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More treatment doesn't mean better outcomes, studies show

USA Today reports that "doctors have long been rewarded for providing more care, though more isn't always better. Three recent studies show that a doctor's instincts are no match for hard science." The studies include one of 800 high blood pressure patients that found opening clogged arteries with stents didn't lower blood pressure and actually raised side effects.

13 Apr 2010

Genes influence chronic kidney disease risk: Research

A team of researchers from the United States and Europe has identified more than a dozen genes that may play a role in the etiology of common forms of kidney disease. The team, known as the CKDGen Consortium, examined common variations in DNA sequences in more than 65,000 individuals of European descent. Common variations in several genes were found to be more frequent among people with poor kidney function or chronic kidney disease than in those with normal kidney function.

13 Apr 2010

Spring storms present a worse scenario for asthma and allergy patients

While spring storms get comprehensive coverage during weather casts, a close look at local allergy indexes make the thunder and lightning seem downright puny.

13 Apr 2010

Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior awarded $14.9M for establishing new IPCN

The Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA has been awarded $14.9 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to establish a center dedicated to interdisciplinary research on the role of genetic and environmental factors in neuropsychiatric and behavioral disorders.

13 Apr 2010

Stress and genetic factors may raise depression among medical interns

The percentage of clinicians who meet criteria for depression appears to increase significantly during medical internship, according to a report posted online that will appear in the June print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

13 Apr 2010

Hunter Valley cancer cluster report to be made public

Cancer cases may have manifested as brain tumors in the local population in Upper Hunter Valley as a result of pollution from mines and power stations. With five residents in a single block in Singleton being diagnosed with brain tumors a public inquiry to establish just how harmful dust and toxins from the mines and power stations are had been constituted by the state government.

13 Apr 2010

College women more likely to be vaccinated against HPV if their mothers approve

College women were more likely to be vaccinated against human papillomavirus if their mothers communicated with them about sex and if they thought their mothers would approve of their getting vaccinated, according to new Dartmouth research in the May issue of Pediatrics (published online April 12).

13 Apr 2010

Link between IL-8, MIF gene polymorphisms and progression of atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia

Atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia are two important precursory lesions in the process of intestinal type gastric cancer. However, the precise mechanism of the progression of these two lesions is still unclear, a few studies have investigated the risk of host gene polymorphism on the atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia, but all of them are limited by their one-time point screen.

13 Apr 2010

Health insurance customers in California, Mass. await decisions about premium increases

Thousands of worried Californians who buy individual insurance policies from Anthem Blue Cross will soon learn whether they face rate increases of up to 39% that were put on hold for two months amid a public outcry that helped revive national healthcare legislation.

13 Apr 2010

Gilead Sciences doses first patient in Quad Phase III clinical program

Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced that it has dosed the first patient in the Phase III clinical program evaluating its investigational fixed-dose, single-tablet "Quad" regimen of elvitegravir, cobicistat (formerly GS 9350), emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate.

13 Apr 2010

Cytomedix reports going concern qualification in Annual Report for fiscal year ended December 31, 2009

Cytomedix, Inc. announced today that its audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009, included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 29, 2010, contained a going concern qualification from its independent registered accounting firm.

13 Apr 2010

Despite international guidelines, wide variations exist in breast cancer care

A global study of nearly 10,000 women with early breast cancer has found wide variations in how they were treated, despite international consensus on best practice, according to the May issue of the British Journal of Surgery.

13 Apr 2010

Pancreaze Delayed Release Capsules receive FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Pancreaze Delayed Release Capsules, a pancreatic enzyme product. It is the third such product to receive FDA approval.

13 Apr 2010

Dems defend health votes; GOP hoping for repeat of 1994 elections

Congressional Republicans are hoping Democrats suffer the same fate in 2010 as they did after President Clinton's failed health reform bid in 1994, The New York Times reports. "That fall, Republicans swept to power, capturing nine seats in the Senate and 52 in the House. … In many ways, the 1994 election has become the template both Republicans and Democrats are looking to as they set their strategies for the fall Congressional elections.

13 Apr 2010

e-MDs experiences 36.5% increase in organic sales

e-MDs, an industry leader in the development and implementation of electronic health records and practice management solutions, is proud to announce it has increased its total employee count by 36%, expanding most all departments with both entry level and senior positions. e-MDs has also experienced a 36.5% increase in organic sales alone since the beginning of 2010.

13 Apr 2010

Lean mass may decline among Alzheimer's patients

Lean mass—the weight of an individual's bones, muscles and organs without body fat—appears to decline among patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

13 Apr 2010

Bio-Bridge Science granted Japanese patent covering use of papilloma pseudovirus

Bio-Bridge Science, Inc., a biotechnology company engaged in the commercial development of vaccines and vaccine-related products announced today that the Japanese Patent Office has granted claims in a patent application, and issued a Patent Number 4472724, regarding the use of the papilloma pseudovirus.

13 Apr 2010

Research article reports association of chronic upper GI symptoms with diabetes

There are several papers which report the association of GI symptoms with diabetes. Epidemiological data regarding the association of GI symptoms with diabetes are, however, inconsistent, and the reported frequency of upper and lower GI symptoms varies among different ethnic groups/populations.

13 Apr 2010

Researchers evaluate new treatment for coronary heart disease

Some patients with heart muscles seriously affected by coronary heart disease may soon be able to benefit from an innovative treatment.

13 Apr 2010

Cytomedix to acquire Sorin's Angel blood separation system and activAT Autologous Thrombin Processing Kit

Cytomedix, Inc., a leading developer of biologically active regenerative therapies for wound care, inflammation and angiogenesis, today announced the closing of an agreement with Sorin Group, a global leader in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, to acquire the Angel® Whole Blood Separation System and activAT® Autologous Thrombin Processing Kit for $7 million in cash, to be paid in installments over the next two and one-half years.

13 Apr 2010