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Pervasive myths surround clinical trials

A clinical trial evaluates - in humans - a drug, device or mode of therapy for a disease. All therapies put into use in the U.S. go through a rigorous process of testing, culminating in evaluation of the treatment in human research participants. In order to test new treatments, clinical trial investigators at research institutions like UK must recruit participants willing to contribute to science, while often reaping the benefits of advanced treatment for themselves, and gaining access to top clinicians and the latest medical information.

15 Mar 2013

Researchers show inhibiting brain's filter can boost performance for tasks

The brain's prefrontal cortex is thought to be the seat of cognitive control, working as a kind of filter that keeps irrelevant thoughts, perceptions and memories from interfering with a task at hand.

15 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: Failures in treating ovarian cancer; A moral analysis of obesity; Bloomberg's overreach

A new study has found widespread failure among doctors to follow clinical guidelines for treating ovarian cancer, which kills 15,000 women a year in this country. This disturbing news shows the kind of challenge that health care reformers are up against in improving medical care - even when cost is not the issue (3/13).

15 Mar 2013

TGen to present latest research about multiple myeloma at free public conference

The Translational Genomics Research Institute will present its latest research about a cancer known as multiple myeloma at a free public conference hosted by the Arizona Myeloma Network.

15 Mar 2013

Small study shows smartphones can be used to detect intestinal worms

IRIN examines the feasibility of using a smartphone equipped with a glass lens to detect the presence of parasitic worms in stool samples, a concept that "could have a significant impact on the diagnosis of intestinal parasites that affect millions in remote, rural parts of the world, where even the most basic medical testing is hard to come by."

15 Mar 2013

Researchers identify enzymes that activate coronavirus for infection

Scientists all over the world are on a quest for an antidote since the first patient died from the new coronavirus in summer 2012. Infection Researchers from the German Primate Center have now identified enzymes that activate the virus for infection.

15 Mar 2013

Objections from Vatican, Iran, Russia threatening CSW document

"Halfway into their two-week annual meeting, delegates to the Commission on the Status of Women fear they will not be able to agree on a final communiqué, just like last year," a New York Times editorial writes.

15 Mar 2013

Women’s health before pregnancy influences health of fetus and mother-to-be: Study

A woman's health status before pregnancy is critical for the health and wellbeing of the fetus and mother-to-be. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has set Healthy People 2020 national objectives for women of reproductive age, and young women are making important gains toward achieving some of those health goals, while some trends are less encouraging, as reported in a study published in Journal of Women's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

15 Mar 2013

New issue of 'Global Fund News Flash' available online

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has published Issue 15 of its newsletter, the "Global Fund News Flash."

15 Mar 2013

Article explores benefits of innovative programs for personalized health care

Two innovative programs designed to improve the availability of emerging medical technologies that can help patients receive more effective, efficient and personalized health care are advanced in a commentary written by a team of scientists and policy experts, including seven from Arizona State University, and published today in Science Translational Medicine.

15 Mar 2013

Subcutaneous administration of Herceptin preferred by HER2-positive breast cancer patients over IV

Results from the PrefHer (Patient Preference for Subcutaneous (SC) versus Intravenous (IV) Herceptin) trial show that 92% of early HER2-positive breast cancer patients favoured quicker SC administration of Herceptin compared to the standard IV infusion.1 Presented at the St. Gallen Breast Cancer Conference in Switzerland.

15 Mar 2013

mHealth programs must measure health outcomes

"Since a lot of health revolves around information, public health experts had high expectations for the mobile phone," author and columnist Tina Rosenberg writes in the New York Times' "Opinionator" blog, adding, "But roughly a decade after the start of mHealth, as the mobile health field has come to be known, these expectations are far from being met.

15 Mar 2013

Researchers find no overall recovery benefit to patients treated with clot-removal devices

When someone has a stroke, time equals brain. The longer a stroke is left untreated, the more brain tissue is lost. Since the only proven treatment - a clot-busting drug - works in less than half of patients, stroke physicians had high hopes for a mechanical device that could travel through the blocked blood vessel to retrieve or break up the clot, restoring blood flow to the brain.

15 Mar 2013

IRIN examines health worker shortage in Papua New Guinea

"Papua New Guinea is a Pacific country rich in natural resources, yet its health staffing levels are comparable to the world's poorest countries due to a rapidly retiring force and lack of qualified replacements," IRIN reports.

15 Mar 2013

Researchers to develop miniature chips to treat cancer tumours

Cancer patients could be treated more effectively in future with tiny, sensory implants that will monitor tumours in real time and in great detail.

15 Mar 2013

Global Health Service Corps should also focus on health worker retention

Launched in March 2012 the Peace Corps, PEPFAR and the Global Health Service Corps, the Global Health Service Partnership aims to alleviate shortages of health care personnel in Tanzania, Malawi and Uganda by bolstering their medical education programs, Matt Fisher, a research assistant and project coordinator at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, says in the center's "Smart Global Health" blog.

15 Mar 2013

Probiotics help stress-associated gastrointestinal disorders, study says

For those with irritable bowel syndrome who wonder if stress aggravates their intestinal disorder, a new University of Michigan Health System study shows it's not all in their head.

15 Mar 2013

Examining GPEI Strategic Plan to end polio

Writing in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Apoorva Mallya, a program officer for the foundation's vaccine delivery team, highlights a recent Lancet editorial examining the Global Polio Eradication Initiative's six-year Strategic Plan to end polio.

15 Mar 2013

Majority of women have postpartum depressive symptoms, finds study

A surprisingly high number of women have postpartum depressive symptoms, according to a new, large-scale study by a Northwestern Medicine- researcher.

15 Mar 2013

Delegates at CSW meeting push to reach compromise on final document

"Delegates to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women are racing to reach a consensus deal on a final document by Friday, and some diplomats say the future of the commission -- a global policy-making body created in 1946 for the advancement of women -- is at risk if they fail to broker a compromise," Reuters reports.

15 Mar 2013