Health News

Biodegradable Nanoparticle Develolped That Effectively Resolves Inflammation

Date: Mar-19-2013
Inflammation is the body's natural defense mechanism against invading organisms and tissue injury. In acute inflammation, the pathogen or inflammatory mediators are cleared away and homeostasis is reached, however in chronic inflammatory states, this resolving response is impaired, leading to chronic inflammation and tissue damage. It is now widely believed that an impaired resolution of inflammation is a major contributing factor to the progression of a number of devastating diseases such as atherosclerosis, arthritis, and neurodegenerative diseases, in addition to cancer...

News From The Annals Of Internal Medicin: March 19, 2013

Date: Mar-19-2013
1. Survey Reveals Most Subspecialty Medical and Surgical Practices Are Unable to Safely Accommodate Patients Who Use Wheelchairs More than 20 years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandated that all medical practitioners provide "full and equal access to their health care services and facilities." However, a telephone survey shows that many medical and surgical subspecialty practices are still unable to accommodate patients who use wheelchairs. Using a "secret shopper" type survey approach, researchers called medical and surgical subspecialists in four U.S...

HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Patients Prefer Faster Subcutaneous Administration Of Herceptin® (Trastuzumab) To IV

Date: Mar-19-2013
Further research also reveals quicker administration of Herceptin could save NHS £15m compared to current practice1 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. The primary reasons for preferring SC administration given by patients in the trial were less pain/discomfort and time saving...

Vitreomacular Traction Treatment JETREA(R) Gains EU Approval

Date: Mar-19-2013
ThromboGenics NV (Euronext Brussels: THR), an integrated biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative ophthalmic medicines, has announced that the European Commission has approved JETREA(R) (ocriplasmin) in the European Union. JETREA(R) is approved for the treatment of vitreomacular traction (VMT), including when associated with macular hole of diameter less than or equal to 400 microns. The EU approval triggers a EUR45 million milestone payment to ThromboGenics from its partner Alcon...

Brain Tumors And Other Cancers Identified By Immortality Gene Mutation; Finding Provides New Targets For Drug Development

Date: Mar-19-2013
Newly identified mutations in a gene that makes cells immortal appear to play a pivotal role in three of the most common types of brain tumors, as well as cancers of the liver, tongue and urinary tract, according to research led by Duke Cancer Institute. The finding, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides a long-sought answer to how some malignant cells are able to proliferate, while normal cells peter out and die. This key to immortality involves telomeres, the end tabs that protect chromosomes from sticking together or fraying...

Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis A Rising Threat

Date: Mar-19-2013
Without expanded treatment and funding, the global fight against tuberculosis could decline - an alarming threat - the World Health Organization (WHO) warned yesterday. Over the last few years, the overall prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) has decreased, however the bacterium that causes the disease is quickly changing and becoming resistant to many of the drugs currently used to treat it. Internationally, TB causes 1.4 million deaths every year, more than any infectious disease apart from HIV. The majority of funding to fight TB comes from the Global Fund...

Community Approach Effectively Tackles Diabetes

Date: Mar-19-2013
New research from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center shows that a diabetes prevention program led by community health workers is effective at reducing blood glucose and potentially reducing diabetes over the long term. This is the largest program to successfully replicate the results achieved by the Diabetes Prevention Project (DPP), a research study led by the National Institutes of Health and supported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which demonstrated several years ago that lifestyle weight-loss interventions can reduce the incidence of diabetes by 58 percent...

Spring Break Sun Safety Tips For Families With Children

Date: Mar-19-2013
Below are some safety tips for families with children who plan to get away from the cold, dark days of winter and enjoy the sun. Sunny days mean children tend to be outdoors much more compared to the winter months. Increased exposure to direct sunlight does not only mean protecting one's skin and taking measures to prevent heatstroke and dehydration, but also protecting children's eyes. According to research carried out by The Vision Center at Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, California, children's eyes can be damaged from sun exposure...

Stress Linked To Increased Risk Of Alzheimer's

Date: Mar-19-2013
Stress may be linked to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life. The finding came from new research that was conducted on mice and led by Sara Bengtsson, a PhD student at Umea University in Sweden. Similarly, a prior study conducted at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden indicated that psychological stress in middle age could cause dementia later in life, especially Alzheimer's disease. The new study examined the association between levels of stress hormones in the brains of the animals and their memories...

Concussion Quick Check - New App To Evaluate Sports Concussions At Games

Date: Mar-19-2013
The American Academy of Neurologist has launched "Concussion Quick Check", a new App to help athletes, parents, trainers and coaches rapidly determine whether somebody has concussion and needs to see a doctor. The app is available for iPad, Android, IOS (Apple) and some other mobile devices. It was developed according to the diagnosis and evaluation guidelines for sports concussion that the AAN (American Academy of Neurology) had recently updated...