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Patients receive better care when specialists know referring physicians

Are you likely to receive better care if the specialist treating you knows your primary care physician? The answer appears to be yes, according to new research from Harvard Medical School published Jan. 3 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

3 Jan 2023

Hundreds of US hospitals sue patients or threaten their credit, a KHN investigation finds

Despite growing evidence of the harm caused by medical debt, hundreds of U.S. hospitals maintain policies to aggressively pursue patients for unpaid bills, using tactics such as lawsuits, selling patient accounts to debt buyers, and reporting patients to credit rating agencies, a KHN investigation shows.

21 Dec 2022

Imaging method yields highly accurate and precise values of radionuclide organ uptake

Patients with cancer that has spread to the bone are sometimes treated with alpha particle radiation therapy that is delivered into or very close to the tumor.

16 Dec 2022

Study: 9% of adolescents report experiencing both persistent pain and suicidality

Nearly one in 10 young people are experiencing both persistent physical pain and suicidal feelings, according to a new paper from researchers from the University of Oxford, Cambridge, Oslo (Norway), King's College London, and the Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Deu (Spain).

14 Dec 2022

NIH's All of Us Research Program begins returning personalized health-related DNA results to participants

The National Institutes of Health's All of Us Research Program has begun returning personalized health-related DNA results to more than 155,000 participants, with reports detailing whether participants have an increased risk for specific health conditions and how their body might process certain medications.

13 Dec 2022

High levels of arsenic contamination in water linked to antibiotic resistance carriage among children

In rural Bangladesh, areas with high levels of arsenic contamination in drinking water, compared to areas with less contamination, have a higher prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in both water and child stool samples, according to a new study publishing December 8, 2022 in PLOS Pathogens by Mohammad Aminul Islam of Washington State University, and colleagues.

8 Dec 2022

Study reveals biological mechanism to explain why respiratory viruses spike in colder seasons

Researchers at Mass Eye and Ear and Northeastern University have discovered a previously unidentified immune response inside the nose that fights off viruses responsible for upper respiratory infections.

7 Dec 2022

Home air purifiers can improve markers of cardiovascular health in people with COPD

A six-month study led by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers concludes that the use of portable home air purifiers can improve some markers of cardiovascular health in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.

5 Dec 2022

Smoking associated with increased risk of 56 diseases among Chinese adults

Smoking increases the risks of 56 diseases and kills more than 1 million adults in China each year from 22 different causes, according to new research published today in The Lancet Public Health.

1 Dec 2022

Study shines light on how ultrafine particles promote lung cancer progression

While it may seem common knowledge that smoking is bad for your lungs, if and how ultrafine particles present in cigarette smoke impact the development and progression of lung cancer remains unclear.

29 Nov 2022

Government introduces a Vaccine Taskforce style approach to tackle public health challenges in the UK

NHS patients are set to benefit from cutting-edge new treatments and technologies as the government introduces a Vaccine Taskforce style approach to tackling some of the biggest public health challenges facing the UK.

27 Nov 2022

Study finds first direct evidence of AMR bacteria migrating from the gut to the lungs

A new study released today in Nature Communications from the Department of Biology, University of Oxford has found the first direct evidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria migrating from a patient's gut microbiome to the lungs.

24 Nov 2022

Two studies reveal insights into how the spinal cord and brainstem contribute to sense of touch

The sense of touch is essential to almost everything we do, from routine tasks at home to navigating unfamiliar terrains that may conceal dangers.

23 Nov 2022

A simple method to prepare carbon isotope-labeled versions of drugs and diagnostics

Dr. Benjamin Rotstein and collaborators unveil an operationally simple method to prepare carbon isotope-labeled versions of drugs and diagnostics.

22 Nov 2022

Whole-genome sequencing reveals five new subgroups of chronic lymphocytic leukemia

A collaborative study led by the University of Oxford as part of the UK's 100,000 Genomes Project, published in Nature Genetics today, has defined five new subgroups of the most common type of blood cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and associated these with clinical outcomes.

16 Nov 2022

1 in 10 new moms diagnosed with high blood pressure in the year after childbirth

In an analysis of more than 2,400 women, about 1 in 10 without a history of blood pressure issues were diagnosed with high blood pressure in the year after childbirth, according to a research article published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.

15 Nov 2022

Certain TB correlates of protection linked with the likelihood of becoming infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Researchers from the University of Oxford have today reported findings from a study that investigated whether previously identified correlates of protection associated with risk of full-blown tuberculosis (TB) disease could also be associated with risk of infection from the bacteria that causes TB.