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Partially-matched bone marrow transplants can eliminate sickle cell disease in some patients

In a preliminary clinical trial, investigators at Johns Hopkins have shown that even partially-matched bone marrow transplants can eliminate sickle cell disease in some patients, ridding them of painful and debilitating symptoms, and the need for a lifetime of pain medications and blood transfusions.

21 Sep 2012

Free bus passes for over-60’s could encourage physical activity

Free bus passes for over-60s may be encouraging older people to be more physically active, say the authors of a study published today in the American Journal of Public Health.

21 Sep 2012

Ultrasound boosts rheumatology clinical examination findings

Musculoskeletal ultrasound improves rheumatology diagnosis and guides treatment, say researchers who believe imaging should be performed alongside clinical examination.

21 Sep 2012

Cancer fears allayed for shingles patients

Herpes zoster infection, or shingles, is not associated with cancer, show results from a study published in the Canadian Journal of Medicine

21 Sep 2012

Arthroplasty wound complications linked to oral anticoagulant use

Multicenter research suggests that recovery from hip or knee arthroplasty may be significantly affected by choice of pharmaceutical thromboprophylaxis.

21 Sep 2012

Alcohol refrain for bone density gain

Abstinence from alcohol for 2 months could correct the imbalance between bone formation and resorption in alcoholic men, a study shows.

21 Sep 2012

Bipolar patients show poor HRQoL regardless of treatment setting

Patients with bipolar disorder who present for treatment in primary care settings and those who present at community mental health clinics have equally poor health-related quality of life, US research shows.

21 Sep 2012

Don’t take psychoactive drugs and drive

Taking benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and Z-drugs significantly increases the risk for a motor vehicle accident, report Taiwanese researchers.

21 Sep 2012

Intravenous catheter replacement should take place only when clinically necessary

New research published in the third Article in The Lancet surgery-themed issue suggests that the millions of intravenous catheters used each year can be safely changed only when clinically necessary, overturning 40 years of accepted practice involving routine replacement every 3 days.

21 Sep 2012

Worldwide improvements in survival rates after general anesthetic

Survival after a general anaesthetic and within 48 hours of surgery has greatly improved worldwide over the past 50 years, according to the second Article in The Lancet surgery-themed issue.

21 Sep 2012

Death rates after surgery found to be too optimistic

National estimates of death following general surgery have been too optimistic, suggests the first large-scale study to explore surgical outcomes across Europe published in the first Article in a special Lancet theme issue on surgery.

21 Sep 2012

New mouse models can help scientists study MCT8 deficiency

New mouse models can help scientists study MCT8 deficiency, an inherited genetic disorder affecting children, according to new data presented at the 82nd Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) in Québec City, Québec, Canada.

21 Sep 2012

USAID releases new issue of 'FrontLines'

The September/October issue of USAID's "FrontLines" focuses on the agency's efforts to "engag[e] youth around the world and how it is embracing mobile technology," according to an overview of the issue in USAID's "IMPACTblog."

21 Sep 2012

Romney touts his health care credentials

During a forum hosted by Univision, the GOP presidential nominee embraced his role as the "grandfather of Obamacare." Elsewhere on the camapign trail, the Service Employees International Union launches a Medicare attack ad against the Romney-Ryan campaign and other Republicans.

21 Sep 2012

IRIN examines child nutrition, stunting in Asia

"Stunting is a key factor holding back progress on children's well-being, and Asia faces a significant challenge with millions of children under five stunted," according to Save the Children's 2012 Child Development Index (CDI), IRIN reports.

21 Sep 2012

Study finds drug may aid some autism patients

An experimental drug can improve sociability in patients with fragile X syndrome and may be helpful as a treatment for autism, according to the authors of a new study.

21 Sep 2012

Case Western Reserve researcher to identify mechanistic link between psoriasis and CVD

Armed with a new $1.8 million grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, dermatology researcher Nicole Ward, PhD, assistant professor of dermatology and neurosciences at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, will lead a study examining the link between psoriasis and heart attack and stroke.

21 Sep 2012

NCDs should be considered a 'human rights concern'

Noting that "non-communicable diseases (NCDs) kill four times the number of people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) that they do in high-income countries," Benn Grover, a health communications specialist who manages policy for the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, and Felicia Knaul, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and director of the Harvard Global Equity Initiative, write in the Huffington Post Blog.

21 Sep 2012

Presidential campaigns vie for specific voting blocs

The New York Times reports that young adults are up for grabs in several key states. Meanwhile, both candidates are courting Hispanics. The Washington Post reports that President Barack Obama is hoping women voters give him the edge in Virginia.

21 Sep 2012

CMS eyes improper Medicare payments for power wheelchairs

A Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services official testified on Capitol Hill Wednesday that 80 percent of this type of fee-for-service Medicare claim should not have been paid.

21 Sep 2012