Health and Medical News Headlines for July 22, 2010

Conoco considers sale of Wilhelmshaven refinery

LONDON, July 22 (Reuters) - ConocoPhillips said on Thursday it is considering either selling its German Wilhelmshaven refinery or turning it into a terminal.
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 22 Jul 2010 | 3:41 am

Deals of the day -- mergers and acquisitions

July 22 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.S. and Asian companies were reported by 0900 GMT on Thursday.
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 22 Jul 2010 | 3:17 am

PT rejects Telefonica case, seeks Vivo solution

LISBON, July 22 (Reuters) - Portugal Telecom insisted on Thursday it has a strong legal case to defeat Telefonica's attempts to disband their Brazilian joint venture but reiterated it would prefer a mutually...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 22 Jul 2010 | 2:51 am

Lazard hires BoAML buyout banker Hasiotis -sources

LONDON, July 22 (Reuters) - Lazard has hired Fotis Hasiotis from Bank of America Merrill Lynch to be co-head of its European team advising private equity firms, two people familiar with the matter said...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 22 Jul 2010 | 2:29 am

UPDATE 2-Pearson makes $499 mln leap into Brazil schools

* Pearson partnering with Sistema Educacional Brasileiro SEB
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 22 Jul 2010 | 2:21 am

Vital care lacking for mini-strokes

Many patients at high risk of stroke are not getting the specialist treatment they need, an audit found.
Source: BBC News - Health | 22 Jul 2010 | 2:19 am

UPDATE 2-Syngenta cuts profit forecast after H1 drop

(Adds further details, background, share price indication)
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 22 Jul 2010 | 1:09 am

UPDATE 1-Chinatrust: Still interested in AIG Taiwan unit talks

* Chinatrust reiterates interest in Nan Shan as growth driver
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 22 Jul 2010 | 1:08 am

Bone Biology: Bone Cells' Branches Sense Stimulation, When To Make New Bone

A long-standing question in bone biology has been answered: It is the spindly extensions of bone cells that sense mechanical stimulation and signal the release of bone-growth factors, according to research from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The study, reported this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, offers an important clue for developing therapies to treat the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis and bone loss associated with aging, said Jean Jiang, Ph.D...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am

Critical Gap In Patient-Physician Conversations Revealed By Global HIV/AIDS Survey

Results from the landmark AIDS Treatment for Life International Survey (ATLIS 2010), a multi-country survey of more than 2,000 people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), revealed a significant gap in patient-physician dialogue about critical health-related conditions that may negatively impact patients' overall long-term health, quality of life, and treatment outcomes...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am

HCV Therapy Compromised When Depression Overlooked In Patients With Hepatitis C

Researchers from Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland (the NORDynamIC project group) have observed that depressive symptoms in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are commonly overlooked in routine clinical interviews, and that treatment-induced depression compromises the outcome of HCV therapy. A second U.S. study found that patients with chronic infection had lower (work) productivity and incurred higher medical benefit costs than those without HCV...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am

Replacing Hydrogen In Fluorescent Dyes Improves Detection Ability, Stability And Shelf Life

By swapping out one specific hydrogen atom for an isotope twice as heavy, researchers have increased the shelf life and detection ability of fluorescent probes that are essential to studying a variety of inflammatory diseases, including cancer and atherosclerosis. The probes detect and measure reactive oxygen species, which play an important role in disease processes...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am

World Continues To Backtrack On HIV Treatment

Activists at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna are charging developed and developing country governments with writing cheques that bounce to the millions of people in need of lifesaving HIV treatment. Despite the gains in treatment numbers reported by WHO, the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition's (ITPC), latest report, Rationing Funds, Risking Lives, documents early warnings of the global pullback on AIDS commitment and funding: caps on the number of people enrolled on treatment, more frequent drug stock-outs, and national AIDS budgets falling short. "AIDS is not over...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am

Widely Used Chemicals Linked To ADHD In Children

A new study led by a team of Boston University School of Public Health researchers suggests a link between polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs), industrial compounds which are widely used in many consumer products, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. Published online, ahead of print, in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, the researchers found "increased odds of ADHD in children with higher serum PFC levels...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am

Where's The Doctor? Next Generation Surgical Robots

As physician-guided robots routinely operate on patients at most major hospitals, the next generation robot could eliminate a surprising element from that scenario -- the doctor. Feasibility studies conducted by Duke University bioengineers have demonstrated that a robot -- without any human assistance -- can locate a man-made, or phantom, lesion in simulated human organs, guide a device to the lesion and take multiple samples during a single session...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am

Drug For NASH Patients Fails To Improve Overall Liver Histology Compared To Placebo

A study conducted by researchers at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany found that high doses of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), suggested by some studies to have a beneficial effect on nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), does not improve overall histology in these patients. Full findings of this study are published in the August issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD)...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am

How Anger Affects Negotiation In Different Cultures

Getting angry might help you get your way if you're negotiating with European Americans, but watch out - in negotiations with East Asians, getting angry may actually hurt your cause. That's the conclusion of a new study on how people from different cultures react to anger in negotiations. Most research on negotiations has shown that anger is a good strategy - it gets you larger concessions than other emotions, like happiness, or no emotions...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am

Scientific Review Of How Music Training Primes Nervous System And Boosts Learning

Those ubiquitous wires connecting listeners to you-name-the-sounds from invisible MP3 players -- whether of Bach, Miles Davis or, more likely today, Lady Gaga -- only hint at music's effect on the soul throughout the ages. Now a data-driven review by Northwestern University researchers published July 20 in Nature Reviews Neuroscience pulls together converging research from the scientific literature linking musical training to learning that spills over to skills including language, speech, memory, attention and even vocal emotion...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am

UPDATE 1-BioMerieux blames austerity for sales target cut

PARIS, July 22 (Reuters) - French in-vitro diagnostics company BioMerieux cut its 2010 sales growth target to 6 percent from 7 percent on Thursday partly due to healthcare budget cuts in Western Europe...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 22 Jul 2010 | 12:56 am

TABLE-FAIRSTAR 3-month results

July 22 (Reuters) - 3 months to June 30 2010: Fairstar Heavy Transport NV (Millions of USD unless otherwise stated)
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 22 Jul 2010 | 12:52 am

Iraq veteran's struggle with PTSD

Sergeant Major John Dale describes the trauma of living with post traumatic stress disorder.
Source: BBC News - Health | 22 Jul 2010 | 12:51 am

UPDATE 1-Star Petroleum IPO may be delayed-Thai PTT official

* PTT shares down, underperforming market (Adds details, share prices)
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 22 Jul 2010 | 12:50 am

Recipes for Health: Smoky Eggplant and Yogurt Purée

Much like baba ganoush, this dish relies on yogurt instead of tahini for its unique flavor.

Source: NYT > Health | 22 Jul 2010 | 12:30 am

New Guidelines Seek to Reduce Repeat Caesareans

The guidelines aim to help women who had Caesarean sections find doctors willing to allow vaginal births.

Source: NYT > Health | 22 Jul 2010 | 12:10 am

New Drugs Buoy Hopes in Fighting Hepatitis C

The late-trial success of telaprevir has given medical experts reason to believe a new wave of drugs could lead to far better treatment outcomes for patients who have the virus.

Source: NYT > Health | 21 Jul 2010 | 11:24 pm

U.S. Tells Glaxo to End Enrollment in Avandia Trial

The F.D.A. also ordered GlaxoSmithKline to inform the 1,324 people already testing two diabetes drugs that its product Avandia may increase heart risks.

Source: NYT > Health | 21 Jul 2010 | 11:24 pm

Harvard Medical School Bans Pay From Drug or Device Makers

Professors will now be prohibited from giving paid speeches for the makers of medical devices or drugs or accepting gifts, travel or meals.

Source: NYT > Health | 21 Jul 2010 | 11:20 pm

Drugging kids for parents' relief = abuse

If the kids become too much to handle, slip 'em a little cold medicine. It's an often-repeated joke -- or advice -- that parents share on the playground or on Twitter and Facebook pages.

Source: CNN.com - Health | 21 Jul 2010 | 11:10 pm

First-Morning Void May Be Best Predictor of Renal Events in Diabetic Nephropathy

Albumin-to-creatinine ratio in a first-morning urine sample was the superior method to predict renal problems in patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease vs collection of a 24-hour urine sample.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 21 Jul 2010 | 10:52 pm

Rule Developed to Diagnose Gout Using Clinical Variables

A rule for diagnosing gout uses 7 easily identifiable clinical variables and helps eliminate the need for joint fluid aspiration in some patients.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 21 Jul 2010 | 10:42 pm

Risky Behavior, Drug Use Among Some Gay Men Linked to Childhood Abuse (HealthDay)

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, July 21 (HealthDay News) -- Gay and bisexual men who were victims of sexual abuse and social shaming as children are more likely to have psychosocial health problems that could put them at greater risk for HIV infection, a new study suggests.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 21 Jul 2010 | 9:48 pm

Clinical Trials Update: July 21, 2010 (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 21 Jul 2010 | 9:48 pm

Damage From Binge-Drinking in Pregnancy Worsens With Age (HealthDay)

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, July 21 (HealthDay News) -- Older women who binge-drink when pregnant are at higher risk for having children with permanent alcohol-related brain damage, new research finds.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 21 Jul 2010 | 9:48 pm

Prenatal Vitamin Levels a Concern After Weight Loss Surgery (HealthDay)

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, July 21 (HealthDay News) -- Women who have weight loss surgery may put their future babies at risk caused by vitamin deficiencies, say Australian researchers.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 21 Jul 2010 | 9:48 pm

FDA Puts Partial Hold on Avandia Safety Study (HealthDay)

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, July 21 (HealthDay News) -- No new patients will be permitted to enroll in a safety study of the controversial diabetes drug Avandia until further notice, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 21 Jul 2010 | 9:48 pm

FDA Warns Abbott Diabetes Care About Manufacturing Practices of Its Glucose Meters

One glucose meter in the Abbott line is still experiencing a "supply interruption" in the United States, and now the manufacturer had been warned of improper quality control practices.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 21 Jul 2010 | 9:14 pm

Tenofovir Vaginal Gel First Microbicide to Prevent HIV, HSV Infections

A gel containing 1% tenofovir, used before and after sexual intercourse, has reduced new HIV infections by 39% and the risk for herpes simplex virus infections by 51% in high-risk women in Africa.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 21 Jul 2010 | 9:03 pm

Harvard Toughens Conflicts Policy

Medical students association praises Harvard medical changes to reduce conflicts of interest.

Source: NYT > Health | 21 Jul 2010 | 6:56 pm

Phys Ed: Do Certain Types of Sneakers Prevent Injuries?

New studies look at whether the practice of assigning running shoes by foot shape actually works.

Source: NYT > Health | 21 Jul 2010 | 6:28 pm

'Toxic trio' triggers gut disease

Clues to what triggers coeliac disease - a digestive disorder linked to eating foods like bread, cereal and pasta - have been discovered.
Source: BBC News - Health | 21 Jul 2010 | 6:25 pm

Death rates at lowest ever levels

Death rates in England and Wales are at their lowest-ever recorded levels, after fewer than half a million deaths in 2009, official figures show.
Source: BBC News - Health | 21 Jul 2010 | 6:09 pm

Mini-stroke care 'risking lives'

Many patients at high risk of stroke are not getting the specialist treatment they need, an audit finds.
Source: BBC News - Health | 21 Jul 2010 | 5:20 pm

New guidelines aim to reduce repeated C-sections (AP)

AP - Most women who've had a C-section, and many who've had two, should be allowed to try labor with their next baby, say new guidelines — a step toward reversing the "once a cesarean, always a cesarean" policies taking root in many hospitals.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 21 Jul 2010 | 4:19 pm

Cuts in Home Care Worry Elderly and Disabled

States facing deficits have cut home-care services, even though they save by keeping people out of nursing homes.

Source: NYT > Health | 21 Jul 2010 | 4:11 pm

Trans Fat Use "Close to Zero" in Fast-Food Chains

McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Jack in the Box, and Dairy Queen all reduced the use of trans fat to "close to zero" without increasing their use of saturated fats, report researchers.
Heartwire
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 21 Jul 2010 | 4:01 pm

FDA Stops Enrollment in TIDE Trial

Enrollment in the controversial study assessing the cardiovascular effects of long-term treatment with rosiglitazone or pioglitazone has been stopped at the FDA's request.
Heartwire
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 21 Jul 2010 | 4:01 pm

Fallujah children's 'genetic damage'

Cancer, leukaemia and infant mortality are all increasing in the Iraqi town of Fallujah, which saw fierce fighting between US forces and Sunni insurgents.
Source: BBC News - Health | 21 Jul 2010 | 3:50 pm

Rehab-first promising for amateur athlete ACL tear (AP)

AP - Attention, weekend athletes: Don't be too quick to agree to surgery for a common type of knee ligament tear.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 21 Jul 2010 | 3:13 pm

Surgical Reconstruction May Be Postponed for Acute ACL Tears

In young, active adults with acute ACL tears, rehabilitation plus early ACL reconstruction was not superior to rehabilitation plus optional delayed ACL reconstruction.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 21 Jul 2010 | 3:00 pm

Oncologists Urged to Routinely Screen All Patients for HIV Infection

Oncologists are urged to test all patients for HIV, even older ones. Detection and treatment might lead to better oncologic outcomes, including prolonged survival.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 21 Jul 2010 | 2:52 pm

Intraoperative Cell Salvage Safe and Cost-Effective in Trauma Patients

Intraoperative cell salvage followed by autologous red blood cell transfusion as safe as alternatives, but cheaper in patients undergoing surgery for trauma.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 21 Jul 2010 | 2:46 pm

FDA issues hold on much-debated Avandia study (AP)

AP - Federal health officials are barring new patients from enrolling in a safety study of GlaxoSmithKline's controversial diabetes pill Avandia, a week after a panel of experts ruled that the drug increases heart risks.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 21 Jul 2010 | 2:09 pm

Depression May Increase Chances of Getting Alzheimer's (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - As if depression wasn't bad enough on its own, new research suggests older adults with depressive symptoms are at increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 21 Jul 2010 | 2:00 pm

GlaxoSmithKline Reports Loss

The British drug giant's loss comes amid growing government austerity measures.

Source: NYT > Health | 21 Jul 2010 | 1:19 pm

Old Age in America, by the Numbers

A new report paints a statistical portrait of aging Americans.

Source: NYT > Health | 21 Jul 2010 | 1:17 pm

Immune to HIV: How Do They Do It?

How is it that the immune systems of some seem impervious to a virus that kills 2 million people around the globe each year?
Source: Livescience.com - Health | 21 Jul 2010 | 1:01 pm

News Report Links Avandia Panelists to Drug Makers

Dr David Capuzzi earned $14 750 as a member of the company's speaker's bureau, but received the money related to talks about Lovaza and not for rosiglitazone. Dr Abraham Thomas received a few thousand dollars for speaking on behalf of pioglitazone, Avandia's rival.
Heartwire
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 21 Jul 2010 | 12:37 pm

Disclaimer | About

Blogs : Humor pages | Norkay's Blog | Kids Stories | Indian Recipes | Database Tech Blog

Sundries : World Video Clips | Songs Clips | Indian Video Clips |