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New journal - Circulation: Heart Failure

The American Heart Association has named the editor of Circulation: Heart Failure, its second of the planned six-publication extension to the weekly flagship journal, Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. The journals will be published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

7 May 2008

Discovery of DNA variations in chromosome 6 that gives rise to neuroblastoma

Using advanced gene-hunting technology, an international team of researchers has for the first time identified a chromosome region that is the source of genetic events that give rise to neuroblastoma, an often fatal childhood cancer.

7 May 2008

Workers with no healthcare protecting Kaiser Permanente facilities

In the heart of California's leading healthcare provider, Kaiser Permanente, an increasing number of security officers report they either don't have health insurance or can't afford the plan for their families.

7 May 2008

Obesity may increase adults' risk for having dementia

Their analysis of published obesity and dementia prospective follow-up studies over the past two decades shows a consistent relationship between the two diseases. The results are published by The International Association for the Study of Obesity in the May, 2008 issue of Obesity Reviews.

7 May 2008

NCPA statement on "sense of congress" resolution opposing FDA restrictions on Estriol use

Yesterday H. Con. Res. 342 was introduced by Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) opposing the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision to restrict Estriol (a form of Estrogen), a compounded hormone preparation used by women to alleviate the symptoms of menopause.

7 May 2008

Nitrates in vegetables protect against gastric ulcers

Vegetables that are rich in nitrates protect the stomach from damage. This takes place through conversion of nitrates into nitrites by the bacteria in the oral cavity and subsequent transformation into biologically active nitric oxide in the stomach. The Swedish researcher Joel Petersson has described the process, which also means that antibacterial mouthwashes can be harmful for the stomach.

7 May 2008

CardioTech receives approval for a second graft size for CardioPass clinical trial

CardioTech International, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of advanced medical devices and materials for the treatment of a broad range of disease states, today announced that it has received the necessary Ministry of Health approval to add a 4mm graft for the clinical trial of CardioPass , the Company's proprietary synthetic coronary bypass graft. Until now, the trial was only approved for a 5mm graft.

7 May 2008

Experts review influenza pandemic preparedness guidance

With the onging threat of a global influenza pandemic demanding continued vigilance, 120 influenza and planning experts from WHO Member States, research institutions and UN agencies around the globe are meeting in Geneva this week to review the current WHO pandemic preparedness guidance. Key scientific and situational developments make the review particularly important. WHO will release the revised guidance later this year.

7 May 2008

GenVec announces grant for respiratory syncytial virus vaccine program

GenVec, Inc. announced today that it has received an Advanced Technology Phase I Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, of the National Institutes of Health, to support the Company's efforts to develop vaccines for the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

7 May 2008

Medical research is essential to improving the economy and bettering lives

Health care in the United States is expensive, but its funding is crucial because it also is a major contributor to the economy and can better lives, according to an essay appearing in the June 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). Because of the cost of health care, this is not time to shrink the budget at the National Institutes of Health, which funds medical research that leads to potentially curative therapy.

7 May 2008

Major mental disorders cost society billions in unearned income

Major mental disorders cost the nation at least $193 billion annually in lost earnings alone, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The study was published in the May 2008 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

7 May 2008

Obesity can increase dementia risk by up to 80 per cent - people who are underweight also face an elevated risk

Being obese can increase the risk of Alzheimer's Disease by as much as 80 per cent, according to a study in the May issue of the UK-based journal Obesity Reviews.

7 May 2008

Researchers highlight distinct subtypes of myalgic encephalomyelitis

Researchers have identified distinct subtypes of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS - also referred to as chronic fatigue syndrome) and there is renewed hope that treatments are available for this debilitating neurological illness.

7 May 2008

Antidepressants do work in depression while evidence for cognitive behavioural yherapy is poorer say experts

A new revision of clinical guidelines to help doctors manage patients with depression has challenged the rationale behind the UK government's policy of rolling out of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for milder depression.

7 May 2008

The design of a vaccine against Leishmaniasis

The parasitology team at the "Severo Ochoa" Molecular biology centre (CSIC-UAM) has focused its research efforts on the search for a vaccine capable of activating immunity against the parasite that causes leishmaniasis.

7 May 2008

Bird flu pandemic risk just as real and probably growing

Experts are warning that the risk of a human bird flu pandemic remains just as real and is in fact probably growing.

7 May 2008

Quit smoking and the benefits soon appear

New research says that people who give up smoking begin to improve their health almost immediately, and the risk of death from all causes falls by 13% within 5 years and to no extra risk of death by 20 years.

7 May 2008