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Cyanide toxicity in smoke inhalation victims

"If commercial flying had as many civilian fatalities as those relating to smoke and fire, there would be a public revolt," said Rob Schnepp, CPTC president and assistant chief of special operations for the Alameda County Fire Department in California. "The numbers aren't going down, and this tells me that we aren't addressing the problem adequately.

18 Aug 2009

Neurofeedback 'brain training' helps surgeons improve skills

A team of researchers have found that trainee eye surgeons can significantly improve their surgical skills by regulating their own brainwave activity, using a process called neurofeedback.

18 Aug 2009

Texas Heart Institute receives $4.1 million to determine the effect of pulseless blood flow on bodily functions

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a $4.1 million grant to the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital (THI at SLEH) to determine the effect of pulseless blood flow on bodily functions. This knowledge will be used in the development of a total artificial heart (TAH) that produces continuous, pulseless blood flow.

18 Aug 2009

Toy manufacturers need to urgently review their safety tests say scientists

Findings from research at the University of Leeds could be used to improve toy safety and prevent injury and even deaths from choking among the under fives.

18 Aug 2009

Elsevier/Lancet launch H1N1 resource centre

An H1N1 influenza channel has been added to the Elsevier Global Medical News (EGMN) wire service division of the International Medical News Group. The H1N1 channel was created to meet physicians' continuing needs to keep up-to-date with the news about the spread of the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, as well as the new diagnostics, vaccines, clinical trials, and treatments for H1N1 infections.

18 Aug 2009

Labcyte awarded 2nd Japanese patent for acoustic-based cell sorting system

Labcyte, the company that developed and commercialized the acoustic transfer of liquids today announced that the Japanese patent office has granted patent 4309131 that covers the design of an acoustic-based system that can sort cells based upon acoustic or other properties and then eject them specifically from a mixed population.

18 Aug 2009

Fractal patterns and microchannels to advance tissue engineering

Utilizing fractal patterns similar to those created by lightning strikes, Victor Ugaz, associate professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has created a network of microchannels that could advance the field of tissue engineering by serving as a three-dimensional vasculature for the support of larger tissue constructs, such as human organs.

18 Aug 2009

1 in 4 children between 11-16 report having sex

As a new mother herself, Brenda Lohman admits to being shocked by the results of a new study she co-authored. It found that among nearly 1,000 low-income families in three major cities, one in four children between the ages of 11 and 16 reported having sex, with their first sexual intercourse experience occurring at the average age of 12.77.

18 Aug 2009

Weight training reduces lymphedema symptoms after breast cancer surgery

Breast cancer survivors who lift weights are less likely than their non-weightlifting peers to experience worsening symptoms of lymphedema, the arm- and hand-swelling condition that plagues many women following surgery for their disease, according to new University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine research published in the August 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

18 Aug 2009

Gloucester Pharma announces FDA Advisory Committee Meeting to discuss Romidepsin NDA

Gloucester Pharmaceuticals will discuss the New Drug Application for romidepsin to treat patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) at the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) meeting on September 2, 2009.

18 Aug 2009

GOP sees chance for revival as Democrats struggle with health proposals

"Republicans finally have a little spring back in their step thanks to a health care debate that has done more to cool off Obama-mania and reignite the conservative base than even most of its leaders had hoped," Politico reports.

18 Aug 2009

Video-game playing and health risks

While video gaming is generally perceived as a pastime for children and young adults, research shows that the average age of players in the United States is 35.

18 Aug 2009

High cost of Tennessee's state program under the reform microscope

TennCare, the plan enacted in the mid-1990s to cover the Tennessee's uninsured through a public insurance program which nearly bankrupted the state, is fueling national debate about a public option, The Wall Street Journal reports.

18 Aug 2009

Mediterranean-type diet and exercise lowers Alzheimer's risk

Both being more physically active and adhering to a Mediterranean-type diet appears to be associated with reduced Alzheimer's risk, according to a new report in the August 12, 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

18 Aug 2009

Medicare pilot project links hospital payments to quality

Data to be released today examines a pilot project by Medicare that links hospital payments to the quality of care.

18 Aug 2009

Disrupting the DNA-repair process

Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have uncovered the mechanism behind a promising new approach to cancer treatment: damaging cancer cells' DNA with potent drugs while simultaneously preventing the cells from repairing themselves.

18 Aug 2009

Labopharm comments on outcome of patent-infringement litigation initiated by Purdue Pharma

Labopharm Inc. today commented on the outcome of patent-infringement litigation initiated by Purdue Pharma Products L.P. against Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc. relating to Ultram(R) ER (tramadol hydrochloride extended-release tablets). The patents-in-suit are owned by Purdue and are licensed to Ortho-McNeil, Inc., the marketer of Ultram(R) ER.

18 Aug 2009

Novel genome-analysis strategy to speed search for gene-disease links

University of Washington (UW) researchers have successfully developed a novel genome-analysis strategy for more rapid, lower cost discovery of possible gene-disease links. By saving time and lowering expenses, the approach makes it feasible for scientists to search for disease-causing genes in people with the same inherited disorder but without any family ties to each other.

18 Aug 2009

Par Pharmaceutical wins in Ultram ER litigation

Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc. today announced that the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware has ruled in favor of Par in its challenge of Purdue's patents relating to extended-release tramadol, which are listed in the Orange Book for Ortho-McNeil's Ultram(R) ER product.

18 Aug 2009

4SC starts phase 2 trial in hepatocellular carcinoma with 4SC-201 (resminostat)

4SC AG, the German drug discovery and development company, today announced the dosing of the first patient in its Phase II trial with 4SC-201 (resminostat), a pan-histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, as a new potential treatment option for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most frequent form of liver cancer.

18 Aug 2009