Health News

FDA approves medical device to treat epilepsy

Date: Nov-18-2013
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a device to help reduce the frequency of seizures in epilepsy patients who have not responded well to medications.The RNS Stimulator consists of a small neurostimulator implanted within the skull under the scalp. The neurostimulator is connected to one or two wires (called electrodes) that are placed where the seizures are suspected to originate within the brain or on the surface of the brain.

Dignity health survey finds majority of Americans rate kindness as top factor in quality health care

Date: Nov-18-2013
Dignity Health, one of the five largest hospital networks in the U.S., has announced the findings of a nation-wide survey on the power of human kindness in health care and the perception of kindness in our society. According to the survey by Wakefield Research for Dignity Health, 87 percent of Americans feel kind treatment by a physician is more important than other key considerations in choosing a health care provider, including average wait time before appointments, distance from home, and the cost of care.

UF Health surgeons release record survival rates for infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Date: Nov-18-2013
University of Florida Health pediatric surgeons have published results from nearly 20 years of treating children with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, showing the highest published survival rate for a large-group study. The findings also present new data for determining when a baby's hernia should be surgically repaired. Congenital diaphragmatic hernia occurs when one of the diaphragm muscles does not develop fully during gestation. Abdominal organs migrate into the chest, crowding the heart and lungs and impeding lung development.

Amakem presents positive top-line clinical results for AMA0076 for glaucoma at Ophthalmology Innovation Summit

Date: Nov-18-2013
Amakem Therapeutics, a clinical stage ophthalmology company, has presented top-line clinical results for its lead drug candidate, AMA0076 for the treatment of glaucoma, at the Ophthalmology Innovation Summit (OIS) at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Melbourne Cup functions linked to widespread Salmonella illness

Date: Nov-18-2013
A Brisbane catering company is thought to be responsible for a widespread outbreak of Salmonella poisoning, that has been linked to the death of a 77-year-old woman, following Melbourne Cup functions.At least 220 people have reported illness following attending catered Melbourne Cup functions found to have salmonella infected food.The Director of Metro North Public Health Unit, Doctor Susan Vlack, said salmonella was possibly a contributing factor to the woman's death and that investigations are continuing.

Human error most common cause of birth asphyxia in Norway

Date: Nov-18-2013
Findings from a 15-year study published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, a journal of the Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology, indicate that human error is the most common cause of infant asphyxiation at birth. Inadequate fetal monitoring, lack of clinical skills, and failure to obtain senior medical staff assistance are most often cited in Norwegian compensation claims following birth asphyxia.

Bulimia and the brain: responses to body image and food

Date: Nov-18-2013
Brains of women with bulimia respond differently to women without bulimia when shown images of slim women. Both groups responded similarly to pictures of food, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry. The work suggests that treatments for bulimia should have a strong focus on self image rather than solely or primarily on issues with food.The neurological process behind bulimia that brings about binge-eating food and purging is poorly understood.

Patient reminders by text improved adherence to heart medications

Date: Nov-18-2013
Getting reminder texts helped patients take their heart medicines (anti-platelet and cholesterol-lowering drugs) more regularly, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2013.In a 30-day, randomized controlled trial of 90 coronary heart disease patients, one group received customized text education messages and medication reminders; a second group got education messages only; and a third received no texts.

Researchers discover potential drug target for rare genetic disease Mucopolysaccharidosis I (MPS I)

Date: Nov-18-2013
Medical researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered the structure of a potential drug target for a rare genetic disease, paving the way for an alternative treatment for the condition.Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry researcher Michael James and his team recently published their findings about MPS I (Mucopolysaccharidosis I) in the peer-reviewed journal, Nature Chemical Biology. Children born with a severe form of this disease usually die before they are 10 years old, while those with less severe forms can live well into adulthood.

Association between protein interplay in muscle and life span

Date: Nov-18-2013
Brown University biologists have uncovered a complicated chain of molecular events that leads from insulin to protein degradation in muscles and significantly diminished life span in fruit flies. The new study in PLoS Genetics, which may have broad implications across species, identifies the fly version of the mammalian protein activin as the central culprit in the process.Fruit flies are notoriously short-lived but scientists interested in the biology of aging in all animals have begun to understand why some fruit flies live longer than others.