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Incidence of needlestick injuries appears to be lower among employees at retail pharmacy chain

Vaccinations for flu, tetanus and other common vaccines are increasingly taking place in non-medical settings such as supermarkets and drug stores. This added responsibility for pharmacists increases the risk of needlestick injuries (NSIs), puncture wounds often suffered while preparing or after use of a needle. NSIs can transmit bloodborne pathogens, including hepatitis C and HIV, from an infected patient to the person administering the vaccine.

8 Oct 2012

New insight into basis of opiate addiction

Chronic morphine exposure has the opposite effect on the brain compared to cocaine in mice, providing new insight into the basis of opiate addiction, according to Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers.

8 Oct 2012

Researchers perfect map of vision in the brain based upon brain structure

Nearly 100 years after a British neurologist first mapped the blind spots caused by missile wounds to the brains of soldiers, Perelman School of Medicine researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have perfected his map using modern-day technology. Their results create a map of vision in the brain based upon an individual's brain structure, even for people who cannot see.

6 Oct 2012

HHS honors Children's Hospital Los Angeles for excellence in organ donation

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is honoring Children's Hospital Los Angeles for its commitment to saving lives through organ and tissue donation. The hospital will receive the Silver Medal of Honor today for excellence in organ donation at the 7th National Learning Congress for the Donation and Transplantation Community of Practice in Grapevine, Tex.

6 Oct 2012

Improved battlefield transport and triage improves survival of severely wounded soldiers

Wounded soldiers who sustained chest injuries in Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) had higher mortality rates than soldiers in Korea and Vietnam, according to a military trauma study presented at the 2012 American College of Surgeons Annual Clinical Congress.

6 Oct 2012

Viewpoints: Romney's shifts back to moderate?; His misleading comments on pre-existing conditions; Debate's half-truths

Far from being a pitchfork-wielding populist who wants to raze Washington, Romney said he would work with the people he finds there. ... He bragged that in his old job as governor, he met with Democrats every week. He boasted about his bipartisan health care bill. ... he gave us a hint of a strong center-right pragmatic approach.

6 Oct 2012

Study demonstrates efficacy of genotyping technology in identifying source of clinic infection outbreak

Researchers from East Carolina University used a new technique of genotyping to identify the source of a hematology clinic outbreak of Mycobacterium mucogenicum, a gram-positive, acid-fast bacteria found in tap water. This is the first outbreak of M. mucogenicum in an ambulatory care setting; five other outbreaks have been reported in hospital settings since 1995.

6 Oct 2012

State highlights: Controversial Pa. Health Secretary quits; Kansas court decision on malpractice cap expected today

Pennsylvania Health Secretary Eli N. Avila, who became known in the Capitol for a dispute over an egg sandwich and other episodes, has quit his $146,500-a-year post in Gov. Corbett's cabinet. The governor announced the departure Thursday in a news release that said Avila, 52, was leaving to pursue "other interests" and was looking forward to spending more time with his family in New York.

6 Oct 2012

Research roundup: Limited savings found from ACOs; Examining men's health racial disparities

A Simulation Shows Limited Savings From Meeting Quality Targets Under The Medicare Shared Savings Program -- The health law rewards accountable care organizations (ACOs), groups of health care providers working together to save money and increase quality. Those providers then share in the savings.

6 Oct 2012

Oral medication as effective as Botox injections for treating incontinence in women

Oral medication for treating a type of incontinence in women is roughly as effective as Botox injections to the bladder, reported researchers who conducted a National Institutes of Health clinical trials network study, with each form of treatment having benefits and limitations.

6 Oct 2012

Benzodiazepine exposure for over-65s linked to increased risk of dementia

The results from comparative analysis of this population demonstrate the risk of developing dementia increased by 50% for subjects who consumed benzodiazepines during the follow-up period, compared with those who had never used benzodiazepines.

6 Oct 2012

Tips to differentiate between children's cold and allergies

One of the problems that parents may have during the fall is deciphering whether their children's sneezing is due to a cold or allergies.

6 Oct 2012

91 charged with $430 million Medicare billing fraud

The nationwide sweep involved arrests of doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals.

6 Oct 2012

Progress toward preventing initial and recurrent episodes of C. diff infection

Surgeons are making progress toward preventing initial and recurrent episodes of clostridium difficile colitis (C. difficile or C. diff), a vicious bacterial infection that is estimated to affect about 336,000 people each year, typically patients on antibiotics.

6 Oct 2012

Major depression goes unnoticed in pregnant women

Healthcare professionals looking after pregnant women should maintain a high level of awareness for the possibility of major depressive disorder, say US researchers who found the condition frequently goes undetected.

5 Oct 2012

DPP-inhibitors reduce cardiovascular events in diabetes patients

Type 2 diabetes patients who are treated with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors have a significantly reduced risk for cardiovascular events, particularly myocardial infarction, compared with their peers who take placebo or other drugs, results of a meta-analysis show.

5 Oct 2012

GRID1 thalamo-cortical gene variations absent in schizophrenia

Genetic variation in the glutamate receptor delta 1 gene affects gray matter of the anterior thalamus and left lateral prefrontal cortex in healthy individuals but not among patients with schizophrenia, suggest findings published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

5 Oct 2012