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Massachusetts support of stem cell research

The Massachusetts Medical Society, the statewide association of physicians with some 18,000 members, has offered testimony before the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies in support of Senate Bill 25, An Act Promoting Stem Cell Research.

17 Feb 2005

Study aims to help heart patients adapt to implanted defibrillators

Professor Jane Irvine, of York University’s psychology department, is helping those heart patients who must use miniature implanted defibrillators to cope with the psychological stress caused by these devices. Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDs) are programmed to electrically shock the heart in the event of a life threatening heart rhythm incident.

17 Feb 2005

Deaths from mesothelioma will peak within ten years in the UK

Deaths from mesothelioma, an asbestos-related lung cancer, will peak within ten years in the UK and then fall to a much lower level, according to new figures published in this week's British Journal of Cancer.

17 Feb 2005

Nonsurgical microspheres an option for liver cancer patients

A study in February’s Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology found that patients undergoing liver cancer treatment with Theraspheres?, radioactive microspheres containing Yittrium-90, can tolerate a 150 Gy single dose or 268 Gy repeated dose without risk of radiation-induced liver disease.

17 Feb 2005

Olmesartan improves blood supply to kidneys

How do medications that block the renin-angiotensin system (RAS blockers) work to protect against kidney disease in people with diabetes? At least partly by improving the blood supply to the kidneys, suggests a study in the April Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

17 Feb 2005

Are hormone therapy drugs safe?

The history of hormone therapy drugs – once thought of as almost magic pills to keep women healthy, vital and young – shows why it is so important to conduct research studies to identify the risks and benefits of drugs, say researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

17 Feb 2005

Link between muscle movement and breathing rhythms may shed new light on SIDS and sleep apnea

Between 2,000 and 3,000 infant deaths each year are attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. In addition, approximately 12 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, a respiratory ailment that can lead to death in some cases.

17 Feb 2005

When does occasional absentmindedness signal the start of memory decline?

Forgetfulness is something everyone experiences at one time or another, but at what point does it indicate the beginning of a serious memory loss?

17 Feb 2005

$9.8 million grant to research cancer risks from space radiation

NASA awarded a research grant worth more than $9.8 million over five-years to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

16 Feb 2005

FDA will create a new independent Drug Safety Oversight Board to oversee the management of drug safety issues

In a recent meeting with employees, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt shared an emboldened vision for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that included a new culture of openness, improved oversight and enhanced independence.

16 Feb 2005

GenoMed files gene patents

GenoMed has filed a patent application on two additional genes linked to common cancers. These genes are the third and fourth identified as a result of GenoMed's research in 2005 to date. They have the potential to improve the outcomes for those individuals afflicted with these cancers.

16 Feb 2005

"Frank is Dead" in 9-year-old cancer patient

Much to the relief of well-wishers across the globe, internationally renowned skull base surgeon Hrayr Shahinian, M.D., of the Skull Base Institute in Los Angeles, has announced that "Frank is Dead."

16 Feb 2005

Separating chromosomes improves genetic test results

A new process that helps unmask genetic mutations by separating chromosomes so they can be studied individually may improve the diagnostic yield of some genetic tests, according to findings of a Colon Cancer Family Registry study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

16 Feb 2005

Private health covering more older Australians

Australian Medical Association President, Dr Bill Glasson, said today that the AMA was encouraged that older Australians are taking up private health insurance in greater numbers.

16 Feb 2005

Blood tests improve within two weeks of quitting smoking

Long-term smokers who quit may benefit from almost immediate improvements in blood platelet function, which could potentially reduce their risk of heart attacks or strokes caused by blood clots, according to a new study in the Feb. 15, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

16 Feb 2005

Heart repair linked to migraine relief

Migraine headache patients reported the painful attacks eased or even vanished after they underwent procedures to close abnormalities that allow blood to flow between the atria of their hearts, according to the results of two new studies in the current issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

16 Feb 2005

Midwives urge payment equity under Medicare

Legislation introduced into Congress today would provide for long overdue adjustments to Medicare reimbursement rates for services provided by certified nurse-midwives, according to the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM).

16 Feb 2005

Immediate access to antibiotics stems spread of sexually transmitted diseases

In an editorial to be published in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at Johns Hopkins offer their support for a study which shows that providing faster, more direct access to antibiotics for partners of newly infected patients reduces re-infection rates and spread of sexually transmitted diseases, such as gonorrhea and Chlamydia, compared to standard practice.

16 Feb 2005

Programmed cell death may provide clues to cancer and autoimmune diseases therapies

Dartmouth Medical School geneticists have found links in the cell death machinery of worms and mammals, opening new avenues for studying and targeting a process vital to development and implicated in cancer and autoimmune diseases.

16 Feb 2005

Young blood revives aging muscles

Any older person can attest that aging muscles don't heal like young ones. But it turns out that's not the muscle's fault. A study in the Feb. 17 issue of Nature shows that it's old blood that keeps the muscles down.

16 Feb 2005