Researchers from Rice University are using microsponges derived from seaweed to help diagnose heart disease, cancers, HIV and other diseases quickly and at far lower cost than current clinical methods. The microsponges are an essential component of what are dalled Programmable Bio-Nano-Chips (PBNC). PBNCs capture biomarkers — molecules that offer information about a person’s health [...]

According to a recent study in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, reported in Reuters, more than 25% of American on antidepressants haven’t not been diagnosed with depression or anxiety disorders. The problem is that antidepressants can have serious side effects, especially when used long term, without a need for the drugs. The researchers used a [...]

A new study in the journal Clinical Cardiology finds that a Super Bowl loss for a home team was associated with increased death rates from heart issues in both men and women and in older individuals. Sports fans may be emotionally involved in watching their favorite teams. When the team loses, it can cause some [...]

In so many ways, medicine has become driven by sales rather than what is best for patients. A study from Duke University finds more evidence that doctors and hospitals my not be making the best decisions for patients. The study found that many heart patients who received an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator were not good candidates to [...]

Taking what is sure to be a step that is sure to raise controversy, the U.S. Government may be taking small steps towards getting into the drug development business. The news is bouncing around the internet after a recent article in the NY Times As the cost and risk of drug development has increased, including [...]

What if wrong answers in medical research aren’t an exception, but actually the rule? Many scholars who scrutinize health research are saying that it isn’t just an occasional individual study that has flaws, but the entire framework of medical research itself. Over and over, major pillars of conventional medicine are toppled when the research is [...]

Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have found an enzyme in cells that protects against the measles virus. virus, Cells lacking the enzyme become highly vulnerable to the virus’s destructive effects. Researchers suspect the enzyme works by by altering the virus’s genetic material, RNA. The enzyme also protects against several other respiratory viruses, including influenza [...]

The Guardian Transplant restores woman's voiceBBC NewsA woman in the US is able to speak for the first time in 11 years after a pioneering voicebox transplant. Brenda Jensen said the operation, which took place in California, was a miracle which had restored …California Woman Has Successful Larynx TransplanteMaxHealthTransplant restores woman's voiceThe Press AssociationModesto Woman [...]

A nationwide organization of doctors who favor a single-payer health care system today rejected calls by Republican leaders to repeal the new health law, noting that the law contains modest benefits for patients that should not be spurned. At the same time, the doctors said that the enactment of a single-payer, Medicare-for-all program is the [...]

In September the FDA issued a warning letter the the drug company Actelion Pharmaceuticals for failure to report on deaths of 3,500 patients who died while on the drugs Tracleer or Ventavis, used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension. The letter follows a 2009 inspection of the company. “The inspection focused on Actelion’s compliance with Postmarketing [...]