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Psychiatric patients at risk of hospitalization due to protected records

Medical centers that elect to keep psychiatric files private and separate from the rest of a person's medical record may be doing their patients a disservice, a Johns Hopkins study concludes.

3 Jan 2013

Electroconvulsive therapy releases opiate-like substances

Researchers used electricity on certain regions in the brain of a patient with chronic, severe facial pain to release an opiate-like substance that's considered one of the body's most powerful painkillers.

3 Jan 2013

Early problems in processing knowledge-based information linked to Alzheimer's disease

People who study or treat Alzheimer's disease and its earliest clinical stage, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), have focused attention on the obvious short-term memory problems. But a new study suggests that people on the road to Alzheimer's may actually have problems early on in processing semantic or knowledge-based information, which could have much broader implications for how patients function in their lives.

29 Dec 2012

Heart transplant patient becomes unexpected ambassador for organ donation

Kevin Riepl arrived at Cedars-Sinai in October 2010, suffering from sudden heart failure that left him fighting for his life. Surgeons swiftly installed a heart pump and later transplanted a new heart, saving his life and turning him into an unexpected ambassador for organ donation.

29 Dec 2012

Winter is not a good excuse to give up fitness routines

The weather outside might be frightful, but sitting by that fire might make your fitness routine frightful. Though your body may be layered under sweatshirts and coats, staying active and healthy is important no matter what the temperature is outside.

27 Dec 2012

Autism genome not shy about tinkering with important genes

An international team, led by researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has discovered that "random" mutations in the genome are not quite so random after all. Their study, to be published in the journal Cell on December 21, shows that the DNA sequence in some regions of the human genome is quite volatile and can mutate ten times more frequently than the rest of the genome. Genes that are linked to autism and a variety of other disorders have a particularly strong tendency to mutate.

21 Dec 2012

CHPA praises signing into law of anti-methamphetamine bill

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) today applauded Ohio Governor John Kasich for signing into law House Bill 334, an anti-methamphetamine bill authored by Representative Terry Johnson (R-Portsmouth) and Representative Danny Bupb (R-West Union). With the new law, Ohio now becomes the 25th state to adopt real-time, stop-sale technology known as the National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx).

21 Dec 2012

Slushy spares kidney during partial nephrectomy

US researchers report the success and feasibility of a novel method of carrying out partial nephrectomy in kidney patients, using minimally invasive surgery.

20 Dec 2012

NIDA's 2012 Monitoring the Future survey shows rates stable or down for most drugs

Continued high use of marijuana by the nation's eighth, 10th and 12th graders combined with a drop in perceptions of its potential harms was revealed in this year's Monitoring the Future survey, an annual survey of eighth, 10th, and 12th-graders conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan.

20 Dec 2012

No evidence for man flu according to preliminary results from UK Flusurvey

Preliminary results from the first month of the UK Flusurvey run by scientists at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine suggest there is no evidence for “man flu” and reveal that reports of flu-like illness are highest among children.

19 Dec 2012

Misoprostol helps prevent postpartum haemorrhage after home births

Research brings together evidence about the potential for misoprostol to prevent bleeding after home births in low resource countries.

18 Dec 2012

Roundup: Abortion bill heads to Mich. Gov's desk; Calif. health care special session priorities; Nurse practitioner role debated in Minn.

An omnibus abortion bill, approved by the Senate on Wednesday, passed the House early this morning by a 72-35 vote, after a controversial requirement that an aborted fetus be buried, cremated or interred was removed earlier this week. Democrats offered a handful of amendments, some referred to as "what's good for the goose is good for the gander," to require men to undergo physical exams before being prescribed Viagra or to get a vasectomy. But all the amendments were shot down. Gov. Rick Snyder is expected to sign the bill into law.

14 Dec 2012

Outgoing Rep. Berman introduces bill to reform foreign aid with emphasis on partnerships

"California Rep. Howard Berman, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, unveiled a 923-page bill on Wednesday that would replace the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 with a framework for providing developmental and economic U.S. aid," the Associated Press/Huffington Post reports, noting, "Berman's Global Partnerships Act of 2012 would change the aid system to focus on mutually agreed goals instead of the emphasis on donor-recipient ties, increase accountability and oversight, and eliminate duplication."

14 Dec 2012

Kaiser Permanente suggests simple steps to improve overall health

Kaiser Permanente Southern California wants you to take a 12 minute break and think about how you're going to achieve total health this New Year to become a better you!

12 Dec 2012

Study identifies KNDy neurons as a likely control switch of hot flushes

Hot flushes affect millions of people, and not just women. Yet, it is still unclear what causes the episodes of temperature discomfort, often accompanied by profuse sweating.

12 Dec 2012

Easy ways to prevent dry skin

What do cleansers, alcohol and coffee have in common? They are the worst enemies of your skin during winter, sucking out the moisture from your skin and making it extremely dry and itchy.

11 Dec 2012

Auditory systems differ between sexes in sparrows depending on the season

Auditory systems differ between sexes in sparrows depending on the season, a Georgia State University neuroscientist has found. The work adds to our knowledge of how the parts of the nervous system, including that of humans, are able to change.

10 Dec 2012

Natural product to combat menopause symptoms

Menopause is a time of great changes for most women, but information about this change of life is often sparse and contradictory. Options for symptom relief are limited. Natural products can be a healthier alternative and can provide symptom relief

10 Dec 2012

Biomatrica completes $5 million in private financing

Biomatrica, Inc., a leader in ambient temperature biostability technology, today announced the completion of $5 million in private financing. Biomatrica has developed SampleMatrix technology which has pioneered recent innovations in ambient storage of biological samples, from purified DNA, RNA, and proteins to complex systems such as tissue, cell lines, biopsies and whole blood.

6 Dec 2012

'Fiscal Cliff' talks morphing into high-stakes game of political chicken

White House negotiators and GOP lawmakers remain at odds over a deficit-reduction plan with only weeks to go before automatic spending cuts and tax increases are triggered.

3 Dec 2012