Medical News

RSS

Newly established McClay Foundation to encourage healthcare research in Northern Ireland

Speaking last week Sir Allen McClay, Chairman of the Almac Group, formally announced the establishment of the McClay Foundation, a charitable trust, one of the first of its kind in Northern Ireland.

8 Sep 2009

Contraband cigarettes undermine tobacco-prevention strategies

Consumption of contraband cigarettes amongst adolescent daily smokers in Canada accounts for 17% of all cigarettes smoked by this age group, and rises to more than 25% in Ontario and Quebec. This behaviour may be undermining tobacco-prevention strategies, as they focus on taxation and minimum age restrictions to curb and prevent smoking, states an article http://www.cmaj.ca/press/cmaj090665.pdf in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) www.cmaj.ca.

8 Sep 2009

National Health IT Week to focus on ARRA and healthcare reform

This September, Unitiv, as a partner in the advancement of health information technology, will join approximately 75 public and private sector organizations in Washington, D.C., to participate in the Fourth Annual National Health IT Week (September 21-25, 2009).

8 Sep 2009

Simple structured compounds to be synthesised for cancer treatment

Research is being carried out to design and synthesise a new generation of compounds that act on the tubulin molecule, involved in cell multiplication, through a mechanism that has not yet been used in chemotherapy. The researchers will then evaluate its anticarcinogenic potential for later application as a therapeutic treatment.

8 Sep 2009

Exhibition on history of immunology to be presented at 2nd European Congress of Immunology

An exhibition entitled "The Birth of Immunology" during the 2nd European Congress of Immunology from13th to 16th September 2009 at the main foyer of the ICC in Berlin will offer insights into the fast-paced history of immunology. Immunology has promoted medical progress since the end of the 19th century like almost no other discipline.

8 Sep 2009

Stemedica files patent application for diabetic retinopathy treatment

Stemedica Cell Technologies, Inc., ("Stemedica"), a world leader in stem cell research and manufacturing, has filed a patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") for a proprietary methodology in the treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy.

8 Sep 2009

Researchers discover benefits of treating Alzheimer's disease with cancer drug

A drug now used to treat cancer may also be able to restore memory deficits in patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study conducted by scientists at Columbia University Medical Center, which appeared in the September issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease: Volume 18:1.

8 Sep 2009

Axel Ullrich receives the 2009 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research

Johnson & Johnson today honored the career achievements of Axel Ullrich, Ph.D., with the 2009 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research. Dr. Ullrich received this award for his scientific discoveries that led to innovative new drugs including Herceptin((R)) (trastuzumab)*, a personalized medicine therapy, which was the first to target a specific type of breast cancer.

8 Sep 2009

Recruitment for the Phase IIa clinical trial to assess CNS 7056 sedative completed by PAION

The biopharmaceutical company PAION AG (ISIN DE000A0B65S3; Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Prime Standard: PA8) today announces the successful completion of the Recruitment for the Phase IIa clinical trial assessing the new short-acting intravenous anesthetic/sedative CNS 7056 in patients undergoing endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract.

8 Sep 2009

Chronic pediatric cough linked to reflux and allergies

New research shows that chronic cough in children is most often caused by gastroesophageal reflux and allergies. Researchers from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA, evaluated 40 patients aged 5 to 12 years with chronic cough (> 8 weeks in duration) with no obvious cause. Each patient underwent extensive multispecialty testing. Results showed that reflux was the single most commonly associated factor of chronic cough by itself (27.5 percent), followed by allergy (22.5 percent).

8 Sep 2009

Illegal immigrants may benefit from new health care reform bill

As President Obama addresses the nation on health care reform, a new analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies estimates that 6.6 million uninsured illegal immigrants could receive benefits under the House health reform bill (H.R. 3200). While the bill states that illegal immigrants are not eligible for the new taxpayer-funded affordability credits, there is nothing in the bill to enforce this provision.

8 Sep 2009

Azelastine and fluticasone combination for allergic rhinitis gets new lease

Meda and Cipla Ltd, a leading pharma company in India, have expanded the existing long term collaboration agreement for the combination of azelastine and fluticasone.

8 Sep 2009

Brainwave opens a new facility in Birchwood

National charity Brainwave, which provides home based therapy programmes for children with cerebral palsy and other conditions such as development delay, is opening a third Centre in Birchwood, Warrington to cope with the increasing demand for its services.

8 Sep 2009

Chronic periodontitis linked to head and neck cancer

Chronic periodontitis, a form of gum disease, is an independent risk factor for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. This suggests the need for increased efforts to prevent and treat periodontitis as a possible means to reduce the risk of this form of cancer.

8 Sep 2009

Small molecule inhibitors could create new combination therapies

Scientists at Fox Chase Cancer Center have discovered a unique method of attack that may be used to inhibit signaling enzymes called kinases, which often have a role in sustaining drug-resistant cancerous cells. They have confirmed that IPA-3, a small molecular inhibitor of a kinase called PAK1, targets the enzyme's regulatory domain, mimicking how enzymes are naturally regulated within cells.

8 Sep 2009

Benefits of early exposure to daycare not sustainable

New research hints that the common belief that kids who go to daycare have lower rates of asthma and allergy later in life might be nothing more than wishful thinking. While young children in daycare definitely do get more illnesses and experience more respiratory symptoms as a result, any perceived protection these exposures afford against asthma and allergy seem to disappear by the time the child hits the age of eight.

8 Sep 2009

Aquaculture supplies half of the total fish and shellfish for human consumption

Aquaculture, once a fledgling industry, now accounts for 50 percent of the fish consumed globally, according to a new report by an international team of researchers. And while the industry is more efficient than ever, it is also putting a significant strain on marine resources by consuming large amounts of feed made from wild fish harvested from the sea, the authors conclude.

8 Sep 2009

Screening rates for colorectal cancer are lower in safety net health system, study reveals

Colorectal cancer screening rates are much lower among those in a safety net health system compared to the national average, and the number one predictor of screening is a combination of regular visits and insurance access.

8 Sep 2009

Prevalence of cortical gray matter atrophy may be overestimated in healthy aging brain

The belief that healthy older brains are substantially smaller than younger brains may stem from studies that did not screen out people whose undetected, slowly developing brain disease was killing off cells in key areas, according to new research. As a result, previous findings may have overestimated atrophy and underestimated normal size for the older brain.

8 Sep 2009

New probiotic provides protection against the fatal E. coli disease

Researchers in Australia are developing diversionary tactics to fool disease-causing bacteria in the gut. Many bacteria, including those responsible for major gut infections, such as cholera, produce toxins that damage human tissues when they bind to complex sugar receptors displayed on the surface of cells in the host's intestine.

8 Sep 2009