Hospital News and Research

RSS

Hepcidin is found in various biological fluids, says new research

Recent studies have highlighted the importance of hepcidin in iron metabolism, particularly anaemia of chronic disease and iron overload. There have also been reports of its expression in various proinflammatory disorders and various organs, linking it to innate immunity and iron metabolism.

7 May 2010

HealthMap's H1N1 survey identifies disparities in international public health systems

As H1N1 began to emerge in April 2009, HealthMap - an automated online disease tracking and mapping tool created by researchers in the Informatics Program at Children's Hospital Boston - was already collecting information about the virus and plotting that information on a map of the globe, creating a freely available, real-time, digestible display of the outbreak.

7 May 2010

THI at St. Luke's reveals new insights on how adult stem cells repair damaged hearts following heart attack

Physician scientists at the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital (THI at St. Luke's) are publishing research this week that reveals new insights into how a particular set of human adult stem cells helps repair damaged hearts following a heart attack in laboratory mice.

7 May 2010

New study may help design better vaccines for dengue fever

Some of the human immune system's defences against the virus that causes dengue fever actually help the virus to infect more cells, according to new research published today in the journal Science.

7 May 2010

DXA testing can prevent osteoporosis in at-risk women

Geisinger has exceeded the national benchmark for testing women who are at risk for developing osteoporosis - a silent and serious disease.

7 May 2010

VA plans to limit surgeries at some of its facilities

The Department of Veterans Affairs will limit the kinds of surgeries at some hospitals after a review of surgical deaths at a hospital in southern Illinois, The Associated Press reports. "Under a new system, the VA has given each hospital a 'surgical complexity' level. Because of that, hospitals in at least five states — Louisiana, West Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois and Washington state — will now only perform less-complicated surgeries. The VA will pick up the tab for patients who have surgeries performed elsewhere" (Hefling, 5/6).

7 May 2010

A checklist to stay healthy at every age

Shantanu Nundy, MD, a second-year resident in internal medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center may soon find out. Driven by his mother's health questions and the difficulty of providing simple, reliable answers, Nundy collected all of the "generally accepted truths" about preventing disease, organized them into checklists based on age, and persuaded the Johns Hopkins University Press to publish them as Stay Healthy at Every Age: What Your Doctor Wants you to Know.

7 May 2010

Swedish researchers present a new principle for inhibiting atherosclerosis

A new study by researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet shows that the immune defence's T cells can attack the "bad" LDL cholesterol and thereby cause an inflammation that leads to atherosclerosis.

7 May 2010

$DMPA injectible contraceptive associated with increased risk of bone fracture$

DMPA injectible contraceptive associated with increased risk of bone fracture

A new study presented today at the World Congress on Osteoporosis (IOF WCO-ECCEO10) in Florence, Italy shows that DMPA, a commonly used injectible contraceptive, is associated with higher risk of bone fracture when used alone, and not in combination with estrogens.

7 May 2010

IASIS Healthcare second-quarter net revenue up 7.9% to $624.5 million

IASIS Healthcare® LLC today announced financial and operating results for the fiscal second quarter and six months ended March 31, 2010.

7 May 2010

Massachusetts Attorney General pledges hearings into proposed Catholic Hospitals sale

The Associated Press/Boston Herald: Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is pledging to hold public hearings on a proposed sale of a chain of Catholic Hospitals there to a private equity firm. "Coakley said Caritas Christi Health System today filed a formal notice of the proposed transfer of the system to Steward Health Care System LLC, an affiliate of New York-based Cerberus Capital Management."

7 May 2010

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals commences Phase 3 registration program for Zerenex

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the initiation of its short-term Phase 3 study of Zerenex™ (ferric citrate), the Company's iron-based phosphate binder for the treatment of elevated serum phosphorous levels, or hyperphosphatemia, in patients with end-stage renal disease on dialysis.

6 May 2010

SCOLR Pharma grants RedHill worldwide rights to market and sell CDT-based ondansetron

SCOLR Pharma, Inc. today announced that it has executed a Licensing Agreement with RedHill Biopharma Ltd. an Israeli corporation, (RedHill), granting RedHill the worldwide rights to market and sell ondansetron tablet formulations based on SCOLR's proprietary extended delivery technology (CDT). Ondansetron hydrochloride is the active ingredient in Zofran®, GlaxoSmithKline's drug to prevent chemotherapy and radiation related nausea and vomiting.

6 May 2010

Advocates: Nonprofit hospitals too quiet about charity care

Kaiser Health News: Two advocate groups say hospitals make it too difficult for patients to find out whether they are eligible for free or discounted care. Access Project and Community Catalyst, the two groups, released the results of a small, 99-hospital survey Wednesday. The American Hospital Association contends that's too small to be meaningful, and that, at any rate, the issues it raises have been addressed in the health overhaul.

6 May 2010

Researchers demonstrate how Plasmodium falciparum can able to circumvent action of artemisinin

Researchers from CNRS, INSERM and Toulouse University Hospital have demonstrated how the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which causes severe forms of malaria, is able to circumvent the action of artemisinin and its derivatives, which are today the first-line drugs used to treat this disease. This study supplies some important findings that will enable a clearer understanding of the mechanisms of resistance to antimalarial drugs and the testing of novel therapeutic strategies in a context where the drug resistance of parasites is of increasing concern.

6 May 2010

Stereotaxis reports $10.6 million revenue for first-quarter 2010

Stereotaxis, Inc. today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010 highlighted by recurring revenue and gross margin achieving record levels while operating losses continued to decline. In addition, the Company reported that its efforts to drive clinical adoption within the U.S. market are favorably impacting utilization rates.

6 May 2010

Bill requiring AEDs be installed in public spaces will save countless lives across Ontario

A new provincial Bill undergoing second reading this week could have a profound effect on the outcomes of cardiac arrest and bystander CPR response in Ontario if it is passed.

6 May 2010

Swedish Cancer Institute, Elekta renew partnership to continue flow of technology, services to cancer patients

Swedish Cancer Institute and Elekta launch renewed partnership agreement to continue the flow of world-class technology, services to cancer patients in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

From Elekta 6 May 2010

Dassault Systèmes announces partnership with echoBase

Dassault Systèmes (DS), a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, announced today a partnership with application developer echoBase, Inc, marking DS's entry into the electronic medical records market. echoBase's Resonate iPhone application for doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and other healthcare providers will leverage Dassault Systèmes' ENOVIA V6 online collaboration and data management solution to deliver portability, availability and security of healthcare data.

6 May 2010

MRO releases software upgrades for Audit Tracker Online

MRO Corp., a leading provider of disclosure management applications and services for healthcare organizations, today announced the launch of software upgrades for Audit Tracker Online. The upgrades to MRO's request management program offer hospitals and health systems enhanced performance and functionality in effectively managing payer audits and denials from initial medical records request through appeals and payment resolution.

6 May 2010