Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Increased risk of sudden cardiac death from some non-cardiac drugs

Non-cardiac drugs that interfere with the electrical activity controlling the heartbeat are associated with a three-fold risk of sudden cardiac death, according to Dutch research published (Wednesday 11 May) in Europe's leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal.

11 May 2005

Discovery may pave way for immunotherapies for prostate cancer

Using a common chemotherapy agent, researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine found a way to move an important biomarker expressed in prostate cancer, shaking it loose from one location in a cell – where it could not be accessed by blood – to another, easier to target area.

11 May 2005

UK needs to end reliance on overseas doctors and nurses

Health bodies in the UK are warning that there is a "major emergency" in the developing world due to the the increasing migration of healthcare workers.

11 May 2005

Survey finds most people with diabetes don't know about highly prevalent, serious complication

A new national survey commissioned by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) reveals that, while the majority of people with diabetes experience symptoms associated with diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage) - a serious complication of diabetes that leads to sensations of pain and/or numbness, tingling or "pins and needles" in the feet and hands - only a small minority have been diagnosed with this condition.

10 May 2005

Fragile US vaccine system needs improvement

A comprehensive system of vaccine development in the U.S. resulted in a reduction of 87 to more than 99 percent in illness from ten vaccine-preventable diseases during the twentieth century. These dramatic successes should not be taken for granted, however, as the vaccine system now faces numerous challenges in manufacturing and development, according to a review article in the May/June issue of Health Affairs.

10 May 2005

Expert analyzes why manufacturers have gradually abandoned vaccines

Recent shortages of vaccines, most recently the flu vaccine during the past winter, are not short-term glitches--they reflect long-term problems in the vaccine industry. A variety of social, legal and economic forces have caused pharmaceutical companies to withdraw their commitment to vaccines, according to pediatrician and vaccine expert Paul A. Offit, M.D., chief of Infectious Diseases at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

10 May 2005

Help needed for chronic care

Many general practitioners are keen to adopt a team-based approach that promises better treatment for patients with chronic conditions, but they face a number of significant obstacles, according to research in the School of Commerce at Flinders University, Australia.

10 May 2005

Carbonated soft drinks can cause heartburn

Carbonated soft drinks and one of the most commonly prescribed sleeping pills, benzodiazepines, can cause nighttime heartburn, according to new research.

9 May 2005

Major Chinese breakthrough for pSivida - patent granted

This first patent grant in China is important as China has the highest incidence of primary liver cancer in the world with 345,844 cases in 2002 and is a logical target market for BrachySil. The potential lower cost of the Chinese registration pathway and the vast need of BrachySil like products make China an important commercial target.

9 May 2005

African Americans and Caucasians viewing African American faces display extremely similar changes in the activity of brain structures that respond to emotional events

The changes occur in the amygdala, a region of the brain that serves as an "alarm" to activate a cascade of other biological systems to protect the body in times of danger, said Matthew D. Lieberman, assistant professor of psychology at UCLA and lead author of the study.

9 May 2005

Men with HIV combat stigma, stress with Mom's love

Despite fears of shame and stigma, most HIV-positive men choose to confide their health status to their mothers, according to a new University of Florida study. When deciding whether to tell, the men’s need for their mothers’ emotional and socioeconomic support outweighed those fears, researchers found.

8 May 2005

Doctors do not have adequate access to affordable childcare

Six in ten doctors responding to a BMA News poll published today do not or did not have adequate access to affordable childcare - forcing many to put their careers on hold.

5 May 2005

Alcoholism - one of the top healthcare crises in the world

Alcoholism is a chronic disease that often requires intensive continuing treatment for long term recovery, according to "Alcoholism: Treatment and Recovery," a report by the Caron Foundation.

5 May 2005

Experts warn that osteoporosis is not a healthcare priority for patients or physicians

A panel of medical experts, Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-NV) and Congresswoman Sue Myrick (R-NC) gathered today on Capitol Hill to examine the barriers that currently exist to proper prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, a disease that affects up to 44 million Americans.

5 May 2005

Episiotomy usually provides no benefits

According to a systematic review of existing studies, to appear in the May 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the surgical procedure known as an episiotomy, performed in up to 35 percent of U.S. vaginal births, usually provides no benefits.

5 May 2005

Drug safety in the doctor’s office - nearly half of patients have lapses in monitoring

According to research published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, only slightly more than half of patients taking chronic medications received the recommended laboratory tests to monitor drug side effects.

5 May 2005

Boosting medical technology innovation in the EU - Eucomed publishes 10 key recommendations

Eucomed, the European Medical Technology Industry Association, has today published a set of 10 key recommendations to boost medical technology innovation in the European Union.

4 May 2005

Fusing physics with medicine to fight cancer

Everyone’s lives are touched by cancer - it is a disease that affects 1 in 3 of us throughout our lifetime. Future developments that lead to earlier diagnosis and more effective therapy lie in further successful collaboration between high energy physicists and the healthcare industry.

2 May 2005

GlaxoSmithKline to acquire Corixa Corporation

GlaxoSmithKline has announced the execution of a definitive agreement pursuant to which GSK will acquire Corixa Corporation, a developer of innovative products that regulate immunity, based in Seattle, WA (USA).

2 May 2005

Key stresses experienced by new mothers

Tiredness, feeding their baby and lack of time to care for other children are three of the key stresses experienced by new mothers, according to a study in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing.

27 Apr 2005