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Steep decline in competition in the nation's health insurance markets

In addition, the study found that in 95 percent of markets, a single insurer had a market share of 30 percent or greater, and in 56 percent of the markets, a single insurer had a market share of 50 percent or greater.

19 Apr 2006

New guidelines for pulmonary complications

Pulmonary complications, including pneumonia and respiratory failure, are a common - and dangerous - problem for patients following major surgery.

19 Apr 2006

$1.5 billion needed to cover years supply of pediatric vaccines

A six-month stockpile of recommended pediatric vaccines would cost $1 billion and could cover more than 90 percent of U.S. children during a six-month interruption in production, say researchers at two Illinois universities.

19 Apr 2006

Study could lead to development of differential treatments for pain in men versus women

A study conducted by investigators at Georgia State University and the Atlanta-based Center for Behavioral Neuroscience (CBN) reports that anatomical and functional differences in the brain may explain sex differences in the experience of pain and in the effects of certain drugs on pain.

19 Apr 2006

Music may be a good complement to pain-relief drugs

Medication is the best, first choice to treat pain following surgery, but music may be a good complement to pain-relief drugs, according to a new review of clinical studies.

18 Apr 2006

Functional limitations in elderly female cancer survivors

Elderly cancer survivors reported a higher number of functional limitations than women who had never been diagnosed with cancer, according to a study in the April 19 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

18 Apr 2006

Calcium supplementation for improving bone mineral density in children

There's little question that most kids get too little calcium, but a new review of evidence casts doubt on the value of supplements and calcium-fortified foods to build stronger bones.

18 Apr 2006

Nurses encouraged to practice family-centered maternity care

The March issue of Journal of Obstetric Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing is challenging nurses who care for pregnant and laboring women to reconsider family centered maternity care.

18 Apr 2006

STEPPS group treatment for borderline personality disorder in The Netherlands

Trade between countries usually involves products. However, one successful export from the United States to the Netherlands, Norway and several other countries is a cognitive therapy treatment program created by University of Iowa experts to help people with borderline personality disorder.

18 Apr 2006

Only 43 percent of older people with diabetes receive medicines that could protect their heart and kidneys

...despite the fact that virtually all of them could benefit from those drugs, a new University of Michigan study finds. And even among those with the most to gain from the medicines, the rate of use barely reaches 53 percent.

18 Apr 2006

Study finds nationwide increase in antipsychotic medications used for children with ADHD

A disturbing nationwide trend has been documented by a researcher at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt: Doctors are prescribing antipsychotic medicines for children with behavioral problems that are not defined as "psychosis," such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

18 Apr 2006

Almost half of elderly Beijing residents have metabolic syndrome

As more people in China adopt Western diets and lifestyles, many are developing a cluster of cardiovascular disease risk factors, according to a new study in the April 18, 2006, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

17 Apr 2006

Diabetes: Translating the chronic care model into the community

Educating people with diabetes in a primary-care setting with sustained, comprehensive intervention resulted in significant improvement in disease management and overall health, according to a study published in the current issue of Diabetes Care, a journal of the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

16 Apr 2006

Approval of integrated insulin pump and continuous glucose system a significant step towards artificial pancreas technology

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) has said that the federal government's approval of an insulin pump that also provides real-time, continuous glucose monitoring is a significant step on the path to the development of an artificial pancreas, with the potential to significantly improve diabetes care and lower the risk of complications.

13 Apr 2006

Obesity is most costly lifestyle health risk–especially for women

Obesity is a major contributor to employee health costs, responsible for two to three percent of all medical claims dollars, reports a study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

13 Apr 2006

Interstitial cystitis average cost in first year after diagnosis $3000 or more

Wu and colleagues studied data for patients under age 65 with at least one diagnosis of Interstitial Cystitis (IC) from a de-identified administrative database of 2 million beneficiaries that included medical, drug and disability claims for 1999-2002.

11 Apr 2006

Mount Sinai launches CombiRx trial to treat relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Mount Sinai School of Medicine is the Clinical Coordinating Center for the first study to assess the effectiveness of combining two FDA approved medications as initial treatment for people with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis.

11 Apr 2006

Disclosure of physicians' financial incentives may increase patient trust

Providing notices that explain how physicians are paid appears to increase patients' knowledge about compensation models, does not harm trust and may increase the loyalty patients feel toward their physicians, according to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

11 Apr 2006

Similarities and differences in outcomes of cirrhosis due to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and hepatitis C

Cirrhosis related to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is associated with fewer complications and a lower mortality compared to cirrhosis from hepatitis C, despite NASH patients' greater risk of dying from cardiovascular events.

11 Apr 2006

Seniors cite financial need as the greatest barrier to receiving dental care

A survey of seniors' access to dental care conducted by researchers at the University at Buffalo and Buffalo State College presents a sobering picture of the dental needs and barriers to dental care experienced by seniors.

11 Apr 2006