Health News

Roche Failed To Report Thousands Of Drug Side Effects, Facing Fines

Date: Oct-24-2012
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has started an infringement procedure to against Roche for not properly reporting thousands of potential medication side effects; what EMA describes as "failure to comply with pharmacovigilance obligations". Roche may be fined up to five percent of its European Union turnover of over $13 billion, which could amount to $685 million...

In Hospitals Known For Good Nursing Care, Patient Deaths After Surgery Decreased

Date: Oct-24-2012
Patients treated in magnet hospitals (specially designated for their nursing excellence) had 14 percent lower odds of death than those in non-magnet hospitals in a four-state study of 564 hospitals led by the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. The magnet designation, determined by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, recognizes high-quality patient care, high levels of nurse education, and nursing innovation. "Even controlling for differences in nursing, hospital, and patient characteristics, surgical patients fared better in magnet hospitals," said lead author Dr...

Transplant Wait-List Deaths Not Just Due To Organ Availability; Most Liver Transplant Candidates Receive Donation Offers

Date: Oct-24-2012
Most liver transplant candidates who died or were removed from the transplant list actually received one or more liver donation offers, according to a recent UCSF study. "What we found challenges the simplistic view that transplant dynamics are driven simply by organ availability," said lead author, Jennifer Lai, MD, assistant clinical professor in the UCSF Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. "Efforts to reduce wait-list mortality must target all aspects of mismatch between supply and demand...

News From The Journals Of The American Society For Microbiology: October 2012

Date: Oct-24-2012
Specific Bacterial Species May Initiate, Maintain Crohn's Patients newly diagnosed with pediatric Crohn's disease had significantly different levels of certain types of bacteria in their intestinal tracts than age-matched controls, according to a paper in the October Journal of Clinical Microbiology. The work may ultimately lead to treatment involving manipulation of the intestinal bacteria. The research grew out of many years' study of gastrointestinal diseases, a particular focus being the role of mucus-associated bacteria in inflammatory conditions, says Hazel M...

Antibiotic Effectiveness Against MRSA Restored By Additive

Date: Oct-24-2012
Researchers from North Carolina State University have increased the potency of a compound that reactivates antibiotics against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an antibiotic-resistant form of Staphylococcus that is notoriously difficult to treat. Their improved compound removes the bacteria's antibiotic resistance and allows the antibiotic to once again become effective at normal dosage levels. NC State chemist Christian Melander had previously proven the effectiveness of a 2-aminoimidazole compound in reactivating antibiotics against resistant bacterial strains...

Sedentary Behavior Changes Possible Through Counseling In Primary Care

Date: Oct-24-2012
Although primary care physicians take care of many aspects of health and disease, little is known about how they can change sedentary behavior through counseling, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). Results from a new study suggest encouraging patients to decrease the time they spend sitting each day may be feasible in the primary care setting...

New Methods That Increase Blood Flow To Bone Implants May Improve Viability Of Engineered Bone Tissue

Date: Oct-24-2012
New, advanced techniques are needed that can mimic the normal blood supply that feeds natural bone to improve the viability and success of restorative procedures to replace damaged or diseased bone tissue using engineered constructs. A comprehensive review article describing the most promising strategies for vascularization of bone tissue substitutes is published in Tissue Engineering, Part B: Reviews, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The article is available free online on the Tissue Engineering website*...

Electronic Devices In Kids' Bedrooms At Night Can Lead To Sleeplessness And Can Raise Their Risk Of Obesity

Date: Oct-24-2012
Children who bask in the nighttime glow of a TV or computer don't get enough rest and suffer from poor lifestyle habits, new research from the University of Alberta has shown. A provincewide survey of Grade 5 students in Alberta showed that as little as one hour of additional sleep decreased the odds of being overweight or obese by 28 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively. Children with one or more electronic devices in the bedroom - TVs, computers, video games and cellphones - were also far more likely to be overweight or obese...

Heart Problems Associated With Diabetes Likely Worsened By Crusty Foods

Date: Oct-24-2012
A University of Illinois study suggests avoiding cooking methods that produce the kind of crusty bits you'd find on a grilled hamburger, especially if you have diabetes and know you're at increased risk for cardiovascular disease because of your diagnosis. "We see evidence that cooking methods that create a crust - think the edge of a brownie or the crispy borders of meats prepared at very high temperatures - produce advanced glycation end products (AGEs)...

Costs Significantly Less When Outpatient Urological Surgery Performed In Physician Offices & ACCs

Date: Oct-24-2012
More and more outpatient surgical procedures are being done at nonhospital-based facilities such as freestanding ambulatory surgical centers and physician offices, instead of at hospital-based outpatient departments. A new study comparing the cost to Medicare of 22 urological surgical procedures performed in each setting has found that ambulatory surgery centers and physician offices are less costly than hospitals. The results are published in the December issue of The Journal of Urology...