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Simple intervention can prevent lifelong disability in premature babies

Giving women at risk of premature birth a simple magnesium sulphate infusion (or 'drip') can prevent their babies from developing cerebral palsy, a recent Cochrane review has confirmed. The drug itself costs approximately £5 (~$6.50) per dose in England, and requires hospital admission with experienced staff to administer the drug safely to the mother.

24 Sep 2024

Deep learning tool offers new insights into protein function and disease

A University of Missouri researcher has created a computer program that can unravel the mysteries of how proteins work together - giving scientists valuable insights to better prevent, diagnose and treat cancer and other diseases.

23 Sep 2024

Rural NC county is set to reopen its shuttered hospital with help from a new federal program

On a mid-August morning, Christopher Harrison stood in front of the shuttered Martin General Hospital recalling the day a year earlier when he snapped pictures as workers covered the facility's sign.

20 Sep 2024

Fighting staff shortages with scholarships, California bill aims to boost mental health courts

A seemingly innocuous proposal to offer scholarships for mental health workers in California's new court-ordered treatment program has sparked debate over whether the state should prioritize that program or tackle a wider labor shortage in behavioral health services.

20 Sep 2024

FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific develops Oceo Rover: The first automated single-use hydration system for media and buffers

FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific, Inc., a world leader in the development and manufacture of serum-free and chemically defined cell culture media for bioproduction and cell therapy manufacturing, today announced the development of Oceo Rover, a first-of-its-kind* single-use technology system, that enables manufacturers of biopharmaceuticals to improve bioprocessing workflows by automating and simplifying the hydration of media, feeds, and buffers.

From FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific 20 Sep 2024

California Medicaid ballot measure is popular, well funded — and perilous, opponents warn

The proponents of Proposition 35, a November ballot initiative that would create a dedicated stream of funding to provide health care for California's low-income residents, have assembled an impressive coalition: doctors, hospitals, community clinics, dentists, ambulance companies, several county governments, numerous advocacy groups, big business, and both major political parties.

19 Sep 2024

A novel approach to biomolecule engineering

Thanks to a serendipitous discovery and a lot of painstaking work, scientists can now build biohybrid molecules that combine the homing powers of DNA with the broad functional repertoire of proteins - without having to synthesize them one by one, researchers report in a new study. Using a naturally occurring process, laboratories can harness the existing molecule-building capacities of bacteria to generate vast libraries of potentially therapeutic DNA-protein hybrid molecules.

18 Sep 2024

New initiative aims to support menopausal workers and reduce employer costs

Menopause is a natural life transition occurring when many women are at the "top of their game." Unsupported menopause symptoms drive up employer healthcare costs and cause roughly $1.8 billion in missed workdays.

13 Sep 2024

No one wants to talk about racial trauma. Why my family broke our silence.

I wasn't sure if visiting a cotton field was a good idea. Almost everyone in my family was antsy when we pulled up to the sea of white.

13 Sep 2024

Longtime head of L.A. Care to retire after navigating major Medi-Cal changes

For nearly a decade, John Baackes has led L.A. Care Health Plan, a publicly run insurer primarily serving low-income Los Angeles County residents on Medi-Cal. It is by far the largest Medi-Cal plan in the state.

11 Sep 2024

New study explores the potential of hormone therapy for opioid recovery

In the midst of America's growing opioid crisis, a much healthier alternative to long-term pain management is emerging - one affectionately known as "the cuddle hormone," or oxytocin.

11 Sep 2024

Natural probiotic present in gut shortly after birth

Findings on neonatal gut microbiota reveal key Bifidobacteria species driving microbiome assembly and their potential in developing personalized probiotics.

10 Sep 2024

Good heart health during early pregnancy may reduce genetic risk of preeclampsia and hypertension

Maintaining good cardiovascular health during the first trimester of pregnancy may offset the genetic risk of developing preeclampsia and/or gestational hypertension, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2024.

9 Sep 2024

Health Secretary Becerra touts extreme heat protections. Farmworkers want more.

On a sunny August morning in this agricultural town, before temperatures soared to 103 degrees, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra stood outside the small public library.

9 Sep 2024

Study finds Lassa fever infection rates to be far greater than previously believed

The first-ever detailed estimate of the real damage done by Lassa fever, a virus endemic to West Africa, has found that it infects 2.7 million people a year, ten times more than health agencies had assumed.

4 Sep 2024

Alzheimer's disease: $14.5 trillion burden on global economy by 2050

Study estimates that Alzheimer's disease and other dementias will cost the global economy $14.5 trillion by 2050, disproportionately impacting high-income countries. Researchers call for urgent global action to mitigate this rising economic burden.

4 Sep 2024

UCSF favors pricey doctoral program for nurse-midwives amid maternal care crisis

One of California's two programs for training nurse-midwives has stopped admitting students while it revamps its curriculum to offer only doctoral degrees, a move that's drawn howls of protest from alumni, health policy experts, and faculty who accuse the University of California of putting profits above public health needs.

3 Sep 2024

Northwestern NUCATS Institute secures $55 million NIH grant for health care advancements

The Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences (NUCATS) Institute has received $55 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding to accelerate the development, evaluation and implementation of improved health care interventions.

29 Aug 2024

North Carolina's residential opioid treatment services lack evidence-based approaches

A new study of organizations that claim to provide residential opioid substance use services in North Carolina found that only 12% of the organizations were licensed by the state to provide residential substance use treatment. What's more, only about a quarter of the organizations even allowed patients to access the only treatment for opioid use disorder proven to reduce overdose deaths.