A comprehensive new survey of all 152 PCTs undertaken and published by the Medical Technology Group (MTG), backed by national diabetes support groups INPUT, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), clinicians and leading cross-party MPs, has exposed major inequities in care for patients with diabetes across the country…  Read More →

HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality today released a series of free evidence-based guides designed to help Spanish speakers understand and compare the risks, benefits and side effects of treatments for eight health conditions. The guides provide valuable information that patients can use in talking with their clinicians…  Read More →

One of the most ambitious large-scale projects in Human Genetics has been launched: Epitwin will capture the subtle epigenetic signatures that mark the differences between 5,000 twins on a scale and depth never before attempted, providing key therapeutic targets for the development of drug treatments…  Read More →

There is serious concern about top-selling diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia), its safety, as well as the whole system by which medications are regulated, evaluated and promoted worldwide, according to a BMJ (British Medical Journal) investigation. Dr. Fiona Godlee, BMJ Editor-in-Chief, thinks Avandia should not have been licensed; she believes it should be withdrawn…  Read More →

School children who consume foods purchased in vending machines are more likely to develop poor diet quality – and that may be associated with being overweight, obese or at risk for chronic health problems such as diabetes and coronary artery disease, according to research from the University of Michigan Medical School…  Read More →

In a first person paper published in the August 27, 2010 issue of Childhood Obesity, Dr. Melinda Sothern, Director of Health Promotion and Professor of Public Health at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, provides three ways to de-program the 1950s obesity trinity underlying the current obesity epidemic in the United States and protect future generations from its health consequences…  Read More →

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified the molecular mechanism that makes omega-3 fatty acids so effective in reducing chronic inflammation and insulin resistance. The discovery could lead to development of a simple dietary remedy for many of the more than 23 million Americans suffering from diabetes and other conditions…  Read More →

Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: HALO) announced the initiation of two Phase 2 Ultrafast Insulin treatment studies that utilize its rHuPH20 hyaluronidase enzyme (PH20) in combination with the two leading commercially available mealtime analogs: insulin aspart, the active ingredient in NovoLog®, and insulin lispro, the active ingredient in Humalog®…  Read More →

INFECTIOUS DISEASE: Modified adenovirus malaria vaccine works a treat in mice Malaria kills more than 1 million individuals each year. Despite intensive research, there is still no malaria vaccine approved for use. A team of researchers, led by Moriya Tsuji, at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, New York, has now designed a new vaccine that provides protection from malaria in mice…  Read More →

Two studies reveal that smokers may have a significantly lower risk of developing lung cancer and colorectal cancer with the drug metformin, which is commonly prescribed for diabetes type 2 treatment, the medical journal Cancer Prevention Research informs…  Read More →

News outlets report on how the delivery of health care is being changed by empowered patients. USA Today: “In the past, most patients placed their entire trust in the hands of their physician. Your doc said you needed a certain medical test, you got it. Not so much anymore. Though some doctors find the newer ‘empowered’ patients taxing, others …  Read More →

pSivida Corp. (NASDAQ:PSDV) (ASX:PVA), a leader in the development of sustained release back of the eye drug delivery systems for difficult-to-treat conditions, announced that its licensee, Alimera Sciences (NASDAQ:ALIM) has been notified that the U.S…  Read More →

Older adults with diabetes who have high blood pressure, walk slowly or lose their balance, or believe they’re in bad health, are significantly more likely to have weaker memory and slower, more rigid cognitive processing than those without these problems, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association…  Read More →

Sibutramine, brand name Meridia is an appetite suppressant, a weight loss pill. Editors at the NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine) write it is difficult for them to discern a “credible rationale for keeping this medication on the market”, even though it is restricted for people without heart disease…  Read More →

A majority of adults in California are obese or overweight, and more than 2 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, according to a new study from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research…  Read More →