Hospital News and Research

RSS

New research into superbug Clostridium difficile

New research into the toxins, virulence, spread and prevention of the superbug Clostridium difficile is reported in the June special issue of the Journal of Medical Microbiology. These findings will play a crucial role in providing us with ammunition in the fight against a sometimes deadly pathogen.

1 Jun 2008

Consumers Union to launch hospital ratings service

Consumers Union, the not-for-profit group that publishes Consumer Reports magazine, plans to offer a new online service that will rate hospitals, the Wall Street Journal reports.

30 May 2008

More aggressive hospital care does not lead to improved patient outcomes in all cases, study finds

More aggressive hospital care -- such as higher numbers of tests and procedures and longer stays -- does not lead to improved patient outcomes in all cases, according to a study released on Thursday, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.

30 May 2008

Delegates at Tokyo conference discuss ways to address health issues, including HIV/AIDS, in Africa

About 2,500 delegates from 52 African countries, United Nations agencies and aid groups met Wednesday in Yokohama, Japan, for the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development to discuss strategies aimed at solving health issues, including HIV/AIDS, and other challenges on the continent, the Kyodo News reports (Tang, Kyodo News, 5/27).

30 May 2008

Japan awards new prize for HIV/AIDS, malaria work in Africa

Japan recently awarded the first Hideo Noguchi Prize to two recipients for their work on HIV/AIDS and malaria in Africa, AFP/Google.com reports.

30 May 2008

Quality of life predicts cancer survival

Head and neck cancer patients who reported lower physical quality of life were more likely to die from their disease, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. The findings could mean that identifying patients with poor quality of life could also identify patients with particularly aggressive tumors.

30 May 2008

NewYork-Presbyterian ranks top in U.S. News children's hospital survery

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is the only New York hospital to rank in all seven clinical areas reported in the 2008 U.S.News & World Report "America's Best Children's Hospitals" issue. The Hospital also ranks among the top 10 nationally in three categories: Neonatal Care (#4), Heart & Heart Surgery (#6) and Digestive Disorders (#8).

30 May 2008

Novel replacement for conventional needle and syringe

Chris Holden (21), A third year design student at Northumbria University, has won a prestigious national award for medical design by redesigning the conventional needle and syringe.

30 May 2008

Bilateral cochlear implants: A case when two are definitely superior to one

A study of cochlear implant patients seen by Indiana University School of Medicine physicians is the first research to show evidence that cochlear implants in both ears significantly improves quality of life in patients with profound hearing loss and that the cost of the second implant is offset by its benefits.

30 May 2008

Lack of dental care may have life-threatening implications

New research from the University of Bristol shows that admissions for the surgical treatment of dental abscess have doubled in the last ten years despite the fact that these serious infections are preventable with regular dental care.

29 May 2008

Post-menopausal therapy to improve women's quality of life

A recent research work by the University of Granada advises post-menopausal women the use of Replacement Hormone Therapy (RHT) for at least five years.

29 May 2008

New type of wound dressing made of silica gel fibers

A new type of wound dressing made of silica gel fibers will soon help to heal difficult wounds caused by burns or diabetes. The dressing forms a supporting matrix for newly growing skin cells and is fully absorbed by the body during the healing process.

29 May 2008

Body's baking soda used to catch cancer early

A chemical commonly called baking soda which is found naturally in the body could be used to detect cancer with magnetic resonance imaging, reveals a Cancer Research UK study published in Nature.

29 May 2008

CQ's Carey discusses Medicare legislation, Medicaid regulations, bipartisan health care summit

Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, discusses Senate Democrats' plans to craft legislation that would stop a scheduled reduction in Medicare physician payments; a provision in a supplemental war spending bill that would block for one year new Medicaid regulations; and a bicameral, bipartisan health policy summit set for June in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ."

28 May 2008

Hospitals hire 'nocturnists' to improve patient care during night, weekend hours, Wall Street Journal reports

The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday examined how some hospitals have begun "taking steps to improve safety and reduce their own legal liability from mishaps" that occur during "thinly staffed" night and weekend shifts, when patients "suffer higher rates of death, complications and medical errors."

28 May 2008

U.S. Government 'must take lead' in health care IT, former Rep. Johnson writes

There are online tools that "can remember what books you ordered over the last three years," so "why can't your doctor's computer remind him" of the details related to patients' prescription drugs, insurance or other procedures, former Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.), a senior public policy adviser for Baker Donelson, writes in a Washington Times opinion piece.

28 May 2008

Federal Judge prevents 'sneaky attempt' by Bush administration to implement Medicaid rule, editorial states

Judge James Robertson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday "slapped down a sneaky attempt by the Bush administration to impose an onerous Medicaid regulation despite the clear intent of Congress that it be deferred," according to a New York Times editorial.

28 May 2008

Estrogen drives distinct, aggressive prostate cancer

Using a breakthrough technology, researchers led by a Weill Cornell Medical College scientist have pinpointed the hormone estrogen as a key player in about half of all prostate cancers.

28 May 2008

Medical errors - Is healthcare getting worse or better?

Most would say worse. And one of the many reasons is medical errors. Most Americans say the quality of care has not improved, and dissatisfaction among patients and caregivers has increased. The perceptions exist despite the efforts across the country to reduce medical errors.

28 May 2008

First patient enrolled in phase III study of Bevacizumab and Trastuzumab in early breast cancer

A new international study for women with HER2-positive breast cancer is open for enrollment. The pivotal BETH (BEvacizumab and Trastuzumab Adjuvant Therapy in HER2-positive Breast Cancer) study is a Phase III clinical research trial that is investigating the benefits of combining two monoclonal antibodies, the anti-angiogenic, bevacizumab (Avastin) and the targeted therapy trastuzumab (Herceptin), together with chemotherapy for the treatment of patients with early stage HER2-positive breast cancer.

27 May 2008