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Taste receptors act as first line sentinels against infection in upper airway

The body uses mucus as a protective barrier to defend against pathogens, toxins, and allergens in the upper respiratory tract that can lead to such conditions as chronic sinusitis.

19 Feb 2014

MAXIMUS Foundation distributes grants to 87 local non-profit organizations

MAXIMUS, a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced today that the MAXIMUS Foundation has distributed approximately $206,000 in grants to 87 local non-profit organizations as part of its most recent grant cycle.

18 Feb 2014

Highlights: N.D. hospital and abortion docs; Calif. sugary beverage bill; aging home care workers in Texas

A Democratic candidate who has explicitly defended Obamacare holds a slight lead in a special congressional election in Florida that both parties are eyeing as a test of the political impact of the healthcare law. A poll released Thursday by the Tampa Bay Times shows Democrat Alex Sink leading her Republican opponent, David Jolly, 42% to 35% among people considered likely to vote in the March 11 special election.

17 Feb 2014

Johns Hopkins experts identify major sources of high cancer costs

In a review article published Feb. 14 in The Lancet Oncology, Johns Hopkins experts identify three major sources of high cancer costs and argue that cancer doctors can likely reduce them without harm to patients. The cost-cutting proposals call for changes in routine clinical practice involved in end-of-life care, medical imaging and drug pricing.

17 Feb 2014

Research findings have important implications for personalized treatment of alcohol abuse

Heavy drinking is common in the United States and takes a personal and societal toll, with an annual estimated cost of $223.5 billion due to losses in workplace productivity, health care and criminal justice expenses.

16 Feb 2014

Mobile compression device just as effective as blood thinners in preventing DVT after joint surgery

Research from The Shiley Center for Orthopaedic Research and Education at Scripps Clinic could change how patients are treated to prevent blood clots after joint replacement surgery. A study published as the lead article in the current issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery determined that after lower extremity joint replacement surgery a mobile compression device was just as effective as blood thinners in preventing deep vein thrombosis (DVT), but without negative side effects including bleeding complications.

15 Feb 2014

Topiramate reduces drinking in patients committed to abstinence from alcohol

Heavy drinking alcohol consumption is common in the United States and takes a personal and societal toll, with an annual estimated cost of $223.5 billion due to losses in workplace productivity, and health care and criminal justice expenses.

14 Feb 2014

Persons with severe symptoms of mental illness are at higher risk for being HIV-infected

People receiving mental health care are up to four times more likely to be infected with HIV than the general population, according to a new study published Feb. 13 in the American Journal of Public Health from researchers at Penn Medicine and other institutions who tested over 1,000 patients in care in Philadelphia and Baltimore.

14 Feb 2014

Hospi receives FDA clearance for Macy Catheter

Hospi Corporation, a privately-held medical device company focused on nurse invented products that optimize patient care, today announced receipt of 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its first product, the Macy Catheter. The Macy Catheter is the only device designed and approved solely for ongoing rectal delivery of medications and liquids.

13 Feb 2014

Penn Medicine launches program to improve health of LGBT individuals

Penn Medicine is the first academic medical center in Philadelphia - one among just a handful of academic medical centers in the U.S.—to launch a program across multiple professional schools and affiliated hospitals at Penn to improve the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals.

9 Feb 2014

Researchers make first link between menopause, smoking and genetic variations in white women

New research is lighting up yet another reason for women to quit smoking. In a study published online in the journal Menopause, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania report the first evidence showing that smoking causes earlier signs of menopause - in the case of heavy smokers, up to nine years earlier than average - in white women with certain genetic variations.

5 Feb 2014

LLHC Group signs definitive stock purchase agreement with BioScrip

LHC Group Inc., a national provider of home health, hospice and comprehensive post-acute healthcare services, announced today that it has signed a definitive stock purchase agreement with BioScrip, Inc. to purchase two of its operating subsidiaries, doing business as Deaconess HomeCare and Elk Valley Health Services, for $60 million.

4 Feb 2014

More than 1/3 of women experience hot flashes for 10 years after menopause

A team of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has found that moderate to severe hot flashes continue, on average, for nearly five years after menopause, and more than a third of women experience moderate/severe hot flashes for 10 years or more after menopause.

31 Jan 2014

Global atlas identifies greatest need for palliative care in low-and middle-income countries

Only 1 in 10 people who need palliative care - that is medical care to relieve the pain, symptoms and stress of serious illness - is currently receiving it. This unmet need is mapped for the first time in the "Global atlas of palliative care at the end of life", published jointly by the WHO and the Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance.

29 Jan 2014

New approach for reversing hair loss uses stem cells to regenerate missing hair follicles

If the content of many a situation comedy, not to mention late-night TV advertisements, is to be believed, there's an epidemic of balding men, and an intense desire to fix their follicular deficiencies.

28 Jan 2014

UHS-Pruitt Corporation changes its name to PruittHealth

UHS-Pruitt Corporation announced today that, after 45 successful years, the organization has changed its name to PruittHealth, and modified its branding to achieve a more unified image for its vast array of health care services.

25 Jan 2014

Scientists receive $10M grant to continue development of Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group

Duke University and the University of Colorado schools of medicine have received a $10 million grant from the National Institute for Nursing Research (NINR), part of the National Institutes of Health, to continue the development of the Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group (PCRC) over the next five years.

24 Jan 2014

Home-based hospice practices for hospitalized patients could improve end-of-life care

A study by researchers at the Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the University of Alabama at Birmingham says using home-based hospice practices for terminally ill, hospitalized patients could reduce suffering and improve end-of-life care.

23 Jan 2014

Five physicians named recipients of 2014 Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Awards

Five physicians who have distinguished themselves in advancing the practice of palliative care and modeling exemplary skill and compassion at the bedside have been named recipients of the 2014 Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Awards.

22 Jan 2014

Basic hospice strategies can make last days of dying inpatients more comfortable and dignified

There is much value in training hospital and nursing home staff in the basics of palliative care to make the last days of a dying patient's life as comfortable and dignified as possible.