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Meridia – weight loss pill off the shelves in US

Abbott Pharmaceuticals has announced the withdrawal of weight loss drug Meridia from shelves in the United States and urged patients to stop taking it after regulators questioned its safety. The withdrawal happened last Friday in the US. In January, Meridia sales were suspended in Europe.

10 Oct 2010

Some herbal remedies for anxiety disorders effective

Two herbal remedies from passion flower extract and kava have shown to be effective in alleviating anxiety say scientists. The results came from an analysis of 24 studies involving more than 2,000 participants which also showed that combinations of the amino acids L-lysine and L-arginine may be useful anxiety remedies.

10 Oct 2010

Researchers discover rhythmic changes in synapse numbers regulate sleep cycles

With the help of tiny, see-through fish, Stanford University School of Medicine researchers are homing in on what happens in the brain while you sleep. In a new study, they show how the circadian clock and sleep affect the scope of neuron-to-neuron connections in a particular region of the brain, and they identified a gene that appears to regulate the number of these connections, called synapses.

8 Oct 2010

Experts meet on ESMO Congress to bring new hope to cancer patients

"A congress of records," is how Professor David J. Kerr, President of the European Society for Medical Oncology described the 35th ESMO Congress, at the opening press conference for the biggest medical oncology event in Europe. "We have had record numbers of submitted and accepted abstracts and are expecting a record number of attendees." The ESMO meeting brings together cancer specialists, patients, industry representatives and members of the media. The 35th ESMO Congress takes place at Fiera Milano City, in Milan, Italy, from 8 to 12 October 2010.

8 Oct 2010

Progress made with enactment of ADA, but people still face challenges: Disability and Health Journal

In recognition of the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the October issue of Disability and Health Journal has brought together a series of articles to examine whether the ADA has in fact improved the health of people with disabilities. Areas of progress are identified, most notably acknowledging physical barriers and need for better staff training and communication about and with people with disabilities.

8 Oct 2010

HHS, PEPFAR to invest $130 million to transform African medical education

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is partnering with the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to invest $130 million over five years to transform African medical education and dramatically increase the number of practicing health care workers.

8 Oct 2010

New approach to provide long lasting relief for headache

Most physicians are treating the symptom of headache using medication. Patients often receive temporary relief from the medication but it does not deal with the cause of the headache. The drug companies are sponsoring research programs to test their drugs in conjunction with most "Headache Facilities."

8 Oct 2010

GWUMC to serve as Coordinating Center for multiple NIH MEPI programs

The George Washington University Medical Center has been tapped to serve as the Coordinating Center for multiple NIH Medical Education Partnership Initiative programs and linked grantees that are focused on improving medical education and research in Sub-Saharan Africa. The five-year, $12.5 million grant awarded to GW will fund the Coordinating Center that will oversee the $130 million U.S. commitment to the program.

8 Oct 2010

Portrait painting may help children with craniofacial problems

A group of artists, young people and medical experts are involved in a groundbreaking project at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia that uses the intimate process of portrait painting to help children and young people with craniofacial problems see themselves in a different light.

8 Oct 2010

Defense Department's AFIRM to fund Stratatech's Phase IIb clinical trial of StrataGraft tissue

Stratatech Corp., a regenerative medicine company focused on the commercialization of cell-based, tissue-engineered skin substitute products, today announced that the Defense Department's Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine will fund the Phase IIb clinical trial of the company's flagship StrataGraft living human skin substitute tissue.

8 Oct 2010

Correcting vitamin D deficiency before orthopedic surgery improves patient outcome: Study

Almost 50 percent of patients undergoing orthopedic surgery have vitamin D deficiency that should be corrected before surgery to improve patient outcomes, based on a study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City. Vitamin D is essential for bone healing and muscle function and is critical for a patient's recovery. The study appears in the October issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

8 Oct 2010

CMA to apply intervener status in Insite case

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) Board of Directors has decided that the CMA will apply for intervener status before the Supreme Court of Canada in its pending appeal of a case involving Insite, the supervised injection facility in Vancouver, British Columbia.

8 Oct 2010

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center named Centers of Excellence for Molecular Hematology

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has been named one of five national Centers of Excellence for Molecular Hematology to find new gene and cell therapies for inherited diseases affecting blood cells.

8 Oct 2010

Phase I study of Shigella dysenteriae bioconjugate vaccine meets primary, secondary endpoints

GlycoVaxyn AG, a leader in the development of innovative vaccines, announced today that the Phase I study of its Shigella dysenteriae bioconjugate vaccine has been completed and met the primary and secondary endpoints: demonstration of safety and immunogenicity.

8 Oct 2010

ABMS awarded HHS contract to align meaningful use of HIT, ABMS MOC program

The American Board of Medical Specialties announced today a contract from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to align the meaningful use of health information technology and the ABMS Maintenance of Certification program, which was created by ABMS and its 24 Member Boards to promote lifelong learning and self assessment for physician specialists. The contract was awarded by the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for HIT.

8 Oct 2010

Survey shows obstetricians, gynecologists unfamiliar with Chagas' disease

According to recent survey results published in the October issue of The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, obstetricians and gynecologists in the United States are unfamiliar with Chagas' disease, a condition that affects an estimated 300,000 people in the United States and can cause serious cardiovascular and digestive complications.

8 Oct 2010

IMNG relaunches websites for Internal Medicine News, Hospitalist News

International Medical News Group, an Elsevier company that provides medical news to physicians, today announced the relaunch of its websites for Internal Medicine News (www.internalmedicinenews.com) and Hospitalist News.

8 Oct 2010

Study finds boosting mitochondria may delay onset of Parkinson's disease

In a study that sheds new light on the causes of Parkinson's disease, researchers report that brain cells in Parkinson's patients abandon their energy-producing machinery, the mitochondria. A shutdown in fuel can have devastating effects on brain cells, which consume roughly 20 percent of the body's energy despite making up only 2 percent of body weight.

8 Oct 2010

Roskamp to initiate RCP-006 clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease

Today the Roskamp Institute said that it is pleased to announce that it will soon begin clinical trials of RCP-006, a compound found in tobacco, for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

8 Oct 2010

CDC issues new universal influenza vaccination recommendation for all Americans

With the influenza vaccine already available and more supply anticipated than ever before, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases convened ten of the country's leading medical and public health groups to call on all Americans to get vaccinated this season.

8 Oct 2010