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Real-time tracking of patients and providers to improve hospital care

On any day at three of Massachusetts General Hospital’s outpatient clinics, up to 100 patients may be seen for routine, sick or urgent care. When they register, patients 18 and older are asked to wear a wrist coil with an active-RFID tag. Compliance is virtually 100 percent once patients understand the purpose: to help care providers find ways to spend more time providing better care.

7 Oct 2009

Humana announces expansion of its Medicare offerings in California

Humana Inc. announced today an expansion of its Medicare offerings in California. Beginning on November 15, individuals eligible for Medicare in Fresno, San Bernardino and Riverside counties can enroll in a local Humana Gold Plus HMO plan – for a January 1, 2010 effective date.

7 Oct 2009

Research on malarial drugs for travelers

A new review of existing research finds that a combination drug and the common antibiotic doxycycline allow travelers to fend off malaria with the fewest side effects in areas where the parasite is resistant to a widely accepted preventive treatment.

7 Oct 2009

Opioid drugs may not be effective for osteoarthritis

Should you take opioid drugs for hip and knee pain caused by osteoarthritis? Probably not, suggests a new review of the best research on the subject.

7 Oct 2009

Call for new policies on access to biobanked children's DNA

Scientists look for clues about therapies and cures for life-threatening childhood illnesses in children's DNA -- it seems only logical to do so. But the decision as to who should have access to DNA samples from children provides a unique ethical conundrum, says a Tel Aviv University researcher in a recent publication for the esteemed journal Science, co-authored by colleagues from The Netherlands and Canada.

7 Oct 2009

Researchers show that DNA methylation plays a crucial role for cancer stem cells

During cell division, whether hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) will develop into new stem cells (self-renewal) or differentiate into other blood cells depends on a chemical process called DNA methylation.

7 Oct 2009

New ultrasound probe effective for treating kidney stones

A relatively new ultrasound probe procedure has the highest success rate for breaking down kidney stones in the lower "funnel" area of the kidney, rather than the shock wave treatment used for many years, according to a review of studies.

7 Oct 2009

Combination of leukemia and breast cancer drugs inhibits cancer progression

When breast cancer spreads or metastasizes, it crashes through the body's protective fences. The disease becomes fatal when it travels outside the mammary ducts, enters the bloodstream and spreads to the bones, liver or brain.

7 Oct 2009

Stereotactic Radiosurgery for metastatic brain tumors reduces risks of learning and memory problems

Cancer patients who receive stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) for the treatment of metastatic brain tumors have more than twice the risk of developing learning and memory problems than those treated with SRS alone, according to researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

7 Oct 2009

Out-sourcing and cash incentives may increase healthcare access in low income countries

Contracting private providers of healthcare services and giving cash incentives to patients are two strategies that have been proposed to increase access to healthcare in low income countries.

7 Oct 2009

Scientists create new technology to improve detection of leukemia cells in bone marrow

Scientists have created a viable technology to improve the detection of leukemia cells in bone marrow.

7 Oct 2009

NIH awards NeoStem a GO grant to investigate the potential of stem cells in regenerating bone

NeoStem, Inc. (NYSE Amex: NBS), which is pioneering the pre-disease collection, processing and long-term storage of adult stem cells for future medical need and holder of the exclusive, worldwide license to VSEL(TM) Technology that uses very small embryonic-like stem cells isolated from peripheral blood, announced today that it has been awarded a grant of $108,746 for the repair of bone defects by human stem cells under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (RRA) of 2009 from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease (NIAMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

7 Oct 2009

More research required to determine efficacy of Chinese herbal medicines in preventing diabetes

More research is required to establish whether Chinese herbal medicines can reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes, according to Cochrane Researchers. Although herbal medicines are widely used in Asian countries to treat pre-diabetes (impaired glucose tolerance or IGT), the precursor of the disease, researchers say there is still not enough hard scientific evidence to confidently recommend their use.

7 Oct 2009

940nm wavelength laser is superior for treating facial spider veins: BUSM researchers

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have concluded that the 940nm wavelength laser is superior for treating facial spider veins (telangiectasias) as compared to the 532nm wavelength laser. The findings, which appear in the recent issue of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, are the first time these lasers were tested against each other for superiority.

7 Oct 2009

$4.8 million grant from CDC to establish Indiana Center of Excellence in Public Health Informatics

Researchers from Indiana University and the Regenstrief Institute, with its world-renowned medical informatics research group and regional health information exchange, have been awarded a $4.8 million grant by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to create the Indiana Center of Excellence in Public Health Informatics, one of only four such centers in the nation.

7 Oct 2009

Minorities support reform ad campaign, although immigrants may get little relief from legislation

Analysts suggest that health reform legislation may do little to help Hispanics -- many of whom could remain uninsured due to immigration restrictions and costs -- as well as other immigrants. Meanwhile, African-American and Hispanic groups unite with an advertising campaign to push for health care reform.

7 Oct 2009

Cardiorespiratory training can improve walking in stroke patients

An updated Cochrane review finds that stroke patients who participate in a post-stroke walking program walk faster, longer and more independently than non-exercisers.

7 Oct 2009

Primary care providers should screen all adults for depression: ACPM

The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) supports the recommendations of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) that primary care providers should screen all adults for depression, and further recommends that all primary care providers should have systems in place to ensure the accurate diagnosis and treatment of this condition.

7 Oct 2009

PDS to implement its PRISM suite of tools for University Physician Associates

University Physician Associates (UPA), the faculty practice for University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, has selected PDS to implement the PRISM suite of tools for data warehousing, analytics, and dashboard reporting.

7 Oct 2009

pDCs promote growth and survival of malignant myeloma cells

Multiple myeloma cancer cells thwart many of the drugs used against them by causing nearby cells to turn traitor - to switch from defending the body against disease to shielding the myeloma cells from harm - Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists report in the October issue of Cancer Cell.

6 Oct 2009

Medicine News and Research

Real-time tracking of patients and providers to improve hospital care

Humana announces expansion of its Medicare offerings in California

Research on malarial drugs for travelers

Opioid drugs may not be effective for osteoarthritis

Call for new policies on access to biobanked children's DNA

Researchers show that DNA methylation plays a crucial role for cancer stem cells

New ultrasound probe effective for treating kidney stones

Combination of leukemia and breast cancer drugs inhibits cancer progression

Stereotactic Radiosurgery for metastatic brain tumors reduces risks of learning and memory problems

Out-sourcing and cash incentives may increase healthcare access in low income countries

Scientists create new technology to improve detection of leukemia cells in bone marrow

NIH awards NeoStem a GO grant to investigate the potential of stem cells in regenerating bone

More research required to determine efficacy of Chinese herbal medicines in preventing diabetes

940nm wavelength laser is superior for treating facial spider veins: BUSM researchers

$4.8 million grant from CDC to establish Indiana Center of Excellence in Public Health Informatics

Minorities support reform ad campaign, although immigrants may get little relief from legislation

Cardiorespiratory training can improve walking in stroke patients

Primary care providers should screen all adults for depression: ACPM

PDS to implement its PRISM suite of tools for University Physician Associates

pDCs promote growth and survival of malignant myeloma cells

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

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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