Canada’s first prescription drug atlas maps billions in spending
• Drug News • Dec 15 05
Researchers at the University of British Columbia Centre for Health Services and Policy Research have developed a comprehensive portrait of pharmaceutical spending in Canada…
Australian bionic ear pioneer awarded science medal
• Public Health • Dec 15 05
University of Melbourne Laureate Professorial Fellow and bionic ear pioneer Professor Graeme Clark has been awarded the 2006 Ian Wark Medal from the Australian…
Minister launches consultation on dental services
• Public Health • Dec 15 05
Health Minister Shaun Woodward has announced a consultation on proposals for dental services over the next 10 years.
The Primary Care Dental Strategy proposes…
Pfizer to fund independent trial on Celebrex and heart risks
• Drug News • Dec 14 05
Drug company Pfizer Inc., the maker of Celebrex, will pay for an international study of 20,000 people.
The study will compare the potential heart…
French surgeons ready to perform second face transplant
• Surgery • Dec 14 05
The French surgical team that carried out the world’s first face transplant amid a storm of controversy, has apparently already selected a potential recipient…
Ukraine Confirms Deadly Strain of Bird Flu in Crimea
• Flu • Dec 14 05
Ukraine on Wednesday confirmed for the first time that outbreaks of bird flu in 11 Crimean villages were the deadly H5N1 strain that has…
Fatty acids may help treat chronic lung disease
• Respiratory Problems • Dec 14 05
Healthy fats found in fish and vegetable oils may help ease the inflammation that marks chronic lung disease, preliminary research suggests.
Potential Cause of Breathing Problems for Rett Syndrome Found
• Respiratory Problems • Dec 14 05
A multi-institutional team, led by University of Chicago researchers, has taken a crucial step toward understanding and treating Rett syndrome (RS), a rare and…
MorphoSys signs agreement with Merck
• Drug News • Dec 14 05
MorphoSys AG announced today that it has signed a five-year license agreement with U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., Inc. for the use of…
Eating fish helps keep older people’s brains sharp
• Neurology • Dec 13 05
Eating fish appears to knock a few years off your mental age - in a good way.
Elderly people who ate fish at least…
Stress increases alcoholism
• Psychiatry / Psychology • Dec 13 05
A number of sociocultural studies indicate that stress may increase the risk of alcoholism. In other words, an individual’s ability to cope with stressful…
Hospitals a good place to catch bird flu
• Flu • Dec 12 05
While U.S. officials continue to urge states and businesses to get ready for an outbreak of serious disease, issuing checklists of preparations, and Congress…
Eye Cell Implants Improve Motor Symptoms for Parkinson Patients
• Neurology • Dec 12 05
A preliminary study suggests that implants of cells from the human retina improved motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson disease, and they appear to…
Alzheimer Patients Treated With Testosterone Show Improved Quality of Life
• Neurology • Dec 12 05
The first study of the effects of testosterone on mood, behavior and psychological health in men with mild Alzheimer disease finds significant improvements in…
Bird flu would cause serious recession in the U.S.
• Flu • Dec 12 05
According to the latest estimates a bird flu pandemic could cost the U.S. economy between $500 billion and $675 billion, and cause a serious…
Peptic ulcers often seen in low-dose aspirin users
• Bowel Problems • Dec 12 05
About ten percent of patients taking low-dose aspirin to lower their risk of a heart attack develop peptic ulcers, which frequently cause no symptoms,…
Medical journal says Merck deleted Vioxx dangers
• Drug News • Dec 09 05
A prestigious medical journal on Thursday said Merck & Co. withheld information about the dangers of arthritis drug Vioxx in a key study, an…
Lean women may be susceptible to endometriosis
• Gender: Female • Dec 09 05
Women diagnosed with endometriosis have a tendency to be lean, as measured by body mass index (BMI), both at the time of diagnosis and…
Bird flu spread may raise Vietnam’s poverty
• Flu • Dec 09 05
Vietnam’s bird flu outbreaks threaten to drop farmers back into the poverty they escaped only recently and the government needs to find ways to…
Dog gene map may help understand human disease
• Genetics • Dec 09 05
How can a Chihuahua and a Doberman belong to the same species? A detailed analysis of the dog genome answers these questions and will…
New Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lens Material May Reduce Problems
• Eye / Vision Problems • Dec 08 05
While a substantial proportion of daily wear soft contact lens wearers experience day-to-day challenges while wearing their lenses, findings from a new study show…
Marijuana derivatives may provide MS treatment
• Neurology • Dec 07 05
Marijuana derivatives or “cannabinoids” taken for one year for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) may reduce muscle spasms and other aspects of disability,…
Effects of mobile phones on attention
• Public Health • Dec 07 05
Seeking to bring clarity to the debate on mobile phone use, researchers from the University of Essex have published the results of an investigation…
TLR4 Gene Found to Protect Against Tumor Development
• Genetics • Dec 07 05
A new study finds that a gene which plays an important role in immune function, known as toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), may also play…
Painkiller pushing up liver failure rate in US
• Pain • Dec 06 05
The percentage of cases of acute liver failure caused by an overdose of acetaminophen increased considerably from 1998 to 2003, with unintentional overdose accounting…