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The end of the line for existing stem cell research?

Time is short for scientists to respond to the call for comments on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) proposed guidelines for the use of human embryonic stem (ES) cell lines and their eligibility for federal funds. On May 26, the window to provide feedback will close, and the drafted rules leave the possibility that funding for almost all existing cell lines will disappear.

15 May 2009

Urgent Care Centers: Between the ER and the family doctor

Urgent care centers (UCCs) are providing an alternative to emergency room treatment. A study published in the open access journal BMC Health Services Research has shown that UCCs tend to be open well outside of office hours and offer a wider range of services than primary care offices.

14 May 2009

Senate Finance Committee to discuss public plan options; House Energy and Commerce Committee discusses state, regional plans

The Senate Finance Committee on Thursday will meet to discuss the inclusion of a public insurance plan in its health care reform legislation, the Des Moines Register reports (Beaumont, Des Moines Register, 5/14). Supporters of the public plan say it would allow middle-income workers a choice between their employer coverage and coverage offered by the government. The insurance industry and Republican lawmakers oppose such a plan.

14 May 2009

Will the NHS continue to function in an influenza pandemic?

A survey of health care workers has revealed that as many as 85% may stay off work if an influenza pandemic did take hold of the country.

13 May 2009

Medicare hospital fund will be insolvent by 2017, two years earlier than expected, trustees say

The trust fund that Medicare uses to pay for beneficiaries' hospital care will be insolvent by 2017, as the program since last year has been paying out more than it collects in taxes and interest, in part due to the worsening economy, according to a Medicare Payment Advisory Commission report issued Tuesday, the Washington Times reports.

13 May 2009

Anti-viral ribavirin may prove effective in treatment of many cancers

A ground-breaking Canada-wide clinical trial led by Dr. Katherine Borden, at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal, has shown that a common anti-viral drug, ribavirin, can be beneficial in the treatment of cancer patients.

13 May 2009

Clues about how blood forms could yield new strategies for treating blood diseases

Biologists have long wondered why the embryonic heart begins beating so early, before the tissues actually need to be infused with blood.

13 May 2009

Influenza pandemic planning needed to ensure that pregnant women and newborns receive priority treatment

Pregnant women and newborns are at greatest risk in a flu epidemic, but more planning must be done to ensure that they receive priority treatment should an outbreak occur, according to a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and University of Pittsburgh study.

13 May 2009

Medicare information for caregivers now available on NIHSeniorHealth

If you're caring for an older friend or family member, you've probably had questions about Medicare, the federal health insurance program for adults 65 and older and people under age 65 with disabilities.

13 May 2009

Break through in the treatment of bacterial meningitis

It can take just hours after the symptoms appear for someone to die from bacterial meningitis. Now, after years of research, experts at The University of Nottingham have finally discovered how the deadly meningococcal bacteria is able to break through the body's natural defence mechanism and attack the brain.

13 May 2009

Diet rich in nuts and olive oil protects against age-related macular degeneration

New research has found that a diet which is low in trans fats and regularly includes nuts, olive oil and other foods containing omega-three fatty acids appears to offer some protection from the eye disease age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

13 May 2009

Bacteria create aquatic superbugs in waste treatment plants

For bacteria in wastewater treatment plants, the stars align perfectly to create a hedonistic mating ground for antibiotic-resistant superbugs eventually discharged into streams and lakes.

13 May 2009

Gov. O'Malley signs two bills that set new rules for no-cost, low-cost hospital care, financial information

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) signed two bills on Thursday that institute new rules to determine eligibility for no-cost or reduced-price care at state hospitals and mandate that staff provide financial assistance information to all patients, the Baltimore Sun reports.

12 May 2009

More ‘walk-in clinics’ affiliated with hospitals, medical centers

The number of hospitals in the U.S. that are affiliated with walk-in clinics in large retail chains, such as Wal-Mart or CVS, is rising, as hospitals view the collaborations as a means of expanding their business, the New York Times reports.

12 May 2009

Health industry groups pledge to reduce spending; some health advocates express skepticism about plan

As President Obama on Monday met with health care industry groups regarding their pledge to reduce $2 trillion in expected health care spending increases over the next 10 years, many health care advocates expressed skepticism about the promise, the Hartford Courant reports (Levick, Hartford Courant, 5/12).

12 May 2009

IRIN/Plus News examines HIV/AIDS services in Zimbabwe following economic crisis

IRIN/Plus News on Monday examined services for people living with HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe following an economic crisis in the country.

12 May 2009

San Francisco Chronicle examines emergency department HIV testing program

The San Francisco Chronicle on Monday examined an HIV testing program at San Francisco General Hospital's emergency department, which is part of a nationwide CDC program that offers routine testing to all ED patients.

12 May 2009

Sodium bicarbonate based hydration is optimal treatment strategy to prevent contrast-induced nephropathy

The research, published in the open access journal BMC Medicine, shows that although the benefit may have been overestimated by previous studies, sodium bicarbonate is clearly superior to normal saline.

12 May 2009

High levels of estradiol hormone in men with heart failure linked to increased risk of death

Men with systolic chronic heart failure who have low or high levels of estradiol, a form of the hormone estrogen, have an increased risk of death compared with men with moderate levels of this hormone, according to a study in the May 13 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

12 May 2009

Research looks at advanced radiation therapy technique for pancreatic cancer

According to the American Cancer Society, pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cancer killer in the country, with more than 42,000 new cases expected to be diagnosed this year and more than 35,000 deaths. In New Jersey alone, 1,000 deaths are estimated from the disease, which only has a five-year, five-percent survival rate.

12 May 2009

Hospital News and Research

The end of the line for existing stem cell research?

Urgent Care Centers: Between the ER and the family doctor

Senate Finance Committee to discuss public plan options; House Energy and Commerce Committee discusses state, regional plans

Will the NHS continue to function in an influenza pandemic?

Medicare hospital fund will be insolvent by 2017, two years earlier than expected, trustees say

Anti-viral ribavirin may prove effective in treatment of many cancers

Clues about how blood forms could yield new strategies for treating blood diseases

Influenza pandemic planning needed to ensure that pregnant women and newborns receive priority treatment

Medicare information for caregivers now available on NIHSeniorHealth

Break through in the treatment of bacterial meningitis

Diet rich in nuts and olive oil protects against age-related macular degeneration

Bacteria create aquatic superbugs in waste treatment plants

Gov. O'Malley signs two bills that set new rules for no-cost, low-cost hospital care, financial information

More ‘walk-in clinics’ affiliated with hospitals, medical centers

Health industry groups pledge to reduce spending; some health advocates express skepticism about plan

IRIN/Plus News examines HIV/AIDS services in Zimbabwe following economic crisis

San Francisco Chronicle examines emergency department HIV testing program

Sodium bicarbonate based hydration is optimal treatment strategy to prevent contrast-induced nephropathy

High levels of estradiol hormone in men with heart failure linked to increased risk of death

Research looks at advanced radiation therapy technique for pancreatic cancer

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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