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New report finds positive association between phthalate exposure and ADHD symptoms

Phthalates are important components of many consumer products, including toys, cleaning materials, plastics, and personal care items. Studies to date on phthalates have been inconsistent, with some linking exposure to these chemicals to hormone disruptions, birth defects, asthma, and reproductive problems, while others have found no significant association between exposure and adverse effects.

19 Nov 2009

Possible new approach to slow the progression of cognitive decline in Down's syndrome

A study by neuroscientist William C. Mobley, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, and colleagues at Stanford University Medical School has demonstrated a possible new approach to slowing the inevitable progression of cognitive decline found in Down's syndrome.

19 Nov 2009

Preliminary report from Harvard School of Public Health reveals students prefer healthy school meals

Think your kids won't eat healthy foods? Think again. A preliminary report of the Chefs in Schools Initiative by the Harvard School of Public Health, funded by Project Bread, proves that kids not only like healthy school meals, but actually eat more of the healthy foods than they would if they were eating a traditional school meal.

19 Nov 2009

Diagnosing patients with syndrome similar to neurofibromatosis type 1 may be difficult

An analysis of patients with a syndrome similar to the genetic disorder, neurofibromatosis type 1, indicates that diagnosis may be difficult because of shared clinical findings, such as certain pigmentary characteristics, according to a study in the November 18 issue of JAMA.

19 Nov 2009

SoloHealth and Kroger stores team up to promote eye health awareness

SoloHealth (www.solo-health.com), maker of EyeSite™ self-service vision testing and self-directed healthcare kiosks, has teamed with Atlanta area Kroger stores to promote eye health awareness and to encourage regular eye exams.

19 Nov 2009

People with negative emotions may experience more health problems

People who experience a lot of negative emotions and do not express these experience more health problems, says Dutch researcher Aline Pelle. She discovered that heart failure patients with a negative outlook reported their complaints to a physician or nurse far less often. The personality of the partner can also exert a considerable influence on these patients.

19 Nov 2009

Elder parents more likely to be happier with informal home care

Most families, at some point, will struggle with a decision about how best to provide long-term care for an elderly parent. A new study co-authored by University of Virginia economics professor Steven Stern suggests that you shouldn't assume a home-care professional can better care for your parent than you can.

19 Nov 2009

Outdoor smoking areas: A new health hazard

Indoor smoking bans have forced smokers at bars and restaurants onto outdoor patios, but a new University of Georgia study in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that these outdoor smoking areas might be creating a new health hazard.

19 Nov 2009

USP releases new CRMs for carbamazepine, phenytoin, and theophylline

To help bring greater certainty to the measurement of medication levels in a patient's bloodstream for three drugs with narrow therapeutic ranges, the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is releasing new certified reference materials (CRMs).

19 Nov 2009

Toddlers and obese children suffer more than youth when exposed to secondhand smoke

Toddlers and obese children suffer more than other youth when exposed to secondhand smoke, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009.

19 Nov 2009

Nigerian Contact Centre Market to reach $114.45 million by 2015

Despite industry challenges, the rising consumer demand from developing industry sectors will drive exponential growth in the Nigerian contact centre market. The outsourced contact centre segment, email and SMS services and the health and medical organisation (HMO) and the public sectors are expected to become key areas of market growth from 2009 to 2015.

19 Nov 2009

China Medical Technologies announces financial results for second fiscal quarter

China Medical Technologies, Inc. (the "Company"), a leading China-based medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets advanced in-vitro diagnostic products, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2009 ("2Q FY2009"). The Company's 2009 fiscal year ends on March 31, 2010 ("FY2009").

19 Nov 2009

Reduction of serum bilirubin, the hallmark of successful biliary drainage

Biliary drainage is performed as a palliative treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. The reduction of serum bilirubin is usually the hallmark of successful biliary drainage. However, some patients may have persistent jaundice or scanty bile output after biliary drainage.

19 Nov 2009

BIMR wins a GO grant from the National Institute of Mental Health

Thanks to a $50,000 grant from the California Bipolar Foundation (CBF) to post-doctoral research fellow Dr. Illyas Singec at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (BIMR), a research team headed by Dr. Evan Snyder (along with co-investigators Drs. Dieter Wolfe and Lawrence Brill), was able to accumulate sufficient preliminary data to win an extremely competitive Grand Opportunities (GO) grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to explore the molecular basis of Bipolar Disorder (BPD).

19 Nov 2009

First nationwide comprehensive obesity registry for bariatrics

RemedyMD (www.RemedyMD.com), the leading provider of disease registry software, today announced the first nationwide comprehensive obesity registry for bariatrics. The new registry was developed to help clinicians and researchers identify which interventions are most appropriate for specific patient populations.

19 Nov 2009

New biomarkers can predict patients' response to certain drugs

Recent advances in cancer therapeutics have led to the discovery of biomarkers that can predict patient response to certain drugs. Screening for mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGRF) prior to non-small cell lung cancer treatment, for example, has been shown to indentify patients who are likely to respond to treatment with erlontinib. This maximizes the drug's impact, and spares patients who are not likely to benefit from being subjected to potentially debilitating side effects.

19 Nov 2009

Medicare fraud: New Jersey hospital to pay over $3.02M to resolve allegations

The United States has entered into a settlement with a New Jersey hospital and filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit against a New York hospital involving allegations that the hospitals defrauded Medicare, the Justice Department announced today.

19 Nov 2009

instaCare reports third quarter 2009 financial results

instaCare Corp., (OTC Bulletin Board: ISCR), a leading distributor of life-saving prescription drugs and at-home testing diagnostics for the chronically ill, and a leading developer of patentable technologies for e-pharmacy, e-health and EMR applications, reported financial results for the third quarter period-ended September 30, 2009.

19 Nov 2009

UAB expert recommends research and evidence to interpret new mammography guidelines

The public may have problems this week sorting through news articles about a government task force's opposition to routine mammograms for women under 50 and articles about breast cancer survivors touting the benefits of early mammograms. But to properly interpret the news, the public must learn to balance the research with the anecdotal evidence says University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Associate Professor of English Cynthia Ryan, Ph.D.

19 Nov 2009

Final results from ImmuPharma's Phase IIb trial of LUPUZOR

ImmuPharma PLC the specialist discovery and development pharmaceutical company is pleased to announce today the final results from a Phase IIb trial of LUPUZOR™ in active patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). Lupuzor™ administered at 200 mcg once-a-month for 3 months plus standard of care achieved a clinically significant improvement in patient response rate as measured by the combined score compared to placebo plus standard of care.

19 Nov 2009