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Dogs can encourage children to be active, help combat rising childhood obesity

Children whose families own dogs are more active than those without, according to new research. Researchers from St George's, University of London studied 2,065 children aged nine to ten, and found that children from dog-owning families have higher levels of physical activity compared to children without.

22 Sep 2010

Novartis' SOM230 reduces cortisol levels in Cushing's disease patients

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today that the results of a Phase III study of SOM230 (pasireotide) showed a reduction in cortisol levels in patients with Cushing's disease, a condition in which a benign (non-cancerous) pituitary tumor causes the adrenal glands to produce excess cortisol and can be fatal. Results will be presented at the 14th Congress of the European Neuroendocrine Association (ENEA).

22 Sep 2010

Elder mediation emerges as tool to help families make decisions about aging parents

AARP Bulletin: This article tells the story of the Bayliss family. Four sisters found themselves "at an impasse" regarding how to care for their 83-year-old mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and experiencing other physical challenges.

22 Sep 2010

Individual costs of being overweight and obese in the U.S.

The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services' Department of Health Policy today released a report that, for the first time, calculated the startlingly high individual costs of obesity to Americans.

22 Sep 2010

Merus partners with Innocoll to launch 3 advanced wound care products in Canada

Merus Labs International Inc. is pleased to announce that their wholly owned subsidiary, Merus Labs Inc. announces the execution of a definitive agreement with Innocoll Pharmaceuticals Limited to license in, on an exclusive basis, 3 advanced wound care products for the Canadian market. Furthermore, Innocoll agrees to grant to Merus a right of first refusal for all current pipeline advanced wound care products for the Canadian Market.

22 Sep 2010

Making self-control fun and enjoyable

When it comes to self-control, consumers in the United States are in trouble. But a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research says there's hope; we just need a little help to see self-regulation as fun.

22 Sep 2010

How Medicare changes are playing out for advocates and in the campaign season

News outlets track both concerns about how Medicare will fare as a result of the health law's changes and examine how other changes advanced by reform are being characterized during the election season.

22 Sep 2010

Catheter ablation benefits atrial fibrillation patients younger than 45

Patients under age 45 had fewer major complications than older patients and comparable improvement after a medical procedure to treat irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia, in a study reported in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, an American Heart Association journal.

22 Sep 2010

Cardiac Cath Lab Director: New bimonthly journal from SAGE

Cardiac Cath Lab Director is a new bimonthly journal being launched in February 2011 by SAGE, the world's leading independent academic and professional publisher.

22 Sep 2010

ACT people live longer but may have more mental health issues: Report

Chief Health Officer Charles Guest's report on the health and wellbeing of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) population between July 2006 and June 2008 was presented in the Legislative Assembly. It showed that life expectancy rate at birth in the ACT was 80.3 years for males and 84 for women. This was despite the fact that most are overweight and only a minority eats enough fruit and vegetables.

22 Sep 2010

Study: New percutaneous mitral valve clip offers marked clinical benefit

A percutaneous mitral valve clip designed to stop mitral valve regurgitation demonstrated clinical benefit as measured by the degree of mitral regurgitation, according to a study presented at the 22nd annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation.

22 Sep 2010

Fatty issues

In a new survey it was seen that too fat and too thin people suffer more from depressive moods. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index published these findings it its September 17 issue and noted obese and underweight Americans are more stressed, worried, angry and sad than their overweight and normal weight friends.

22 Sep 2010

Specific orofacial characteristics can lead to accurate diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is an umbrella term that describes the range of effects that can occur in a person whose mother drank alcohol while pregnant. Each year, FASD affect an estimated 40,000 infants in the United States—more than spina bifida, Down syndrome, and muscular dystrophy combined.

22 Sep 2010

Researchers explain how nerve cells transmit electrical signals

Billions of brain cells are communicating at any given moment. Like an organic supercomputer they keep everything going, from breathing to solving riddles, and "programming errors" can lead to serious conditions such as schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

22 Sep 2010

Omega receives CAP accreditation for forensic drug testing of hair

Omega Laboratories, Inc. today announced that it has received accreditation for forensic drug testing of hair from the Commission on Laboratory Accreditation of the College of American Pathologists (CAP). During the CAP accreditation process, inspectors carefully review the laboratory's records and quality control procedures for the preceding two years, as well as the laboratory's equipment, facilities, safety program and record. CAP inspectors also examine laboratory staff qualifications and the overall management of the laboratory.

22 Sep 2010

Deep brain stimulation improves OCD symptoms, promotes smoking cessation and weight loss

Electrical stimulation of the brain in a patient with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) led to some unanticipated benefits—"effortless" smoking cessation and weight loss, according to a case report in the September issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

22 Sep 2010

Blue Cross to refund policyholders nearly $156 million in North Carolina

USA Today: "Health insurance regulators in North Carolina have identified nearly $156 million in refunds owed to Blue Cross policyholders because of changes coming under the nation's new health law. Consumers with policies at other companies across the nation also may deserve refunds, says North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin. ...

22 Sep 2010

Rush University researchers identify potential new way to prevent Alzheimer's disease progression

Neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center have found a new therapeutic target that can potentially lead to a new way to prevent the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The target called neutral sphingomyelinase (N-SMase) is a protein that when activated, can cause a chain of reactions in the cell leading to neuronal death and memory loss.

22 Sep 2010

NIH awards Georgia State University $6.7M to commence new Center for Excellence in Health Disparities Research

The National Institutes of Health has awarded Georgia State University with a five-year grant to start a new Center for Excellence in Health Disparities Research, which will investigate health disparity issues in Atlanta's urban environment.

22 Sep 2010

Secretary-General opens U.N. summit on MDGS with appeal for world leaders to maintain target commitments

On the first of the three-day U.N. Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday appealed "to the assembled presidents, prime ministers and kings to use their power to meet U.N. goals to help the world's poorest by 2015," the Associated Press reports.

22 Sep 2010