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$3.9 billion overspend in US healthcare

A study released today by American Hospital Directory suggests that as much as half of the $7.8 billion spent by American hospitals on contract labor could be saved through better management.

21 Jul 2005

Provectus to begin clinical trials of new cancer treatment, PV-10

Provectus Pharmaceuticals announced today that it has obtained final clearance to begin the first Phase 1 clinical trial of PV-10, the Company's lead cancer treatment.

21 Jul 2005

Role of IL-24 in regulating the immune system

Researchers at Introgen Therapeutics and their collaborators at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have published new findings on the role of IL-24 in regulating the immune system in the current online issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology.

21 Jul 2005

ev3 announces FDA approval of treatment for brain vascular disorder

ev3 today announced that its majority-owned subsidiary Micro Therapeutics has received pre-market application (PMA) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to commercialize its Onyx Liquid Embolic System (Onyx) for the treatment of arterio-venous malformations (AVMs), a vascular disorder in the brain.

21 Jul 2005

Postmenopausal women may significantly reduce tooth loss by controlling their periodontal disease

Researchers from the University at Buffalo, School of Dental Medicine did a follow-up evaluation on 106 postmenopausal women and found that during an average of 11.7 years follow-up, 57.5 percent of the participants lost at least one tooth.

21 Jul 2005

Researchers discover type of "fuel" that the heart uses can contribute to the severity of heart failures

Researchers have determined how metabolic pathways differ between healthy and failing hearts. Normally, a heart derives its energy from a balance of fatty acids and carbohydrates, specifically glucose.

21 Jul 2005

Crucial molecular link between a hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)

Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have uncovered a crucial molecular link between a viral infection and development of a common and fatal form of liver cancer. In the process, they have identified a possible way to treat this disease as well as a number of other cancers.

21 Jul 2005

Does the heart contain stem cells that are self-renewing?

If you've ever used a loofah in the shower, you've stirred up some stem cells. As the outer layer of skin sloughs off, stem cells in the dermis rush to repair and replace those buffed away.

21 Jul 2005

Debate on autism link to vaccines fired up again

In a relatively unusual event, federal health officials called a news conference this week in an attempt to affirm the safety of vaccines.

21 Jul 2005

Sale of abortion-pill threatened by U.S. lawmakers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a new warning this week regarding the abortion pill RU-486 following the deaths of five women taking it, from bacterial infections.

21 Jul 2005

Benign breast disease - not necessarily an indicator of higher breast cancer risk

According to a new study, women diagnosed with a form of benign breast disease, but who do not have a strong family history of breast cancer, have no heightened risk of developing a tumor.

21 Jul 2005

Brits stockpiling bird flu vaccine

A stockpile of 2 million doses of vaccine to fight the H5N1 strain of Asian bird flu will be accumulated by the British government.

21 Jul 2005

Large precentage of extremely low-birth-weight children develop chronic problems

A new study published this week has found that babies who weigh only 2.2 pounds (1 kg) or less at birth are much more likely than those with normal weight to develop chronic physical and mental problems by the age of eight.

21 Jul 2005

Calcium may help prevent the polyps, but not colorectal cancer

According to a new study, although calcium supplements may help prevent the polyps that often lead to colon cancer, it is still not clear whether calcium can prevent colorectal cancer itself.

21 Jul 2005

Three cases of mad cow disease in UK from donated blood

Health officials in the UK are warning blood donors that three patients developed the human form of mad cow disease after receiving blood from a possible one hundred people, some of whom are suspected of carrying the deadly agent.

21 Jul 2005

Help at last for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

British researchers have found abnormalities in the white blood cells of sufferers Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and if early results are confirmed by further research, and indications suggest they will be, it could lead not only to a blood test for the condition but possibly a drug to treat it.

21 Jul 2005

UK medical watchdog wants more proof on value of Alzheimer's drugs

In the UK the country's watchdog for cost-effectiveness in medical treatments, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), has asked drug makers for more evidence about the benefits of their Alzheimer's medicines.

21 Jul 2005

New research finds molecular link between obesity and diabetes

Researchers say they have discovered a molecular link between obesity and type 2 diabetes, and the link could be a potential target for new drugs to treat the disease.

21 Jul 2005

Stress test has less effect on blood vessels when hormone cortisol is blocked

Negative effects of the hormone cortisol on the inner lining of blood vessels, the endothelium, may explain how stressful events trigger heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems, according to a new study in the July 19, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

21 Jul 2005

Heart attack patients: shedding pounds reduces risks

Heart attack patients with diabetes or a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors known as metabolic syndrome have an increased risk of another heart attack, stroke or death, but patients who lost weight after their heart attacks were less likely to become diabetic, according to a new study in the July 19, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

21 Jul 2005