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Aspen Dental celebrates first location in Texas

Aspen Dental celebrates its first location in Texas on Thursday, September 12 with the opening of a new practice at 6109 Highway 191 in Odessa. The new office in Texas means that Aspen Dental dentists and staff now proudly serve communities in 27 states across the country.

12 Sep 2013

'Pay for performance' programs focus on high quality care delivery

Paying doctors for how they perform specific medical procedures and examinations yields better health outcomes than the traditional "fee for service" model, where everyone gets paid a set amount regardless of quality or patient outcomes, according to new research conducted by UC San Francisco and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

11 Sep 2013

Experts to develop internet-based platform that links health data with environment, climatic factors

Experts from the University of Exeter, the Met Office, Public Health England, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and University of Bristol will be involved in the project which, over three years, will develop an internet-based platform that will link health data with information on the environment and climate.

11 Sep 2013

Parasites could be potential key to treating autoimmune diseases

There is a new weapon in the fight against autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease and lupus, the common trait of which is an immune system that attacks its own organs and tissues.

10 Sep 2013

Holes found in primary care insomnia management

Better education and training for management of sleep problems is needed, including a clear primary care pathway to treatment, suggests the experience of patients and clinicians in the UK.

9 Sep 2013

Kenyan-based ZanaAfrica creates affordable sanitary pad with high quality

Kenyan social enterprise ZanaAfrica Group is recognized as a leading innovator in global health, education and development with the receipt of the highly selective "Phase II Grand Challenges Exploration" grant, a partnership between Grand Challenges Canada (which is funded by the Government of Canada) and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

6 Sep 2013

High-income and better hygiene countries exhibit much higher rates of Alzheimer's

New research has found a "very significant" relationship between a nation's wealth and hygiene and the Alzheimer's "burden" on its population. High-income, highly industrialised countries with large urban areas and better hygiene exhibit much higher rates of Alzheimer's.

5 Sep 2013

Student nurses need better role model for infection prevention and control

100 percent of student nurses surveyed observed lapses in infection prevention and control practices during their clinical placements, according to a British study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

4 Sep 2013

Iron deficiency anemia may offer protection against malaria infection

Children in a malaria-endemic community in Ghana who received a micronutrient powder with iron did not have an increased incidence of malaria, according to a study in the September 4 issue of JAMA. Previous research has suggested that iron supplementation for children with iron deficiency in malaria-endemic areas may increase the risk of malaria.

4 Sep 2013

Despite living with highest risk factors for heart disease, people in high income countries suffer less

Despite living with the highest risk factors for heart disease, people in high income countries suffer less from serious cardiovascular disease, says an international study by the global PURE (Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology ) collaboration and led by McMaster University researchers.

2 Sep 2013

DebMed introduces new dispenser that provides access to hand sanitizer

DebMed®, creator of the world's first electronic hand hygiene compliance monitoring system based on the World Health Organization's (WHO's) Five Moments for Hand Hygiene, introduced today the availability of a new dispenser that provides access to hand sanitizer in the immediate area within the patient zone.

31 Aug 2013

New method that targets mosquito larvae and pupae may help control malaria

A malaria control method that targets mosquito larvae and pupae as they mature in standing water could be an important supplementary measure in the fight against the disease, according to a new report.

29 Aug 2013

Cycling and taking public transport to work increases in London and other cities

The number of people travelling to work in England and Wales using sustainable transport has risen for the first time in decades, as the proportion of car use dropped by nearly 2% in the last 10 years, according to new research published in PLOS ONE.

23 Aug 2013

WHO hand-hygiene compliance strategy easy for health-care workers to practise

WHO's strategy for improving hand hygiene is easy for health-care workers to practise, according to a new study published today in "Lancet Infectious Diseases". Health care-associated infections are a major threat to patient safety worldwide and transmission in these settings is mainly from the hands of health-care workers.

23 Aug 2013

Publication of death rates: an interview with Dr Kate Walker, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

The death rates of individual heart surgeons have been published in England and several US states for some years. A high profile investigation into high death rates at a certain cardiac centre motivated this in England. For other surgery types, death rates have been reported only at the hospital or trust level. NHS England’s “Everyone Counts” policy, introduced this Summer, means that outcomes of ten types of surgery will be reported at the individual surgeon level.

15 Aug 2013

New irrigation systems can increase malaria risk for a decade in arid regions

New irrigation systems in arid regions benefit farmers but can increase the local malaria risk for more than a decade -- which is longer than previously believed -- despite intensive and costly use of insecticides, new University of Michigan-led study in northwest India concludes.

13 Aug 2013

Doctor offers tips on how to talk with your tween about puberty

Some parents may shy away from talking to their daughters about puberty, but Loyola University Health System obstetrician and gynecologist Akua Afriyie-Gray, MD, stresses the importance of sitting down with your tween when the time comes.

13 Aug 2013

Faecal contamination in natural pools due to droppings from birds

The use of natural pools - those that do not use chlorine or other chemical disinfection products - has seen an upward trend in recent years. Now, scientists from the University of Barcelona have discovered faecal contamination in some pools due to droppings from birds and other animals.

9 Aug 2013

Community-based pharmacies can be effective locations for offering rapid HIV testing, find researchers

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that community-based pharmacies can be effective locations for offering rapid HIV testing, diagnosing HIV, and connecting those who test positive with medical care quickly. The study is in the August issue of the journal AIDS Patient Care and STDs.

7 Aug 2013

Research roundup: Making sense (or not) of health insurance; what a full Medicaid expansion could look like; recession and coverage

Each week, KHN reporter Alvin Tran compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.

3 Aug 2013