Are you one of the many people that seem to frequently get thrush from using your inhaled steroids? Do you follow all of the instructions for rinsing your mouth and…

According to new research published in the May 28 issue of JAMA,the location of catheter insertion - whether in a vein in a neck or ina vein in the upper leg - does not appear to change the risk ofinfection in critically ill patients who require dialysis. However,heavier patients were found to have a lower incidence of infection ifthey received catheterization in the neck rather than in the upper leg.

According to a study published in the May 28 issue of JAMA,USchildren and teens were no more obese in 2006 than they were in 1999 -a finding that is contrary to the increase in obesity that was found inprior years.”In the United States, the prevalence of overweight among childrenincreased between 1980 and 2004, and the heaviest children have beengetting heavier,” write Cynthia L. Ogden, Ph.D.

A study published in the May 28 issue of JAMAdiscusses the results of a survey of Medicare beneficiaries and findsthat moreregional spending on medical care is not related to the perceivedquality of the medical care that the patients receive.In previous studies, researchers have shown that among several areasacross the United States, there is wide variation in per capitaexpenditures for Medicarebeneficiaries.

The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has been formally notified by Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma EEIG of its decision to withdraw its application for a centralised marketing authorisation for the medicine DuoCover (fixed-dose combination tablets of 75 mg clopidogrel/75 mg acetylsalicylic acid and 75 mg clopidogrel/100 mg acetylsalicylic acid).

Tengion, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development of neo-organs and neo-vessels, presented preclinical efficacy data for its Tengion Neo-Bladder Replacement” at the Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) in Orlando, Florida on May 18, 2008. The data were presented by Tim Bertram, D.V.M., Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Science and Technology of Tengion, during both a poster session and a press briefing sponsored by the AUA.

IPSOGEN SA (Marseille and New Haven), a cancer profiler that develops and markets molecular diagnostic assays for blood & breast cancers, announced today that researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC, Houston, TX) will present the results of two studies on the Genomic Grade index (GGi) at the ASCO Annual Meeting, held in Chicago from May 30 to June 3, 2008. The data indicate that the Genomic Grade index predicts response to chemotherapy in breast cancer.

The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has been formally notified by Sanofi Pharma Bristol-Myers Squibb SNC of its decision to withdraw its application for a centralised marketing authorisation for the medicine DuoPlavin (fixed-dose combination tablets of 75 mg clopidogrel/75 mg acetylsalicylic acid and 75 mg clopidogrel/100 mg acetylsalicylic acid).

Purdue University students and faculty have converted an existing machine that pops a nutritious grain so it can be easily and economically utilized by malnourished populations in Africa. The machine, called an amaranth popper, works something like a popcorn popper. Amaranth grain has been shown to be high in vitamins, minerals and protein.

Tasigna® (nilotinib) is now available in the UK as a new option to treat adult patients who are intolerant or resistant to previous therapies for Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). The availability of Tasigna® means that the majority of patients with CML can now be effectively treated, even those who did not respond to or cannot tolerate previous therapies including Glivec® (imatinib).