Bayer Diabetes Care today announced the introduction of the DIDGET™ blood glucose monitoring system in the United States. The DIDGET meter is unique because it is the only blood glucose meter that connects directly to Nintendo DS™ and DS Lite gaming systems to help kids manage a lifelong disease by rewarding them for building consistent testing habits and meeting personalized blood glucose target ranges. Bayer’s DIDGET meter is now available for purchase in the U.S. through CVS.com, Drugstore.com and Walgreens.com.
Bayer’s DIDGET meter links play with purpose for children with diabetes by …

By Arlene Weintraub

Doctors who accept speaking fees, five-star meals and other compensation from pharmaceutical or medical device companies will soon see their names – and the value of the gifts they accept – revealed on the Web, under a new federal law that follows several states in drawing attention to such financial benefits.
The experience of one of those states – Vermont – suggests that highlighting the medical industry’s largesse may curb the payments.
This month, the attorney general of Vermont – one of three states to require gift disclosures – released data …

Coffee consumption and risk of lethal and advanced prostate cancer. Kathryn M. Wilson1, Julie L. Kasperzyk1, Jennifer R. Stark1, Michael N. Pollak2, Meir J. Sampfer3, Edward Giovannucci1, Lorelei A. Mucci3. 1Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA; 2McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; 3Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Background: Coffee is a commonly consumed beverage which contains many biologically active compounds. It is a major source of caffeine and antioxidants, and it has effects on insulin and glucose metabolism as well as sex hormone levels. This suggests that coffee may have a beneficial effect on risk …

By Eryn Jelesiewicz
Patients rely on their physicians to recognize signs of trouble, yet for common heart murmurs, that ability is only fair at best.  Fortunately, the solution is simple: listening repeatedly.  In fact, intensive repetition — listening at least 400 times to each heart sound — significantly improved the stethoscope abilities of doctors, according to a study presented today at the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting.
After demonstrating last year that medical students greatly improved their stethoscope skills by listening repeatedly to heart sounds on their iPods, lead investigator …