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HealthSpring reports net income of $38.8M for fourth-quarter 2009

HealthSpring, Inc. today announced its results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2009.

8 Feb 2010

Breast cancer: Lower dose of radiotherapy in fewer, larger doses as effective as higher total dose

The chronic side-effects of radiotherapy for early breast cancer, as reported by women themselves, are not any worse when treatment is given in a lower overall dose in fewer but larger treatments according to a trial part funded by Cancer Research UK and published today in the Lancet Oncology.

8 Feb 2010

Increased Medicare reimbursement leads to rise in outpatient bladder cancer surgeries

Increased Medicare payments to physicians for outpatient surgeries for bladder cancer have led to a dramatic rise in the number of these procedures being performed and an overall increase in cost to the healthcare system. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The findings indicate that some Medicare policies aimed at decreasing costs may instead be contributing to an increase in healthcare expenditures.

8 Feb 2010

Marijuana ineffective against Alzheimer's disease in animal model

The benefits of marijuana in tempering or reversing the effects of Alzheimer's disease have been challenged in a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute.

8 Feb 2010

Stanford researchers use DNA minicircles to induce pluripotency in stem cells from human fat

Tiny circles of DNA are the key to a new and easier way to transform stem cells from human fat into induced pluripotent stem cells for use in regenerative medicine, say scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Unlike other commonly used techniques, the method, which is based on standard molecular biology practices, does not use viruses to introduce genes into the cells or permanently alter a cell's genome.

8 Feb 2010

Gene variants associated with human biological ageing identified

Scientists announced today (7 Feb) they have identified for the first time definitive variants associated with biological ageing in humans. The team analyzed more than 500,000 genetic variations across the entire human genome to identify the variants which are located near a gene called TERC.

7 Feb 2010

GIS: Tbx3 gene improves quality of stem cells reprogrammed from differentiated cells

In the 7 Feb. 2010 issue of the journal Nature, scientists at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), report that a genetic molecule, called Tbx3, which is crucial for many aspects of early developmental processes in mammals, significantly improves the quality of stem cells that have been reprogrammed from differentiated cells.

7 Feb 2010

Women using oestrogen-only HRT at increased risk of asthma after menopause

Oestrogen-only hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may increase the risk of developing asthma after the menopause, suggests a large scale study published ahead of print in the journal Thorax.

7 Feb 2010

HealthSpring nurse practitioner identifies impending heart attack

Olive Branch, Miss. resident Glenn Lusk has a special perspective on the value of his Medicare Advantage plan. It was a HealthSpring-contracted nurse practitioner who discovered during a home visit in November that Lusk was experiencing serious heart trouble.

6 Feb 2010

Link between anti-gay sentiment and suicidality: Further study needed

Mental health professionals have long-known that gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) teens face significantly elevated risks of mental health problems, including suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts. However, a group of McGill University researchers in Montreal has now come to the conclusion that self-identity is the crucial risk-factor, rather than actual sexual behaviours. Their results were published in February in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

6 Feb 2010

EuroHOPE study: Performance evaluation of the European healthcare system

The performance of the European healthcare system will be evaluated in the EuroHOPE study (European Health Care Outcomes, Performance and Effectiveness) coordinated by the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and funded by the EU.

6 Feb 2010

MetroSouth Medical Center launches campaign to raise awareness on heart disease

More than 100 MetroSouth Medical Center staffers tossed off their sterile booties, donned cowboy boots and line danced to the tune "Achy, Breaky Heart," made famous by Billy Ray Cyrus.

6 Feb 2010

Research roundup: Medicare spending, community health centers, children's dental services

Health Affairs: Prices Don't Drive Regional Medicare Spending Variations - "Per capita Medicare spending is more than twice as high in New York City and Miami than in places like Salem, Oregon.

6 Feb 2010

Artificial pancreas can help manage diabetes in kids overnight

In a landmark study in children and teenagers with type 1 diabetes, JDRF-funded researchers at the University of Cambridge showed that using a first-generation artificial pancreas system overnight can lower the risk of low blood sugar emergencies while sleeping, and at the same time improve diabetes control.

6 Feb 2010

Study may provide new intervention strategies for esophageal adenocarcinoma

Barrett's epithelium is recognized as a complication of erosive esophagitis and is the pre-malignant condition for adenocarcinoma of the esophagus.

6 Feb 2010

Combination of Motrin and Robitussin drugs is safe for adults and children

A viral e-mail currently making the rounds between private accounts and public message boards warning of a danger posed by mixing over-the-counter medications Motrin and Robitussin is unfounded.

6 Feb 2010

Two U.S. insurers approve coverage of radioembolization for treatment of unresectable liver cancer

MDS Nordion, a global leader in providing products and services for medical imaging and radiotherapeutics, today announced that two of the largest health insurers in the United States have recently approved coverage of radioembolization to treat unresectable liver cancer, which includes the use of MDS Nordion's TheraSphere(R) treatment. The two insurance companies and their affiliates together serve more than one-quarter of Americans and do business in all 50 states.

6 Feb 2010

HPV vaccination programs may reduce genital diseases

High-coverage human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations among adolescents and young women may result in a rapid reduction of genital warts, cervical cell abnormalities, and diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, researchers report in a new study published online February 5 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Some of these genital abnormalities are precursors of cervical, vulvar, and vaginal cancers.

6 Feb 2010

Study suggests environmental factors play a significant role in the etiology of Crohn's disease

Although inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) [comprising mainly Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC)] is thought to affect about 150 000 people in the United Kingdom, the prevalence of severe IBD is not known. Mortality following hospitalization for IBD is significant but little has been reported on long-term follow-up.

6 Feb 2010

Over 12,000 courses of lung cancer treatment completed with Accuray's CyberKnife radiosurgery

Accuray Incorporated, a global leader in the field of radiosurgery, announced today that more than 12,000 courses of lung cancer treatment have been completed with CyberKnife radiosurgery. Usage of CyberKnife radiosurgery for lung cancer continues to grow, as illustrated by a 25 percent increase year over year in calendar year 2009.

6 Feb 2010

Hospital News and Research

HealthSpring reports net income of $38.8M for fourth-quarter 2009

Breast cancer: Lower dose of radiotherapy in fewer, larger doses as effective as higher total dose

Increased Medicare reimbursement leads to rise in outpatient bladder cancer surgeries

Marijuana ineffective against Alzheimer's disease in animal model

Stanford researchers use DNA minicircles to induce pluripotency in stem cells from human fat

Gene variants associated with human biological ageing identified

GIS: Tbx3 gene improves quality of stem cells reprogrammed from differentiated cells

Women using oestrogen-only HRT at increased risk of asthma after menopause

HealthSpring nurse practitioner identifies impending heart attack

Link between anti-gay sentiment and suicidality: Further study needed

EuroHOPE study: Performance evaluation of the European healthcare system

MetroSouth Medical Center launches campaign to raise awareness on heart disease

Research roundup: Medicare spending, community health centers, children's dental services

Artificial pancreas can help manage diabetes in kids overnight

Study may provide new intervention strategies for esophageal adenocarcinoma

Combination of Motrin and Robitussin drugs is safe for adults and children

Two U.S. insurers approve coverage of radioembolization for treatment of unresectable liver cancer

HPV vaccination programs may reduce genital diseases

Study suggests environmental factors play a significant role in the etiology of Crohn's disease

Over 12,000 courses of lung cancer treatment completed with Accuray's CyberKnife radiosurgery

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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