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Many patients in intensive care are deficient in vitamin D

Australian researchers have discovered that many critically ill patients in intensive care are deficient in vitamin D.

30 Apr 2009

VA electronic health records system could be low-cost option for non-VA hospitals

The Veterans Health Administration's open-source electronic health records system could be an effective and low-cost option for non-Veterans Affairs hospitals that are seeking to implement such a system but have been held back by the cost, the Wall Street Journal reports.

30 Apr 2009

Sen. Baucus proposes Medicare changes he says could drive 'transformation of the health care delivery system'

The Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday during a six-hour meeting discussed proposed changes to the Medicare system from committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the New York Times reports (Pear, New York Times, 4/30).

30 Apr 2009

Early initiation of antiretroviral therapy improves HIV survival rates, study says

The New York Times on Thursday examined a study that found asymptomatic HIV-positive people who delayed antiretroviral treatment until their disease reached an advanced stage faced higher mortality rates than those who initiated treatment earlier.

30 Apr 2009

A systems biology map of iron metabolism

Scientists at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, and the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have taken the first steps toward constructing a systems biology map of iron metabolism.

30 Apr 2009

Imiquimod, a topical cream, may help treat skin cancer

In a case study of a type of melanoma skin cancer typically found on chronically sun-exposed skin, Saint Louis University researchers found that imiquimod, a topical cream, produced good results for patients when used together with surgery to treat the cancer, potentially helping doctors cut less.

30 Apr 2009

Out-of-pocket costs reduce patients' willingness to start treatment for their chronic illnesses

Patients newly diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes or high cholesterol are significantly more likely to delay initiating recommended drug treatment if they face higher co-payments for medications, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

30 Apr 2009

Study examines radiation dose estimates for pregnant women undergoing therapeutic ERCP

Pregnant women with gallstone disease may require immediate endoscopic intervention because of potentially life-threatening cholangitis (infection in the bile ducts) or gallstone pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).

30 Apr 2009

Smoking, hypertension and BMI are the leading preventable risk factors for premature mortality in the U.S.

The researchers found that smoking is responsible for 467,000 premature deaths each year, high blood pressure for 395,000, and being overweight for 216,000. The effects of smoking work out to be about one in five deaths in American adults, while high blood pressure is responsible for one in six deaths.

30 Apr 2009

Simple blood test proves powerful ally in the fight against malaria

Scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have shown that rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) for malaria infection can provide valuable support for healthcare in low and mid-income countries in the fight against the disease.

30 Apr 2009

Genes that influence brain cell connections linked to autism

In three studies, including the most comprehensive study of autism genetics to date, investigators funded in part by the National Institutes of Health have identified common and rare genetic factors that affect the risk of autism spectrum disorders.

30 Apr 2009

Regional anesthesia superior to general anesthesia for C-sections

General anesthesia (GA) is associated with an increased risk of infant intubation and low Apgar scores, relative to regional anesthesia.

30 Apr 2009

Protein effects of hormone replacement therapy uncovered

An in-depth proteomic analysis of the sera of 50 participants from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) hormone replacement therapy trial provides some explanations for the trial's clinical results.

30 Apr 2009

Scientists revive a dormant gene to fight HIV

A new vaginal cream containing a reawakened protein could someday prevent the transmission of HIV.

30 Apr 2009

Obstructive sleep apnea leads to poorer prognosis after stroke

Stroke victims tend to do worse if they also have diagnosed or undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea prior to having the stroke, according to a study presented April 28, 2009, at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) annual meeting in Seattle.

30 Apr 2009

Discovery of common genetic risk factors for autism spectrum disorders

Researchers have made an important step forward in understanding the complex genetic structure of autism spectrum disorders.

30 Apr 2009

Gains in access to antiretroviral treatment come with some costs

In this week's PLoS Medicine magazine, Yibeltal Assefa, from the National HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office in Addis Ababa, and colleagues describe the successes and challenges of the scale-up of antiretroviral treatment (ART) across Ethiopia.

30 Apr 2009

If started early, HIV treatment reduces death rates toward background levels in African countries

Mortality rates of people starting HIV treatment in four African countries approach those of the general population over time, provided that treatment is started before the immune system has been severely damaged, according to research published this week in the open-access journal PLoS Medicine.

30 Apr 2009

Gene alterations associated with response to anthracycline therapy for breast cancer

Alterations in the topoisomerase II alpha (TOP2A) gene were associated with better patient outcomes following anthracycline-based therapy compared with non-anthracycline-based regimens, according to a study in the April 28 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

30 Apr 2009

Global health organizations are doing too little to support health system strengthening

Existing health systems in the developing world are fragile and many are unable to provide effective health services - and so there is growing consensus that the success of global health initiatives will depend on "health system strengthening" (a recent buzzword in global health).

30 Apr 2009

Medicine News and Research

Many patients in intensive care are deficient in vitamin D

VA electronic health records system could be low-cost option for non-VA hospitals

Sen. Baucus proposes Medicare changes he says could drive 'transformation of the health care delivery system'

Early initiation of antiretroviral therapy improves HIV survival rates, study says

A systems biology map of iron metabolism

Imiquimod, a topical cream, may help treat skin cancer

Out-of-pocket costs reduce patients' willingness to start treatment for their chronic illnesses

Study examines radiation dose estimates for pregnant women undergoing therapeutic ERCP

Smoking, hypertension and BMI are the leading preventable risk factors for premature mortality in the U.S.

Simple blood test proves powerful ally in the fight against malaria

Genes that influence brain cell connections linked to autism

Regional anesthesia superior to general anesthesia for C-sections

Protein effects of hormone replacement therapy uncovered

Scientists revive a dormant gene to fight HIV

Obstructive sleep apnea leads to poorer prognosis after stroke

Discovery of common genetic risk factors for autism spectrum disorders

Gains in access to antiretroviral treatment come with some costs

If started early, HIV treatment reduces death rates toward background levels in African countries

Gene alterations associated with response to anthracycline therapy for breast cancer

Global health organizations are doing too little to support health system strengthening

Everything there is to know about biosimilars eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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