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Violence is a disease that has to be treated

The Windy City is now The Wounded City, thanks to a spate of carnage that has Chicago ranked tops nationally in violence for several weeks in a row. Violent crime costs Chicago about $5.3 billion a year, according to a new report from the Center for American Progress. Homicides have risen about 35 percent compared to the same period in 2011.

22 Jun 2012

State roundup: Mass. grapples with EHR privacy issues

Providers in separate networks are preparing to share patients' records more widely online -- to better coordinate care and cut wasteful spending. This will probably intensify the debate about what should and should not be shared, as well as fears about the unauthorized release of patient information.

22 Jun 2012

Sanford Health CAO receives NOFAS Excellence Award for commitment to FAS

H. Eugene Hoyme, MD, chief academic officer for Sanford Health and president of Sanford , has received the 2012 Excellence Award from the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS), joining the ranks of almost 40 past recipients that include Senator John McCain and the late Ted Kennedy.

22 Jun 2012

Shanghai Institutes of Preventative Medicine, Gentris sign MOU to advance personalized medicine

Gentris Corporation, a global leader in the application of genomic biomarkers to clinical studies, announced today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Shanghai Institutes of Preventative Medicine to advance global personalized medicine.

22 Jun 2012

Iroko announces results from diclofenac Phase 3 study on post-surgical pain

Iroko Pharmaceuticals, LLC today announced Phase 3 study results that showed patients treated with the company's novel, submicron particle, lower-dose diclofenac (18mg and 35mg), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), experienced significant pain relief post surgery compared with placebo>0.01 and P<0.001 respectively).

22 Jun 2012

Polio eradication efforts threatened by funding shortfall, vaccination resistance in some countries, experts say

Marking the 10th anniversary since Europe was declared polio-free, the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative on Wednesday released a report saying there is "a unique window of opportunity to stamp out polio for good," with the number of reported cases at historical lows, but a funding shortfall of about $1 million is threatening eradication progress, Reuters reports.

22 Jun 2012

$Hip fracture type may determine regional anesthesia benefits$

Hip fracture type may determine regional anesthesia benefits

Use of regional anesthesia may reduce the risk for mortality and pulmonary complications among patients undergoing surgery for hip fracture, research shows.

21 Jun 2012

Congress considers Medicare, FDA proposals

The Senate Finance Committee is once again talking deficit reduction and Medicare as both houses are "poised" to pass an FDA bill.

21 Jun 2012

AHS scientific conference to focus on impact of traumatic brain injuries

The impact of traumatic injuries to the brain - whether sustained in combat or on the playing fields of America's schools - is a major topic for international migraine specialists the week of June 18 as they gather in Los Angeles for the 54th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Headache Society. This is among many timely issues concerning headache, migraine, and brain injuries on the four-day agenda here which runs through Sunday morning, June 24.

21 Jun 2012

GBM patients with CNP subtype may have less aggressive subtype of cancer

A diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is generally a death sentence, but new research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison lab of Dr. John Kuo shows that at least one subtype is associated with a longer life expectancy. This discovery could help with better patient prognoses and lead to targeted drug treatments for GBM subtypes.

21 Jun 2012

Children exposed to HIV before birth may be more likely to experience hearing loss

Children exposed to HIV in the womb may be more likely to experience hearing loss by age 16 than are their unexposed peers, according to scientists in a National Institutes of Health research network.

21 Jun 2012

FDA approves CDC DENV-1-4 Real Time RT PCR Assay to treat dengue

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has developed a new diagnostic test to detect the presence of dengue virus in people with symptoms of dengue fever or dengue hemorrhagic fever. The test, called the CDC DENV-1-4 Real Time RT PCR Assay, has been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States and can be performed using equipment and supplies many public health laboratories already use to diagnose influenza.

21 Jun 2012

Study links two specific strains of bacteria with indoor mold from water damage

Bacterial contamination in water-damaged buildings has been identified as a potential cause of health problems, including infection and respiratory conditions like asthma. Which specific bacteria contribute to these problems, however, has been unknown-making it difficult for public health officials to develop tools to effectively address the underlying source of the problem.

21 Jun 2012

Evidence mounts for vitamin D multiple sclerosis role

Three studies published in Neurology add weight to the theory that vitamin D levels have an important effect on relapse rates and cerebral lesions in patients with multiple sclerosis.

20 Jun 2012

Sun exposure, vitamin D and pancreatic cancer risk

High levels of ultraviolet radiation at an individual's birth location, sun-sensitive skin type and a history of skin cancer each decreased risk for pancreatic cancer, according to study results presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Pancreatic Cancer: Progress and Challenges conference, held here June 18-21.

20 Jun 2012

Thomson Reuters study tracks current status of research on NTDs

"The Intellectual Property & Science division of Thomson Reuters on Tuesday announced the publication of a new study tracking the current status of research on neglected tropical diseases [NTDs]," a Thomson Reuters Corporation press release reports.

20 Jun 2012

Lack of time, training among top barriers to counseling in primary care setting

Lack of time, knowledge and training in health promotion and lack of success with changing patient behavior were among the top barriers to including effective physical activity counseling in the primary care setting, according to research by The University of Texas School of Public Health, part of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

20 Jun 2012

Al Jazeera examines Cuba's national health care system; IPS looks at HIV/AIDS in the country

In a feature story, Al Jazeera examines Cuba's national health care system, which "works -- or is supposed to work -- by emphasizing primary and preventative health care." However, after subsidies from the former Soviet Union "ended and Cuba's economy went into a tailspin, nothing was the same again," according to the news agency, which notes the system experiences drug shortages, patients have long wait times, and some hospitals are dirty or malfunctioning.

20 Jun 2012

Bariatric procedure increases risk of alcohol use disorders two years after surgery

Adults who had a common bariatric surgery to lose weight had a significantly higher risk of alcohol use disorders (AUD) two years after surgery, according to a study by a National Institutes of Health research consortium.

20 Jun 2012

Teen mothers more likely to suffer abuse and postpartum depression than older moms

Teen mothers are far more likely to suffer abuse and postpartum depression than older moms, according to a study of Canadian women's maternity experiences by a University of Alberta researcher.

20 Jun 2012