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Fatigue, poor sleep may jeopardize patient and provider safety in EMS setting

Fatigue and poor sleep quality, which affect many emergency medical services (EMS) workers, are linked to higher reported rates of injuries, medical errors and safety-compromising behaviors, according to a study by University of Pittsburgh researchers that is now available online in Prehospital Emergency Care and appearing in the January-March 2012 print edition.

18 Nov 2011

VSL#3 classified as refrigerated medical food for three GI conditions

As clinical studies continue to validate the use of probiotics to help promote general gastrointestinal health, a growing U.S. market for probiotics indicates that the U.S. healthcare community and consumers alike are recognizing the value of these beneficial microorganisms. However, because most probiotics are classified as dietary supplements, directing patients to the best probiotic for their individual needs can be challenging.

18 Nov 2011

IRCI to design and fund clinical trials for rare cancers

Cancer Research UK will join forces with international research groups from the UK, Europe and the US to launch an initiative to boost the development of new treatments for patients with rare cancers. The announcement will be made by Dr Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, at the 2011 World Cancer Leaders' Summit taking place today in Dublin.

18 Nov 2011

Emory-Georgia Tech symposium to focus on health and human microbiome

The Seventh Annual Symposium on Predictive Health, to be held on Friday, Dec. 2, 2011, will focus on health and the human microbiome. The human microbiome consists of the microscopic organisms, such as bacteria, fungi and viruses, which reside throughout the body.

18 Nov 2011

Study demonstrates how DISC1 variants affect brain development

Significant progress has been made in understanding the genetic risk factors underlying psychiatric disease. Recent studies have identified common genetic mutations conferring modest risk and rare variants comprising significant risk. One example of a rare cause of psychiatric disorders is the Disrupted in Schizophrenia-1 (DISC1) gene, first identified in a large Scottish pedigree displaying schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression.

18 Nov 2011

IDSA supports 'Get Smart About Antibiotics Week'

With antibiotic-resistant infections increasingly common, and a dangerous lack of new infection fighters in the drug development pipeline, it's more important than ever to use existing antibiotics appropriately. This week, infectious disease experts are helping to educate consumers, health care providers, and policymakers about when antibiotics can help, when misuse of these lifesaving drugs can do more harm than good, and the tremendous need for new antibiotics to protect patients.

18 Nov 2011

New framework to improve care for patients with delirium

A new national plan of action provides a roadmap for improving the care of patients with delirium, a poorly understood and often unrecognized brain condition that affects approximately seven million hospitalized Americans each year.

18 Nov 2011

MU scientist examines how enzymes influence immune system's ability to fight infection

The influenza virus remains a worldwide threat to humans, causing an average of 36,000 deaths and 200,000 hospitalizations each year in the United States alone. As health care professionals prepare for another flu season, a University of Missouri scientist is studying how two enzymes could be used to stop the virus in its tracks.

18 Nov 2011

South African public health experts urge countries to use TRIPS to produce generic drugs, IPS reports

South African public health experts from Medecins San Frontieres (MSF) South Africa and the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) "are calling on governments to use legally available mechanisms to promote the production or import of generic drugs in their countries," Inter Press Service reports.

18 Nov 2011

InDevR introduces ampliPHOX system for microbiological analysis

InDevR, a Boulder-based biotechnology company that develops advanced life science instrumentation and assays for analysis of viruses and other microorganisms, announced today the launch revolutionary new technology for microbiological analysis.

18 Nov 2011

NSF renews cooperative agreement for arctic research facility

The National Science Foundation awarded $16.3 million to the University of Alaska Fairbanks in support of the Toolik Field Station, a major site for national and international research in the North American Arctic since 1975.

18 Nov 2011

State roundup: Calif. cuts make public health outlook bleak

One thing Gov. Mitch Daniels believes with absolute conviction is that consumers need to pay more of the cost of their health care. ... No one can say Daniels isn't practicing what he preaches. Indiana has been using a version of consumer-driven health care for state employees since 2006. Starting next year, 90 percent of Indiana state workers will be covered by a consumer-driven plan with low premiums and high out-of-pocket expenses for actual care.

18 Nov 2011

Researchers use baker's yeast to gain insight into chromosome separation process

Researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research used, ironically enough, the single-celled organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae -- commonly known as baker's yeast -- to gain new insight into the process by which chromosomes are physically segregated during cell division.

18 Nov 2011

Swaziland government failed to pay more than $10M to children orphaned by AIDS, IMF official says

"Swaziland's government has failed to pay more than $10 million ... in grants to AIDS orphans because of its financial crisis, an IMF official has said" in a statement after visiting the country, BBC News reports.

18 Nov 2011

HuffPost Green examines relationship between environment, malaria

As part of its series on the relationships between human, animal and environmental health, titled "The Infection Loop," HuffPost Green examines how changes in climate and landscape, human movement, agricultural practices, and microbe adaptation are affecting the spread of malaria.

18 Nov 2011

Chloroquine-chemotherapy combination holds potential for metastatic breast cancer treatment

An anti-malaria drug used for more than 60 years is now being studied for use in breast cancer patients whose disease has not responded to traditional chemotherapy treatment.

18 Nov 2011

House gives nod to correcting Medicaid 'glitch'

The House easily gave final approval to a rare revision to the health care reform law Wednesday -; and what's even rarer is that it's flown under the radar all week. Following the Senate's unanimous vote last week, the House voted 422-0 to undo a health care reform provision that would have allowed some middle-class individuals to qualify for Medicaid.

17 Nov 2011

Scientists discover family of chemical compounds that could prevent malaria

A international team led by scientists from the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF) and The Scripps Research Institute has discovered a family of chemical compounds that could lead to a new generation of antimalarial drugs capable of not only alleviating symptoms but also preventing the deadly disease.

17 Nov 2011

Research shows how the bite of a small Texas snake causes extreme pain

Examining venom from a variety of poisonous snakes, a group of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco has discovered why the bite of one small black, yellow and red serpent called the Texas coral snake can be so painful.

17 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: Paul Starr on Obama, Romney and health reform; Glenn close on the need for mental health services

As we testified on Nov. 1 before the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, the principal driver of long-term federal deficits is the rapidly mounting cost of healthcare, particularly Medicare. ... Solving the U.S. debt crisis requires structural changes to slow Medicare's cost growth plus significant new revenue to accommodate the retirement of the baby boomers. Any plan without those two essential components should go back to the drawing board.

17 Nov 2011