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New type of antibiotic kills multidrug-resistant germ common to health care settings

A new type of antibiotic called a PPMO, which works by blocking genes essential for bacterial reproduction, successfully killed a multidrug-resistant germ common to health care settings, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.

16 Oct 2013

Data suggest state-run online insurance marketplaces making progress -- 38,000 people have signed up; 100,000 have completed applications

Meanwhile, headlines across the country offer updates on specific state exchanges in California, Florida, Michigan, Oregon, Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota and Colorado.

16 Oct 2013

Simple memory test can have noticeable impact on how old some older adults feel

You're only as old as you feel, or so the saying goes. Now, research suggests that a simple memory test can have a noticeable impact on just how old some older adults feel, aging them about five years in the span of five minutes. The findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

16 Oct 2013

Viewpoints: 'False hysteria' over health law's part-time criteria; marketplaces 'flunk' initial test; Ben Carson's surprising assessment

The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, has had a difficult launching, but the more serious challenges for the law relate not to glitch-filled Web sites but rather to its possible long-term effects on the United States economy. The law is not likely to last if it imposes a severe drag on growth and job creation, or involves large costs obscured by the legislative gimmicks used to shape the scoring of the bill by the Congressional Budget Office. Indeed, Casey B. Mulligan has discussed the negative effects of the legislation on the American labor market in a series of posts on Economix, while the policy expert Charles Blahous explains in detail why the "fiscally reckless" legislation will aggravate the already difficult federal and state fiscal situations (Philip Swagel, 10/14).

16 Oct 2013

Locomotion of C. elegans worm to make big difference in biomedical research

One might wonder why researchers would even care about the nuances of the one-millimeter long nematode worm, let alone take the time to study them. But the answer is simple: they can provide powerful insights into human health and disease.

16 Oct 2013

Seven promising scientists named 2013 NYSCF - Robertson Investigators

The New York Stem Cell Foundation today named seven of the most promising scientists as its 2013 NYSCF - Robertson Investigators.

16 Oct 2013

Genetics professor turns accidental discovery into a way to study TBI

Faced with news of suicides and brain damage in former professional football players, geneticist Barry Ganetzky bemoaned the lack of model systems for studying the insidious and often delayed consequences linked to head injuries.

16 Oct 2013

State highlights: Insurer drop-out to affect 22,000 on N.Y. Medicaid managed care; Texas slow to recover misspent Medicaid funds

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield says it's dropping out of public health insurance programs for the poor and disabled. The insurer has notified doctors and other providers it's withdrawing from the Medicaid managed care and Family Health Plus programs because it expects to lose about $100 million on those programs this year. The move will affect more than 22,000 central New Yorkers (10/15).

16 Oct 2013

Common catalyst cerium oxide opens door to nanochemistry for medicine

Scientists at Rice University are enhancing the natural antioxidant properties of an element found in a car's catalytic converter to make it useful for medical applications.

16 Oct 2013

Shutdown commentaries: Compromise may take nick out of health law; 'The Party of Gimme'

But the tentative agreement includes two problematic provisions related to health care reform. One would require the Department of Health and Human Services to verify that people receiving subsidies for insurance have incomes low enough to qualify.

16 Oct 2013

Research shows inhibition of Rcan1 protein may reduce atherosclerosis in mice

Researchers of the Spanish research council (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cient-ficas, CSIC) and the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) have discovered that inhibiting the protein Rcan1 in mice reduces the burden of atherosclerosis, one of the commonest cardiovascular diseases.

16 Oct 2013

Medicare open-enrollment begins: Seniors should carefully consider new options

Officials are cautioning seniors to stay away from the health law's new online marketplaces -- as open-enrollment season begins for Medicare managed care and prescription plans.

16 Oct 2013

Researchers test ATR-101 compound in clinical trial for adrenal cancer

One of the most challenging cancers to treat is also one of the rarest, which only adds to the challenge of finding potential new therapies.

16 Oct 2013

Family caregivers of chronically ill patients enjoy 18% survival advantage, says study

Contradicting long-standing conventional wisdom, results of a Johns Hopkins-led analysis of data previously gathered on more than 3,000 family caregivers suggests that those who assist a chronically ill or disabled family member enjoy an 18 percent survival advantage compared to statistically matched non-caregivers.

16 Oct 2013