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54% doctors support denying treatment to smokers and the obese until they quit or lose weight

Doctors.net.uk, a professional networking site, found that 593 (54%) of the 1,096 doctors who took part in the self-selecting survey answered yes when asked: “Should the NHS be allowed to refuse non-emergency treatments to patients unless they lose weight or stop smoking?” They believe unhealthy behaviour can make procedures less likely to work, and that the service is not obliged to devote scarce resources to them.

30 Apr 2012

Removing ruptured appendix sooner lowers hospital costs, charges

Removing a child's ruptured appendix sooner rather than later significantly lowers hospital costs and charges, according to a recently published study.

30 Apr 2012

AlderMed enters distribution agreement with Gulmay Medical for Xstrahl-100 therapy system

AlderMed announced today it has entered into a three-year exclusive distribution agreement with Gulmay Medical, manufacturer of the Xstrahl-100 therapy system.

From Xstrahl 30 Apr 2012

Caesarean delivery provides cost-effective measure to improve health in developing world, study shows

"A new study suggests that at least one surgical procedure, caesarean delivery, is a highly effective way of improving health at a reasonable cost in developing countries," VOA News reports (Chimes, 4/27).

30 Apr 2012

State roundup: Mass. may vote on assisted suicide; Colo. to try medical homes

Heather Clish has become a leading advocate for affording terminally ill patients in Massachusetts the same choice her father had. Clish and other supporters are pushing a ballot initiative to legalize the practice they call Death with Dignity, more commonly known as physician-assisted suicide.

30 Apr 2012

Conjoined twins bounce back after separation surgery

Angelica Sabuco runs to kiss her sister Angelina on the cheek, and then runs away giggling. Angelina squeals and starts chasing her twin around the grass, determined to get her kiss in, too. It's hard to believe that a short while ago, these same two girls were struggling to even walk, and facing an uncertain future.

30 Apr 2012

Mount Sinai experts to share skin cancer prevention tips on May 7

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, with one in five Americans developing it over the course of their lives. It's also one of the most preventable types of cancers. Since May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month and Melanoma Monday is May 7, Mount Sinai experts are sharing tips on prevention and insight on the new FDA labeling requirements on sunscreen.

30 Apr 2012

NCI-funded research to customize treatment for oral cancer patients

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded a two-year grant to Dr. Brian L. Schmidt, professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the NYU College of Dentistry, and Dr. Donna G. Albertson, professor at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. The grant will fund groundbreaking research to customize treatment for oral cancer patients.

30 Apr 2012

New exhibit shows how radiologists play a key role in gastric band and bypass surgeries

With the increase of obesity in the last 50 years, bariatric surgeries are becoming a common solution for tackling this epidemic. A new exhibit shows how radiologists play a key role in ensuring the success of these procedures.

30 Apr 2012

U of U develops small implantable middle-ear microphone

Cochlear implants have restored basic hearing to some 220,000 deaf people, yet a microphone and related electronics must be worn outside the head, raising reliability issues, preventing patients from swimming and creating social stigma.

30 Apr 2012

WVU Healthcare surgeon implants diaphragmatic pacemaker in young quadriplegic

A surgeon for WVU Healthcare has implanted a diaphragmatic pacemaker in a pediatric patient, making West Virginia University's medical center only the second in the country to use this device on a young patient, after Case-Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

30 Apr 2012

IRIDEX launches non-invasive MicroPulse Laser Trabeculoplasty for glaucoma

IRIDEX Corporation today announced the launch of a new non-invasive, in-office glaucoma procedure based on its proprietary MicroPulse technology. The new glaucoma therapy, a tissue-sparing, repeatable therapy called MicroPulse Laser Trabeculoplasty (MLT), was introduced by IRIDEX at the recent American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS).

27 Apr 2012

Longer looks: Why we still have faith in physicians

This patient is no fool, and she does't award trust liberally. … Yet, somehow, (Mary) Morse-Dwelley never lost faith in Pellegrini. She'd hear the click of her doctor's shoes in the hallway, see her blond hair and funky glasses, and feel confident that she was in good hands. This, too, represents a broad trend: As we have become better-informed patients, we have grown more cynical about a health care system that is ever more corporate and reliant on technology.

27 Apr 2012

Accuray launches Prostate Advances in Comparative Evidence Study

Accuray Incorporated, the premier radiation oncology company, announced today the launch of the Prostate Advances in Comparative Evidence (PACE) Study, an international, multi-center, randomized study to compare CyberKnife® Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT), da Vinci assisted and manual laparoscopic surgery and conventionally fractionated intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), for the treatment of localized prostate cancer.

27 Apr 2012

MCW professor receives 2012 Founders Award at AMSSM meeting

Craig Young, MD, was awarded the 2012 Founders Award at the 21th Annual Meeting of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, in Atlanta on April 24, 2012. The award is not given annually, but is bestowed when AMSSM leadership determines that someone exemplifies the best that a sports medicine physician can be and do.

27 Apr 2012

Aspirin can reduce chance of dying from bowel cancer by 30%

Taking aspirin after being diagnosed with bowel cancer can reduce the chance of dying from the disease by 30 per cent, new research shows today.

27 Apr 2012

FDA approves Novartis’ Afinitor for treatment of renal angiomyolipomas and TSC

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Afinitor (everolimus) tablets for the treatment of adult patients with kidney tumors known as renal angiomyolipomas and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), who do not require immediate surgery.

27 Apr 2012