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The National Institutes of Health recently unveiled a collaborative program that will match researchers with a selection of pharmaceutical industry compounds to help scientists explore new treatments for patients. NIH’s new National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) has partnered initially with Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Eli Lilly and Company which have agreed to make dozens of their compounds available for this initiative’s pilot phase.
A New Orleans woman recently lost an arm to necrotizing fasciitis — the so-called “flesh-eating bacteria” — after injecting a drug called “bath salts,” according to a case study report in the medical journal Orthopedics [1]. She presented with cellulitis, a skin infection, two days after attending a party at which she injected the drug. The infection initially responded to administered antibiotics, but then worsened. The woman lost not only her arm, but her breast and a large portion of her chest wall to amputation. The significant removal of tissue was necessary to prevent the spread of the bacteria.
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Berci Mesko reports that GE Healthcare has launched a Twitter-based campaign that focuses on health tips for cancer. People can share their own health tips via Twitter using the #get_fit hashtag.
A big step for the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). Mike Sevilla notes that the medical specialty society, which represents more than 100,000 family physicians and medical students, is seeking a Social Media Manager.
Margaret Anderson, Executive Director of FasterCures, recently reviewed the top 10 medical research trends to watch for in 2011.
Many of men's biggest health risks can be reduced simply by better understanding family health history and making healthier lifestyle choices. Jordanna Joaquina reviews the disease risks from a genetic perspective.
Are energy drinks candied caffeine delivery systems or are they skirting drug regulations? Scott Gavura reviews the ingredients, the risks and the regulation.
With hospitals increasingly turning to social media to connect with patients and get their messages out, here, are a few examples of innovative uses of social media in healthcare.
It’s spring, pollen is everywhere, and for many people, it’s allergy season. However, there’s one thing that’s missing this year: the over-the-counter (OTC) allergy medicine Benadryl. It’s just another of the many products recalled by Johnson & Johnson over the past year-and-a-half. The list of over 40 pulled products is a who’s who of common OTC medications: Tylenol, Benadryl, Motrin, Rolaids, St. Joseph and Sudafed.
Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, has been awarded the International Prize from the French Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) for her pioneering work in brain imaging and addiction science. Dr. Volkow will receive the award at a Dec. 17 ceremony at the College of France learning center in Paris.
