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MRI recordings at one fiftieth of a second

"Please hold absolutely still": This instruction is crucial for patients being examined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It is the only way to obtain clear images for diagnosis. Up to now, it was therefore almost impossible to image moving organs using MRI. Max Planck researchers from G-ttingen have now succeeded in significantly reducing the time required for recording images - to just one fiftieth of a second.

30 Aug 2010

An overview of Schizophrenia and psychotic disorders

Schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders are a chronic and often disabling condition. Despite modern treatment techniques they still present an enormous burden to the patients and their relatives and take a serious toll in terms of human suffering and societal expenditure.

30 Aug 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

"[N]ew diagnostic techniques [for tuberculosis] need to be studied in children," according to a Lancet Infectious Diseases Reflection. "Tuberculosis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide, but estimates of disease burden are inaccurate because most cases are not confirmed," the author writes. He discusses a study published in the same issue that examines various methods for diagnosing TB in children.

27 Aug 2010

Researchers recommend traumatic brain injury reclassification for additional funding

Traumatic brain injury, currently considered a singular event by the insurance industry and many health care providers, is instead the beginning of an ongoing process that impacts multiple organ systems and may cause or accelerate other diseases and disorders that can reduce life expectancy, according to research from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

27 Aug 2010

Auditory neurons accept first sound, ignore subsequent reverberations: Study

Voices carry, reflect off objects and create echoes. Most people rarely hear the echoes; instead they only process the first sound received. For the hard of hearing, though, being in an acoustically challenging room can be a problem. For them, echoes carry.

27 Aug 2010

V Foundation Wine Celebration raises fund for cancer research

The 12th Annual Wine Celebration benefitting The V Foundation took place August 6&7 in Napa Valley, raising $2.2 million for cancer research. The event, a signature fundraiser for sportscaster/coach Jim Valvano's eponymous foundation, has raised more than $35 million since 1998.

27 Aug 2010

FORTUNE ranks China-Biotics 62nd on 2010 'Fastest-Growing Companies' list

China-Biotics, Inc., a leading developer, manufacturer and distributor of probiotics products in China, today announced that the Company is ranked 62nd on FORTUNE's 2010 "Fastest-Growing Companies" list.

26 Aug 2010

SOECIC announces UK's first operation to fit single cochlear implant to give sound in both ears

The UK's first operation to fit a single cochlear implant capable of giving sound in both ears takes place this Friday (27 August), thanks to the work of the South of England Cochlear Implant Centre (SOECIC), based at the University of Southampton.

26 Aug 2010

Panasonic introduces digital hearing instruments in U.S. market

Panasonic Corporation of North America, today announced that Panasonic Hearing instruments have been delivered to the U.S. market. The company is debuting three types of digital hearing instruments, including a new form factor that resembles the style of an MP3 player, a receiver-in-canal and behind-the-ear models. Panasonic is currently establishing a distribution network throughout the U.S.

From PHC Europe B.V. 26 Aug 2010

Cornerstone Healthcare Plus REIT acquires $14.75M inpatient rehabilitation facility in Dallas

Cornerstone Real Estate Funds, and its strategic alliance partner and sub-advisor Servant Healthcare Investments, announced that the Cornerstone Healthcare Plus REIT has acquired an inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) for a purchase price of $14,750,000. The 42-bed, 40,000 square foot property is located in Dallas, Texas and is leased under a long-term lease to GlobalRehab LP.

26 Aug 2010

Opinions: Health and agriculture; GHI's main ideas; Recommendations to improve Haiti's government; China and the Global Fund

In a SciDev.Net opinion piece, Jeff Waage, director of the London International Development Centre, argues for more collaboration between agriculture and health experts. "The relationship between agriculture and health may seem intuitive and simple - grow more crops and people will have more food and live healthier lives.

26 Aug 2010

CHCA selects MedQuist to improve clinical documentation workflow

MedQuist Inc., a leading provider of medical transcription services, and a leader in technology-enabled clinical documentation workflow, continues to build partnerships with the nation's top healthcare organizations by developing and implementing solutions that form the backbone of clinical documentation workflow management.

25 Aug 2010

Researchers find medication for diabetes, smoking cessation

The script for two research teams inducted today into the American Chemical Society (ACS) scientific "hall of fame" the ACS Heroes of Chemistry is a tale of two pills. One team invented a medication that helps people with diabetes control their blood sugar levels. The second team invented a medicine that helps people stop smoking, an addiction that experts regard as today's single greatest preventable cause of death worldwide.

23 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

Report says developing countries remain unprepared for cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment

"Developing countries will bear 60 percent of the world's cancer burden by 2020 and 70 percent by 2030," according to a report released Thursday during the World Cancer Congress in Shenzhen, China, Reuters reports. These countries also lack the necessary "infrastructure … to prevent cancer, diagnose it early or provide long-term treatment, according to CanTreat International, which comprises experts from leading international cancer organizations," the news service writes.

20 Aug 2010

NSF issues award to develop techniques for analyzing children's behavior

A team led by the Georgia Institute of Technology has received a $10 million "Expeditions in Computing" award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop novel computing techniques for measuring and analyzing the behavior of children.

20 Aug 2010

Statoil ASA launches new ear plug to alleviate noise-induced hearing impairment

Some 600 cases of noise-induced hearing impairment are reported by the Norwegian petroleum industry every year. A new, intelligent earplug is now set to alleviate the problem.

20 Aug 2010

Beltone Electronics launches new generation of wireless hearing instruments

Chicago-based Beltone Electronics recently announced the introduction of the Beltone True™, a new generation of virtually invisible hearing instruments that wirelessly receive sound directly from TV, cell/home phone, stereo, PC, iPod or any audio device via a 2.4 GHz signal.

18 Aug 2010

Medical Transcription Industry Association to change name to Clinical Documentation Industry Association

Providing innovative solutions for EHR adoption that facilitate accurate and timely capture of health information continues to be a key message for the Medical Transcription Industry Association, whose members recently voted to change its name to Clinical Documentation Industry Association (CDIA) in an effort to reflect not only the expanded scope of services its members provide to the healthcare industry, but also a more appropriate focus on the health record and its critical role in clinical decision-making and continuity of care.

18 Aug 2010

Brain trauma in sports associated with motor neuron disease, researchers find

The Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University School of Medicine and Department of Veterans Affairs announced today that they have provided the first pathological evidence that repetitive head trauma experienced in collision sports is associated with motor neuron disease, a neurological condition that affects voluntary muscle movements.

18 Aug 2010