Medical News

RSS

Gabapentin improves sleep quality in menopausal women

Gabapentin, a drug initially used to treat seizures, improves sleep quality in menopausal women with hot flashes, University of Rochester Medical Center researchers report online and in the September issue of the Journal of Women's Health.

9 Sep 2009

First results of European survey of cancer patients' experience of breakthrough pain presented at EFIC

The first results of the first European survey of cancer patients' experience of breakthrough pain were presented today at the 6th congress of the European Federation of Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain (EFIC).

9 Sep 2009

Prostate cancer treatment options discussed in a study

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) appears to support the theory outlined in earlier studies that men with more advanced forms of prostate cancer don't benefit from a combination of hormone and radiation therapy.

9 Sep 2009

Medical Staffing Network Holdings implement stockholder rights plan

Medical Staffing Network Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX: MSNW) announced today that its Board of Directors has adopted a stockholder rights plan designed to deter coercive takeover tactics, including the accumulation of shares in the open market or through private transactions and to prevent an acquiror from gaining control of the Company without offering a fair price to all of the Company’s stockholders.

9 Sep 2009

Dr. Terry Collins offers public lecture on the growing field of green chemistry

Consumer concerns over hazardous chemicals in the air and water have led scientists to find solutions in the new field of green chemistry. "The most troubling health effects are associated with endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that may interfere with cellular development in humans and animals," says Dr. Terry Collins, a champion in the field.

9 Sep 2009

Pelosi, Reid offer health bill optimism after meeting with Obama

After a White House meeting with President Barack Obama Tuesday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said there is "plenty to work with" to successfully overhaul the U.S. healthcare system, Reuters reports. She added that healthcare reform "will be done in a fiscally sound way."

9 Sep 2009

New findings may help identify treatments for diabetes and hyperinsulinemia

By investigating a rare and severe form of diabetes in children, University of Iowa researchers have discovered a new molecular mechanism that regulates specialized pancreatic cells and insulin secretion. The mechanism involves a protein called ankyrin, which UI researchers previously linked to potentially fatal human heart arrhythmias.

9 Sep 2009

TransIT-2020 transfection reagent released by Mirus Bio

From the transfection experts, Mirus Bio introduces its next generation transfection reagent, TransIT(R)-2020 Transfection Reagent.

9 Sep 2009

Thermo Fisher Scientific receives Ringier Technology Innovation Award

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO), the world leader in serving science, today announced that it has received a Ringier Technology Innovation Award for its role in helping Chinese laboratories quickly develop melamine detection capabilities following the discovery of melamine-tainted milk and infant formula in China. The award was presented by Ringier Trade Publishing, which publishes China's leading food industry magazine, Food Manufacturing Journal.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 9 Sep 2009

Consumer Watchdog highlights the flaws in the proposed Senate Finance Committee health reforms

The consumer group that pioneered the most successful insurance premium regulation law in the nation, which has saved California drivers $62 billion on auto insurance rates since 1988, released a report today outlining the deep flaws in the proposed Senate Finance Committee health reforms.

9 Sep 2009

Senators return to full plate, featuring health bills

"The focus on health care as Congress reconvenes Tuesday after its monthlong recess is nearly all-consuming," The Associated Press reports. "At stake, beyond the future of health care, is an accomplishment Democrats need to convince voters they deserve to remain in power." Financial legislation, consumer protections and clean energy are also still on the table in the Senate (Abrams, 9/8).

9 Sep 2009

Laureate Pharma and Neoprobe sign manufacturing agreement

Neoprobe Corporation (OTCBB: NEOP), a diversified developer of innovative oncology surgical and diagnostic products, and Laureate Pharma, Inc., a full-service biopharmaceutical development and protein production company, today announced that they have entered into a Biopharmaceutical Development and Manufacturing Agreement.

9 Sep 2009

BioElectronics to file for FDA pre-marketing clearance of its ActiPatch Therapy product

BioElectronics Corp. (PINKSHEETS: BIEL), the maker of inexpensive, disposable drug-free anti-inflammatory devices, today announces its schedule for filing with the U.S. government's Food and Drug Administration for 510(K) pre-marketing clearance for its ActiPatch® Therapy and RecoveryRx™ products. In these applications BioElectronics will seek over-the-counter clearance of its ActiPatch Therapy product for indications for the treatment of heel and foot pain, and for pain relief relative to general musculoskeletal complaints.

9 Sep 2009

AARP members urge Congress to tackle health care reform

As Members of Congress have just returned to Washington D.C. after their summer break, Decatur AARP members are making sure they don't forget to make reforming health care a top priority. With a giant inflatable Rx bottle as backdrop, and prescription bottles filled with constituents' personal health care stories, AARP members hosted a press conference today in Decatur to deliver a strong 'message in a bottle' to Congressman Phil Hare: Health Care Reform Now.

9 Sep 2009

Free pedometers from Humana for spectators at the Utah Championship in Sandy

Have you ever wondered how many steps you take during a round of golf? You can find out for sure — and maybe even win a prize — during the Nationwide Tour’s Utah Championship, thanks to a promotion from Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM), the official health benefits company of the PGA TOUR.

9 Sep 2009

BioLeap and GSK collaborate to discover novel medicines

BioLeap and GSK have entered into an agreement whereby BioLeap will design novel lead compounds for "difficult" drug targets. The targets (not disclosed) are ones for which conventional approaches, like high throughput screening, have failed to yield a viable chemical starting point. Typically these are in areas of high unmet medical need.

9 Sep 2009

Humana Military announces the URAC re-accreditation for its Case Management Program

Humana Military Healthcare Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM), recently received re-accreditation for its Case Management Program from URAC, a Washington, D.C.-based health care accrediting organization that establishes quality standards for the industry.

9 Sep 2009

Merck KGaA acquires Suzhou Taizhu Technology Development for € 28 million

Merck KGaA announced today that it has acquired Suzhou Taizhu Technology Development Co. Ltd. ("Taizhu"), a leading supplier of effect pigments located in Taicang near Shanghai, China. With total revenues of more than € 14 million in 2008 and 300 employees Taizhu is one of the biggest effect pigments companies in the Chinese market. The acquisition is of high strategic importance to the Merck pigments business.

9 Sep 2009

Ross: I will oppose legislation with a public plan

"In a fresh sign of divisions in the president's own party," Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., on Tuesday came out against including a public insurance plan in health reform legislation, the Associated Press reports. Ross said he could not support a public plan after hearing from constituents during the August recess (Werner, 9/8).

9 Sep 2009

Female insects control sperm storage to rule out genetic disorders

Scientists have found new evidence to explain how female insects can influence the father of their offspring, even after mating with up to ten males. A team from the University of Exeter has found that female crickets are able to control the amount of sperm that they store from each mate to select the best father for their young.

9 Sep 2009