http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Iron overload is a common condition affecting millions of people worldwide. Excess iron in the body is toxic, and deposits can cause damage to the liver, heart and other organs. Current treatments, researchers say, are not ideal and have significant side effects. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-scientists-experimental-treatment-iron-overload-diseases.html Medical research Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:44:12 EST news239370231 The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) is calling for a single, co-ordinated European system to oversee the evaluation and approval of medical devices. The call is being made in a paper published online in the European Heart Journal reporting on a conference held by the ESC in January 2011 looking to increase the input of medical experts in developing medical device policy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-esc-policy-conference-eu-medical.html Other Mon, 16 May 2011 10:04:44 EST news224759056 Systematic reviews that attempt to assess the risk of harms (adverse effects) associated with specific therapies should consider a broad range of study designs, including both systematic reviews and observational studies. These are the findings of a new study, led by Su Golder of the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, UK published in this week's PLoS Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-systematic-evidence.html Other Tue, 03 May 2011 17:41:49 EST news223663296 Only about half of new drugs approved in the last decade had comparative effectiveness data available at the time of their approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and approximately two-thirds of new drugs had this information available when alternative treatment options existed, according to a study in the May 4 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-drugs-effectiveness-fda.html Medications Tue, 03 May 2011 16:38:21 EST news223659485 The Center for World Health and Medicine at Saint Louis University and the Institute for OneWorld Health have established a joint research agreement to develop new drugs to combat diarrhea, which is the second leading cause of death worldwide in children under age 5. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-deadly-childhood-disease.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 03 May 2011 10:49:33 EST news223638555 Using a pair of powerful genome-search techniques, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), Harvard University, and the Broad Institute have identified several genes that may be implicated in the malaria parasite's notorious ability to rapidly evade drug treatments. Further testing revealed that one of the genes, when inserted into drug-sensitive parasites, rendered them less vulnerable to three antimalarial drugs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-genes-antimalarial-drug-resistance.html Genetics Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:21:55 EST news222625303 Canada needs to modernize its pharmaceutical drug laws to ensure that new drugs as well as older drugs are safe for Canadians, states an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-cmaj-federal-canadians-unsafe-drugs.html Medications Mon, 18 Apr 2011 16:07:13 EST news222361601 A study appearing in the journal Investigational New Drugs and conducted by researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital, discovered that two new small molecule inhibitors are showing promise in blocking STAT3, a protein linked to the most common malignant bone tumor, osteosarcoma. These small molecule inhibitors – one derived from a portion of the turmeric spice – may serve as a new, non-toxic treatment for these deadly tumors. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-compounds-blocking-stat3-treatment-osteosarcoma.html Cancer Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:51:27 EST news221755865