Health News from Medical News Today

Breast Cancer Drug Tamoxifen Effective At Treating Muscular Dystrophy

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 11:00:00 PST

A study to soon be published in found that the breast cancer drug tamoxifen was able to reverse some features of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). This is very promising news as there is currently no treatment available for alleviating the long term symptoms of DMD. DMD is a disorder that affects around 1 in 3,600 boys and is very rarely found among girls, it weakens the musculoskeletal system due to a mutation in the dystrophin gene - which is responsible for coding vital muscular proteins...

30 Percent Of Teen Girls Meet Up With Strangers From The Internet

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 11:00:00 PST

About one-third of teenage girls are putting themselves at risk by meeting strangers they have met on the Internet in person. The finding came from new research conducted by a U.S. children's hospital and was published in the journal Pediatrics. The study found that 30% of the adolescent females surveyed reported to have met up with at least one person they had encountered on the Internet, whose identity was not confirmed prior to their face-to-face meeting...

Drug Overdose Is Now Leading Cause Of Death Among Homeless

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 11:00:00 PST

Overdoses of drugs, especially heroin and painkillers, have surpassed AIDS has the number one cause of death among homeless adults. The new findings came from a five-year study of homeless people who received treatment from the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP). The study was conducted by a group of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and BHCHP, and will be published in JAMA Internal Medicine...

Coca-Cola Admits Sugary Drinks Make You Put On Weight

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 09:00:00 PST

Coca-Cola, the most powerful and well known soft drinks company in the world, is claiming to publicly address the link between sugary drinks and obesity with a global advertising campaign which has started in the USA. This is quite a change from the promotion of its soft drinks as a route to happiness. On Monday, 14th January 2013, the Coca-Cola company started broadcasting a two-minute video called "Coming Together" on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC in an attempt to become one of the leaders in the debate regarding soda consumption's link to being overweight...

2nd Annual Drug Safety MENA Summit, 13-14 February 2013, Abu Dhabi

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 07:00:00 PST

The 2nd Annual Drug Safety Summit is due to take place in Abu Dhabi, UAE from 13-14 February 2013. Supported by the Centre Anti Poison et de Pharmacovigilance du Maroc, W.H.O. Collaborating Center for Pharmacovigilance and with more than 20 key leading experts confirmed to speak, the event will discuss the regional Pharmacovigilance initiatives across the Middle East as well as promote the risk reduction strategies and up-to-date advances in the field of safe medication practice. The event will feature over 20 top speakers including: Prof. Rachida Soulaymani, Director, W.H.O...

FDA Participation At 3rd Developing CAPAs In The GCP Environment Conference, 24-25 January 2013, Arlington, VA

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 07:00:00 PST

Dr. Jean Mulinde, Acting Senior Advisor, Division of Good Clinical Practice Compliance, Office of Scientific Investigations at CDER, FDA, has confirmed to present the following keynote address at the 3rd Developing CAPAs in the GCP Environment Conference on January 24-25, 2013 at the Westin in Arlington, VA...

Link Between Fetal Exposure To PVC Plastic Chemical And Obesity In Offspring

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 04:00:00 PST

Exposing pregnant mice to low doses of the chemical tributyltin - which is used in marine hull paint and PVC plastic - can lead to obesity for multiple generations without subsequent exposure, a UC Irvine study has found. After exposing pregnant mice to TBT in concentrations similar to those found in the environment, researchers saw increased body fat, liver fat and fat-specific gene expression in their "children," "grandchildren" and "great-grandchildren" - none of which had been exposed to the chemical...

1 In 3 Americans Uses Internet To Help With Diagnoses

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 03:00:00 PST

A nationwide survey of US adults finds that 1 in 3 of Americans say they have used the internet to help them diagnose a medical condition, either for themselves or someone else. But, when asked who they turned to for help with a serious health issue, either online or offline, the majority said they turned to a doctor or other health professional. These findings come from a telephone survey of over 3,000 adults living in the US. It was commissioned by the Pew Research Center in Washington, DC, who published a report about it online on Tuesday...

Switch From Branded To Generic Antiretrovirals Could Save Nearly $1 Billion Annually But May Not Be Best For HIV Patients

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 02:00:00 PST

Replacing the combination of brand-name, antiretroviral drugs currently recommended for control of HIV infection with soon-to-be-available generic medications could save the U.S. health care system almost $1 billion a year but may diminish the effectiveness of HIV treatment. A study led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators, appearing in the January 15 Annals of Internal Medicine, examines the potential impact of such a change...

Potential Non-Surgical Therapy For Neurofibromatosis Type 2 Brain Tumors

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 02:00:00 PST

One in 25,000 people worldwide is affected by neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), a condition where the loss of a tumour suppressor called Merlin results in multiple tumours in the brain and nervous system. Sufferers may experience 20 to 30 tumours at any one time and such numbers often lead to hearing loss, disability and eventually death. Currently, the only available effective therapies are repeated invasive surgery or radiotherapy aimed at one tumour at a time and which are unlikely to eradicate all the tumours in one go...

Confirmation Of Apes' Sense Of Fairness Provides Another Close Link To Humans

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 02:00:00 PST

Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, are the first to show chimpanzees possess a sense of fairness that has previously been attributed as uniquely human. Working with colleagues from Georgia State University, the researchers played the Ultimatum Game with the chimpanzees to determine how sensitive the animals are to the reward distribution between two individuals if both need to agree on the outcome...

News From The Annals Of Internal Medicine: Jan. 15, 2013

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:00:00 PST

1. Selective D-Dimer Testing for Suspected Deep Vein Thrombosis Safe and More Efficient than Testing Everyone D-dimer testing based on clinical pretest probability for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is safe and reduces diagnostic testing compared with testing all patients...

News From The January/February 2013 Annals Of Family Medicine

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:00:00 PST

Electronic Health Record Adoption by Family Physicians Doubles, Projected to Reach 80 Percent by 2013 Adoption of electronic health records by family physicians has doubled since 2005, reaching 68 percent nationally in 2011. According to analysis of two independent data sets, researchers found family physicians are adopting electronic health records at a higher rate than other office-based physicians and are likely to exceed 80 percent penetration by 2013 if the current trend continues...

Distinct Circuit Dysfunctions May Contribute To Different Features Of Emotion Dysregulation In Bipolar Disorder

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:00:00 PST

Bipolar disorder is a severe mood disorder characterized by unpredictable and dramatic mood swings between the highs of mania and lows of depression. These mood episodes occur among periods of 'normal mood', termed euthymia. Prior research has clearly shown that brain emotion circuitry is dysregulated in individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It is thought that these disturbances impair one's ability to control emotion and contribute to mood episodes...

Patients' Threat Perception Following Heart Attack Impacts Depression

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:00:00 PST

"Survivors of heart attacks are three times more likely to develop depression during the first six months after their heart attack, than people with no heart disease. If left untreated this contributes to a worse prognosis, for instance further cardiac events and possibly death. The causes for this high prevalence of depression after heart attacks are still unclear," said Prof. Claus VÃ¶gele, Professor of Clinical and Health Psychology at the University of Luxembourg and lead author of the publication entitled "Cardiac Threat Appraisal and Depression after First Myocardial Infarction"...

Surviving Hemorrhage Less Likely If Patients Smoke, Have High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:00:00 PST

"It is particularly important for subarachnoid haemorrhage survivors to refrain from smoking and to take care of their blood pressure and cholesterol levels; apart from age, these are the primary factors behind the increased risk of mortality," explains neurosurgeon Miikka Korja from the HUCH's Neurosurgery Department together with professor Jaakko Kaprio from the University of Helsinki's Hjelt Institute...

How Timothy Syndrome Mutation Causes Wiring Defects Associated With Cognitive Impairment

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:00:00 PST

A new finding in neuroscience for the first time points to a developmental mechanism linking the disease-causing mutation in an autism-related disorder, Timothy syndrome, and observed defects in brain wiring, according to a study led by scientist Ricardo Dolmetsch and published online in Nature Neuroscience. These findings may be at the heart of the mechanisms underlying intellectual disability and many other brain disorders. The present study reveals that a mutation of the disease-causing gene throws a key process of neurodevelopment into reverse...

Effective Interventions For Reducing Pedestrian Injury Improves Child Safety In New York City

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:00:00 PST

The national Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program was funded by Congress in 2005 in an effort to create safe environments for American children to walk or bike to school. Has the program been effective? In New York City, most definitely, according to a new study conducted at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health that evaluated the program here. Researchers found that the annual rate of injury to school-age pedestrians ages 5-19 fell 44% during the peak times for walking to school, in neighborhoods where the program was implemented...

Co-Morbidities Associated With Childhood Obesity

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:00:00 PST

While a great deal of research on childhood obesity has spotlighted the long-term health problems that emerge in adulthood, a new UCLA study focuses on the condition's immediate consequences and shows that obese youngsters are at far greater risk than had been supposed. Compared to kids who are not overweight, obese children are at nearly twice the risk of having three or more reported medical, mental or developmental conditions, the UCLA researchers found. Overweight children had a 1.3 times higher risk...

Students Please Note: Several Popular Study Strategies Ineffective And Effective Study Strategies Underused

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

Students everywhere, put down those highlighters and pick up some flashcards! Some of the most popular study strategies - such as highlighting and even rereading - don't show much promise for improving student learning, according to a new report published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. In the report*, John Dunlosky of Kent State University and a team of distinguished psychological scientists review the scientific evidence for ten learning techniques commonly used by students...

Relatable Signs In Mens' Bathrooms Lead To 86 Percent Of Participants Washing Their Hands

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

The CDC reports that 77% of males wash their hands when leaving the restroom. Recent research, published in the journal Human Communication Research, found that this figure increased to 86% among men who were primed with messages in bathrooms. Maria Lapinski, Michigan State University; Erin Maloney, University of Pennsylvania; Mary Braz, Westchester University; and Hillary Shulman, North Central College published in Human Communication Research their findings from a field study of college-aged men...

Uptake Of Recommended Flu Vaccines For Children Remain Lower Than Expected

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

This year's flu season is in full swing with 41 states now reporting widespread illness. Unfortunately, not enough children are getting the flu shot even though health officials recommend that all children 6 months and older get the vaccine. According to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, less than 45 percent of children were vaccinated against the flu during a five-year study period...

Possible Negative Side Effects Of VEGF Inhibition Therapy For Eye Disease

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

A new Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS) article reveals that increasingly aggressive therapies that block VEGF could cause damage in treating eye diseases. Scientists discovered inhibiting anti-VEGF might have a harmful effect on the tissue responsible for producing the fluid that bathes the eye, medically termed the ciliary body. "Very little is known about the factors that regulate the integrity and function of this tissue [the ciliary body] in the adult," said author Patricia A. D'Amore, PhD, of Schepens Eye Research Institute/Massachusetts Eye and Ear...

Early Rehabilitation For ICU Patients Benefits Hospital's Bottom Line

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

In a study evaluating the financial impact of providing early physical therapy for intensive care patients, researchers at Johns Hopkins found that the up-front costs are outweighed by the financial savings generated by earlier discharges from the intensive care unit and shorter hospital stays overall. An article describing the findings, "ICU Early Physical Rehabilitation Programs: Financial Modeling of Cost Savings," is published online ahead of print in the March issue of Critical Care Medicine...

Protecting Against Sports Injuries By Encouraging More Play Just For Fun

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

One way to avoid injuries in young athletes may be for them to simply spend more time in unorganized free play such as pick-up games, a Loyola University Medical Study has found. In a first-of-its-kind study, sports medicine specialist Dr. Neeru Jayanthi and colleagues found that injured young athletes who play a single sport such as tennis spent much less time in free play and unorganized sports than uninjured athletes who play tennis and many other sports...

Bioethicists Call For Reform To The Ethical Foundation Of The Changing American Healthcare System

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

In what they acknowledge as a seismic shift in the ethical foundation of medical research, practice and policy, a prominent group of interdisciplinary healthcare experts, led by bioethicists at Johns Hopkins, rejects an ethical paradigm that has guided the American system since the 1970s and calls for morally obligatory participation in a "learning healthcare system" more in step with the digital age...

Are Flu Shots Becoming A Game Of Chance?

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

With 41 states having reported widespread and severe outbreaks of flu this season, timely new research sheds light on why less than half of the American population has gotten a flu shot. Despite widespread knowledge that a vaccine is the best way to reduce the chances of catching and spreading the flu, even three of the four main TODAY show anchors recently admitted they had not gotten a flu shot (until they did so live on the air)...

IPSCs Define Optimal Treatment For Managing Life-Threatening Arrhythmias

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

Researchers used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from a young patient with Long QT syndrome (LQTS), a congenital heart disorder, to determine a course of treatment that helped manage the patient's life-threatening arrhythmias. The results, which appear in The Journal of General Physiology, could lead to improved treatments for LQTS and other channelopathies, diseases caused by disturbed ion channel function...

Research Likely To Improve Drugs Used To Fight Cancer, Diabetes And Other Diseases

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

Even when at rest, the human body is a flurry of activity. Like a microscopic metropolis locked in a state of perpetual rush hour traffic, the trillions of cells that make us who we are work feverishly policing the streets, making repairs, building new structures and delivering important cargo throughout the bustling organic society. For everything to work properly there must be something to organize and direct the various workers. Enter protein kinases...

The Debate Continues On Cannabis Use And The Increased Risk Of Psychosis

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

Two articles published in F1000 Medicine Reports take a collaborative approach to argue the case for and against the link between cannabis use and psychotic illness. The scientific community have long debated the causal relationship between cannabis use and the risk factor for psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia. Both sides of this controversial subject are put forward in two articles published in F1000 Medicine Reports...

Debating Protein Recognition And Disorder

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

Two articles published in F1000 Biology Reports debate whether protein recognition can occur in the absence of stable structure. The extent to which three-dimensional structure is required for protein recognition and function is an area of vigorous debate with clear implications for protein engineering. Two differing viewpoints have been put forward in two articles published in F1000 Biology Reports. In structuring their arguments, the authors were encouraged to consider the opposing viewpoint, examine the points put forward and critique them in their own articles...

Treatment For OP Poisoning Could Save 200,000 Lives A Year

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

An enzyme treatment which could neutralise the effects of lethal chemicals responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people across the world has been developed by experts at the University of Sheffield. Organophosphorus agents (OP) are used as pesticides in developing countries and acute poisoning is common because of insufficient control, poor storage, ready availability, and inadequate education amongst farmers...

Studying Immune Cells In The Search For Therapeutic Targets For Treating Multiple Sclerosis

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

Misguided killer T cells may be the missing link in sustained tissue damage in the brains and spines of people with multiple sclerosis, findings from the University of Washington reveal. Cytoxic T cells, also known as CD8+ T cells, are white blood cells that normally are in the body's arsenal to fight disease. Multiple sclerosis is characterized by inflamed lesions that damage the insulation surrounding nerve fibers and destroy the axons, electrical impulse conductors that look like long, branching projections. Affected nerves fail to transmit signals effectively...

The Importance Of Fat Location And How Belly Fat Differs From Thigh Fat

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

Researchers discover that the genes active in a person's belly fat are significantly different from those in his or her thigh fat, a finding that could shift the way we approach unwanted belly fat - from banishing it to relocating it. Men tend to store fat in the abdominal area, but don't usually have much in the way of hips or thighs. Women, on the other hand, are more often pear-shaped - storing more fat on their hips and thighs than in the belly. Why are women and men shaped differently? The answer still isn't clear, but it's an issue worth investigating, says Steven Smith, M.D...

Why Down Syndrome Increases Susceptibility To Alzheimer's Disease, Diabetes And Autistic Spectrum Disorders

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

A study led by UC Irvine researchers has revealed some of the underlying neural factors that explain why people with Down syndrome are more susceptible to Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and autistic spectrum disorders. Jorge Busciglio, associate professor of neurobiology & behavior, and colleagues analyzed the cellular and molecular mechanisms leading to oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in Down syndrome individuals. They found that this breakdown in energy metabolism within brain cells contributes to the higher probability of these other conditions...

IFIT Antiviral Protein Recognizes Foreign RNA And Blocks Viral Infections

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

Researchers at McGill University and the Research Center for Molecular Medicine (CeMM) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences have discovered the molecular blueprint behind the IFIT protein. This key protein enables the human immune system to detect viruses and prevent infection by acting as foot soldiers guarding the body against infection. They recognize foreign viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) produced by the virus and act as defender molecules by potentially latching onto the genome of the virus and preventing it from making copies of itself, blocking infection...

New Device Uses Graphene Plasmonics To Beat Drug Cheats, Detect Viruses And Much More

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

Writing in Nature Materials, the scientists, working with colleagues from Aix-Marseille University, have created a device which potentially can see one molecule though a simple optical system and can analyse its components within minutes. This uses plasmonics - the study of vibrations of electrons in different materials. The breakthrough could allow for rapid and more accurate drug testing for professional athletes as it could detect the presence of even trace amounts of a substance...

Metabolic Control Of Cancer Suppressor Gene Points To New Cancer Therapeutics, Links Metabolism With Cellular Aging

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

It is perhaps impossible to overstate the importance of the tumor suppressor gene p53. It is the single most frequently mutated gene in human tumors. p53 keeps pre-cancerous cells in check by causing cells, among other things, to become senescent - aging at the cellular level. Loss of p53 causes cells to ignore the cellular signals that would normally make mutant or damaged cells die or stop growing. In short, the p53 pathway is an obvious and attractive target for drug developers...

How A Tadpole's Tail Has Implications For Human Healing

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

Scientists at The University of Manchester have made a surprising finding after studying how tadpoles re-grow their tails which could have big implications for research into human healing and regeneration. It is generally appreciated that frogs and salamanders have remarkable regenerative capacities, in contrast to mammals, including humans. For example, if a tadpole loses its tail a new one will regenerate within a week...

GSK Announces Regulatory Submission Of Its Type 2 Diabetes Drug Albigultide

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

GlaxoSmithKline has announced a regulatory submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its type 2 diabetes drug called albigultide. The drug, which is taken once-weekly, is a a glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist (GLP-1 agonist). The peptide GLP-1 promotes insulin production which is vital for stabilizing blood sugar levels after a meal - those with diabetes aren't able to properly secrete this peptide. Normal insulin production is restored among diabetics by taking Albiglutide, which contains two modified human copies of GLP-1 - enabling a longer duration of action...

Using Twitter Helps People Lose Weight

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

Twitter, a popular social media outlet now has another purpose, supporting people on their quest to lose weight. A group of researchers from the University of South Carolina's School of Public Health discovered that using Twitter as a support system is a beneficial tool in the journey of weight loss. Led by researcher Brie Turner-McGrievy and published in the journal Translational Behavioral Medicine, these study findings showed that people who used Twitter gave informational support to each other through status updates...

Fast Food Linked To Asthma And Eczema In Kids

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

Kids who eat fast food three or more times a week are likely to have more severe allergic asthma, rhinitis (hay fever), and eczema. The finding came from new international research and was published in the journal Thorax. Similarly, a previous study demonstrated that the benefits of breastfeeding in preventing asthma are cancelled out by eating fast food once or twice a week. The results of the new study motivated the investigators to believe that a fast food diet may be playing a part in the increase in these conditions...

What Was China's One Kid Per Family Policy's Impact?

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 11:00:00 PST

China's somewhat drastic imposition of its One Child Policy (OCP) - which was brought in to control the country's ever-increasing population problem - is thought to have had some serious effects on the characteristics of its people, making them less competitive, less trustworthy and overall less conscientious. The finding comes from research carried out and published in Science by Professors Lisa Cameron and Lata Gangadharan from Monash University, Professor Xin Meng from the Australian National University (ANU) and Associate Professor Nisvan Erkal from the University of Melbourne...

A Shot In The Thigh Better Than Arm For Kids

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 11:00:00 PST

A DTaP vaccination injection in the thigh is less likely to cause an injection-site reaction than one in the arm among children aged from one to three years, researchers reported. DTaP stands for diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (whooping cough). The finding came from new research involving 1.4 million children at Group Health and 7 other Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) centers throughout the nation and was published in the journal Pediatrics. "These local reactions are the most common side effect of vaccinations...

Alternative Medicine Use High Among Pediatric Patients

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 11:00:00 PST

A rising number of children in Canada with chronic illnesses are trying alternative medicines or therapies, but aren't necessarily informing their doctors they are doing so. In the treatment of chronic illnesses, it is not uncommon for people to use other remedies including herbal, homeopathic, or vitamins that have the potential to interact adversely with doctor-recommended treatment. A study, conducted by the Universities of Ottawa and Alberta in Canada, examined the alternative treatment methods of 926 families at 10 separate clinics in Edmonton and Ottawa...

Ultrasonic Testing With Doppler Imaging Can Rule Out Blood Clots In Pregnant Women

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 09:00:00 PST

Allows physicians to withhold anticoagulants rather than inappropriately using anticoagulants during pregnancy The use of serial compression ultrasonographic testing together with Doppler imaging appears to be a reliable method of ruling out blood clots in the legs of pregnant women, according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Physicians can likely safely withhold anticoagulation therapy based on the results...

Pharma Packaging And Labeling USA, 26-27 February 2013, Philadelphia, USA

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 08:00:00 PST

Following the success of last year's conference, Arena International is pleased to announce the return of our Pharma Packaging and Labeling USA. The event will be held in Philadelphia, USA on February 26th and 27th, 2013. This year's agenda will offer content spanning the various challenging demands within packaging and labeling. With increasing pressure to meet anti-counterfeiting initiatives, emphasis will be put on identifying cost efficient, achievable strategies...

Medical Devices Summit, February 28 - March 1 2013, Boston, MA

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 04:00:00 PST

With the current volatility of the health care industry, many medical device manufacturers are plagued with questions and concerns about their products. Opal Events' 4th Annual Medical Devices Summit strives to bring together industry and regulatory professionals from across the country to address key issues in compliance, quality and innovation...

Orphan Drug Manufacturers To Discuss Easier Drug Access To Rare Disease Patients Globally, 9-11 April 2013, Washington DC

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 04:00:00 PST

Though making headway in developed orphan drug markets such as US, Europe, Australia and some countries in Asia, rare disease patients in the rest of the world have yet to see the light of day. Over 400 biotechs, pharma, research institutions and regulators will gather at the World Orphan Drug Congress USA in Washington DC on April 9-11, 2013...

Self-Tracking Tools Help You Stay Healthy

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 04:00:00 PST

Self-tracking is a new trend in personal electronic health where computing tools such as wearable sensors and mobile apps collect, process and display a wealth of personal data to help you keep track of and manage all aspects of your health. These tools monitor and record details of your everyday activity, from counting steps or miles walked, and floors climbed, to monitoring calorie consumption, and even daily patterns and hours of sleep...

SMi's 6th Annual Biomarkers Summit 2013 - Innovations In Stratified Medicine, 16-17 January 2013, London

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 02:00:00 PST

Get all the details on imaging biomarkers of cancer progression to tumor adaptations and see all the new sessions, speakers and formats we've introduced to make SMi's 6th Biomarkers Summit the best event in the pharmaceutical industry. Attend and stay competitive with fresh insights from companies at the cutting edge of biopharmaceutical development. SMi is pleased to confirm Jill Walker, Diagnostics Director, AstraZeneca as a speaker at the event...

Abused And Neglected Teen Girls At Greater Risk When Meeting Offline With Someone They Met Online

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 02:00:00 PST

A new study highlights the risk that female teenagers face when they go online - a risk heightened for teen girls who have been victims of abuse or neglect. The study, published in the eFirst pages of the journal Pediatrics, shows that 30 percent of teenagers reported having offline meetings with people they have met on the Internet and whose identity had not been fully confirmed prior to the meeting...

Vaccine Safety Datalink Study Finds Less Reaction To DTaP Vaccine When Given In Kids' Thighs Than Arms

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 02:00:00 PST

Children age 12 to 35 months who receive DTaP vaccine in their thigh muscle rather than their arm are around half as likely to be brought in for medical attention for an injection-site reaction. So says a new study of 1.4 million children at Group Health and seven other Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) centers across the country, e-published on January 14 in Pediatrics. "These local reactions are the most common side effect of vaccinations," said study leader Lisa A. Jackson, MD, MPH, a senior investigator at Group Health Research Institute...

Children With Chronic Conditions Often Use Alternative Medicine

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 02:00:00 PST

Children who regularly see specialists for chronic medical conditions are also using complementary medicine at a high rate, demonstrates recently published research from the University of Alberta and the University of Ottawa. About 71 per cent of pediatric patients attending various specialty clinics at the Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton used alternative medicine, while the rate of use at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa was 42 per cent...

Road Rage - What Annoys Drivers The Most?

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 02:00:00 PST

Road rage, or driver aggression, is a major safety concern and is thought to be a contributory factor in almost half of all car crashes, researchers from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) reported in Accident Analysis and Prevention. The authors say that identifying what causes drivers to get irritated, and finding strategies to prevent driver aggression is a top priority for road safety. Apparently, exposure to gasoline vapors can make us more aggressive. Among the traffic behaviors that make drivers' blood boil are hostile displays, cutting in, weaving and speeding...

Smoking Intensity And Cancer Markers Predict Seriousness Of Bladder Cancer

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 01:00:00 PST

Smoking not only causes bladder cancer - it also affects its course, in that people who smoke more have greater likelihood of developing more aggressive and deadly disease. That is one of the conclusions of a new study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study also found that a panel of bladder cancer markers can predict which particular cases are at the highest risk for a fatal outcome...

Replacing Endoscopy With Pill-Sized Device Could Allow Broader Screening For Esophageal Cancer, Other Conditions

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 01:00:00 PST

Physicians may soon have a new way to screen patients for Barrett's esophagus, a precancerous condition usually caused by chronic exposure to stomach acid. Researchers at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have developed an imaging system enclosed in a capsule about the size of a multivitamin pill that creates detailed, microscopic images of the esophageal wall. The system has several advantages over traditional endoscopy...

Reducing Opioid Prescription Painkiller Abuse, Mayor Bloomberg Announces New Guidelines

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 01:00:00 PST

New emergency room guidelines to prevent opioid prescription painkiller abuse have been announced by New York Mayor Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda I. Gibbs and Chief Policy Advisor John Feinblatt. The NY City's Mayor's office says it has created RxStat to fight opioid abuse and overdose. New York authorities released an initial report of the Mayor's Task Force on Prescription Painkiller Abuse. The report includes new (voluntary) guidelines for emergency rooms...

Stand Up For Three Hours In The Office And Lose Weight

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 01:00:00 PST

You are more likely to lose weight if you stand up for three hours each day in the office, Dr John Buckley from Chester University, England believes. Dr. Buckley, an exercise scientist in the Department of Clinical Sciences and Nutrition, salvaged an old oak lectern and used it as a standing desk, and set out to work like Nobel Prize author Ernest Hemingway would - on his feet. Buckley is doing so for three hours each day. Dr. Buckley worked out that by standing at a desk for three hours, rather than sitting down, he burns an extra 144 calories daily...

Bladder Cancers More Deadly In Smokers

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 01:00:00 PST