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CAC screening plays more prominent role in determining risk for heart attack and stroke

A new study shows that coronary artery calcium (CAC) screening, an assessment tool that is not currently recommended for people considered at low risk, should play a more prominent role in helping determine a person’s risk for heart attack and heart disease-related death, as well as the need for angioplasty or bypass surgery.

26 Dec 2013

Younger women with breast cancer less likely to receive radiotherapy after BCS

Radiotherapy after breast conserving surgery has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence. However, although younger women tend to have more aggressive tumors and have higher risks of recurrence than older BC patients, they are less likely to receive RT after BCS, according to a study published December 24 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Although treatment patterns among older BC patients have been well-studied, factors affecting non-compliance among younger women are not well-known.

25 Dec 2013

Concordia Healthcare acquires Pinnacle Biologics

Concordia Healthcare Corp., an integrated, specialty healthcare company focused on the acquisition of legacy pharmaceutical products and medical devices and the acquisition and/or development of orphan drugs, announced today that it has acquired Pinnacle Biologics, Inc., a U.S.-based biopharmaceutical company specializing in legacy pharmaceuticals which have the potential for development as orphan drugs to treat cancer indications in addition to those for which they have previously been approved.

24 Dec 2013

Paired exchange and incompatible kidney transplant program launched by UAB

Ann Marie Reynolds, a 32-year-old who has been in and out of hospitals fighting chronic kidney disease since she was a teenager, had a less than 1 percent chance of receiving a kidney without the University of Alabama at Birmingham's groundbreaking organ donation system that helped her and two other hard-to-match patients get kidneys in a three-way, incompatible kidney exchange earlier this year.

24 Dec 2013

Medical consultation increases for Medicare patients before cataract surgery

Preoperative consultations before cataract surgery became more common for Medicare patients despite no clear guidelines about when to require such a service, hinting at unnecessary use of health care resources, according to a study published by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

24 Dec 2013

Researchers report new gene delivery method that targets tumor blood vessels

Working in mice, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report developing a gene delivery method long sought in the field of gene therapy: a deactivated virus carrying a gene of interest that can be injected into the bloodstream and make its way to the right cells.

24 Dec 2013

Research review examines effectiveness of treatments for chronic skin wounds

A systematic review of 66 research papers focused on the treatment of skin ulcers suggests that most are so technically flawed that their results are unreliable. And even of those that pass muster, there is only weak evidence that some treatments work better than standard compression therapy or special stockings.

24 Dec 2013

Hazards of dietary supplements, new birth control device explored

Dietary supplements account for nearly 20 percent of drug-related liver injuries reported by hospitals, according to The New York Times, while a surge in adverse event reports about Essure, a device hailed as next generation birth control, is explored by the Chicago Tribune. NPR looks at the increase in newborn screening tests.

23 Dec 2013

Preoperative antibiotics within two hours of cardiac surgery decrease risk of developing SSIs

A new study found preoperative antibiotic therapy administered within two hours of cardiac surgery decreased the risk of developing surgical site infections (SSIs) significantly. The study was published in the January issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

23 Dec 2013

Reflux disease diagnosis: an interview with Professor Peter Dettmar, Managing Director of RD Biomed Limited

Generally speaking, reflux has been a major chronic issue for probably the last 40 or 50 years. When you look at the global population, depending on which country we're talking about, around 20% to 40% of individuals have reflux disease within their populations.

23 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 23, 2013

The early morning highlights from the major news organizations examine today's deadline for enrolling for health insurance that would begin Jan. 1, as well as a variety of other health law stories and several articles on mental health issues:

23 Dec 2013

Study shows CAC screening plays prominent role in determining person's risk for heart attack and stoke

A new study shows that coronary artery calcium (CAC) screening, an assessment tool that is not currently recommended for people considered at low risk, should play a more prominent role in helping determine a person's risk for heart attack and heart disease-related death, as well as the need for angioplasty or bypass surgery.

23 Dec 2013

Surgeons at French hospital perform first Navio UKR procedures

Blue Belt Technologies announces the first Navio™ unicondylar knee replacement (UKR) procedures performed in France, completed on September 30th, October 15th and Nov 4th 2013 by Professor Philippe Neyret and Dr. Sébastien Lustig at Hospices Civils de Lyon in France.

23 Dec 2013

Exposure to images of modified vulvas can significantly influence women's perceptions

Women's perceptions of what is considered normal and desirable female genitalia may be influenced by exposure to modified images, suggests a new study published today (20 December) in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

23 Dec 2013

Real and sham weekly acupuncture treatments ease hot flashes of anticancer drug treatment

Both real and sham weekly acupuncture treatments eased hot flashes and other side effects of anticancer drug treatment in a small, preliminary study of breast cancer patients, Baltimore researchers have found.

23 Dec 2013

Researchers start first cancer operation room with navigator

A team of researchers from Gregorio Marañón Hospital, the company GMV and the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) have started the first cancer operation room with a navigator. This image-guided system will allow for increased intraoperative radiotherapy safety.

22 Dec 2013

New optical device puts the power to detect retinal disease in the palm of a hand

A new optical device puts the power to detect eye disease in the palm of a hand. The tool-about the size of a hand-held video camera-scans a patient's entire retina in seconds and could aid primary care physicians in the early detection of a host of retinal diseases including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and macular degeneration.

22 Dec 2013

TeamHealth Holdings announces acquisition of Professional Anesthesia Services

TeamHealth Holdings Inc., one of the nation's largest providers of outsourced physician staffing solutions for hospitals, announced the acquisition of the operations of Professional Anesthesia Services, LLP. Based in Omaha, Neb., Professional Anesthesia Services' physicians and certified registered nurse anesthetists manage more than 18,000 cases annually through anesthesia management services for Bergan Mercy Medical Center and three ambulatory surgery centers.

20 Dec 2013

UC San Diego Sulpizio listed in “100 Hospitals with Great Heart Programs”

UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center (SCVC) has been featured in the latest Becker's Hospital Review list of "100 Hospitals with Great Heart Programs."

20 Dec 2013

IQWiG reassesses vemurafenib for treatment of advanced melanoma

Pursuant to the Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products (AMNOG), the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) reassessed vemurafenib (trade name: Zelboraf), a drug for the treatment of adults with a certain type of advanced melanoma.

20 Dec 2013