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State roundup: AP probes Va. hospital's actions in woman's death; Supreme Court won't hear Neb. abortion case; Kancare preps assessment for in-home Medicaid needs

An Associated Press examination of her care highlights the dizzying array of federal, state and private agencies charged with regulating hospital care, and the differing standards they use when investigating the most serious cases of possible neglect. In addition, an investigation report filed by Virginia regulators appears to have been altered to delete parts of the report that substantiated most of the family's complaints. That prompted a former top federal regulator to say the case warrants further investigation.

3 Oct 2012

Simple questionnaire helps predict prognosis in back pain patients

The Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire and a prognostic assessment may help manual therapists identify patients with low-back pain who are at risk for persistent problems following manual therapy, research indicates.

2 Oct 2012

CBT ‘has no impact’ on juvenile fibromyalgia physical activity

Cognitive behavior therapy is not associated with increased physical activity levels in adolescents with juvenile fibromyalgia, research shows.

1 Oct 2012

Nova Scotia's stroke strategy improves care for three rural health districts

Stroke patients in rural Nova Scotia receive better treatment and are less likely to end up in long-term care facilities than they were before the province's stroke strategy was rolled out in 2008, according to a study presented today at the Canadian Stroke Congress.

1 Oct 2012

Most people completely unaware of aphasia

Most people are completely unaware of one of stroke's most common, debilitating but invisible impairments, according to the first awareness survey of its kind in Canada released today at the Canadian Stroke Congress.

1 Oct 2012

People with SIRT1 genetic variation more likely to develop vibration-induced white finger disease

Vibration-induced white finger disease (VWF) is caused by continued use of vibrating hand held machinery (high frequency vibration >50 Hz), and affects tens of thousands of people. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Clinical Epigenetics finds that people with a genetic polymorphism (A2191G) in sirtuin1 (SIRT1), a protein involved in the regulation of endothelial NOS (eNOS), are more likely to suffer from vibration-induced white finger disease.

1 Oct 2012

Autism Speaks announces new round of research grants

Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, today announced the awarding of new research grants totaling nearly $5 million. "Autism Speaks is committed to continuing our research which has tremendous potential to increase our understanding of autism and addressing the needs of individuals with autism," said Autism Speaks Co-founder Bob Wright, "and we are grateful to the donors who make this research possible."

29 Sep 2012

Intellectual disability often results from genetic causes that are not inherited

New research published Online First in The Lancet suggests that a high proportion of severe intellectual disability results from genetic causes that are not inherited. These findings are good news for parents, indicating a low risk of passing on the disorder to further children.

28 Sep 2012

Longer looks: In-depth in the ER; Brains are saved as high school football season begins

Eric Morgan, in his 20s and planning to get married, arrives at Highland Hospital's emergency room, shaken that he has been diagnosed with a testicular tumor that is likely cancer. Surgeons at a private hospital have turned him away for lack of insurance but tell him it's "urgent" he get care.

28 Sep 2012

Roundup: Md. Blues chief pans hospital costs shift plan; Pharmacies struggle with new drug controls

Negotiations to avert a breakdown in Maryland's unique system of regulating hospital prices have deteriorated into a stalemate between the state's largest insurer and the Maryland Hospital Association. CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield CEO Chet Burrell, speaking out for the first time about the talks, blames hospitals for their proposal to shift hundreds of millions in costs to CareFirst and other private insurers in an attempt to control rising Medicare spending.

28 Sep 2012

Forest submits levomilnacipran NDA with FDA for treatment of major depressive disorder

Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Pierre Fabre Laboratories todayannounced that Forest has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for levomilnacipran, a serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in adults.

27 Sep 2012

Study finds increase in number of total knee replacements among U.S. Medicare population

Total knee replacement is a very common and safe surgery that's used to relieve severe pain and disability caused by knee osteoarthritis, and to improve patients' quality of life. However, it's also very expensive at approximately $15,000 per procedure. With an estimated 600,000 total knee replacements performed annually in the United States, the aggregate annual cost for total knee replacement (also known as total knee arthroplasty or TKA) is $9 billion.

27 Sep 2012

NBSTRN develops new tool for newborn screening researchers

After one-and-a-half years of intense development, end-user testing, a successful pilot, and through a contract to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Newborn Screening Translational Research Network (NBSTRN) Coordinating Center has developed a centralized, web-based virtual repository of newborn dried blood spots (DBS) as an indispensable tool for newborn screening researchers.

27 Sep 2012

Roundup: Calif. deciding on exchange name; Further scrutiny for Calif. adult day care eligibility; N.C. nurses embracing evidence-based practices

As states work to comply with the federal health care law, many are designing their insurance exchanges, where people will be able to shop for coverage. But just the word 'exchange' sounds to many like off-putting government-speak, and some states are eager to come up with a more appealing name for these new marketplaces. Peter Lee, who directs California's Health Benefit Exchange, says it's up for a new name, and he says they want it to sound fresh, dynamic and innovative.

27 Sep 2012

Osteopathic manipulation improves spine mobility in obese

Osteopathic manipulative therapy, when combined with specific exercises, has an added benefit of improving kinematics of the thoracic spine in obese patients with chronic low back pain, Italian study findings show.

25 Sep 2012

BG-12 effective for relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis

Results of the CONFIRM and DEFINE studies suggest that dimethyl fumarate should be considered as an oral treatment for patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis.

24 Sep 2012

Study on epigenetics link of PTSD and respiratory disease in 9/11 responders

The "Epigenetics Link of PTSD and Respiratory Disease in 9/11 Responders" study is the first to investigate the association between genetic changes and the development of both conditions in the 9/11 responder patient population. Approximately 500 patients treated at the LI-CCE for both conditions will be evaluated during the two-year study.

24 Sep 2012

Improvements in trauma care are urgently needed

With traumatic injuries claiming almost six million lives a year, improvements in care, including in the challenging areas of brain and bone injuries, and haemorrhage, are urgently needed.

24 Sep 2012

Global AIDS response provides lessons for fighting NCDs

"If left unaddressed, [non-communicable diseases (NCDs)] will lead to more death, disability and the implosion of already overburdened health systems in developing countries at huge cost to individuals, families, businesses and society," Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and former UNAIDS executive director, writes in the Huffington Post "Impact" blog, adding, "Like AIDS, NCDs are a problem for rich and poor countries alike, but the poor suffer the most."

21 Sep 2012

Intraoperative angiography ‘valuable’ in vascular brain surgery

Use of intraoperative angiography often leads to surgical revision during treatment of brain vascular abnormalities, say researchers.

21 Sep 2012

Disability News and Research

State roundup: AP probes Va. hospital's actions in woman's death; Supreme Court won't hear Neb. abortion case; Kancare preps assessment for in-home Medicaid needs

Simple questionnaire helps predict prognosis in back pain patients

CBT ‘has no impact’ on juvenile fibromyalgia physical activity

Nova Scotia's stroke strategy improves care for three rural health districts

Most people completely unaware of aphasia

People with SIRT1 genetic variation more likely to develop vibration-induced white finger disease

Autism Speaks announces new round of research grants

Intellectual disability often results from genetic causes that are not inherited

Longer looks: In-depth in the ER; Brains are saved as high school football season begins

Roundup: Md. Blues chief pans hospital costs shift plan; Pharmacies struggle with new drug controls

Forest submits levomilnacipran NDA with FDA for treatment of major depressive disorder

Study finds increase in number of total knee replacements among U.S. Medicare population

NBSTRN develops new tool for newborn screening researchers

Roundup: Calif. deciding on exchange name; Further scrutiny for Calif. adult day care eligibility; N.C. nurses embracing evidence-based practices

Osteopathic manipulation improves spine mobility in obese

BG-12 effective for relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis

Study on epigenetics link of PTSD and respiratory disease in 9/11 responders

Improvements in trauma care are urgently needed

Global AIDS response provides lessons for fighting NCDs

Intraoperative angiography ‘valuable’ in vascular brain surgery

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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