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Potential new drug may slow the progression of the Parkinson's disease

An international team of Parkinson's disease researchers has shown that a potential new drug is effective at treating patients in the early stages of Parkinson's and may even slow the progression of the disease. The results from the Parkinson Study Group are in the April 19 issue of the Archives of Neurology.

22 Apr 2004

Commons urged to support palliative care financially

Leading cancer care charity Macmillan Cancer Relief today gave evidence to the influential Commons Health Select Committee as part of its inquiry into palliative care provision.

22 Apr 2004

Socially deprived individuals are 44% more likely to develop heart failure

Socially deprived individuals are 44% more likely to develop heart failure but 23% less likely to see their general practitioner on a regular basis compared with affluent patients, finds new research available on bmj.com.

22 Apr 2004

SSRI antidepressants may be unsuitable for children

A UK study in this week's issue of THE LANCET suggests that reliance on published studies alone to guide the treatment of childhood depression could be inappropriate. A systematic review including published and unpublished data shows that only one drug, fluoxetine (Prozac), was not associated with negative outcomes for children with depression.

22 Apr 2004

Mass spectrometry offers promising diagnostic test for sleeping sickness

Around half a million people a year in sub-Saharan Africa are affected by sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis). The disease is fatal in humans if not treated with chemotherapy; however, adverse effects of drug treatment and an increase in drug resistance underline the importance of establishing an accurate diagnostic test for the disease.

22 Apr 2004

Organ donation bill signed into law

On April 5, 2004 the President signed into law H.R. 3926, the Organ Donation and Recovery Improvement Act. ALF has supported the passage of this bill for several years and we should consider its passage as one of our “victories.” The bill does the following things:

22 Apr 2004

Research into link between oceans and human health

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), one of the National Institutes of Health, have announced funding for four joint Centers for Oceans and Human Health (COHH). The centers will be located at the University of Washington, the University of Hawaii, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, and the University of Miami.

22 Apr 2004

Access to effective malaria treatment for Africa threatened by drug shortages

Widespread use of a new fast-acting and potent treatment for malaria is finally on the horizon in Africa, where malaria is the number one killer of children.

22 Apr 2004

Breast cancer reduction findings need further investigation

Last month, an observational study conducted by the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) was halted prematurely because of possible risks associated with the use of conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) therapy in women who have undergone hysterectomy.

22 Apr 2004

HHS approves first-ever multi-state purchasing pools for Medicaid drug programs

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today approved plans by five states to pool their collective purchasing power to gain deeper discounts on prescription medicines for their state programs.

22 Apr 2004

Lansche family endows distinguished chair in ophthalmology

A $2 million gift from the Lansche family and Tatiana A. Lansche will establish the Dr. Richard and Tatiana Lansche Distinguished Chair in Ophthalmology at the Shiley Eye Center of the University of California, San Diego, officials announced today.

22 Apr 2004

Marker predicts patients who are seven times more likely to die after suffering a heart attack

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) have found a protein in the blood that may one day produce a simple and inexpensive test to help determine who is at high risk for problems following a heart attack.

22 Apr 2004

Third Melbourne hospital infected by Serratia bacteria

A spokeswoman for The Royal Women's Hospital says three babies so far have been isolated after they were found to be carrying the serratia bacteria.

22 Apr 2004

Clemson launches DNA learning center

Clemson University has teamed up with the nation's leading genetics learning center to help S.C. students and teachers understand the far-reaching impact genetics will have on the future.

22 Apr 2004

New techniques to search the yeast genome for genes that help keep copied chromosomes together

Johns Hopkins scientists have successfully used new techniques to search the yeast genome for genes that help keep copied chromosomes together, protecting the integrity of the organism's genetic material during cell division.

22 Apr 2004

Clinical trial of curcumin in people with cystic fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics, Inc. (CFFT), the nonprofit drug discovery and development affiliate of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, today announced that it is funding a clinical trial of curcumin in people with cystic fibrosis (CF).

22 Apr 2004

Watch out Skippy, the meat of Australia's bush kangaroo may be the highest known source of the healthy fat CLA

The meat of Australia's bush kangaroo may be the highest known source of the healthy fat CLA, a University of Western Australia and CSIRO sponsored PhD student has discovered.

22 Apr 2004

Possible new SARS case in Beijing, China

On April 22, 2004, the Chinese Ministry of Health reported a possible case of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in a 20-year-old woman who works as a nurse in a hospital in Beijing. If confirmed, this will be the first case of SARS since January 2004, when Chinese health authorities confirmed SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infection in three persons in Guangdong Province.

22 Apr 2004

Statement on patient safety principles for office-based surgery

Over the past few years, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of invasive procedures being performed in the office setting. Recognizing that many states still haven't issued patient safety guidelines in this area, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) sponsored a resolution, which was passed at the American Medical Association's (AMA's) December 2002 Interim Meeting of its House of Delegates.

22 Apr 2004

Alzheimer Society of Canada new Alzheimer fact sheet

Dementia is a syndrome consisting of a number of symptoms that include loss of memory, judgment and reasoning, and changes in mood, behaviour and communication abilities. Alzheimer Disease, the most common form of dementia, accounts for 64 per cent of all dementias in Canada.

22 Apr 2004