Health News

Chronic Fatigue Treatments Lead To Recovery In Trial

Date: Feb-01-2013
In a large UK trial, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients who received cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) or graded exercise therapy (GET), combined with specialist medical care, were three times more likely to recover than those who received other treatments. Researchers from King's College London, Queen Mary University of London, the University of Oxford and the Medical Research Council , write  about the results of the PACE trial in a paper published in the January online first view issue of Psychological Medicine...

EU Set To Ban Animal Testing For Cosmetics Forever

Date: Feb-01-2013
Campaign pioneers The Body Shop and Cruelty Free International celebrate                 after 20 years of activism After over 20 years of campaigning, ethical beauty retailer The Body Shop and non-profit organisation Cruelty Free International are finally celebrating the end to animal testing for cosmetics in Europe with the anticipated announcement that the import and sale of animal tested cosmetic products and ingredients is to be banned in the EU on 11th March 2013...

Toward A Better Cyanide Antidote For Terrorist Attacks And Other Mass Casualty Events

Date: Feb-01-2013
In an advance toward closing a major gap in defenses against terrorist attacks and other mass casualty events, scientists are reporting discovery of a promising substance that could be the basis for development of a better antidote for cyanide poisoning. Their report, which describes a potential antidote that could be self-administered, much like the medication delivered by allergy injection pens, appears in ACS' Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. Steven E. Patterson, Ph.D...

A New Genre Of "Intelligent" Micro- And Nanomotors

Date: Feb-01-2013
Enzymes, workhorse molecules of life that underpin almost every biological process, may have a new role as "intelligent" micro- and nanomotors with applications in medicine, engineering and other fields. That's the topic of a report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, showing that single molecules of common enzymes can generate enough force to cause movement in specific directions. Peter J. Butler, Ayusman Sen and colleagues point out that enzymes - proteins that jump-start chemical reactions - are the basis of natural biological motors essential to life...

Scientists Learn More About How Inhibitory Brain Cells Get Excited

Date: Feb-01-2013
Scientists have found an early step in how the brain's inhibitory cells get excited.A natural balance of excitement and inhibition keeps the brain from firing electrical impulses randomly and excessively, resulting in problems such as schizophrenia and seizures. However excitement is required to put on the brakes. "When the inhibitory neuron is excited, its job is to suppress whatever activity it touches," said Dr...

Medtronic Introduces The First And Only Neurostimulation Systems With CE Mark Approval For Full-Body MRI Scans

Date: Feb-01-2013
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) have introduced in Europe the first and only implantable neurostimulation systems indicated for use in the treatment of chronic back and/or leg pain that are designed for full-body Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans under specific conditions. The first new system implants have been performed by Dr. JP Van Buyten and Dr. Iris Smet in Belgium; Dr. Rasche and Professor Tronnier in Germany; Dr. J. De Andres in Spain; Dr . K. Gatzinsky in Sweden, and Professor Buchser in Switzerland...

European Expert Consensus Leads The Way For UK Smoke Inhalation Treatment

Date: Feb-01-2013
Paper published in European Journal of Emergency Medicine aims to enhance recognition of cyanide poisoning and improve survival rates Two new smoke inhalation treatment algorithms developed by European experts have been published in the current issue of the European Journal of Emergency Medicine (EJEM).1 The algorithms outline the most appropriate clinical response to suspected cyanide poisoning caused by smoke inhalation, in both pre-hospital and in-hospital settings, and have been met with praise from leading UK emergency medicine specialists...

Artery Disease Faces Future Enemy In Bioabsorbable Stents

Date: Feb-01-2013
Coronary artery disease and peripheral artery disease are global health issues that affect millions of lives each year, and bioabsorbable stents are due to become the next step in treatment once the medical world has provided enough clinical data and prices are lowered, states a new report by research and consulting firm GlobalData. Stent technology has evolved over the years to address the challenges of treating arterial diseases, and the new report* looks at bioabsorbable stents, which offer temporary scaffolding to the vessel and then disappear over time, leaving behind a healed artery...

Mesoblast Receives FDA Clearance For Phase 2 Clinical Trial Of Mesenchymal Precursor Cells In Patients With Active Rheumatoid Arthritis

Date: Feb-01-2013
Trial will be randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled dose escalation study to evaluate the safety, tolerability and effectiveness of a single intravenous infusion of two MPC dose levels over an initial period of 3 months in patients who have had poor or incomplete responses to biologic inhibitors of the TNF-alpha pathway Regenerative medicine company Mesoblast Limited (ASX:MSB; USOTC:MBLTY), today announced that it has received clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to commence a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating a single intravenous inf...

Physical Activity Counseling Can Result In Better Outcomes For Bariatric Surgery Patients

Date: Feb-01-2013
People who lose weight with bariatric surgery may have better results if they receive counseling about increasing physical activity before and after surgery, according to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. The findings, as well as recommendations on how best to tailor physical activity counseling to patients, are published in the January issue of Exercise and Sports Sciences Reviews, a publication of the American College of Sports Medicine...