Cardiac arrest safer in a casino or an airport than in a U.S. hospital

Whether your patient survives a life-threatening arrhythmia depends on whether or not such incident happens outside the hospital. A new study appearing in this week's New England Journal of Medicine found that those who experience ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia at the aiport fare better than those who experience these conditions in the hospital. more  

Bejing researchers assemble the most comprehensive gene atlas underlying drug addiction

Using an integrative meta-analysis approach, researchers from the Center for Bioinformatics at Peking University in Beijing have assembled the most comprehensive gene atlas underlying drug addiction and identified five molecular pathways common to four different addictive drugs. This novel paper appears in PLoS Computational Biology on January 4, 2008. more

FDA clears first test designed to detect and identify 12 respiratory viruses from single sample

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared for marketing a test that simultaneously detects and identifies 12 specific respiratory viruses. more  

FDA receives new data on risks of anemia drugs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing new data from two studies that provide further evidence of the risks of anemia drugs known as erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, or ESAs. The studies show that patients with breast or advanced cervical cancers who received ESAs to treat anemia caused by chemotherapy died sooner or had more rapid tumor growth than similar patients who didn’t receive the anemia drug. more

FDA clears first quick test for drug-resistant staph infections: Test identifies mrsa bacterium in two hours  

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it has cleared for marketing the first rapid blood test for the drug-resistant staph bacterium known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), which can cause potentially deadly infections. more

January: Birth defects prevention month 

Each year in the United States, about 1 in 33 babies is born with a birth defect. more

National Health Observances for 2008

Health observances are days, weeks, or months devoted to promoting particular health concerns. This planning guide developed by the National Health Information Center lists national health observances, along with the sponsoring organizations and information about supporting materials that will be available. more

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