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Short-term intervention alters neural architecture of stutterers

A short-term intervention in patients who stutter can help reorganize the intrinsic functional architecture of speech–language processes, a Chinese study shows.

15 Aug 2012

Excessive cleanliness may be bad for your health

Research suggests that the antibacterial chemical triclosan, commonly used in personal-care products and antibacterial soaps, may impair the function of cardiac and skeletal muscle.

15 Aug 2012

Tranexamic acid reduces bleeding in off-pump coronary bypass surgery

Patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting who are given a tranexamic acid infusion show a modest reduction in postoperative bleeding and blood transfusion relative to their placebo-treated peers, a clinical trial shows.

15 Aug 2012

Reassuring findings for migraine patients

Women who experience migraine do not have a faster rate of cognitive decline than those without migraine, contradicting speculation that the condition may be a progressive brain disorder, say researchers.

15 Aug 2012

Healthy lifestyle provides stroke prevention across hypertensive states

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle significantly decreases the risk for stroke in both men and women who differ in their hypertension status and use of antihypertensive drug treatments, a study shows.

15 Aug 2012

Cortisol levels increased in youth at high risk for psychosis

Untreated young people at clinical high risk for psychosis have increased salivary cortisol levels compared with treated high-risk patients and mentally healthy individuals, study results show.

15 Aug 2012

Couple therapy decreases PTSD symptoms and improves relationship

A North American study led by a researcher at Ryerson University has discovered that treating a person with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and their partner using a specific couple therapy greatly decreases the severity of their symptoms -- and improves their relationship.

15 Aug 2012

Market for EHR replacements is on the rise

Use of electronic health records is snowballing, and so is the number of unhappy users. Half of EHR systems sold to physician practices are now replacements, up from 30% last year, according to a recent study by research firm KLAS. The leading reason for switching systems, cited by 44% of practices, is product issues.

15 Aug 2012

GSA selects Penn professor as 2012 recipient of Maxwell A. Pollack Award for Productive Aging

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) - the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging - has chosen Mary Naylor, PhD, RN, FAAN, of the University of Pennsylvania as the 2012 recipient of the Maxwell A. Pollack Award for Productive Aging.

15 Aug 2012

How team Romney-Ryan is playing on the campaign trail

The Medicare plan advanced by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who has been tapped by GOP presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney to be his running mate, almost immediately emerged as a campaign flashpoint.

15 Aug 2012

CSIS report examines global polio eradication efforts

The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) on Monday released a report called "Eradicating Polio in Afghanistan and Pakistan." According to the report summary, efforts to eradicate the virus globally "have proved largely successful, in part thanks to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), launched by the international community in 1988," and "[t]he number of new cases has dropped in the past decade, even in countries where the virus has never been eradicated."

15 Aug 2012

Recognizing the role of international partnerships in global health

"When you're dealing with a global public health crisis, having an international presence isn't just advisable -- it is imperative," Margaret McGlynn, president and CEO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), writes in this post in USAID's "Impact" blog, adding, "That's why the [IAVI], in partnership with USAID, has worked diligently over the past several years to establish itself as a truly global non-profit partner."

15 Aug 2012

VOA examines food security situation in rural Zimbabwe

"The United Nations' World Food Program [WFP] is appealing for $87 million to avert starvation in Zimbabwe's rural areas where close to two million people need food aid," VOA News reports, adding, "The U.N. agency says because of poor rainfall, this year's hunger season in Zimbabwe has started earlier than in the past."

15 Aug 2012

Addiction to morphine and heroin can be blocked via brain's immune response

In a major breakthrough, an international team of scientists has proven that addiction to morphine and heroin can be blocked, while at the same time increasing pain relief.

15 Aug 2012

Nonsurgical circumcision device for adults to be tested in Africa

"PrePex, a bloodless circumcision device for adults, will be tested in at least nine African countries in the next year, according to the backers of the tests," the New York Times reports.

15 Aug 2012

Novel device provides retina's neural code to restore normal vision

Two researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have deciphered a mouse's retina's neural code and coupled this information to a novel prosthetic device to restore sight to blind mice.

15 Aug 2012

Center for Global Development blog responds to London hunger summit

This post in the Center for Global Development's (CGD) "Views from the Center" blog, Owen Barder, a senior fellow and the director for Europe at CGD, addresses the recent hunger summit in London, citing two reasons for concern surrounding the discussion.

15 Aug 2012

Kessler Foundation investigates Ekso's new capabilities for autonomous use by people with SCI

Kessler Foundation has begun testing the upgraded Ekso in individuals unable to walk due to spinal cord injury. Ekso, a wearable, battery-powered robotic exoskeletal device, has been undergoing clinical investigation at Kessler since October 2011, when the research team received the second commercial unit distributed by Ekso Bionics.

15 Aug 2012

Chicago, Blue Cross Blue Shield to team on health care fraud task force

Chicago officials are teaming up with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois on health care fraud detection and prevention. A task force will be made up of representatives of the city and the health insurer. Members will work to assess potential health care fraud and instances of wasteful spending.

15 Aug 2012

Blocking PHD2 oxygen sensor can render cancer treatments more effective

Researchers in Leuven (VIB/KU Leuven) have confirmed their hypothesis that normalizing blood vessels by blocking oxygen sensor PHD2 would make chemotherapy more effective.

15 Aug 2012