Latest Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical and Healthcare News from MedPageToday

Cystic Fibrosis: Charity and Industry Partner for Profit

(MedPage Today) -- When a disease-related charity becomes a venture capitalist, count the pharmaceutical industry among the winners, but the charity is not far behind as John Fauber explains in this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today investigat...

Cystic Fibrosis: Siblings Share the Patient Experience

(MedPage Today) -- Only 1,200 people in the U.S. have the specific genetic mutation that causes a rare form of cystic fibrosis -- two of them are a Wisconsin brother and sister, Charles and Paula Heup. The Heup siblings are taking Kalydeco to treat t...

Seasoning May Cut Salt Needs in Hypertension (CME/CE)

SAN FRANCISCO (MedPage Today) -- A greater taste for salt among older hypertensive adults might be sated by seasoning instead, a small experimental study showed.

APA Leaders Defend New Diagnostic Guide

SAN FRANCISCO (MedPage Today) -- The fifth edition of the "psychiatrist's bible" was officially released here in all its 947-page glory, with its developers offering a spirited rebuttal to their critics.

Automated BP Device Not Cutting It (CME/CE)

SAN FRANCISCO (MedPage Today) -- An automated BP cuff billed as an in-office substitute for ambulatory monitoring may substantially underestimate pressures, according to one center's experience.

D.C. Week: Tavenner OK'd by Senate

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- In an otherwise rough week politically for President Obama, the president did score a victory when his latest nominee to run Medicare, Medicaid, and health reform implementation was confirmed by the Senate.

Hospitalists Work Longer, Patients Stay Longer

(MedPage Today) -- NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Long work hours for hospitalists led to longer patient stays and unnecessary orders, researchers reported here.

MRI Predicts Failing MoM Hip Implants (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Synovial volume as measured by MRI is highly predictive of metal-on-metal (MoM) hip implant failure in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, a study has found.

DSM-IV Boss Presses Attack on New Revision

(MedPage Today) -- A new edition of psychiatry's diagnostic guide "will probably lead to substantial false-positive rates and unnecessary treatment,” charged the man who led development of the last version.

Lab Notes: Cell Therapy May Rescue Veins in CKD

(MedPage Today) -- An intravenous infusion of endothelial cells improved vascular function in a mouse model of chronic kidney disease, researchers said. Also this week: another reason not to tailgate the car ahead of you.

Public Pools Awash in Fecal Matter

(MedPage Today) -- Escherichia coli was found in more than half the Atlanta-area public pools tested, along with other unwanted microbes, according to a CDC report.

Researchers Face Off Over Incretin Risk

(MedPage Today) -- As concerns escalate over the potential risks of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based therapies, a diabetes journal hosted a point-counterpoint debate between the researchers who have been the leading voices on each side of the is...

All Readmissions May Trigger $$$ Penalties

(MedPage Today) -- NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Medicare is likely in the near future to consider all health conditions when it calculates penalties for not holding down hospital readmissions, quality improvement experts said here Friday.

Vitamin D Status Predicts Hip Fracture Risk (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Having low serum levels of vitamin D is tied to risk of hip fracture in older patients, Norwegian researchers found.

No Hike in Mass. Hospital Use Post Health Reform (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Healthcare reform in Massachusetts did not increase overall use of inpatient resources, but other states may not be so lucky, researchers found.

Researchers Duke It Out Over Incretin Risk

(MedPage Today) -- As concerns escalate over the potential risks of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based therapies, a diabetes journal hosted a point-counterpoint debate between the researchers who have been the leading voices on each side of the is...

MDs Transform How They Practice

(MedPage Today) -- Physicians are experimenting with business models and new practice techniques, hoping to find work that is both financially and personally rewarding.

Screening for Depression Lacks Strong Evidence (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Primary care physicians don't need to regularly screen asymptomatic adults for depression, according to new recommendations from the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care.

Women in 40s Still Going for Mammograms (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- The rate of breast cancer screening among women in their 40s does not appear to have declined significantly, despite national guidelines recommending otherwise, a new study found.

Intensive BP Lowering on Trial Again

SAN FRANCISCO (MedPage Today) -- Unlike ACCORD, the ongoing SPRINT trial has every chance of showing an impact on cardiovascular outcomes with a blood pressure goal under 120 mm Hg, an investigator on both trials argued.

Yoga Can Bring Down BP a Bit (CME/CE)

SAN FRANCISCO (MedPage Today) -- Yoga might modestly reduce blood pressure in mild-to-moderately hypertensive individuals, preliminary results from a randomized trial showed.

Healthy Doctors Preach What They Practice (CME/CE)

SAN FRANCISCO (MedPage Today) -- Doctors and nurse practitioners who have mastered heart healthy behaviors themselves are more likely to recommend the full gamut of lifestyle modifications to prevent hypertension, a survey showed.

Less Invasive Autopsy Works Nearly as Well (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- A minimally invasive approach using postmortem MRI may represent a viable alternative to a conventional autopsy in fetuses, children, and teens, researchers found.

Kidney Disease: LDL - Heart Risk Link Weak in CKD (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- High LDL cholesterol levels were a weak predictor of myocardial infarction risk in patients with chronic kidney disease, a study found.

LDL Won't Help Spot MI in Renal Patients (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- High LDL cholesterol levels were a weak predictor of myocardial infarction risk in patients with chronic kidney disease, a study found.