The way people choose to cope with personal experiences of racism influences the distress caused by the encounter, according to a new study of Filipino-American men and women. Published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology, the study finds that denying or ignoring racial discrimination leads to greater psychological distress, including anxiety and depression, and lowers self-esteem. “Some coping methods are healthier than others for dealing with everyday racism,” said Alvin Alvarez, professor of counseling at San Francisco State University…

Cortex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB: CORX) announced that it has entered into an agreement with Biovail Laboratories International SRL (”Biovail”) in which Biovail acquired certain AMPAKINE compounds and the rights to the patent filing for respiratory depression and vaso-occlusive crises associated with sickle cell disease. The transaction with Biovail includes a purchase price of $10,000,000 and additional payments of up to $15,000,000 based upon defined clinical development milestones…

A new, small study of low-income, depressed Latinos finds that those who stigmatize mental illness are less likely than others are to take medication, keep scheduled appointments and control their condition. The findings could help physicians develop a series of question to identity patients who might especially be resistant to care and then help them understand how treatment works, said lead study author William Vega…

Fit in Your Skin™, a first-of-its-kind health and wellness program specifically designed for people living with psoriasis, is being introduced today through a collaborative effort between Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc. and the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF). According to the NPF, psoriasis is the most prevalent autoimmune disease in the United States, affecting as many as 7.5 million Americans. Research has shown that individuals with psoriasis have an increased risk of developing other serious health conditions, including heart disease, obesity and depression…

A small study has indicated that anesthesia may relieve depression in some patients. This is one of many trends that Kalorama Information is noticing in the dynamic $4.1 billion market for anesthesia drugs. The healthcare market research publisher’s new report, “The World Anesthesia Drug Market,” notes that although a rather mature market, growth is being driven by more surgeries as a result of an aging population, with the general anesthesia segment expected to enjoy the highest annual growth at 4.8% through 2014…

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its decision to cover facial injections for Medicare beneficiaries who experience symptoms of depression due to the stigmatizing appearance of severely hollowed cheeks resulting from the drug treatment for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Today’s decision is effective immediately. Facial lipodystrophy (LDS) is a localized loss of fat from the face, causing an excessively thin appearance in the cheeks…

For some women, the arrival of ‘that time of the month’ means relative discomfort for a short time. For others, however, it’s far worse. Excessive menstrual bleeding (known as menorrhagia) is a common disorder that has a severe impact on women’s physical health and well-being. As well as suffering with heavy and/or extended periods, many women also experience symptoms such as fatigue, depression, moodiness, bad cramps, headaches and anaemia…

Recently, brain researchers have gained a powerful new way to troubleshoot neural circuits associated with depression, Parkinson’s disease and other conditions in small animals such as rats. They use an optogenetics technology, invented at Stanford University, that precisely turns select brain cells on or off with flashes of light. Although useful, the optogenetics tool set has been limited. In a paper to be published in the April 2 edition of Cell, the Stanford researchers describe major advances that will enable a much wider range of experiments in larger animals…

Researchers at Children’s National Medical Center have discovered that African American children with asthma in metropolitan Washington, DC, are significantly more likely to have low levels of vitamin D than healthy African American children. This study supports recent research that suggests vitamin D plays a greater role in the body than just keeping bones healthy. Vitamin D deficiency has been recently linked to a variety of non-bone related diseases including depression, autoimmune disorders, and now asthma…

There’s no doubt that meeting partners on the Internet is a growing trend. But can we trust the information that people provide about themselves via online dating services? And why is depression so dissatisfying in relationships? These two questions are explored in articles appearing in the latest issue of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, published by SAGE.