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Simple method reduces amount of phosphorus in wastewater

Researchers at Aalto University have developed a simple method for reducing the amount of phosphorus in the wastewater of a pulp mill. The method is called simultaneous precipitation using iron sulphate. A separate treatment stage is not required, as the precipitation takes place simultaneously with the actual biological wastewater treatment.

22 Nov 2012

Applied relaxation can help women with menopausal troubles

Women who have undergone group therapy and learned to relax have reduced their menopausal troubles by half, according to results of a study at Linköping University and Linköping University Hospital in Sweden.

22 Nov 2012

Online flu survey launched in the UK

Does “man flu” exist? How effective is the flu vaccine? And do pets keep you healthy? These are just some of the questions scientists from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine want to explore as they launch a nationwide flu survey.

22 Nov 2012

Online access to Colorado docs linked to more office visits

The assumption had always been that offering patients email access to their doctors and records would reduce office visits, but a new study from Kaiser Permanente of Colorado showed the opposite.

22 Nov 2012

OB-GYN group calls for over-the-counter birth control pills

In an attempt to reduce unintended pregnancies that cost the nation an estimated $11.1 billion a year, the nation's largest group of obstetricians and gynecologists said Tuesday that oral contraceptives should be available without a prescription.

22 Nov 2012

Study predicts shortage of primary care doctors will worsen

The United States will need about 52,000 new primary-care doctors as the population grows and ages, according to a new study. Research published in the Annals of Family Medicine estimated that most of the doctor shortage will be caused by the rising U.S. population.

22 Nov 2012

State roundup: Calif. schedules health care special session; Fla. to boost Medicaid payment rates

California's legislative special session on health care won't take place until January, according to officials at the California Health and Human Services agency. ... The session was expected to be convened in December. The special session will be held concurrently with the regular legislative session that begins Jan. 7.

22 Nov 2012

Unjustified repeat tests common among Medicare patients

Dartmouth researchers found that up to half of older adults who had a heart, lung, stomach or bladder test had the same procedure repeated within three years despite guidelines against routine testing, leading to unnecessary costs.

21 Nov 2012

Panel backs routine HIV screenings for teens, adults

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force advises that nearly everyone ages 15 to 64 should be screened for the HIV virus, a recommendation which, if adopted, would require Medicare and most private health insurers to pay for the tests.

21 Nov 2012

Medicare Part B premiums up $5 per month next year

The increase will eat about a quarter of a typical retiree's cost-of-living raise in Social Security payments.

20 Nov 2012

ER could be a good place to identify undiagnosed eating disorders among teens

Could the emergency room be a good place to spot undiagnosed eating disorders among teens, and help steer them to treatment? A new study from the University of Michigan suggests that could be the case.

20 Nov 2012

Uninsured patients could be twice as likely to die after brain cancer surgery

Uninsured patients who undergo surgery to remove a brain tumor could be twice as likely to die in the hospital as those who have the same operation but are privately insured, new Johns Hopkins research suggests. In teaching hospitals, where most neurosurgical procedures take place, those with government-subsidized insurance in the form of Medicaid were found in the same study to have rates of survival closer to those who are privately insured.

20 Nov 2012

Viewpoints: 'Bad idea' about repealing Medicare cost board; Conservatives say health law repeal fight is not over

House Republicans like to talk about the need to find common ground with President Obama to make progress on important national issues, especially after the election. Yet within days, they were setting an agenda to eliminate an important element of his signature domestic achievement, the Affordable Care Act.

19 Nov 2012

Texting service helps patients reduce their blood pressure

A simple telehealth intervention could be an effective way to reduce blood pressure in patients, research suggests.

19 Nov 2012

Strep detection tests may miss sore throat-causing bacterial strains

Rapid streptococcal antigen detection tests, which are widely used to detect non-group A Lancefield beta-hemolytic streptococci in many developed countries, may be missing clinically important streptococci, say researchers.

19 Nov 2012

Four New York students named National Finalists in Siemens Competition

Months of dedication and hard work in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) paid off tonight for four students named National Finalists in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, the nation's premier research competition.

19 Nov 2012

Personality traits linked with individual's susceptibility to placebo effect from pain medicines

Personality traits might do more than help you win a popularity contest. According to new University of Michigan-led neuroscience research, co-authored by University of Maryland (UM) School of Dentistry Dean Christian S. Stohler, DMD, DrMedDent, such traits also might make you more likely to get pain relief from a placebo - a fake medicine.

17 Nov 2012

UGA research finds children with noncardiac chest pain have higher levels of anxiety

Psychological factors can have as much-or more-impact on pediatric chest pain as physical ones, a University of Georgia study found recently.

17 Nov 2012

'Extended-skill' nurses, physiotherapists are as effective as the ER doc

Patients with peripheral soft tissue injuries achieve similar clinical outcomes when treated by emergency nurse practitioners and extended-scope physiotherapists in the emergency department, as when they are treated by doctors, show UK study results.

16 Nov 2012

Longer looks: A dentist tries to clear his debt; Bringing mental health services to the marines; Learning to laugh in the doctor's office

His jaw clenched beneath a blue surgeon's mask, Opanin Gyaami jerks his right arm and pulls out a prize: the decayed tooth of patient Larry Butler, also known as state prison inmate J22312. By the time he is done, Gyaami's smock and mask are spotted with the inmate's blood. He gently pats Butler on the shoulder and wishes him well.

16 Nov 2012