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Hospital growth slows, NLRB issues nursing home union decision

Hospital revenue growth continued to slow down in 2010 and is projected to cool further during the next few years... Median operating revenue and expense growth last fiscal year dropped to a pace not seen in the last decade, said [said Moody's Investors Service's] analysis of 401 not-for-profit hospitals that operate alone or within single-state health systems.

2 Sep 2011

Insomnia prevalent in 23% of US workers

Insomnia is costing the average U.S. worker 11.3 days, or $2,280 in lost productivity every year, according to a study in the September 1 issue of the journal Sleep. As a nation, the total cost is 252.7 days and $63.2 billion.

2 Sep 2011

NAIC members raise concerns about exchange waiver process

The nation's insurance commissioners are raising concerns about how much flexibility states will have to tweak their exchanges once the new insurance markets are up and running. Under the first set of exchange rules, released in July, states that want to alter their exchange plans would have to get permission from HHS.

2 Sep 2011

Researchers modify toxic chemical of marine cycyanobacteria to treat colon cancer

University of Florida researchers have modified a toxic chemical produced by tiny marine microbes and successfully deployed it against laboratory models of colon cancer.

2 Sep 2011

Discovery in rare disease may shed light on common causes of blindness

In a rare eye disease, the retina degenerates because light-receiving cells fail to regenerate, research led by a student at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine shows.

2 Sep 2011

Florida steps up efforts against pill mills; Hospital executives under scrutiny

The New York Times looks at Florida's efforts to stop illegal sales of prescription drugs while other outlets examine local hospital issues.

2 Sep 2011

Freiburg researchers receive European Research Council Starting Grants

Marta Artal Sanz, Thomas Brox, Winfried Römer, and Oliver Schilling from the University of Freiburg have been selected for one of the most prestigious European grants for young researchers: The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded them a total of 5.8 million euros in ERC Starting Grants for new projects.

2 Sep 2011

AAPB publishes first handbook on sport psychology, neurofeedback and biofeedback

The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB), an international society for mind-body research, healthcare, and education, recently published the first handbook on sport psychology, neurofeedback, and biofeedback to offer performance techniques for reaching maximum potential.

2 Sep 2011

Investments in EHRs could reap major benefits in better patient care, health outcomes

Research published today in the New England Journal of Medicine gives cause for optimism that federal investments in electronic health records (EHRs) could reap major benefits in better patient care and health outcomes.

2 Sep 2011

Microtubule stability linked to increased sensitivity to paclitaxel

SCIENTISTS have discovered how blocking key cell signalling proteins could help boost the success rate of the tumour-shrinking drug paclitaxel, according to a study published in the journal Cancer Research today.

2 Sep 2011

STTI selects AJN as 2011 recipient of Nursing Media Award for Print

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW), part of Wolters Kluwer Health, is pleased to announce that the American Journal of Nursing (AJN) has been selected as the 2011 recipient of the Nursing Media Award for Print by Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), the Honor Society of Nursing.

2 Sep 2011

Contraceptive pill prevents loss of eye sight

Scientists at University College Cork (UCC) have shown that the active component (Norgestrel) of the contraceptive 'Mini Pill' prevents the loss of sight in mice that have degenerative eye conditions that normally lead to blindness.

2 Sep 2011

First Edition: September 2, 2011

On Kaiser Health News' blog, staff writer Julie Appleby writes: "Insurers who offer 'association health plans,' which are often sold through trade groups or other organizations of affiliated members, will face the same scrutiny of premium rate hikes as other types of insurance, federal officials said Thursday."

2 Sep 2011

New genetic screening program for families at high risk of colorectal cancer

UT Southwestern Medical Center has developed a new lifesaving genetic screening program for families at high risk of contracting colorectal cancer, a deadly yet highly preventable form of cancer.

2 Sep 2011

Pemetrexed treatment produces better outcomes in ALK-translocated NSCLC patients

Patients with ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) responded significantly better to pemetrexed than patients whose cancer did not show ALK translocation, according to research published in the September issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.

2 Sep 2011

UVA researchers develop 3-D model to visualize early growth of human breast tissue

University of Virginia researchers have developed a revolutionary three-dimensional model that allows them to visualize how breast tissue grows in its earliest stages, giving them the closest look ever at the very beginnings of breast cancer.

2 Sep 2011

Returning service members at risk of depression, relationship distress

Returning service members are at a greater risk of both depressive symptoms and relationship distress, and research shows the two often go together, says University of Illinois researcher Leanne Knobloch. That's not a good thing, since someone suffering from depressive symptoms "really needs the support of their romantic partner."

2 Sep 2011

Increasing trust in neighbors associated with better self-reported health

Here's an easy way to improve your health: trust your neighbors. A new study from the University of Missouri shows that increasing trust in neighbors is associated with better self-reported health.

2 Sep 2011

African-Americans even outside 'stroke belt' face higher risk of death

African-Americans and country folk outside the so-called "stroke belt" are at higher risk for stroke death than other populations, a large new study finds.

2 Sep 2011

Cardin is 'optimistic' that 'super committee' will fix SGR

Sen. Ben Cardin said Wednesday he is optimistic that the super committee will fix the Sustainable Growth Rate formula. "We have to start with a realistic budget baseline," the Maryland Democrat told about 500 National Institutes of Health employees at a town hall meeting on the agency's main campus in Bethesda, Md. Repealing the SGR is estimated to cost about $350 billion over the next decade, but wouldn't have to be offset to meet the super committee's goal of $1.2 trillion if the Bowles-Simpson baseline is used, Cardin said.

2 Sep 2011