced today that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expand features on its Vital Sync bedside monitor and research data aggregation system. The clearance allows for interface with a broader range of bedside devices, display of derived parameters of calculated clinical indices, and an automated events trigger to alert clinicians when patient parameters fall outside desired thresholds.

24 May 2010

Sinapis Pharma completes Bridge financing to continue support drug development program

Sinapis Pharma, Inc. has successfully completed a Bridge financing to continue to support its drug development program. Sinapis Pharma has discovered and is developing a novel therapeutic approach to neuronal protection using its intravenous methamphetamine technology. The company has strong pre-clinical data in stroke and traumatic brain injury animal models conclusively demonstrating a 12-hour therapeutic window and multiple pathway neuroprotection.

24 May 2010

Repligen's RG2833 granted orphan drug designation for treatment of Friedreich's ataxia

Repligen Corporation announced today that the Office of Orphan Products Development of the Food and Drug Administration has granted orphan drug designation to RG2833, a selective histone deacetylase 3 inhibitor for the treatment of Friedreich's ataxia. Orphan drug designation qualifies Repligen to receive seven years of marketing exclusivity in the United States if the company is the first to obtain marketing approval for RG2833 for the treatment of Friedreich's ataxia.

24 May 2010