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AHRQ's new Spanish-language guide on heart medications

A free, illustrated easy-to-read pamphlet that compares drugs for preventing heart attacks, heart failure or strokes in people with stable coronary heart disease is one of six new Spanish-language publications from HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that help patients compare treatments for common illnesses.

16 Aug 2011

Viewpoints: Health reform 'tax' vs. 'penalty'; super committee forecast; boomer tsunami

In a foolhardy indulgence of partisan ideology, Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas is returning a $31.5 million federal grant that would have made his state a leader in technology development for the new federal health care law. … He joins other Republican governors willing to sell their constituents short in grandstanding against the health care law from statehouse pulpits.

16 Aug 2011

Highlights: Appeals court upholds Ariz. abortion law; Ga. offers premium discount to workers in wellness programs

An Arizona appeals court ruled Thursday to allow key parts of a state law restricting abortions to take effect, including one that requires women to see a doctor in person the day before getting an abortion to hear about risks and alternatives.

12 Aug 2011

C. difficile infection more prevalent in Chicago-area acute care hospitals

An outbreak strain of Clostridium difficile, a bacterium that causes diarrhea and sometimes life-threatening inflammation of the colon, is common in Chicago-area acute care hospitals, an investigation published in the September issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology suggests.

12 Aug 2011

Longer looks: A break for sleep-deprived docs; Gruber profile

Last month something extraordinary happened at teaching hospitals around the country: Young interns worked for 16 hours straight — and then they went home to sleep. After decades of debate and over the opposition of nearly every major medical organization and 79 percent of residency-program directors, new rules went into effect that abolished 30-hour overnight shifts for first-year residents.

12 Aug 2011

Blood test early in pregnancy to detect baby’s gender

While carrying the child, a mother's blood has cell-free fetal DNA floating around in it, and it's possible to use this to test for the baby's sex. In a meta-analysis that covered more, the test was found to be 95% efficient in guessing the sex of the fetus — and it works from as early as seven weeks. As the fetus and the placenta develop, the amount of DNA present in the mother increases, boosting the accuracy of the test, which hits its peak at 20 weeks.

12 Aug 2011

State roundup: Debt deal and states; Ariz. judge appoves Medicaid plan

Many expensive programs are exempt from the trigger cuts, including most that are considered "mandatory," which means that some of the largest joint state-federal programs aren't vulnerable. Those include Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (welfare) and the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program.

12 Aug 2011

Women with depression at higher risk of stroke

A new study published this week shows that depression puts middle-aged and older women at significant risk of suffering potentially debilitating strokes.

12 Aug 2011

UC San Diego recognized best among U.S. News & World Report's Top Doctors

UC San Diego Health System has been recognized as having 83 Top Doctors in more than 30 specialties by U.S. News & World Report. Based on a peer nomination process, UC San Diego Health System's results represent the majority of San Diego physicians recognized by their colleagues locally and nationally as being a top doctor and worthy referral.

11 Aug 2011

Herbal remedies fail to provide safety information on labels

According to a new study many herbal remedies are not free from side effects as commonly believed. Herbal medicines may not contain all the information that consumers need to use them safely said the study.

11 Aug 2011

Music therapy for cancer: Relieves anxiety and pain

According to a new analysis of previously published research singing, playing an instrument or even just listening to music may lessen anxiety in cancer patients and improve their overall quality of life.

11 Aug 2011

Mercury and autism link strengthened

The researchers from Swinburne University in Melbourne surveyed 522 Australian survivors of Pink disease - a form of mercury poisoning common in the early 20th century - found one in 25 of their 398 grandchildren aged six to 12 had an autism spectrum disorder.

10 Aug 2011

People more likely to use bowel screen test kit with GP letter

A letter of endorsement from their local doctor as well as a 'how-to-do-it' leaflet makes more people take part in bowel screening home tests - says a new study published in the British Journal of Cancer, today.

10 Aug 2011

House Dem supports lawsuit against Medicare regarding physician pay

The action, which is being brought by the Center for Primary Care in Georgia, takes issue with the way Medicare sets its reimbursement rates for specialists and primary care physicians.

10 Aug 2011

Transaxillary thyroid robotic surgery removes nodules with no visible scar

As the rate of thyroid cancer continues to climb, doctors are urging patients to be more cautious about thyroid nodules, a common disorder that is responsible for a small but growing number of thyroid cancer cases.

10 Aug 2011

Study finds very low rates of pertussis in children with cough

Contrary to some recent studies, only a low percentage of children treated for respiratory illness with cough have unsuspected pertussis, reports a study in the August issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

10 Aug 2011

Psychologists reveal how people really feel about video games

TWO lecturers at the University of Huddersfield have uncovered new research that contradicts a wide stream of consciousness in the media.

9 Aug 2011

At home in August, health law still a hot topic at town hall meetings

The sweeping overhaul measure is still on voters' minds. Some Republican House members are trading on the existing opposition to the law as cover for their positions on the debt-ceiling vote.

9 Aug 2011

Exactech's new Optetrak Logic knee implant effective for painful arthritis

Kevin Hindle, a 47-year-old manufacturing engineer at Exactech, Inc., a global orthopaedic device company, regained his active lifestyle with an innovative new knee implant that he helped develop.

9 Aug 2011

Continuous positive airway pressure machine more effective for sleep apnea patients

Among the treatments for obstructive sleep apnea, the effectiveness of a nighttime-breathing machine called a "CPAP" was backed by the strongest evidence, and a mouthpiece worn at night was also shown to be effective, according to a new report funded by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

9 Aug 2011