Care | Page 259 of 309 | SpiritIndia.com

Parkinson’s Disease :: Boehringer Ingelheim’s pramipexole, mirapexin/sifrol to improve depressive and motivational symptoms

New data presented today from a meta-analysis* of nearly 1,300 Parkinson?s disease (PD) patients, indicate that pramipexole (Mirapexin?/Sifrol?) has a beneficial effect on depressive and motivational symptoms in PD.1 This confirms findings from previously published clinical trials,2,3,4 and is in addition to its established efficacy in controlling motor symptoms. These findings are of particular interest as mood symptoms in PD can affect up to 50 percent of the patient population.1,5 The data were presented at the 10th International Congress of Parkinson?s Disease and Movement Disorders (MDS) in Kyoto, Japan.

Health :: Increased Co-Payments Can Decrease Hospital Stays

The largest-ever study on the effects of health care co-payment costs on emergency department visits has revealed that requiring patients to pay for a portion of the cost can reduce the number of visits. The study also finds that this decrease does not negatively affect health.

Lymphoma :: Berlex Oncology Evaluating Combination Therapy for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Berlex Oncology, a business unit of Berlex Laboratories, a U.S. affiliate of Schering AG, Germany (FSE: SCH; NYSE: SHR), today announced that a national clinical study is underway investigating a new approach to treating follicular B-cell lymphoma, a sub-type of non-Hodgkin?s lymphoma (NHL). NHL is the fifth most common form of cancer in the United States, with more than 56,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Follicular B-cell lymphoma is an indolent, or slow-growing, type of NHL that comprises approximately 30% of all diagnosed cases.

Hepatitis :: Glaxo eltrombopag improved platelet count in hepatitis C patients with thrombocytopenia

GlaxoSmithKline plc [NYSE:GSK, LSE:GSK] announced results from a global Phase II study of eltrombopag, an investigational non-peptide oral platelet growth factor. In this study of 74 hepatitis C patients with thrombocytopenia, (a condition where the blood has low platelet levels) more than 95% (p< 0.001) of patients treated with the highest dose of eltrombopag (75mg) had increased platelet counts. In addition, 71% - 91% of patients in all treatment groups were able to initiate antiviral therapy with pegylated interferon-α (IFN) and ribavirin, and 65% were able to be maintained on therapy.1 Full results from this Phase II study are being presented today at the 57th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) in Boston, Massachusetts.

Baby Care :: Defective serotonin pathways in the brainstem may increase infants’ vulnerability – SIDS

New autopsy data provide the strongest evidence yet that sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is not a “mystery” disease but has a concrete biological basis. In the November 1 issue of JAMA, researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston document abnormalities in the brainstem — a part of the brain that regulates breathing, blood pressure, body heat, and arousal — in babies who died from SIDS. The term cot death is often used in the United Kingdom, and crib death in North America.

Health :: Payment for Telephone Care – medical advice and care provided by telephone

Pediatricians may seek payment in some instances for medical advice and care provided by telephone, according to a new American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement.

Baby Care :: Child life programs essential for pediatric health care

Child life programs, which address psychosocial issues and provide information to children and families pertaining to hospital stays, surgery or procedures, illness, and other health care experiences, are an essential component of quality pediatric health care for children and families, says a new American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement.

Health :: Public insurance improves child health care quality

The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has reduced the number of uninsured children in the U.S., while improving access and utilization of health care services.

Health :: Special needs children more likely to be bullied

Children with special health care needs are more likely to be bullied, according to a new study. In “Bullying and Peer Victimization Among Children With Special Health Care Needs,” researchers used National Survey of Children’s Health data of more than 102,000 households with children, ages 6 to 17, to measure associations between children with special health care needs (approximately 21 percent of children in the study) and the likelihood of them being bullied, bullying other children, and being both a bully and a victim of bullying.

Breast Cancer :: Breast cancer gene offers promising target for drugs

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have for the first time described how multiple copies of a gene are responsible for metastases in early-stage breast cancer and poor prognosis for patients. In a study published in this week’s issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the gene, called uPAR, offers a promising target for therapeutic drugs to stop or slow the progression of the disease and could serve as a screening tool for assessing which types of drugs a patient will respond to.