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Weekend reading: Humanizing hospitals, splurge of health data and huge sodas

Every week reporter Ankita Rao selects interesting reading from around the Web.

15 Mar 2013

Study: Novel strategy could lead to universal influenza vaccine that can provide long-lasting protection

Seasonal epidemics of influenza result in nearly 36,000 deaths annually in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Current vaccines against the influenza virus elicit an antibody response specific for proteins on the outside of the virus, specifically the hemagglutinin protein.

15 Mar 2013

South Sudan hospital sees influx of kala azar, malaria patients

VOA News examines an influx of patients suffering from kala azar, also known as visceral leishmaniasis, and malaria in a South Sudan hospital, writing, "The pediatric ward at the main hospital in Bentiu is overcrowded and under-staffed as an unusually high number of children suffering from kala azar and malaria have been brought in for treatment."

15 Mar 2013

Brown fat cells protective against obesity and diabetes

Brown fat is a hot topic, pardon the pun. Brown fats cells, as opposed to white fat cells, make heat for the body, and are thought to have evolved to help mammals cope with the cold. But, their role in generating warmth might also be applied to coping with obesity and diabetes.

15 Mar 2013

Fast-progressing hearing impairment linked to fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Rapid hearing loss in both ears may be a symptom of the rare but always-fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and should be considered a reason for clinicians to test for the disorder.

15 Mar 2013

Small study shows smartphones can be used to detect intestinal worms

IRIN examines the feasibility of using a smartphone equipped with a glass lens to detect the presence of parasitic worms in stool samples, a concept that "could have a significant impact on the diagnosis of intestinal parasites that affect millions in remote, rural parts of the world, where even the most basic medical testing is hard to come by."

15 Mar 2013

Subcutaneous administration of Herceptin preferred by HER2-positive breast cancer patients over IV

Results from the PrefHer (Patient Preference for Subcutaneous (SC) versus Intravenous (IV) Herceptin) trial show that 92% of early HER2-positive breast cancer patients favoured quicker SC administration of Herceptin compared to the standard IV infusion.1 Presented at the St. Gallen Breast Cancer Conference in Switzerland.

15 Mar 2013

Researchers find no overall recovery benefit to patients treated with clot-removal devices

When someone has a stroke, time equals brain. The longer a stroke is left untreated, the more brain tissue is lost. Since the only proven treatment - a clot-busting drug - works in less than half of patients, stroke physicians had high hopes for a mechanical device that could travel through the blocked blood vessel to retrieve or break up the clot, restoring blood flow to the brain.

15 Mar 2013

Majority of women have postpartum depressive symptoms, finds study

A surprisingly high number of women have postpartum depressive symptoms, according to a new, large-scale study by a Northwestern Medicine- researcher.

15 Mar 2013

Roundup: Calif. GOP wants mental health gun audit; Philadelphia hospital admissions decline; N.C. Medicaid director details budget shortfall

A selection of health policy stories from California, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Kansas and Colorado.

15 Mar 2013

Study shows sex differences in math and reading scores persist in 75 nations

Malala Yousafzai, the teenaged advocate for Pakistani girls' education, was released from the hospital earlier this month. Most of the world's girls don't have to fight as hard as Yousafzai for their education. However, even in countries with high gender equality, sex differences in math and reading scores persisted in the 75 nations examined by a University of Missouri and University of Leeds study.

15 Mar 2013

New research technique now available in Journal of Visualized Experiments

A new research technique, pioneered by Dr. Maria Angela Franceschini, will be published in JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments) on March 14th. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School have developed a non-invasive optical measurement system to monitor neonatal brain activity via cerebral metabolism and blood flow.

15 Mar 2013

Debate on budget options: Ryan offer is 'cruel'; Obama unwilling to take risks necessary for grand bargain

It's a cruel budget. To finance his largess to the very well-off, Ryan would - through steep Medicaid cuts and the repeal of Obamacare - leave an additional 40 million to 50 million poor or moderate-income Americans without health insurance, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (E.J. Dionne Jr., 3/13).

15 Mar 2013

Varicella vaccine prevents hospital admission, saves lives

The widespread introduction of a chicken pox vaccine in Australia in 2006 has prevented thousands of children from being hospitalized with severe chicken pox and saved lives, according to new research.

14 Mar 2013

Autism spectrum disorders affect brain activity of children and adults differently

Newly released findings from Bradley Hospital published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry have found that autism spectrum disorders (ASD) affect the brain activity of children and adults differently.

14 Mar 2013

Smoking increases risk of developing serious forms of urothelial cancer

Smoking significantly increases individuals’ risk of developing serious forms of urothelial carcinoma and a higher likelihood of dying from the disease, particularly for women. That is the conclusion of a recent study published in BJU International. While the biological mechanisms underlying this gender difference are unknown, the findings indicate that clinicians and society in general should focus on smoking prevention and cessation to safeguard against deadly cancers of the bladder, ureters, and renal pelvis, especially in females.

14 Mar 2013

Griffith University researchers discover critical weakness in leukaemic cells

Scientists at Griffith University's Institute for Glycomics and The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles have discovered a critical weakness in leukaemic cells, which may pave the way to new treatments.

14 Mar 2013

Physician gender has no impact on patients’ healthcare costs or mortality

Female doctors' patients do not use health-care services more or die less frequently than patients treated by male doctors, a prospective, observational study by researchers at UC Davis Health System has found.

14 Mar 2013

Breast cancer patients treated with low doses of radiation therapy face high risk of heart disease

A new report that breast cancer patients treated with low doses of radiation therapy have a heightened risk of heart disease suggests that physicians need to work with patients before, during, and after treatment to minimize that risk, according to an accompanying editorial in the March 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

14 Mar 2013

Advanced gene sequencing test helps clinicians treat cancer

The University of Washington and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) partnered to launch UW-OncoPlex - an advanced gene sequencing test to help clinicians treat cancer. The new diagnostic tool is a significant milestone in the development of precision medicine and empowers doctors to predict which treatment therapies will be most effective for an individual patient's cancer.

14 Mar 2013