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Pitt scientists open door to potential research into cures for Parkinson's disease

A mix of serendipity and dogged laboratory work allowed a diverse team of University of Pittsburgh scientists to report in the Oct. 1 issue of Nature Cell Biology that they had solved the mystery of a basic biological function essential to cellular health.

1 Oct 2013

Americans in highest socio-economic groups have 13% greater chance of surviving SAH

Americans in the highest socio-economic groups have a 13 per cent greater chance of surviving a kind of stroke known as a subarachnoid hemorrhage than those in the lowest socio-economic groups, a new study has found.

29 Sep 2013

Johns Hopkins receives $7.3M contract to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia

The Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality has been awarded a three-year, $7.3 million contract from the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality to bring its proven checklist for reducing ventilator-associated pneumonia — the most lethal of all hospital-acquired infections — to hospitals nationwide.

25 Sep 2013

Researchers identify molecular pathway linking ICU ventilation to brain damage

At least 30 percent of patients in intensive care units (ICUs) suffer some form of mental dysfunction as reflected in anxiety, depression, and especially delirium. In mechanically-ventilated ICU patients, the incidence of delirium is particularly high, about 80 percent, and may be due in part to damage in the hippocampus, though how ventilation is increasing the risk of damage and mental impairment has remained elusive.

25 Sep 2013

New research unveils role of ORMDL3 gene in asthma

New research from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine has uncovered the role gene ORMDL3 plays in the disease asthma. ORMDL3, a gene recently linked to asthma susceptibility, has now been linked to the body's ability to recruit inflammatory cells during an airway allergic reaction. Study findings appear today in the journal Nature Communications.

24 Sep 2013

Falls are the leading cause of injuries in older populations

One of the top reasons for trauma admission at Vanderbilt University Medical Center may come as a surprise: falls.

23 Sep 2013

Researchers identify two accurate predictors of short-term mortality

Having the right tool to estimate surgical risk in patients at high risk for complications and death during and after surgery is crucially important, according to a study in the October issue of Anesthesiology.

19 Sep 2013

Study: Neurocognitive impairment is one of common side effects of HIV and AIDS

One of the common side effects of HIV and AIDS is neurocognitive impairments - changes in how fast a person can process information, pay attention, multi-task and remember things - yet there are no adequate tests to screen patients for these problems, according to a new study out of St. Michael's Hospital.

19 Sep 2013

Research: Steroids in spinal shots may not provide relief from lower back pain

New research from Johns Hopkins suggests that it may not be the steroids in spinal shots that provide relief from lower back pain, but the mere introduction of any of a number of fluids, such as anesthetics and saline, to the space around the spinal cord.

18 Sep 2013

Successful bedside ultrasound training program expands from UC Irvine to UCLA

A successful training program in bedside ultrasound is expanding from UC Irvine to UCLA, thanks to a $250,000 University of California grant to improve patient care.

13 Sep 2013

AACN to grant nearly $200,000 to support acuity and critical care nursing practice

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) invites clinicians and researchers to apply for its grants, with awards ranging from $10,000 to $50,000.

13 Sep 2013

Higher death rates in centers treating more minority patients may be due to financial strains

Nearly 80 percent of trauma centers in the United States that serve predominantly minority patients have higher-than-expected death rates, according to new Johns Hopkins research.

12 Sep 2013

US cancer care system in crisis

Delivery of cancer care in the U.S. is facing a crisis stemming from a combination of factors -- a growing demand for such care, a shrinking oncology work force, rising costs of cancer care, and the complexity of the disease and its treatment, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

11 Sep 2013

Researchers assess prevalence, cost of critical care therapies seen as futile by doctors

In one of the first studies of its kind, a joint UCLA/RAND Corporation study addressed the prevalence and cost of critical care therapies provided in intensive care units that were perceived by physicians as "futile."

10 Sep 2013

Mental illness increases risk of physical illness by 10 times in men and women

Men were more likely to develop a physical illness than women during a 10-year period studied by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital.

10 Sep 2013

PMSI, Progressive Medical collaborate to deliver comprehensive workers' compensation pharmacy benefit management services

Progressive Medical and PMSI announced today that the two companies have entered into a definitive agreement to merge. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter subject to receipt of regulatory clearance. The combined company, which will be led by Executive Chairman Eileen Auen from PMSI and Co-CEOs Emry Sisson and Tommy Young from Progressive Medical, will deliver comprehensive workers' compensation pharmacy benefit management services including end-to-end pharmacy, ancillary and settlement solutions.

7 Sep 2013

Saban Research Institute hosted symposium on MUCMD at Children's Hospital Los Angeles

The Saban Research Institute recently hosted the 3rd annual Meaningful Use of Complex Medical Data (MUCMD) Symposium. Organized by Randall Wetzel, MD, chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, MUCMD is a forum that fosters communication between physicians and "Big Data" experts in order to make use of the large amounts of medical data.

7 Sep 2013

Researchers explore distinctions between natural sleep and anesthetic unconsciousness

Falling asleep in your bed at night and being "put to sleep" under general anesthesia - as well as waking up in the morning or coming out of anesthesia - aren't quite the same thing, yet they share some important similarities. Max Kelz, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, along with colleagues from Penn, UCSD, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Thomas Jefferson University, explored the distinctions between anesthetic unconsciousness and sleep by manipulating the genetic pathways known to be involved in natural sleep and studying the resulting effects on anesthetic states.

6 Sep 2013

Critically ill patients benefit from new program designed to improve care at Mayo Clinic

Critically ill patients are benefiting from a new program designed to improve care and shorten hospital stays. Mayo Clinic's Enhanced Critical Care program offers 24/7 remote monitoring of the sickest patients at six Mayo Clinic Health System hospitals.