FDA acts to protect public from fraudulent avian flu therapies

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters recently to nine companies marketing bogus flu products behind claims that their products could be effective against preventing the avian flu or other forms of influenza. FDA is not aware of any scientific evidence that demonstrates the safety or effectiveness of these products for treating or preventing avian flu and the agency is concerned that the use of these products could harm consumers or interfere with conventional treatments. more  

Genomics and medical devices: A new paradigm for health care

Imagine that a swipe of the inside cheek or a stick of the little finger could be used to predict whether or not certain types of cancer may be in your future. Theoretically, both can. Thanks to the advances in genetics, and with the clearance by the Food and Drug Administration of a growing list of genetic diagnostic testing devices, doctors are beginning to understand how certain diseases, or increased risks for certain diseases, pass from generation to generation. more

Nanotechnology: The size of things to come

In today's world of biomedical tools and therapies, researchers are thinking big by thinking small with the arrival of pocket-sized electrocardiographs for monitoring the heart and diagnostic cameras the size of a vitamin pill that travel the length of the digestive tract. more  

Medical devices needed for children

Designing a rib-replacement device for children was the easiest part of a 15-year medical crusade by Texas orthopedic surgeon Robert C. Campbell. Finding a company willing to make the device was the difficult part. more

Epilepsy and seizures can occur at any age 

Few events compare to the drama of an epileptic seizure. Ancient people once thought that those with epilepsy were being attacked by evil spirits that had to be driven from the body with magic or prayer. If that didn't work, those affected were isolated to prevent the "spread" of fits to others. It wasn't until the Greek physician Hippocrates recognized epileptic seizures as a dysfunction of the brain that the stigma attached to such superstitions began to fade. more

Prevent a child from choking  

Peanuts and popcorn, hot dogs, candy, carrots, and sunflower seeds. Ayal Willner, M.D., has seen them all stuck in children's throats--and sometimes their lungs. The pediatric ear, nose, and throat specialist in Long Beach, Calif., spends a lot of time in emergency rooms removing food and small objects from children's air passages."I see about 20 to 30 kids a year from all over southern California because of choking," he says. more

Controlling urinary incontinence

Leslie Behanna can describe every rest stop, gas station, and even a few bushes in the greater Pittsburgh area where she lives. "I got to know all the bathrooms," says Behanna, adding that by the time she got the bathroom door open, it was often too late. "I've peed in every bush too." more