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First Edition: January 23, 2012

Today's health policy headlines include reports looking ahead to President Barak Obama's State-of-the-Union address and others examining the health law.

23 Jan 2012

New Penumbra 3D device may effectively treat stroke

At last week's ABC-WIN Seminar, Prof. Dr. Michael Knauth, Director of Neuroradiology, University Hospital of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany, and President-elect of the German Society of Neuroradiology, presented the European evaluation data on Separator 3D, a next-generation clot engagement device that works in conjunction with aspiration at the site of the lesion causing an acute ischemic stroke to remove the clot and restore blood flow to affected brain tissue.

23 Jan 2012

Study provides valuable information on which cancer patients might need help to quit smoking

A new analysis has found that a substantial number of lung and colorectal cancer patients continue to smoke after being diagnosed. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study provides valuable information on which cancer patients might need help to quit smoking.

23 Jan 2012

Welch Allyn's Connex IWS, EVD System and ProBP 3400 to be showcased at Arab Health 2012

Welch Allyn, a leading global provider of medical diagnostic devices headquartered in Skaneateles Falls, NY, will showcase its newest generation of connected solutions designed to address the needs of busy medical practices this week at Arab Health 2012 in Dubai.

23 Jan 2012

Study describes new pharmacological resistance to colon cancer

Doctors and researchers of Hospital del Mar and its research institute, the IMIM, have lead a study describing a new pharmacological resistance to cancer. This new mechanism is a mutation in an oncogene called EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) causing resistance to treatment using a drug called cetuximab, a monoclonal antibody which specifically attacks the EGFR.

23 Jan 2012

Planned NHS reforms face opposition

According to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg the NHS reforms that have been chalked out must go ahead, despite fresh criticism from MPs. The Commons health select committee is expected to say that plans to scrap primary care trusts and other changes are hampering efforts to save billions.

23 Jan 2012

Alexithymia associated with depression in de novo PD patients

Alexithymia has been found to be strongly associated with depression in both general and clinical populations. Alexithymic and depressive symptoms may be partially overlapping, but not all are correlated with depressive symptoms, thus underlining the relative independence of the two disorders. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a clinical condition often characterized by depression and an altered emotional processing. In medicated PD patients alexithymia has a prevalence of 21% and is related to depression.

23 Jan 2012

Sex declared safe for heart patients

A doctors’ group on Thursday suggested that sex may be safe for most heart patients. The American Heart Association added that having sex only slightly raises the chance for a heart attack. And that’s true for people with and without heart disease. Despite the higher risk for a heart patient to have a second attack, there’s no evidence that they have more sex-related heart attacks than people without cardiac disease. The updated advice was released online Thursday in the heart association journal, Circulation.

22 Jan 2012

Number of unsafe abortions soars worldwide: Report

A new worldwide analysis by the Guttmacher Institute and the World Health Organization shows that unsafe abortions are on the rise across the world. After a period of significant decline in the global abortion rate as a whole, researchers found that those numbers had begun to plateau. The report was published in the Lancet.

22 Jan 2012

Doctors can use tactile imaging sensor for early detection of cancerous tumors

A key part of a medical patient's physical examination is performed through touch, but the doctor can only glean so much information from what he feels. That's why Temple University researchers have created a prototype device that will not only emulate human tactile sensation, but quantify it as well.

21 Jan 2012

Study evaluates whether PWB predicts negative affectivity in fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a stress-related functional somatic syndrome consisting of musculoskeletal pain and tenderness, and additional symptoms such as fatigue and difficulty concentrating. Factors such as ill-being, often assessed as negative affectivity, may follow, increasing the risk of unhealthy and dysfunctional lifestyles.

21 Jan 2012

Health law policy topics: ACO deadline, hospital pay fix

Modern Healthcare reports that today's the last day to sign up for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' ACO program, which starts in April. Politico Pro, meanwhile, reports that a coalition of state hospitals is pushing the White House to address what they see as a "gaming of Medicare payments" that allows Massachusetts hospitals to collect higher Medicare reimbursements than other states.

21 Jan 2012

UHCMC now offers HITEC for women with gynecologic cancers

Patients with gynecologic cancer have new hope in a novel technology now offered at the Seidman Cancer Center at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center. A team of cancer specialists, led by Robert DeBernardo, MD, is among the first in the nation to launch a dedicated program using Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) to treat ovarian, endometrial and select other cancers.

21 Jan 2012

Awake ECMO may be an effective bridging strategy for lung transplantation candidates

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support in awake, non-intubated patients may be an effective strategy for bridging patients to lung transplantation, according to a new study from Germany.

21 Jan 2012

Hockey helmets offer multi-impact protection for young children

It's not winter in Canada if children don't spend time speeding down the slopes! Canadian tobogganing is a tradition handed down from generation to generation. For a long time, it's been considered one of the safest winter activities.

21 Jan 2012

ICAEL accredits Gottlieb for echocardiography

Gottlieb Memorial Hospital has received a three-year accreditation in the areas of Adult Stress and Adult Transthoracic Echocardiography from the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories.

21 Jan 2012

TCRH forms new joint venture with Duke LifePoint

Twin County Regional Healthcare (TCRH) has entered into a new agreement that will secure the hospital's position as a trusted provider of quality healthcare services for years to come. The TCRH Board of Directors and Duke LifePoint Healthcare today announced they have signed a definitive agreement to jointly own and operate Twin County Regional Healthcare and its affiliated assets.

20 Jan 2012

Exposure to phthalates may increase risk of obesity in young children

Researchers from the Children's Environmental Health Center at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York have found an association between exposure to the chemical group known as phthalates and obesity in young children - including increased body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference.

20 Jan 2012

Roundup: N.Y. insurers to update directories; Cook county, Ill. health fees fall short; Md. woman says hospital denied same-sex visitation

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says his office has reached settlements with eight health insurance companies that require them to ensure the accuracy of provider directories on their websites. The attorney general's office says the companies will remove names of doctors and other providers who no longer participate and correct listing errors for others.

20 Jan 2012

Technological breakthrough allows U-M Health System to reduce patients' radiation exposure

A technological breakthrough is allowing the University of Michigan Health System to be the first teaching hospital in the U.S. to perform some CT scans using a fraction of the radiation dose required for a conventional CT image.

20 Jan 2012