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Dexamethasone improves quality of life after laparoscopic gallbladder surgery

A study presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists 2010 Annual Meeting in San Diego seems to confirm that a single, small dose of the steroid dexamethasone improves the post-surgical quality of life of patients receiving laparoscopic gallbladder surgery.

20 Oct 2010

Studies explore efforts to measure, improve hospitals' surgical outcomes

Hospital Compare, an HHS website that allows patients to compare hospitals online using various indicators of quality, is intended to help them choose better facilities for their medical care. But a new report in the Archives of Surgery says the website doesn't help Medicare beneficiaries in need of certain high-risk surgeries find better facilities.

20 Oct 2010

NHLBI launches multicenter study of body cooling treatment in infants and children after cardiac arrest

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has launched the first large-scale, multicenter study to investigate the effectiveness of body cooling treatment in infants and children who have had cardiac arrest. The Therapeutic Hypothermia after Pediatric Cardiac Arrest (THAPCA) trials total more than $21 million over six years.

20 Oct 2010

When hospital checklists don't tell the whole story

Kaiser Health News staff writer Aimee Miles reports: "The whole idea behind HHS' Hospital Compare is simple: patients can shop around by putting in their zip codes and the website churns out a list of nearby hospitals, with detail on available services, care outcomes, patient satisfaction ratings and more.

20 Oct 2010

DOJ sues Michigan Blue Cross Blue Shield over pricing deals

The U.S. Justice Department is suing Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and alleging that it violated antitrust laws by forcing hospitals to charge higher prices to rival insurers.

20 Oct 2010

BIOTRONIK EHR DataSync software offers advanced patient management capabilities

BIOTRONIK SE Co. & KG, a leading manufacturer of implantable cardiac devices, has announced the European release of BIOTRONIK EHR DataSync. The software supports physicians, hospitals and clinics by integrating routine follow-up details, BIOTRONIK Home Monitoring remote follow-up information and data from the company's cardiac device programmers - ICS 3000 and the new programmer, Renamic, soon to be launched across Europe.

20 Oct 2010

Reports examine drug company payments to doctors

ProPublica: "Drug companies say the millions of dollars they pay physicians for speaking and consulting justly compensates them for the laudable work of educating their colleagues. But a series of lawsuits brought by former employees of those companies allege the money often was used for illegal purposes — financially rewarding doctors for prescribing their brand-name medications.

20 Oct 2010

New 3D Body Volume Index measurement calculates obesity risk

A new obesity measurement for the 21st Century, which can help identify individuals at risk of illness such as heart disease, strokes and diabetes, has been officially launched.

20 Oct 2010

Candidates continue to clash over health care law

Candidates around the nation are increasingly focusing on what they'll do with the new health law if they're elected as clashes over the overhaul's usefulness and future continue to occur on the campaign trail.

20 Oct 2010

Long term exposure to air pollution increases risk of severe COPD

Long term exposure to low-level air pollution may increase the risk of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to researcher s in Denmark. While acute exposure of several days to high level air pollution was known to be a risk factor for exacerbation in pre-existing COPD, until now there had been no studies linking long-term air pollution exposure to the development or progression of the disease.

20 Oct 2010

State Roundup: Md.'s heath info exchange; LA to cut retiree health benefits; N.Y.'s mental health building boom

The Washington Post: "A Maryland health information exchange that will allow hospitals, physicians, labs and radiology centers to share patient information within the state went live last week. Three hospitals, three radiology centers, Quest Diagnostics and the Laboratory Corp. of America are already participating in the exchange."

20 Oct 2010

Researchers to study effectiveness of gamma-tocotrienol on prostate cancer cells

Survival rates of the world's most common cancer might soon be increased with a new vitamin E treatment which could significantly reduce tumour regrowth. Queensland University of Technology (QUT) prostate cancer researchers are leading the fight against a disease which kills 3000 Australian men a year.

20 Oct 2010

Ceregene commences enrollment in CERE-120 Phase 2b study for Parkinson's disease

Ceregene, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, announced today that enrollment has begun in a new double-blind sham surgery-controlled Phase 2b study evaluating CERE-120 in Parkinson's disease patients. CERE-120 is a gene therapy product that delivers the neurotrophic factor neurturin to degenerating or dying dopamine neurons. Data from the first Phase 2 clinical trial of CERE-120 are being published later this year in Lancet Neurology (to appear online October 21, 2010).

20 Oct 2010

Autistic children with poor diet face risk of vision loss due to vitamin B12 deficiency

Autistic children with severely limited diets may be at risk for vision loss due to vitamin B12 deficiency, according to new research from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Doctors should consider this deficiency when evaluating and treating children with autism and vision loss, the authors said.

20 Oct 2010

Opinions: Mdgs in Africa; development maintenance; U.S. efforts to eradicate polio; Global Fund commitment

Addressing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa will not only require extra spending, but also better spending, as well as the improvement of social services and priority setting, Kingsley Alu writes in a Leadership column.

20 Oct 2010

Pharmacy graduate awarded national recognition for pioneering research in genetics

A young pharmacy graduate has been awarded national recognition for her pioneering research in the field of genetics which has the potential to treat diseases such as cancer and Parkinson's.

19 Oct 2010

ProBuild raises $275,000 for City of Hope

ProBuild Company LLC, one of the nation's largest suppliers of building materials to professional contractors, continued its commitment to further cancer and diabetes research by hosting its 2010 Charity Golf Tournament at The Omni Interlocken Resort and Hotel in Broomfield, Colo. ProBuild and its supply partners from across the Rocky Mountain Region together raised more than $275,000 for City of Hope, one of the nation's leading research and treatment centers for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.

19 Oct 2010

U.S. patient monitoring market to reach $4 billion by 2017: iData Research

According to a new report by iData Research the leading global authority in medical device and pharmaceutical market research, the U.S. patient monitoring market is expected to reach almost $4 billion by 2017.

19 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 19, 2010

Today's major health policy headlines include reports about the latest developments in Virginia's court challenge against the health law, a U.S. government lawsuit targeting Michigan Blue Cross Blue Shield for anti-trust activities and a study about the Department of Health and Human Services' Hospital Compare.

19 Oct 2010

CAPG and IHA convene health care conference focusing on ACOs

The California Association of Physician Groups (CAPG) and the Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA) are convening a three day conference of health care leaders in Los Angeles, October 25-27, 2010, which provides an unprecedented opportunity for reporters covering healthcare to gain a deeper understanding of accountable care organizations (ACOs) and their implications to patients, providers, employers and our overall healthcare delivery system.

19 Oct 2010