Medical News

RSS

Pharmaceutical agreement involving novel obesity compound

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Solvay Pharmaceuticals today announced that the companies have entered into a worldwide agreement for the Solvay compound SLV319, which is currently in Phase I development with potential for use in treating obesity and other metabolic disorders.

17 May 2004

Managing large numbers of patients from mass casualty incidents

Today’s hospitals are challenged to become better prepared to manage large numbers of patients from mass casualty incidents (MCI), hazardous material incidents (HAZMAT), or in extreme cases, attacks using weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

17 May 2004

Vocational rehabilitation services helps people with traumatic brain injuries get back to work

More than 2 million people in the United States suffer traumatic brain injuries (TBI) each year, costing the nation nearly $1 billion in lost wages, increased government support and lost tax income in the first year alone. However, a University of Missouri-Columbia researcher has found that persons with TBI have a good chance of successfully returning to work if they receive vocational rehabilitation services.

17 May 2004

Some amnesiacs can maintain their memories for a longer period of time if they spend time sitting in a dark, quiet room

Amnesia sufferers can lose their short-term memories within one minute of the initial thought. While such things as head injuries and strokes are known to cause amnesia, very little is known about why such severe memory loss occurs. However, a University of Missouri-Columbia researcher has discovered that some amnesiacs can maintain their memories for a longer period of time if they spend time sitting in a dark, quiet room.

17 May 2004

Research suggests that weanling pigs are susceptible to West Nile virus infection

Since the emergence of West Nile virus in the Western Hemisphere in 1999, health care personnel have been on the lookout for signs of infection in people and animals. Recent research suggests that food processing personnel should beware of the presence of the virus in swine and a potential health risk to employees in pork processing plants.

17 May 2004

One person per week dies in British hospitality industry from passive smoking

New figures to be presented at a Royal College of Physicians (RCP) conference today will show that every week in the UK one hospitality industry employee dies from passive smoking at work. The new figures, calculated by Professor Konrad Jamrozik of Imperial College in London, will be presented at the RCP conference called ‘Environmental Tobacco Smoke and the Hospitality Industry’.

17 May 2004

Access to paid maternity leave in Australia is unequal within organisations and across industry sectors

Dr Susan Mayson, of the Department of Management in the Faculty of Business and Economics, said that of the approximately 30 per cent of Australian women who had access to paid maternity leave, most were well paid and highly valued workers.

17 May 2004

Regional review boards improve liver transplant allocation

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) currently utilizes scores based on the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) or Pediatric End-Stage Liver Disease (PELD) to prioritize patients waiting for liver transplants.

17 May 2004

Speaking their language aids dementia patients

Elderly dementia patients from non-English speaking backgrounds communicate more with others and take fewer psychiatric medications when living in ethno-specific nursing homes, an Australian study at Monash University has revealed.

17 May 2004

Connetics issued U.S. patent for emollient-foam technology

Connetics Corporation, a specialty pharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes dermatology products, announced today that on May 4, 2004 the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued to Connetics Patent No. 6,730,288 B1. The patent has 7 independent product claims, and covers a pharmaceutical aerosol foam composition having occlusive capability.

17 May 2004

International plan to rid the world of dirty dozen most toxic chemicals known to humankind

The 2001 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) enters into force on Monday, May 17, marking the start of an ambitious international effort to rid the world of PCBs, dioxins and furans, and nine highly dangerous pesticides.

17 May 2004

New British firework laws aim to kerb injuries

Air bombs will be banned from next month and new strict controls on mini rockets introduced in the latest Government move to crackdown on firework yobs, Consumer Minister Gerry Sutcliffe will announce today.

17 May 2004

GlaxoSmithKline and Boehringer Ingelheim agree to assess the development of important HIV medicines for the developing world

GlaxoSmithKline plc and Boehringer Ingelheim announced today that both companies welcome the United States' continued involvement in the global response to HIV/AIDS.

17 May 2004

Scientists have identified a compound that halts the activity of a deadly toxin called anthrax

University of Chicago scientists have identified a compound that halts the activity of a deadly toxin called anthrax lethal factor in laboratory tests. Nature Biotechnology will publish the findings online on May 16 and in the June issue of the journal's print edition.

17 May 2004