Research News and Research

RSS

Mass. hospitals oppose state penalties for preventable readmissions

Also in state news, a California news outlet reports on the difficult challenge hospitals face trying to recover overdue bill in a tough economy and another looks at efforts by a handful of hospitals to partner with churches to help reduce health care costs.

22 Sep 2011

Critics complain about changes in mental health coverage in Iowa, Ariz.

Under Iowa's new Medicaid rule, psychiatric patients can fill only 15 days' worth of medications at a time. In Arizona, state officials say the mental health system has weathered deep cuts, but advocates see harm from the move.

22 Sep 2011

Caregivers under financial and emotional strain

Family members or friends caring for aging or disabled individuals in California are under both financial and emotional strain and are likely to face even greater burdens, given recent cuts in state support for programs and services that support in-home care, write the authors of a new policy brief by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

22 Sep 2011

New Poll: 9 out of 10 Ontarians would support an investment in lung health

According to a new Leger Marketing poll conducted for the Ontario Lung Association, 9 out of 10 of Ontarians would support the Ontario government investing in lung health today if it would save future healthcare spending.

22 Sep 2011

Palatin's fourth quarter net loss decreases to $3.3 million

Palatin Technologies, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing bremelanotide for sexual dysfunction indications and PL-3994 for acute asthma and other indications, today announced results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended June 30, 2011.

22 Sep 2011

New findings on Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

The Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), also known as Morbus Sudeck, is characterised by "disinhibition" of various sensory and motor areas in the brain. A multidisciplinary Bochum-based research group, led by Prof. Dr. Martin Tegenthoff and Prof. Dr. Christoph Maier, has now demonstrated for the first time that with unilateral CRPS excitability increases not only in the brain area processing the sense of touch of the affected hand. In addition, the brain region representing the healthy hand is simultaneously "disinhibited".

22 Sep 2011

Jefferson experts review most commonly used CAM practices for mood disorders

Mood disorders are among the most prevalent mental health issues today. While medication is available, more and more people are turning to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), including herbal remedies, acupuncture, and meditation to help manage their mood disorders.

22 Sep 2011

Adolescents in higher density school networks more likely to initiate alcohol use

Most parents recognize that the influence of peers on their children's behavior is an undeniable fact. But, just how far do these influences reach? A study published in the September/October issue of Academic Pediatrics reports that adolescents are more likely to start drinking alcoholic beverages when they have large social networks of friends.

22 Sep 2011

State-federal tensions surround plans for health exchanges

At a meeting this week, state regulators offered their objections to the Obama administration's plans. One focus was the partnership model which would utilize joint state-federal operation of some exchanges. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, GOP lawmakers step-up their criticism of the state's efforts.

22 Sep 2011

New and better understanding of blood vessel growth and angiogenesis in cancer

A new and better understanding of blood vessel growth and vascular development (angiogenesis) in cancer has been made possible by research carried out by a team of scientists from Moffitt Cancer Center, the University of Florida, Harvard University, Yale University and the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.

22 Sep 2011

Looking at the bigger picture of corruption in India's health sector

Milan Vaishnav, a post-doctoral research fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD) and a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at Columbia University in New York who also serves as an adjunct professor at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute (GPPI) at Georgetown University, examines the issue of health sector corruption in India's Uttar Pradesh (UP) state, and in the country at large, in a post in the CGD's "Global Health Policy" blog.

22 Sep 2011

WHO mandated to lead global response against NCDs but funding lacking

In this post in the Center for Global Development's "Global Health Policy" blog, Amanda Glassman, director of global health policy and a research fellow at the center, writes that the "main outcome" of the U.N. High-level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) is an assignment for the WHO "to lead the global response to NCDs, develop a monitoring and evaluation framework, provide technical assistance and track progress towards global targets."

22 Sep 2011

Health officials in Africa address NCDs in addition to HIV/AIDS epidemic

PlusNews examines how health officials are addressing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in sub-Saharan Africa, where "countries grappling with HIV prevalence are now faced with rising epidemics of chronic diseases."

22 Sep 2011

Women's position in the household may influence sexual activity

In Sub-Saharan Africa, women who are empowered to make household decisions tend to have sex less often. This is according to a study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. They examined the relationships between married women's autonomy and the time since most recent sexual intercourse and found that women's position in their household may influence sexual activity.

22 Sep 2011

UNFPA working to ensure health of future generations in Dadaab refugee camps

The health care system in the refugee camps in Dadaab, Kenya, which were established "long ago," are "currently challenged and stretched by the recent influx of refugees," UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimihen writes in this BMJ Group Blogs entry, noting that efforts are underway "to strengthen the existing system with supplies and human resources at clinic and outreach levels" to increase access.

22 Sep 2011

Physician leader: Medical resident training should focus on cost-conscious care

"Why didn't you order test X?" That question, posed routinely to residents by faculty members at teaching hospitals, bears some of the blame for the high and unsustainable cost of U.S. health care, writes a leader of the American College of Physicians in the September 20 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

22 Sep 2011

USAID launches 'FWD' campaign to raise awareness of famine, drought in Horn of Africa

The PBS NewsHour blog "The Rundown" features an interview with USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah, in which he discusses a new website initiative called "FWD," "aimed at giving viewers a better sense of the scope of the famine in the Horn of Africa -- its worst in more than 60 years." The site includes infographics and data maps "intended to contextualize the problem by showing the recent increase in food prices, where internally displaced peoples camps are located, and where various aid groups are operating," according to the blog.

22 Sep 2011

MD Anderson professor wins 2011 Julie and Ben Rogers Award for Excellence in Prevention

Lorna McNeill, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Health Disparities Research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, is the recipient of the 2011 Julie and Ben Rogers Award for Excellence in Prevention.

22 Sep 2011

Leaders address nutrition on sidelines of U.N. NCD meeting

On the sidelines of the U.N. High-level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) on Tuesday, "representatives of governments, civil society and the private sector joined United Nations agencies ... to emphasize the importance of good nutrition, which is vital not only for human health but also for national economic and social development," the U.N. News Centre reports.

22 Sep 2011

Four insurers may help provide answers to health cost puzzle

Four major health insurers announced plans yesterday to pool their health care claims data into a single database to enable researchers to mine for information about trends in costs, utilization and intensity of care.

22 Sep 2011