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Lead exposure may result in cardiovascular mortality

Growing evidence shows that exposure to lead in the environment is associated with cardiovascular disease, including increased risk of hypertension. However, those studies have looked at lead concentrations in blood, not bone lead, a better indicator of cumulative lead exposure over time.

10 Sep 2009

South East Asian health ministers adopt declaration to improve disaster preparedness, address childhood diarrhea

Health ministers from 11 member states in the WHO's South East Asian region on Tuesday at the 62nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for South East Asia adopted the Kathmandu Declaration on Protecting Health Facilities from Disasters, which commits them to make health facilities better prepared for health emergencies, Republica reports.

10 Sep 2009

Patient enrollment completed in Phase 2b clinical trial for Pyridorin

NephroGenex, Inc., a privately held drug development company focusing on kidney disease, today announced the completion of patient enrollment in its Phase 2b clinical trial (PYR-210) studying the safety and efficacy of its lead drug candidate Pyridorin (pyridoxamine dihydrochloride) in type 2 diabetic patients with overt diabetic nephropathy. Three hundred and seventeen (317) patients have been randomized.

10 Sep 2009

Free, online self-assessment quiz helps assess health and lifestyle risks for PAD

As recent medical studies continue to highlight the seriousness of peripheral arterial disease (or PAD) and its association with heart attack, stroke and early mortality, the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation recommends that older Americans, smokers and diabetics take its free, online self-assessment quiz.

10 Sep 2009

Mentally ill smokers also benefit from treatment, says research paper

People with mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety are the heaviest smokers in the country, but their doctors are afraid to ask them to quit. They assume that if their patients try to quit smoking, their mental disorders will get worse.

9 Sep 2009

Ceragenix awarded $2.87M NIH grant to develop a drug for treating Clostrdium difficile and Shigella

Ceragenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Ceragenix”) (OTCBB:CGXP), a medical device company focused on infectious disease and dermatology, today announced that the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”) has awarded a $2.87 million grant to fund the pre clinical development of a Ceragenin™based oral drug to treat two common and potentially deadly gastrointestinal infections: Clostrdium difficile and Shigella.

9 Sep 2009

Physicians to educate Congress on the importance of reducing viral hepatitis

The National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR) is hosting a briefing, "The Experts' Perspective: Gaps and Strategies in the Hepatitis Crisis." "Leading hepatitis physicians, one of whom is a Congressman, will be on the hill today to educate Congress on the importance of developing a strategy to reduce the significant morbidity and mortality from end-stage liver disease and liver cancer caused by chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C in the United States," said Martha Saly, Director of NVHR.

9 Sep 2009

Consortium awarded $3.75M to set up an AIDS research center in Chicago

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a consortium of Chicago-based institutions, led by Rush University Medical Center, a five-year, $3.75-million grant to establish a Developmental Center for AIDS Research, creating a comprehensive research infrastructure to spur basic science, clinical studies and translational research in the prevention, detection and treatment of HIV infection and AIDS.

9 Sep 2009

Advocacy campaign to fight reimbursement cuts for POC urine drug screen devices

Millennium Laboratories, a leading provider of therapeutic drug monitoring and education to physicians and staff treating chronic pain patients, has announced the launch of an advocacy campaign to fight reimbursement cuts to point-of-care (POC) urine drug screen devices.

9 Sep 2009

Misleading information in hospital report cards can impact patients’ health care

A key statistic that consumer groups and the media often use when compiling hospital report cards and national rankings can be misleading, researchers report in a new study.

9 Sep 2009

Phase 3 clinical trials of BHR-100 infusion to be initiated by BHR Pharma

BHR Pharma, LLC (BHR) announced today that it will initiate a global, Phase 3, multi-center pivotal trial (www.synapse-trial.com) to evaluate the effectiveness of its proprietary BHR-100 intravenous progesterone infusion product as a neuroprotective agent for treating severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients in early 2010.

9 Sep 2009

African health ministers adopt resolutions to improve health as WHO regional meeting closes

At the conclusion of the 59th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, African health ministers agreed on four resolutions that aim to improve health on the continent, the Guardian reports.

8 Sep 2009

Chronic pediatric cough linked to reflux and allergies

New research shows that chronic cough in children is most often caused by gastroesophageal reflux and allergies. Researchers from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA, evaluated 40 patients aged 5 to 12 years with chronic cough (> 8 weeks in duration) with no obvious cause. Each patient underwent extensive multispecialty testing. Results showed that reflux was the single most commonly associated factor of chronic cough by itself (27.5 percent), followed by allergy (22.5 percent).

8 Sep 2009

Early schizophrenia symptoms include unusually high CA1 subfield activity

In the first functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study of its kind, neurologists and psychiatrists at Columbia University have identified an area of the brain involved in the earliest stages of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders.

7 Sep 2009

People with genetic risk of bowel cancer decline genetic testing

An Australian study of families with genetic risk of bowel cancer has found that 50 percent of participants declined genetic testing when informed of insurance implications.

7 Sep 2009

Biotechnological approach to fight H1N1 influenza

ETBOND TECHNOLOGY defines Biotechnology approach to fight H1N1 Influenza A (Swine Flu)

7 Sep 2009

Harmless shard from childhood virus shell may halt biological process

A harmless shard from the shell of a common childhood virus may halt a biological process that kills a significant percentage of battlefield casualties, heart attack victims and oxygen-deprived newborns, according to research presented Sunday, September 6, 2009, at the 12th European meeting on complement in human disease in Budapest, Hungary.

7 Sep 2009

Angiotensin II receptors not detectable in pregnant or preeclamptic women

A new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine reveals a key component in the development of preeclampsia in pregnant women, a condition that can result in miscarriage and maternal death.

5 Sep 2009

94-year-old crusader seeks ban on trans fats in the American diet

Fred Kummerow, a 94-year-old University of Illinois veterinary biosciences professor emeritus who still conducts research on the health effects of trans fats in the diet, filed the petition with the FDA last month. The petition is now posted on the FDA Web site, and public comments are invited. (See below for information on viewing the petition and making a comment.)

4 Sep 2009

Flat fees and EMR usage vary significantly in different hospitals

HighRoads, the company providing employers – for the first time – complete control over their health care costs and compliance, today announced findings from the industry’s first medical travel request for information (RFI) for Fortune 500 employers to compare health care procedural ethics, quality and costs around the world.

4 Sep 2009