Medical News

RSS

Study finds anti-gout medication may reduce risk of colorectal cancer

Allopurinol, a relatively inexpensive anti-gout medication that has been on the market for more than 20 years, may have some activity against colorectal adenomas, according to data presented at the Ninth Annual AACR Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference, held here Nov. 7-10, 2010.

8 Nov 2010

Conservatives' conflict: Try for health law repeal – or revision

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz reports: "Even if Republicans could wave a magic wand and persuade enough Democrats to change the big federal health law in the next two years, the effort might hurt chances of eventually repealing it, some conservatives say" (Galewitz, 11/7).

8 Nov 2010

Potential biomarker for measuring progress in breast cancer chemoprevention trials

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have identified a possible biomarker for measuring progress in breast cancer chemoprevention trials, according to data presented at the Ninth Annual AACR Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference, held here Nov. 7-10, 2010.

8 Nov 2010

Republicans talk strategy to repeal – or revise – health law

Republicans do not have enough seats to marshal through a full repeal if Democrats remain steadfast in their support. Even if Republicans were able to sway enough Democrats to support their effort, it would face a certain veto from Obama.

8 Nov 2010

Calypte receives $244,479 tax credit under QTDP program

Calypte Biomedical Corporation, the developer, manufacturer and marketer of the Aware HIV-1/2 OMT (oral fluid) HIV test, announced today that it has been awarded a tax credit of $244,479 under U.S. Government's Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project (QTDP) program.

8 Nov 2010

Health reform updates: Biotech grants, privacy issues and birth control coverage

Firms vying to tap the fund a $1 billion fund meant to catalyze research on new biologic treatments for cancer and other diseases may be disappointed in the outcome, The Washington Post reports. "[W]ith so many companies applying for a share of the money, many firms got much smaller allotments than requested and said the financial boost won't go as far as they had initially hoped.

8 Nov 2010

Soy-based drug could prevent prostate cancer metastasis

Northwestern Medicine researchers at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University have found that a new, nontoxic drug made from a chemical in soy could prevent the movement of cancer cells from the prostate to the rest of the body.

8 Nov 2010

Soy isoflavone intake decreases risk of invasive breast tumor

Increased phytoestrogens commonly found in dietary soy may modify the risk of some types of breast cancer, according to findings presented at the Ninth Annual AACR Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference, held Nov. 7-10, 2010.

8 Nov 2010

New Yorker examines global TB diagnostic challenges

The New Yorker examines the challenges associated with treating tuberculosis across the world and looks at whether a rapid diagnostic test could prevent millions of deaths from the disease.

8 Nov 2010

Fuisz receives U.S. Patent for new generation of glucose, analyte analyzers

Fuisz Pharma today announced the issuance of U.S. Patent 7,824,612 Bodily fluid analyzer, and system including same and method for programming same.

8 Nov 2010

NUVO announces positive results from WF10 Phase 2 clinical trial for severe allergic rhinitis

Nuvo Research Inc. a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the research and development of drug products that are delivered into and through the skin using its topical and transdermal drug delivery technologies and on the development of its immune modulating drug candidate WF10, today announced that its European Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating WF10 as a treatment for severe allergic rhinitis met its primary endpoint.

8 Nov 2010

China Sky third quarter total revenue decreases 16.3% to $36.2 million

China Sky One Medical, Inc., a leading fully integrated pharmaceutical company producing over-the-counter drugs in the People's Republic of China, today announced financial results for the third quarter of 2010.

8 Nov 2010

Pres. Obama, Indian PM Singh announce partnership to improve global food security

During a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday, President Barack Obama announced a new partnership between U.S. and Indian agriculture sectors to help improve food security globally, Press Trust International/Livemint.com reports.

8 Nov 2010

Scientist sheds new light on cellular basis of neural impulse transmission

Neural impulse transmission and its effects on the functioning of the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) have always been in the forefront of discussion and studies, in the field of memory and behavioural changes.

8 Nov 2010

Assaults on Victoria’s heath workers to be punished more severely under new laws

Victoria’s nursing and health care staff are among those most at risk of physical assault from violent patients and families and now the Victorian government has come up with new laws to protect them.

8 Nov 2010

Flaws in the selection process of surgical specialists

One of the Canberra orthopedic surgeons who missed out on being selected for a contract with ACT Health has alleged that the selection process is unfair. Two of the orthopedic surgeons were given contracts to work as visiting medical officers (VMO) in ACT Health. These doctors were colleagues of some members of the selection panel. The question of conflict of interest on these grounds was raised by the two unsuccessful candidates. One of them was Dr Paul Miniter.

8 Nov 2010

Cannabis “scratch & sniff” cards to stop illegal plantations

In a novel method to uncover illegal urban cannabis plantations nearly 30,000 Dutch households are to receive marijuana-scented scratch cards. According to authorities in Rotterdam and The Hague they are distributing the cards to help people recognize what cannabis smells like.

8 Nov 2010

$Beta blockers for high blood pressure also reduce fracture risk: Study$

Beta blockers for high blood pressure also reduce fracture risk: Study

Beta blockers, one of the most commonly used types of cardiovascular drugs, taken by about 20 per cent of the population, have been found to cut a person's incidence of bone fracture by half. This new and welcome side effect was reported by Professor Tuan Nguyen from Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research and his Australian-based colleagues. “Indeed, we found that men and women who used beta-blockers had a 50 per cent lower risk of fracture than those not using beta blockers… We were very excited about the finding because, as you know, a lot of elderly people use beta blockers ... it’s a very significant public health issue,” he said.

8 Nov 2010

Water purification woes

According to an expert desalination plants that are built close to sewage outflows risk contaminating drinking water. An Australian National University professor of infectious diseases and microbiology Peter Collignon said that membrane technology is not fool proof when it comes to screening bugs. This comes coincidentally just after a “reporting error” by Sydney Water that showed E.coli had been found in processed drinking water at its $1.9 billion Kurnell desalination plant in Sydney's south. The plant's intake, which collects water to supply 1.5 million Sydney homes, is about 2.5km north of the Cronulla near-shore sewage outflow.

8 Nov 2010

On health law, election postmortems continue

In an analysis in The Washington Post, Chris Cillizza asks: "How much did the health-care law passed this year have to do with Republicans winning back the House and gaining six seats in the Senate?" Polls shed a little - deeply contradictory - light on the question. A Democratic strategist argued it was a neutral issue in an election-night memo, saying only 18 percent of voters believed health care was the most important issue, and that Demcorats won those by an eight percentage point margin.

8 Nov 2010