Health News from Medical News Today
Latest Health News and Medical News posted throughout the day, every day.
2 Sep 2010 at 6:00pm
A tuberculosis test, called Xpert® MTB/RIF, can successfully identify 98% of all culture-confirmed TB cases, including more than 90% of those with smear-negative disease, a study published in NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine) reveals. The test is highly sensitive for tuberculosis as well as drug resistance to the powerful anti-TB drug rifampicin (RIF) in low resource settings, the authors write. The study revealed that the Xpert® MTB/RIF was accurate in more than 97% of patients with drug resistance...
2 Sep 2010 at 1:00pm
Organic strawberries were found to have more vitamin C and antioxidants than non-organic ones, and they also had a nicer taste, but are 13.4% smaller and have considerably lower levels of dietary minerals potassium and phosphorous, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal PloS One. As consumers, we are usually willing to pay a bit more for organic produce for reasons of nutrition, health, the environment and/or the quality of life of farm animals...
2 Sep 2010 at 12:00pm
When your newborn infant is crying with uncomfortable teething or otherwise obviously suffering, feeding sugar to the little one has been a home remedy for years based on not only perceived behavior, but also physiological reactions. However, a new article by Dr. Rebeccah Slater of University College London that appears in the current issue of The Lancet, shows there is no direct connection between pain reduction activity in the spinal cord or brain and the administration of sucrose...
2 Sep 2010 at 11:00am
US researchers found that short sleep and insomnia was linked to a four times higher risk of early death in men; they urged public health policy makers to emphasize earlier diagnosis and treament of chronic insomnia. You can read how researchers from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, came to these findings in a paper they wrote that was published on 1 September in the journal SLEEP...
2 Sep 2010 at 11:00am
Contrave (naltrexone SR/bupropion SR), an investigational drug aimed at combination therapy to address both biological and behavioral drivers of obesity, will be developed and commercialized by Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited in the USA, Canada and Mexico. The two drug firms have just signed an exclusive partnership for the North American area. The Contrave combination treatment targets the central pathways involved in controlling the balance of both food consumption and metabolism, as well as regulating eating behavior, Orexigen informs...
2 Sep 2010 at 10:00am
Where's the beef? Rather, where are the Escherichia coli (commonly referred to and spelled as E. coli) in my beef? It has been found that infrared spectroscopy detects E. coli (named for discovery by German pediatrician and bacteriologist Theodor Escherich) far more rapidly than current testing options. Utilizing infrared would speed up the detection process dramatically, and potentially curb outbreaks. In addition, spectroscopy can identify strains of E. coli (such as 0157:H7) in much less time than the current seven days necessary to complete the multi-step identification process...
2 Sep 2010 at 9:00am
Cases of human infection of West Nile virus (WNV) have been reported in Greece where 13 people have died and at least 140 have become ill, according to the Hellenic Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. Greek authorities say 32 patients are currently hospitalized. Several other countries in Europe are also affected, especially Central Europe and the Mediterranean area, according to the latest issue of Eurosurveillance. The publication adds that numerous animal cases have also been documented. A "single probable case" was reported in Portugal in July this year...
2 Sep 2010 at 8:00am
All 12 TLC Laser Eye Centers in Southern California are changing their names to NVISION Laser Eye Centers. The name change accompanies the sale of TLC Vision's interest in the 12 centers to Medical Director Dr. Tom Tooma to become a separate LASIK brand. The new brand will operate as NVISION Laser Eye Centers and will have the same 12 Southern California locations, same surgeons and staff. In fact, the only thing that will change is the name to reflect additional eye care services now available for Southern California residents...
2 Sep 2010 at 8:00am
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is working in partnership with the charity No Smoking Day to help thousands of smokers to kick the habit and stop smoking on Wednesday, 9th March 2011. This year's "Time to Quit?" campaign will encourage and support smokers across the UK to start counting down to the 9th March, to quit smoking and start a healthier and wealthier life...
2 Sep 2010 at 8:00am
A report by the NHS Confederation's London Relations Programme published outlines the significant challenges faced by the capital's health service. It says tough decisions will need to be taken if London's healthcare is to continue to improve during the financial downturn. The paper Capital challenge: improving healthcare in London highlights particular issues around health inequalities and variation in the quality of services in the capital...
2 Sep 2010 at 8:00am
BIO today announced the preliminary set of speakers who will be featured on the Therapeutic Workshops during the 9th Annual BIO Investor Forum - a national meeting focused on investment trends and opportunities in the life-sciences with a focus on public and venture-stage growth companies. Hosted by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), the 9th annual event will take place at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, Calif. on October 5-6...
2 Sep 2010 at 8:00am
Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics announces Eric Olson's appointment as President of the IVD Industry Connectivity Consortium (IICC). Founded by the top worldwide in vitro diagnostics (IVD) manufacturers, IICC's mission is to create and ensure adoption of a unified connectivity standard to reduce the complexity and variability of data exchange between IVD testing and healthcare systems...
2 Sep 2010 at 8:00am
Neutrogena, the #1 dermatologist-recommended skin care brand, announced today that, with the help of teens across America, the Wave for Change campaign achieved its goal of raising $200,000 for communities in need. The donation will be divided among three causes in the US and globally, as determined by teens on Neutrogena's Facebook Page. Understanding their passion for positive social change, Neutrogena invited teens to show their support for the campaign by purchasing Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit products and the Wave® Sonic Power-Cleanser...
2 Sep 2010 at 8:00am
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) today awarded a $153 million contract to Cellerant Therapeutics, Inc. of San Carlos, Calif., to continue developing a new way to treat an illness caused by exposure to high levels of ionizing radiation which can damage the body's cells - the type of radiation that would come from a nuclear blast. Under the contract, the company will continue development of a medication called CLT-008 that uses a special kind of cells called myeloid progenitor cells...
2 Sep 2010 at 8:00am
Trinh Company, a San Jose, Calif., establishment, is recalling approximately 2,070 pounds of cooked shredded pork skin products because the products were produced without the benefit of federal inspection, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The following products are subject to recall: [View Labels] - 8-ounce clear plastic bags of "TRINH CO. BI TUOI COOKED SHREDDED PORK SKIN, THUONG HANG BI TUOI V.N. HOP VE SINH." - 10-ounce clear plastic bags of "TRINH CO. BI TUOI COOKED SHREDDED PORK SKIN, THUONG HANG BI TUOI V.N...
