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Anxiety more common than depression among people with arthritis

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that one-third of U.S. adults with arthritis, 45 years and older, report having anxiety or depression. According to findings that appear today in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), anxiety is nearly twice as common as depression among people with arthritis, despite more clinical focus on the latter mental health condition.

30 Apr 2012

Glycolipids play an important role in intercellular signalling

In a new study, scientists at the University of Copenhagen show that a specific type of carbohydrate plays an important role in the intercellular signalling that controls the growth and development of the nervous system. In particular, defects in that carbohydrate may result in the uninhibited cell growth that characterizes the genetic disease neurofibromatosis and certain types of cancer.

30 Apr 2012

VIVUS receives FDA approval for Stendra to treat erectile dysfunction

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Stendra (avanafil), a new drug to treat erectile dysfunction.

30 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Minn. missteps with Medicaid are object lesson; 'Defensive' medicine: Red herring or key to health costs?

It was painful to watch Minnesota's stellar health care reputation and its Human Services commissioner, Lucinda Jesson, get pummeled on Wednesday at a congressional hearing on Medicaid oversight.

27 Apr 2012

Minn. Gov. vetoes anti-abortion bill; Calif. bill stalls

The Minnesota bill would have mandated licenses for clinics performing 10 or more abortions a month. The California measure would let nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants perform specific types of abortions.

27 Apr 2012

Longer looks: Why we still have faith in physicians

This patient is no fool, and she does't award trust liberally. … Yet, somehow, (Mary) Morse-Dwelley never lost faith in Pellegrini. She'd hear the click of her doctor's shoes in the hallway, see her blond hair and funky glasses, and feel confident that she was in good hands. This, too, represents a broad trend: As we have become better-informed patients, we have grown more cynical about a health care system that is ever more corporate and reliant on technology.

27 Apr 2012

State roundup: 'Green Houses' in Calif.; 'Accredtive Secret Sauce' gets scrutiny in Minn.

A new idea elbowed its way into the familiar pile of health care legislation in the Senate Committee on Health yesterday. A nursing home model -- the "Green House Project" -- bucks the cold, institutional feel of many long-term care facilities. ... The idea is to have a small facility laid out like a regular home, with living areas such as a dining room and kitchen, as well as a private room and bathroom for each patient.

27 Apr 2012

Doctor salaries: Specialists earn more, but few physicians overall think of themselves as rich

Few doctors think of themselves as rich, and only about half think they're fairly compensated, according to survey results released this week by Medscape. The annual survey isn't scientific – and perhaps, not surprising, either - but it offers insights into what nearly 25,000 physicians earn, and how they view that number.

27 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Ma. health law trips up even bosses offering insurance; Traumatic brain disease may be complicating veterans' recoveries

Ronn Garry is an owner of Tropical Foods, the independent Roxbury market that has anchored Dudley Square for 36 years. He has 70 employees, 45 of them full time. The 2006 health law says he has to offer those full-time employees health insurance, cover at least 33 percent of their premiums, and get a quarter of them to take up his offer. Otherwise, he must pay a fine, called a Fair Share Contribution: $295 for every worker.

27 Apr 2012

Contraceptive pill could soon be given out to 13 year olds without prescription

According to an NHS report girls as young as 13 should be given the contraceptive pill without having to see a doctor. Normally girls and women can only go on the Pill once they have undergone a thorough consultation with a GP or nurse as it can cause side effects including blood clots.

26 Apr 2012

Aspirin reduces bowel cancer death and lung cancer incidence: Research suggests

There is previous evidence suggesting aspirin might prevent certain cancers from developing in the first place. And more recent work suggests it might also work as a cancer therapy - slowing down or preventing a cancer's spread. But the drug can also have unpleasant and dangerous side effects, causing irritation of the stomach lining and internal bleeds in a very small minority of patients.

26 Apr 2012

Doctor claims to have found the elusive G spot

In an article published Wednesday by the Journal of Sexual Medicine, the semi-retired Florida gynecologist declared that he had found it. For his study he conducted a postmortem examination of an 83-year-old woman in Warsaw Medical University's Department of Forensic Medicine. Unlike the United States, which strictly regulates the research use of cadavers, Poland allows the dissection of human remains soon after death, when fine distinctions in tissue remain easy to see.

26 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 26, 2012

Today's headlines include news about how House Republicans are eyeing the health law's prevention trust fund as a means to pay the cost of extending the current student loan interest rate for another year. House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, has scheduled a Friday vote on this proposal.

26 Apr 2012

Physicians, med schools fret about future, but some see signs of hope

One survey reveals that doctors fear some of the changes due to the health law, while primary care physicians say the law may spur needed change.

26 Apr 2012

U of A develops new technology that enables personalized medicine

You wouldn't know it from appearances, but a metal cube the size of a toaster, created at the University of Alberta, is capable of performing the same genetic tests as most fully equipped modern laboratories-and in a fraction of the time.

26 Apr 2012

Hospital debt collector puts 'the squeeze' on patients

A report released Tuesday by the Minnesota Attorney General spotlights aggressive practices used by one of the nation's largest collectors of medical debts, including demanding payments from people seeking care in emergency rooms, cancer wards and delivery rooms.

26 Apr 2012

Gender differences in musculoskeletal health are not solely due to hormones

Osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, fractures, and spinal disorders are among the most common reasons for doctor visits. These conditions have more than one thing in common: they are all musculoskeletal problems and are more prevalent in women.

26 Apr 2012

World Malaria Day observed

The 25th of April was observed as World Malaria Day. According to Ray Chambers, the U.N. secretary-general's special envoy for malaria, there has been a marked progress in reducing malaria deaths using bed nets, insecticide spray and drugs. He cited a World Health Organization report in December which used figures from 2010, saying malaria deaths had decreased by over one-third. Since then, he said at a news conference Monday, the world has delivered 160 million additional bed nets “so we expect the number of deaths to be much less now.”

25 Apr 2012

Patient awareness, better clinician education needed to ensure individualised treatment of high blood pressure

On the eve of its annual conference, leading doctors from the European Society of Hypertension have called for patient awareness and better clinician education to ensure more individualised treatment of high blood pressure.

25 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 25, 2012

Today's headlines include reports that Medicare is proposing a change in how it decides hospital reimbursements and the latest on the GOP Capitol Hill budget strategy.

25 Apr 2012