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Palliative care prolongs metastatic lung cancer patient’s life: Study

A precedent-setting study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday, August 19 demonstrates definitively that early referrals to palliative care prolongs life for patients living with metastatic lung cancer.

21 Aug 2010

Research Roundup: Lowering malpractice costs; Advance care planning limitations; Consumers review their own health care

Annals of Internal Medicine: Liability Claims And Costs Before And After Implementation Of A Medical Error Disclosure Program - This study focused on a "disclosure-with-offer program" launched by the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) in 2001. "After full implementation of a disclosure-with-offer program, the average monthly rate of new claims decreased from 7.03 to 4.52 per 100,000 patient encounters.

21 Aug 2010

California radio report examines end of life care

KQED's California Report/Health Dialogues reports on end-of-life care and the roles culture and insurance play. In considering end of life care, "sometimes there's disagreement within a family, and cultural and generational differences can complicate what is already an emotionally fraught situation.

21 Aug 2010

Research finds association between pain quality and patient functioning in carpal tunnel syndrome

For carpal tunnel syndrome sufferers, itching and throbbing are pain qualities most responsible for impaired functioning and sleep disruption, according to new research reported in The Journal of Pain.

21 Aug 2010

Combination of 2 FDA approved drugs eliminate HIV infection

Researchers at the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center have identified two drugs that, when combined, may serve as an effective treatment for HIV.

21 Aug 2010

Disability discrimination claims increase

USA Today, in a front page story: "More people with disabilities filed charges of discrimination against their employers last year than at any other time in the 20-year history of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Almost 21,500 ADA-related charges were filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 2009.

21 Aug 2010

'Rotten eggs' gas inside knee joint protects against inflammation

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gas more commonly associated with the smell of 'rotten eggs' and blocked drains. However, it has now been shown to be present naturally in our bodies and reside in knee joint synovial fluid, the protective fluid found in the cavities of joints that reduces friction between the cartilage of joints during movement. Synovial fluid H2S may play a role in reducing inflammation in joints.

21 Aug 2010

FSH society applauds findings of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy

This is what we have all been working towards and fighting for, says Daniel Paul Perez, co-founder, president and CEO of the FSH Society and a 48-year-old patient with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), applauding the researchers whose study on yesterday's ScienceXpress, the journal Science's online advanced edition, pinpoints for the first time the exact genetic mechanism triggering FSHD, the most common muscular dystrophy.

21 Aug 2010

Female sexual offenders often unrecognised and underreported

Sexual offenses committed by women, while often unrecognised and underreported, have become the subject of a new book by a University of Montreal professor. Female Sexual Offenders: Theory, Assessment and Treatment (Wiley), is the first volume of its kind to provide an overview of female-perpetrated sexual abuse, statistics on the crime, as well as treatment options for offenders.

21 Aug 2010

N.C. Blue requests 7 percent rate hike

BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina has proposed increasing its average insurance premiums by 6.97 percent — although some policies could rise by up to 30 percent — in a move that would have to be approved by state regulators, the Charlotte Observer reports. The biggest increases will hit children, men and some older members. Still, "[t]hat's the lowest proposed annual increase since 2007, and about 28,000 people will see rate decreases, including women in their early 20s" (Wolf, 8/20).

21 Aug 2010

Dilation of blood vessels restores muscle synthesis in elderly

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers believe they've found a way to use widely available blood pressure drugs to fight the muscular weakness that normally accompanies aging.

21 Aug 2010

Feds to revamp bioterrorism and flu plans

Federal officials say they will revamp strategies for dealing with bioterrorism and pandemic flu because efforts to develop medical solutions have lagged, the Los Angeles Times reports. They "announced a $1.9-billion makeover of the system for identifying and manufacturing drugs and vaccines for public health emergencies." The makeover includes plans to hasten manufacturing time and improve surveillance to detect such threats more quickly.

21 Aug 2010

State Roundup: Hospital safety, infant mortality, immigration and more

Officials in Oregon say hospitals accidentally killed 32 patients; in Texas, as the immigration debate simmers, the government is tallying illegal immigrants' health costs.

21 Aug 2010

Today's Opinions: Florida's medical association; Massachusetts' politics; Medicine and money

What a colossal mess! That first sentence in the Miami-Dade Grand Jury report on what's wrong with Jackson Health System summed up the community's frustration with Miami-Dade's ailing safety net hospital. The report spared no one it examined before offering a string of remedies (8/20).

21 Aug 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

In view of World Humanitarian Day, a Huffington Post blog discusses the "lessons" of disaster response and the global "proliferation of humanitarian crises." First, the authors write that "the number of people affected by disasters is on the rise," mostly due to conflict and natural disasters. "Second, and in spite of these trends, U.S. humanitarian assistance is a sound investment. Though only about one-tenth of one percent of the federal budget, our aid not only saves lives, but promotes security and well-being where despair and misery threaten."

21 Aug 2010

New plans for uninsured off to slow start

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz reports that some officials say there has been "an unexpectedly small number of people" signing up for a new federally subsidized program for uninsured people with health problems.

20 Aug 2010

Colleges say new health law may imperil student policies

Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby reports on confusion about how the new health law affects college health plans. "Colleges and universities say some rules in the new health law could keep them from offering low-cost, limited benefit student insurance policies

20 Aug 2010

New law offers hope for homeless health care

Kaiser Health News staff writers Mary Agnes Carey and Andrew Villegas, writing in collaboration with The Washington Post, report: "Tianne Hill dreads getting mail at the city shelter on Guilford Avenue where she lives. She knows it often includes medical bills she can't pay.

20 Aug 2010

Causes and consequences of increased adiposity and decreased muscle and bone mass

Increased adiposity and decreased muscle mass contribute substantially to age-dependent disease and disability. In particular age-related increase in adiposity is quickly becoming a major threat to public health throughout the world. Although the hypothesis that age-related changes in body composition are due to lifestyle choices alone is well accepted, it is a vast oversimplification.

20 Aug 2010

U.S. boosts aid relief to Pakistani flood victims; U.N. donors meet about funding

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) visited Pakistan on Thursday "to assess the damage and relief efforts" as flooding continues and millions remain in need of humanitarian aid, the New York Times reports. According to the newspaper, Kerry "said the United States would increase its flood aid to $150 million" (Masood/Gall, 8/19).

20 Aug 2010