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Flu outbreak peak yet to come: Experts

Parents of kids returning to school in the UK after Christmas holidays have been warned of a surge in flu cases. Professor John Oxford, a leading virologist at St Bartholomew’s and the Royal London Hospital explained that children returning to school in the past prompted a rise in the number of flu cases. “You tend to get a surge,” the professor said. “I would anticipate a surge, but how long that will last is difficult to say.” He added, “This virus is not going to go away next week. Even if it’s already peaked, it’s still going to be around for the next couple of weeks and it’s still worthwhile being vaccinated at this stage.”

4 Jan 2011

Single cancer cell could be detected in future using new test

Soon scientists will be able to detect a single cancer cell among the billions of cells that circulate in the human bloodstream. The method could detect whether the therapy has worked or even show which therapy would work best. The test depends on circulating tumor cells (CTCs) or cancer cells that have detached from the main tumor and are traveling to other parts of the body.

4 Jan 2011

First Edition: January 4, 2011

The House GOP leadership sets Jan. 12 as the date for a vote on repealing the health law. Meanwhile, California's new health insurance commissioner takes action on health insurers' expenditures while New York's governor targets Medicaid spending.

4 Jan 2011

Clinicians rely upon analgesics and surgery; overlook exercise and weight loss for OA patients

New research found clinicians who care for patients with osteoarthritis (OA) are likely not following standard care guidelines that are based on current medical evidence. Researchers noted physicians were prescribing medications for pain and inflammation, or opting for surgical interventions rather than recommending weight loss plans or exercise programs to OA patients.

4 Jan 2011

Past smoking history does not affect RA patient's response to treatments

Patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are current smokers were less likely to achieve good response to methotrexate (MTX) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors than those who never smoked. The study by researchers from Sweden also found that RA patients who smoked in the past did not experience a lower response to these therapies. Results of the 10-year study appear in the January 2011 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).

4 Jan 2011

RadNet completes acquisition of Imaging On Call

RadNet, Inc., a national leader in providing high-quality, cost-effective, fixed-site outpatient diagnostic imaging services through a network of 198 fully-owned and operated outpatient imaging centers, today reported it has completed the previously announced acquisition of Imaging On Call, LLC.

4 Jan 2011

New program may help reduce hospital readmission rates for high-risk seniors

SCAN Health Plan and Lakewood IPA have partnered with Dovetail Health in a program designed to reduce readmission rates for high-risk seniors following discharge from hospitals and skilled nursing facilities.

4 Jan 2011

Take control of your healthcare

Medical decisions are too important to leave in the hands of doctors. That is why Dr. Steven Z. Kussin recently launched a campaign, www.MedicalAdvocate.com, to teach Americans how to take control of their healthcare by becoming their own patient advocate.

4 Jan 2011

Interventions aimed at infants improve school readiness and achievement

Parent education programs delivered through pediatric primary care offices increased parent-child play and reading activities critical for child development and school readiness during infancy in at-risk families, according to two concurrent reports in the January issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 Jan 2011

Chest: January news briefs

New research suggests that subcutaneous omalizumab is safe and effective an add-on treatment to corticosteroids for moderate to severe asthma in children and adults. Researchers from Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile performed a meta-analysis on eight trials where 1,883 patients received omalizumab and 1,546 received a placebo.

4 Jan 2011

Late-preterm infants often treated as developmentally mature, when not

In the last 15 years the U.S has seen a sharp increase in the number of babies born as late-preterm infants, between 34 and 37 weeks' gestation. This is approximately 400,000 children each year, comprising over 70 percent of all preterm births. Often, late-preterm infants are treated the same as full-term infants since they are commonly a similar size and weight. Growing research is showing that this can be detrimental to a late-preterm infant's health and frequently results in readmission to the hospital within the first month of life.

4 Jan 2011

Nanoparticles may help diagnose and treat pancreatic and ovarian cancer

The research - carried out by a group of five institutions, including Einstein, that comprise the Texas Center for Cancer Nanomedicine - could lead to novel ways to diagnose and treat pancreatic and ovarian cancer using nanoparticles.

4 Jan 2011

MGH, Veridex establish research center of excellence on circulating tumor cell technologies

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has entered into a collaborative agreement with Veridex LLC to establish a center of excellence in research on circulating tumor cell (CTC) technologies. The overall goal of the agreement is to develop and commercialize novel technologies for capturing and characterizing CTCs, solid tumor cells found at extremely low levels in the bloodstream, which may offer a key to noninvasive characterization of cancer and potentially to early detection.

4 Jan 2011

Mediterranean diet appears to slow cognitive decline in older adults

The Mediterranean diet, rich in vegetables, fish, and olive oil and moderate in wine and alcohol, is associated with slower rates of cognitive decline in older adults, according to researchers at Rush University Medical Center.

4 Jan 2011

CDK1 protein deactivates EZH2 enzyme that causes cancer spread

By sticking a chemical group to it at a specific site, a protein arrests an enzyme that may worsen and spread cancer, an international research team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reports in the January issue of Nature Cell Biology.

4 Jan 2011

ASE releases set of recommendations for quality echocardiography laboratory operations

The American Society of Echocardiography released a set of recommendations and measurable standards for quality in the echocardiography laboratory today.

4 Jan 2011

18F-FDG PET scans help evaluate cognitive dysfunction of pediatric fever-induced epilepsy

Sudden, catastrophic childhood epilepsy is a parent's worst nightmare, especially in the case of fever-induced refractory epileptic encephalopathy in school-age children (FIRES). While not much is known about the condition, new research published in the January issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine shows that positron emission tomography (PET) scans can offer an evaluation of cognitive dysfunction of FIRES, its evolution and further prognosis.

4 Jan 2011

Pandemic flu toolkit for nursing facilities

A complimentary planning tool is now available to help the nation's nursing homes prepare for an influenza pandemic. The new resource is courtesy of the New Jersey Hospital Association, with grant funding from Hoffman-LaRoche.

4 Jan 2011

VIP program appears to promote parent-child interactions in families with low socioeconomic status

Parent education programs delivered through pediatric primary care offices appeared to increase parent-child interactions during infancy in at-risk families, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 Jan 2011

Fondation Leducq awards Penn Medicine researcher $6M grant for cardiovascular disease study

An international team of researchers led by Daniel J. Rader, MD, associate director of Penn Medicine's Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, has received a $6 million grant from the Paris-based Fondation Leducq to study the molecular genetics of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The team's proposal, "Molecular Mechanisms of Novel Genes Associated with Plasma Lipids and Cardiovascular Disease," was selected to receive the award through the Fondation's Transatlantic Networks of Excellence Program.

4 Jan 2011