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Patients with PFO may have increased odds of postoperative strokes

Patients who have a heart defect known as patent foramen ovale incidentally discovered and repaired during surgery for a different condition may have an increased odds of postoperative stroke, along with no clear benefit on short-term outcomes or long-term survival, according to a study in the July 15 issue of JAMA.

2 Sep 2009

Statistics reveals that blacks experience higher rates of pancreatic cancer deaths than whites

Regardless of risk factors linked to pancreatic cancer, such as smoking and body mass index (BMI), blacks experienced higher rates of pancreatic cancer death than whites.

2 Sep 2009

Eye disease medication lowers death rate among Ethiopian children

Children in Ethiopia who received the antibiotic azithromycin as a method for controlling the contagious eye disease trachoma had a lower odds of death compared to children who did not receive the antibiotic, according to a study in the September 2 issue of JAMA.

2 Sep 2009

Despite financial crisis, Africa must focus on health, Rwandan President says at WHO regional meeting

Rwandan President Paul Kagame at the opening of the 59th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in Kigali, Rwanda, urged delegates from across the continent to focus on promoting health, New Times/allAfrica.com reports (Nambi, 8/31).

2 Sep 2009

Reperfusion therapy proves beneficial for patients with heart attacks

The wider use of reperfusion therapy in patients with heart attack (AMI) can save millions of lives in Europe. Effective reperfusion therapy in an AMI patient can cut the individual risk of dying by half.

1 Sep 2009

Daxor's signed trial agreement with Pacific Cardiology to provide the BVA-100 instrument

Daxor Corporation, a medical instrumentation and biotechnology company, today announced the receipt of a signed trial agreement from Pacific Cardiology, LLC of Honolulu, Hawaii. This will provide Pacific Cardiology with a Blood Volume Analyzer-100 (BVA-100), an instrument which enables semi-automated measurement of a patient's total blood volume, red blood cell volume and plasma volume.

1 Sep 2009

Natural food compounds may play a vital role in cancer treatment

Research in the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University suggests that some natural food compounds, which previously have been studied for their ability to prevent cancer, may be able to play a more significant role in treating it - working side-by-side with the conventional drugs that are now used in chemotherapy.

1 Sep 2009

Also in Global Health news: Flu, cholera in PNG; improving life awards; HIV/AIDS in Rwanda; men and maternal/child health; MDR-TB in India

"Twin outbreaks of a flu-like illness and dysentery in a remote region of Papua New Guinea have killed 47 people and infected another 2,000 villagers, a senior medical official said Monday," Agence France-Presse reports. According to provincial health adviser Doctor Theo Likei, the WHO has collected and is testing samples of the virus from the "stricken villages" (8/31). Additionally, the country is experiencing a cholera outbreak - "the first time the disease has officially been confirmed in the country," the BBC reports (Mercer, 8/31).

1 Sep 2009

Family and friends play a significant role in breast cancer surgery decision

About three-quarters of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer have a friend or family member with them at their first visit with a surgeon. And that person plays a significant role in the patient's decision of what type of surgery to have, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

31 Aug 2009

Oral dabigatran etexilate reduces the risk of stroke and systemic embolism

Boehringer Ingelheim today announced data from the landmark RE-LY® study - the largest atrial fibrillation (AF) outcomes trial ever conducted (18,113 patients in 44 countries worldwide) - presented for the first time at the European Society of Cardiology Congress and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine. Results show that dabigatran etexilate 150mg BID significantly reduces the risk of stroke and systemic embolism by 34% (p<0.001) in patients with atrial fibrillation compared to well-controlled warfarin without increasing the risk of major bleeding.

31 Aug 2009

Recent releases: health development in Afghanistan; trade agreements effect on drug access; outside experts in patent reviews; neglected disease legislation; management in public health; foreign aid reform

A Lancet editorial examines Afghanistan's progress in health developments since 2001, in light of the country's recent presidential election.

29 Aug 2009

Researchers develop an index scale to help physicians predict a patient's risk of dying from COPD

Researchers have developed an index scale to help physicians predict a patient's risk of dying from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The ADO index can help physicians assess the severity of a patient's illness to determine the appropriate level of treatment. COPD, which comprises emphysema and chronic bronchitis, is a major public health problem and it is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. The study of the ADO index is published in the August 29 edition of the Lancet.

29 Aug 2009

Health experts appeal for vaccines to be added to national immunization programs

During a recent three-day Asian Vaccine Conference, health experts appealed to countries to add "under-utilised vaccines such as those of pneumococcal, haemophilus influenzae type-b (Hib), and rotavirus" into national immunization programs, the Nation reports.

29 Aug 2009

Boston Scientific to discuss final results of MADIT-CRT trial at the European Society of Cardiology Congress

Boston Scientific Corporation today announced the schedule of the Company's major events and news announcements for the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, which runs from August 29 to September 2 in Barcelona. Highlights include final results from the MADIT-CRT trial and two-year results from the SYNTAX trial.

28 Aug 2009

Insight Psychological Centers to open a living facility for women coping with eating disorders

On September 1, the founders of Insight Psychological Centers will open Millennium Place, a cozy urban living facility for women coping with eating disorders. Millennium Place, LLC is the first transitional housing program in Chicago developed specifically for women with anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorders.

28 Aug 2009

Caucasians have a higher rate of HBV recurrence compared to Asian Americans and African Americans

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 1.5 to 2 million Americans are infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Prior studies have shown there to be significant racial differences in access to and outcomes of liver transplantation. Recently, doctors from across the U.S. conducted a multicenter retrospective-prospective study of the waitlist status and outcomes of liver transplant patients with HBV infection.

28 Aug 2009

Kenya launches malaria campaign; PBS' newshour airs segment on drug-resistance in Cambodia

Kenya on Thursday launched a national malaria campaign to encourage Kenyans to sleep under insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) every night to prevent infection, the Daily Nation reports.

28 Aug 2009

Medical journal article highlights the challenges faced by healthcare providers for treating patients with non-healing wounds

Cardium Therapeutics today reported that a recent medical journal article highlights the challenges facing healthcare providers with respect to finding optimal treatments for patients with non-healing wounds.

28 Aug 2009

New risk index for COPD developed to estimate the risk of death

Researchers from the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) and the Municipal Institute of Medical Research (IMIM-Hospital del Mar), in collaboration with the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, have participated in an international consortium that has developed a new risk index for COPD patients. With this index, doctors can assess disease severity more objectively and estimate the risk of death.

28 Aug 2009

New rule from CMS for improving stroke patient care in hospitals

A new rule from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS Final FY 2010 Rule) focuses on improving stroke patient care in hospitals. Beginning 2010, hospitals submitting Medicare claims for stroke must let CMS know if they participate in a database registry for stroke care, such as that maintained by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines-Stroke (GWTG-Stroke) quality improvement initiative.

28 Aug 2009

Mortality News and Research

Patients with PFO may have increased odds of postoperative strokes

Statistics reveals that blacks experience higher rates of pancreatic cancer deaths than whites

Eye disease medication lowers death rate among Ethiopian children

Despite financial crisis, Africa must focus on health, Rwandan President says at WHO regional meeting

Reperfusion therapy proves beneficial for patients with heart attacks

Daxor's signed trial agreement with Pacific Cardiology to provide the BVA-100 instrument

Natural food compounds may play a vital role in cancer treatment

Also in Global Health news: Flu, cholera in PNG; improving life awards; HIV/AIDS in Rwanda; men and maternal/child health; MDR-TB in India

Family and friends play a significant role in breast cancer surgery decision

Oral dabigatran etexilate reduces the risk of stroke and systemic embolism

Recent releases: health development in Afghanistan; trade agreements effect on drug access; outside experts in patent reviews; neglected disease legislation; management in public health; foreign aid reform

Researchers develop an index scale to help physicians predict a patient's risk of dying from COPD

Health experts appeal for vaccines to be added to national immunization programs

Boston Scientific to discuss final results of MADIT-CRT trial at the European Society of Cardiology Congress

Insight Psychological Centers to open a living facility for women coping with eating disorders

Caucasians have a higher rate of HBV recurrence compared to Asian Americans and African Americans

Kenya launches malaria campaign; PBS' newshour airs segment on drug-resistance in Cambodia

Medical journal article highlights the challenges faced by healthcare providers for treating patients with non-healing wounds

New risk index for COPD developed to estimate the risk of death

New rule from CMS for improving stroke patient care in hospitals

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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