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Deep brain stimulation can also affect respiratory function

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has become a common treatment for patients with chronic pain or movement disorders. Now a unique set of experiments shows that electrical stimulation in some of the same brain areas can also affect respiratory function, according to a study in the February issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

16 Feb 2012

Study finds poor QOL in South Asians with coronary artery disease

In a first-of-its-kind study in Canada, Kevin Bainey of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry has discovered that South Asians who live in Alberta with coronary disease experience a lower quality of life.

16 Feb 2012

ASH addresses severe shortage of methotrexate drug

As the world's largest professional society concerned with the causes and treatment of blood disorders, many of ASH's more than 16,000 members are on the front lines of dealing with the country's severe shortage of methotrexate, a drug critical in the treatment of children with acute lymphocytic leukemia.

16 Feb 2012

RUMC conducts early phase trial of MSDC-0160 for dementia

Researchers at Rush University Medical Center are conducting an early phase clinical trial of a novel drug therapy for patients with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease. The drug is a new compound called MSDC-0160, which is an insulin sensitizer that modulates mitochondrial metabolism.

16 Feb 2012

Report illustrates great potential of integrative medicine in chronic health issues

A new survey of 29 integrative medicine centers around the U.S. found that 75 percent reported success using integrative practices to treat chronic pain and more than half reported positive results for gastrointestinal conditions, depression and anxiety, cancer and chronic stress.

16 Feb 2012

WSU's novel gene-therapy for blindness receives $250,000 FFB grant

Technology to restore vision through the use of a component of green algae - developed by a Wayne State University professor and scientific director of the Ligon Research Center of Vision at the Kresge Eye Institute - has attracted additional funding for therapy development.

16 Feb 2012

Wikipedia the most highly rated mental health source

University of Melbourne researchers have found Wikipedia is the most highly rated website for accessing information on mental-health related topics.

16 Feb 2012

Direct link between short telomere length, heart attack and early death

Every cell in the body has chromosomes with so-called telomeres, which are shortened over time and also through lifestyle choices such as smoking and obesity. Researchers have long speculated that the shortening of telomeres increases the risk of heart attack and early death. Now a large-scale population study in Denmark involving nearly 20,000 people shows that there is in fact a direct link, and has also given physicians a future way to test the actual cellular health of a person.

16 Feb 2012

Walking With Anthony's campaign to raise money for The CST Regeneration Project

In hopes to find a cure for better and faster healing and to raise awareness of spinal cord injuries, Walking With Anthony is starting an intensive campaign to raise money for The CST Regeneration Project.

16 Feb 2012

Combination of therapeutic cancer vaccines and chemotherapy shows promise

Therapeutic cancer vaccines, which stimulate the body's immune system to target and destroy cancer cells, are being used in combination with conventional chemotherapy with growing success, as described in several illuminating articles in Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

16 Feb 2012

Cancer cell communication signals may contain pieces of RNA

Researchers have shown that the communication signals sent around the body by cancer cells, which are essential for the cancer to grow, may contain pieces of RNA - these substances, like DNA, are pieces of genetic code that can instruct cells, and ultimately the body, how to form. The same study also found early indications that these genetic instructions can be intercepted and modified by chemotherapy to help prevent cancer cells growing.

16 Feb 2012

U.S. FDA accepts Pfizer's tafamidis NDA for treatment of TTR-FAP

Pfizer Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the New Drug Application (NDA) for tafamidis meglumine, the company's investigational, novel, oral therapy for the treatment of Transthyretin Familial Amyloid Polyneuropathy.

16 Feb 2012

Researchers identify potent regulator of sensitivity to insulin

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a potent regulator of sensitivity to insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar levels. The new findings may help scientists find better treatments for type 2 diabetes, obesity and other health problems caused by the body's inability to properly regulate blood sugar.

16 Feb 2012

Obesity may increase symptom severity and decrease QOL in patients with fibromyalgia

People with fibromyalgia can have difficulty getting a definitive diagnosis and finding an effective treatment plan. For many patients, the condition involves a confounding array of symptoms, including chronic pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance and mood disorders. One factor associated with fibromyalgia symptoms is a patient's weight, according to a Mayo Clinic study published on February 2012 in Arthritis Care & Research.

16 Feb 2012

Study: Diabetes may begin in the gut

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have made a surprising discovery about the origin of diabetes. Their research suggests that problems controlling blood sugar - the hallmark of diabetes - may begin in the intestines.

15 Feb 2012

Valeant receives FDA approval for secondary supplier of Methoxsalen

The FDA has approved the addition of a secondary supplier of Methoxsalen USP, an integral component of a treatment for the relief of moderate to severe psoriasis prescribed under the brand name Oxsoralen-Ultra (methoxsalen) Capsules, USP, 10mg.

15 Feb 2012

Hospital apologizes to Amelia Rivera who was denied kidney transplant

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has issued an apology to the parents of Amelia Rivera, a disabled three-year-old girl who, according to her parents, was initially denied a chance at a kidney transplant because she is “mentally retarded.”

15 Feb 2012

Baby Jaya receives a pacemaker 15 mins after birth

Little Jaya lived up to her name which in Hindi means victorious. Jaya Maharaj became one of the smallest recipients of a pacemaker when she was just 15 minutes old.

15 Feb 2012

Mencap accuses hospitals of discriminating against patients with learning disabilities

Mencap - a charity organization claimed today that 74 NHS patients with learning disabilities have needlessly died in the last decade because of discrimination. It accused the health system of failing to provide adequate care to those with learning disabilities.

15 Feb 2012

Disrupted sleep may raise risk of Alzheimer’s disease

According to a new study, which will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans, April 21st to April 28th, the amount of sleep people get may later affect their memory's function and the risk of Alzheimer's.

15 Feb 2012