Ohio May Face Medicaid Cuts And A Loss Of Coverage For Diabetics

Ohio May Face Medicaid Cuts And A Loss Of Coverage For Diabetics
In Ohio, a nursing home coalition warns of "life-threatening health risks" if Medicaid reimbursements are cut under Gov. Ted Strickland's proposed budget plan while diabetes patients in the state are threatened by a lack of coverage. The

Cancer; Not Simply A Question Of Life Or Death, Macmillan Cancer Support

Health and social care services are overlooking the long-term physical and emotional effects of cancer survivors, leaving many of the two million people living with or beyond the disease in the UK suffering alone and in silence. According to Macmillan Cancer Support, cancer survivors are suffering needlessly and in silence: overlooked by health and social care services that frequently miss the long-term physical and emotional effects of the disease. Complete news at...

Researchers Pinpoint A New Enemy For Tumor Suppressor P53

Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have identified a protein that marks the tumor suppressor p53 for destruction, providing a potential new avenue for restoring p53 in cancer cells. Read more ...

MRSA Transmission Between Pets, Humans Increases

MRSA infections that are transmitted between dogs/cats and their human handlers, and vice-versa, are increasing-with infections of the skin, soft-tissue, and surgical infections the most common.

MRSA infections that are transmitted between dogs/cats and their human handlers, and vice-versa, are increasing-with infections of the skin, soft-tissue, and surgical infections the most common.

In the USA, dog and cat bites comprise roughly 1% of emergency room visits annually, with similar numbers reported in Europe. Women and the elderly are most at risk of being bitten by a cat. Men in general and those aged under 20 of both sexes are most likely to be injured.

Source: 

Public Health Agency of Canada

Complete news at...

NYU Langone Medical Center Awarded NIH Grants Totaling $1,560,000

NYU Langone Medical Center Awarded NIH Grants Totaling $1,560,000
Two NYU Langone Medical Center researchers have received $1,560,000 in grant support for their first year of studies focused on microbiome and psoriasis and on microbiome and esophageal cancer from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The studies being conducted at NYU Langone Medical Center are two of several projects being conducted through the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research as part of the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) taking place at institutions across the country.

UCF Team's Advanced Nerve Cell System Could Help Cure Diabetic Neuropathy, Related Diseases

Multiple sclerosis, diabetic neuropathy, and other conditions caused by a loss of myelin insulation around nerves can be debilitating and even deadly, but adequate treatments do not yet exist. That's in large part because of deficiencies in model research systems. In an upcoming issue of the journal Biomaterials, a UCF team addresses this problem with a report on the first lab-grown motor nerves that are insulated and organized the same way they are in the body. More at...

Most Survive Early Stage Bowel Cancer

Most Survive Early Stage Bowel Cancer

Nine in ten people with bowel cancer that is caught early will survive the disease.

Nine in ten people with bowel cancer that is caught early will survive the disease, according to new statistics. Experts believe this shows how vital it is for people with possible symptoms to get them checked out so that any cancer can be diagnosed as early as possible.

They also say that this highlights the importance of taking part in bowel cancer screening when invited. The latest figures are the first to be based on national statistics and are published by the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) and the Northern and Yorkshire Cancer Registry and Information Service (NYCRIS).

Source: 

Cancer Research UK

Biomodels' Oral Mucositis Expertise Speeds FDA Approval For ActoGeniX's Phase 1b Trial Of AGO13 In Cancer Patients

Biomodels LLC, a preclinical research organization specializing in cancer support care, announced that its customized research program allowed ActoGeniX NV, a development stage biopharmaceutical company, to rapidly attain Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for Phase 1b clinical trials of AGO13 in cancer patients with oral mucositis. Complete news at...

Knocking The Wind Out Of Asthmatics: Help From Hippocrates

Last week the FDA knocked the wind out of asthmatics by requesting the manufacturers of Singulair, a popular leukotriene blocking asthma and allergy drug, to upgrade their warning against psychotic side effects. Further respiratory distress was imposed on Zicam users when the FDA also last week announced warnings that the drug may cause a loss of smell. More at...

Welsh Assembly Government Opens Up Debate On Dementia, Wales

Welsh Assembly Government Opens Up Debate On Dementia, Wales
New plans to improve the support and care for individuals and their families living with dementia were announced by Health Minister Edwina Hart. Statistics from Alzheimer's Society show that there are currently more than 37,000 people with dementia in Wales, and this is set to rise to almost 50,000 within 20 years. One in three people over 65 are expected to die with a form of dementia, according to the charity.

Lambton County Released Infectious Disease Report

Lambton County Released Infectious Disease Report

The County of Lambton Community Health Services Department has released a Health Status Report on Infectious Diseases. This report examines the incidence of reportable infectious diseases in Lambton County and compares local rates to those in Ontario and Canada.

The County of Lambton Community Health Services Department (CHSD) has released a Health Status Report on Infectious Diseases.

This report examines the incidence of reportable infectious diseases in Lambton County and compares local rates to those in Ontario and Canada.

Data from local, provincial and national surveillance systems were analyzed and reported for the years 1996 to 2007. The report revealed that Lambton rates are similar to or lower than Ontario and Canadian rates for most reportable infectious diseases.

Source: 

Lambton County Community Health Services Department

New Treatments Should Be Introduced Gradually To Avoid Later Problems, Says Expert

Concerns over whether the tests a treatment undergoes before release onto the market are enough to ensure its long-term safety are raised in an editorial published by BMJ Clinical Evidence today. Dr Vijay Sharma suggests that treatments should be introduced gradually so that evidence can be built up and the treatment can find its proper niche. To illustrate this, he discusses the recent debate on the long-term safety of drug-eluting stents. Complete news at...

Bayer Completes Phase II Study On BAY 94-9172 In Alzheimer's Disease Imaging

Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany, has completed its first global Phase II study analyzing the sensitivity and specificity of BAY 94-9172 (AV1/ZK) using positron emission tomography (PET) in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease compared to healthy volunteers. BAY 94-9172 binds to the beta amyloid protein in the brain, a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. More at...

FDA Requests Labeling Change For Leukotriene Modifiers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration provided further updated safety information on a class of asthma drugs known as leukotriene modifiers. The FDA has requested that manufacturers include a precaution in the drug prescribing information (drug labeling) regarding neuropsychiatric events (behavior, mood changes) that have been reported in some persons taking montelukast (Singulair), zafirlukast (Accolate), and zileuton (Zyflo and Zyflo CR). More at...

To Promote Cardiovascular Health, Tulane University Partners With South American Universities

To Promote Cardiovascular Health, Tulane University Partners With South American Universities
Cardiovascular disease researchers at Tulane University are partnering with faculty at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, to establish the South American Center of Excellence in Cardiovascular Health. The center has received a five-year, $2.3 million dollar grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. The focus of the center's activities will be on cardiovascular health research and education.

2009/037 Update On NICE Appraisal Of Drugs For Alzheimer's Disease Following Court Of Appeal Ruling

2009/037 Update On NICE Appraisal Of Drugs For Alzheimer's Disease Following Court Of Appeal Ruling
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has announced that, following consultation with stakeholders on the economic model that underpinned NICE's 2006 guidance on the use of drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease, the resulting draft guidance remains unchanged.

New Cognitive Screening Test For Detecting Early Dementia

Researchers at Addenbrook's Hospital in Cambridge published a study on bmj.com in which they explain their design and evaluation of a new cognitive test for detecting Alzeimer' disease called TYM ("test your memory") which is considered quicker and more precise than many existing tests, and which can also help diagnose early dementia. It is extremely important to develop early detection of dementia in order to administer a useful treatment. Continue reading ...

GSK Opens Pneumonia Vaccine Plant In Singapore

GSK Opens Pneumonia Vaccine Plant In Singapore
Drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) on Tuesday opened a $600 million plant in Singapore that is slated to begin producing vaccines to fight pneumonia-causing bacteria in 2011, Reuters reports.

Recommendations For Diabetes Patients Include Regular Exercise, Weight Training

Recommendations For Diabetes Patients Include Regular Exercise, Weight Training
To reduce their cardiovascular risk, people with type 2 diabetes should do at least two-and-a-half hours per week of moderate-intensity or one-and-a-half hours per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercises, plus some weight training, according to an American Heart Association scientific statement published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

New Alternatives For Bone Imaging Could Be On The Horizon

On June 4, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it is considering a pathway for coverage of Sodium Fluoride (NaF-18) for PET bone imaging as an alternative to Technetium-99m imaging. Currently, Tc-99m bone imaging is one of the more commonly performed procedures using this radioisotope. Continue reading ...

Linking Chromosomal Instability, Centrosome Defects In Cancer Cells

Linking Chromosomal Instability, Centrosome Defects In Cancer Cells

In a new study scientists disprove a century-old theory about why cancer cells often have too many or too few chromosomes, and show that the actual reason may hold the key to a novel approach to cancer therapy.

In a new study, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists disprove a century-old theory about why cancer cells often have too many or too few chromosomes, and show that the actual reason may hold the key to a novel approach to cancer therapy.

Source: 

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

WHO Recommends Global Use Of Rotavirus Vaccines

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that rotavirus vaccination be included in all national immunization programmes in order to provide protection against a virus that is responsible for more than 500,000 diarrheal deaths and two million hospitalizations annually among children. More than 85 percent of these deaths occur in developing countries in Africa and Asia. This new policy will help ensure access to rotavirus vaccines in the world's poorest countries. Continue reading ...

Versartis Publishes Preclinical Abstracts For Two Product Candidates At 2009 American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions

Versartis Publishes Preclinical Abstracts For Two Product Candidates At 2009 American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions
Versartis, Inc., a new company developing novel biologics with enhanced properties for patients with metabolic diseases, published abstracts for preclinical data on its two product candidates, VRS-859 (exenatide-rPEG) and VRS-808 (glucagon-rPEG), at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions annual meeting beginning today in New Orleans. Versartis, through a unique licensing agreement with Amunix, Inc.

Erectile Dysfunction Might Be Associated With Chronic Periodontal Disease: Two Ends Of The Cardiovascular Spectrum

Erectile Dysfunction Might Be Associated With Chronic Periodontal Disease: Two Ends Of The Cardiovascular Spectrum
UroToday.com - Together with Drs. Heruti, Bechor, Justo and Galor, we studied 815 Israeli male adults of whom 305 had complete data and were included in the statistical analysis. In the analyzed population, 2.1% of people without erectile dysfunction (ED) had advanced periodontal disease (defined as recession of periodontal bone of 6 mm or more) in comparison to 9.8% of the mild ED and 15.8% of the moderate/severe ED populations, respectively.

New Study Uncovers Mode Of Action Of Enzyme Linked With Several Types Of Cancer

New Study Uncovers Mode Of Action Of Enzyme Linked With Several Types Of Cancer
Scientists at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal have discovered a key mechanism used by cells to efficiently distribute chromosomes to new cells during cell multiplication. Published in the journal Molecular Cell, the study is the first to demonstrate that this mechanism relies on the polo kinase, an enzyme implicated in several cancers. Inhibiting this mechanism could be key to developing effective therapies to treat cancer.

Snoring May Impair Brain Function

It has been linked to learning impairment, stroke and premature death. Now UNSW research has found that snoring associated with sleep apnoea may impair brain function more than previously thought. Sufferers of obstructive sleep apnoea experience similar changes in brain biochemistry as people who have had a severe stroke or who are dying, the research shows. Continue reading ...

With Vandetanib (Zactima™) In Patients With Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Presented At American Society Of Clinical Oncology

Data from the Phase III ZODIAC1 study in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients, with the investigational drug vandetanib, were presented today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Orlando. Continue reading ...

Revolutionising The Diagnosis Of Serious Disease

Revolutionary ultrasonic nanotechnology that could allow scientists to see inside a patient's individual cells to help diagnose serious illnesses is being developed by researchers at The University of Nottingham. The new technique would utilise ultrasound technology - more commonly used to look at whole bodies such as fetal scanners - to look inside cells. The components of the new technology would be many thousand times smaller than current systems. Read more ...

Researchers Identify Gene That Regulates Tumors In Neuroblastoma

Researchers Identify Gene That Regulates Tumors In Neuroblastoma
Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have identified a gene that may play a key role in regulating tumor progression in neuroblastoma, a form of cancer usually found in young children. Scientists hope the finding could lead to an effective therapy to inhibit the expression of this gene. According to Paul B. Fisher, M.Ph., Ph.D.

Second Pediatric Death From H1N1 Virus Was Ten Year Old Girl

The Pima County Health Department is releasing additional information regarding the second pediatric death of complications from the H1N1 virus. The ten year old girl became ill on May 12, 2009 and passed away on May 17, 2009. As reported previously, this is the second death in Pima County of complications from H1N1 virus. Continue reading ...

Novel Biomarkers In Heart Failure At Heart Failure Congress 2009

Novel Biomarkers In Heart Failure At Heart Failure Congress 2009
Several new biomarkers have been recently described in Heart Failure (HF) syndrome either in stable chronic patients as in the settings of acute decompensation. Biomarkers are used to diagnose disease risk, to predict outcome and to tailor treatment to individuals.