Research News and Research

RSS

Medicare receives increased scrutiny regarding fraud, payment issues

USA Today: "Proposed regulations being unveiled today seek to crack down on Medicare and Medicaid fraud by subjecting operators of certain medical firms to fingerprinting and stopping payments when credible fraud allegations are made, documents show. The rules would give federal health officials key powers to identify fraud early and reduce the estimated $55 billion in improper payments made each year in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, said Peter Budetti, director of the new anti-fraud office at the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services" (Young, 9/20).

20 Sep 2010

Biomarkers may help predict children at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes

Children who have a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes might be identified earlier by way of tell-tale genetic indicators known as biomarkers. Some of those new biomarkers might be pinpointed in research led by Nancy F. Butte and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's National Institutes of Health.

20 Sep 2010

GOP plan to change or repeal health law could bring new complications

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agness Carey reports: Republicans, buoyed by recent polls suggesting that their party could win the House and pick up seats in the Senate in November, are vowing to repeal or make major revisions in the health overhaul law that Democrats squeezed through Congress last spring.

20 Sep 2010

Head-circumference charts for infants and toddlers may be inaccurate

The most common charts used by pediatricians to measure head growth in infants and toddlers may be inaccurate, potentially leading to delayed diagnoses, unnecessary tests, and parental worry, according to new research from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

20 Sep 2010

Examining the first wave of health overhaul changes coming this week

Houston Chronicle: Wider access and protections for health care consumers kick in on Thursday as a set of health law provisions take effect. "Most of this month's changes apply directly to the 12 million Texans covered by private health insurance plans, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Insurers may no longer charge co-payments, deductibles or co-insurance for preventive services.

20 Sep 2010

Crestor suppressed human cancer cells transplanted to mice

A drug commonly prescribed for people with high cholesterol may also be effective in treating prostate cancer, according to new research by Dr. Xiao-Yan Wen at St. Michael's Hospital.

20 Sep 2010

Medical errors continue to pose major risk to patients

Albany Times Union reports on continuing medical errors. "Health care reform consumed the nation for the last 12 months but, despite all the talk, the country took only baby steps toward reducing medical errors that injure and kill millions of hospital patients.

20 Sep 2010

Hospital chief tries to lead wellness push by example

USA Today reports on Margaret Sabin, CEO of Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs, who is leading, by example, the employer wellness movement to make employees healthier. "Something of a renegade in her line of work, she believes hospitals — all in the medical community, in fact — are applying too little attention and resources to prevention. 'We can project exactly what will happen to an individual living an unhealthy lifestyle,' she says.

20 Sep 2010

Today's OpEds: Detailing what is and is not working with health reform

Many reformers undoubtedly believe that passage of the health overhaul law laid the issue to rest. But policy's wheels continue to turn, and the process is anything but over. … From where we sit, with the withering campaign that must be in the works, the odds of the new law remaining intact, with teeth, are questionable. For reforms to succeed, then, steady vigilant hands, focused on the nation's larger interest, will be critical (Brian Klepper and David Kibbe, 9/20).

20 Sep 2010

MJFF selects Epitomics to distribute LRRK2 monoclonal antibodies

Epitomics, Inc. today announced that The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) has chosen the company to distribute a panel of LRRK2 monoclonal antibodies that were developed under an agreement between the two parties. Under a special arrangement the antibodies are being provided at low cost to the entire PD research community to help advance LRRK2 therapeutic development efforts. The antibodies will be available to Parkinson's researchers in academic/nonprofit and industry labs on a worldwide basis.

20 Sep 2010

New body-contouring laser causes fat loss

Stephanie Martinez had one of the most universal desires - to shed a few stubborn inches from her waist, hips and thighs - without harsh diets, needles or other surgical interventions that require staying at home and taking time off from work.

20 Sep 2010

Gov. Paterson vetoes more rent relief for HIV/AIDS patients

Gov. David A. Paterson, D-N.Y., has vetoed a bill to provide increased rent relief for more than 11,000 New Yorkers with HIV and AIDS.

20 Sep 2010

CEDRA is renamed as Worldwide Clinical Trials Drug Development Solutions

For over 20 years, CEDRA Corporation, a division of Worldwide Clinical Trials, has been an industry leader in providing Bioanalytical Sciences and Phase I-IIb Clinical Research Services. Operating as a division of Worldwide Clinical Trials over the past three years, today, CEDRA Corporation announces its new company name, Worldwide Clinical Trials Drug Development Solutions.

20 Sep 2010

NIAMS awards $684,000 SBIR grant to Signum Biosciences to develop GPCR modulating therapeutics

Signum Biosciences, Inc. was recently awarded two Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grants by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a division of the NIH, totaling over $684,000 for development of novel G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) modulating therapeutics designed to treat common skin disorders.

20 Sep 2010

KHN column: Keeping an eye on the health care prize

In this Kaiser Health News column, Brian Klepper and David Kibbe write: "Many reformers undoubtedly believe that passage of the health overhaul law laid the issue to rest. But policy's wheels continue to turn, and the process is anything but over" (9/20).

20 Sep 2010

As doctors rely on technology, physical exams often neglected

NPR examined "the dying art of the physical exam" in its Monday morning health segment. Because of technology, "many doctors are abbreviating the time-honored physical exam - or even skipping it altogether. ... And it appears the trend is likely to get worse. ... At Stanford Medical School, professor Abraham Verghese is leading the charge to restore the physical exam to what he considers its rightful place, and bring doctors' skills up to snuff.

20 Sep 2010

Application Security announces formation of Data Security Alliance

Application Security, Inc., the leading provider of database security, risk and compliance (SRC) solutions for the enterprise, today announced the formation of the Data Security Alliance™ (DSA) to enable organizations to strengthen their database security posture with an industry-leading, extensible and data-centric approach to protecting sensitive data.

20 Sep 2010

Dominion validates clinical urine drug monitoring assay to detect metabolites of 'herbal incense' product compounds

Dominion Diagnostics has recently developed and validated one of the first clinical urine drug monitoring assays to detect the metabolites of JWH-018 and JWH-073, two compounds typically found in synthetic cannabinoids, also referred to as "herbal incense" products.

20 Sep 2010

Boston Scientific announces acquisition of Asthmatx

Boston Scientific Corporation today announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement, under which Boston Scientific will acquire Asthmatx, Inc., a privately held company in Sunnyvale, California. Asthmatx designs, manufactures and markets a less-invasive, catheter-based bronchial thermoplasty procedure for the treatment of severe persistent asthma in the 6 to 8 million patients 18 years and older worldwide whose asthma is not well controlled with drugs (inhaled medications).

20 Sep 2010

Nano Israel 2010 Conference to focus on Innovations and Business Opportunities

The Nano Israel 2010 Conference and the Exhibition accompanying will be held on November the 8th and the 9th in the Dan Panorama Hotel, Tel Aviv. The event will focus on Innovations and Business Opportunities in the energy, water, environment, nano-material, nano-electronics, nano-photonics, nano-bio and nano-medicine fields.

20 Sep 2010