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Indicators of poor preoperative health predict risk of major medical complications

For older adults undergoing surgery for spinal stenosis, some simple indicators of poor preoperative health predict a high risk of major medical complications, reports a study in the September 1 issue of Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

4 Sep 2013

New joint program could improve patient care, physician and staff morale

The common refrain about health care is that it's a broken system. A new joint program between the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, demonstrates a way to mend the system with a new patient-centered program that is getting raves from patients, as well as the residents and nurses who provide their care. Results from the program are highlighted in a study being released in September.

3 Sep 2013

Omecamtiv mecarbil fails to achieve primary endpoint in phase II ATOMIC-AHF study

Omecamtiv mecarbil, a cardiac myosin-activator, did not achieve its primary efficacy endpoint in reducing dyspnoea (shortness of breath) in patients with acute heart failure, according to the results of the phase II ATOMIC-AHF (Acute Treatment with Omecamtiv Mecarbil to Increase Contractility in Acute Heart Failure) study.

3 Sep 2013

Research: Male sexual development less stable than other genetic programs

The idea that men and women are fundamentally different from each other is widely accepted. And throughout the world, this has created distinct ideas about which social and physical characteristics are necessary in each gender to maintain healthy human development.

3 Sep 2013

Viewpoints: Rove says job losses growing under health law; GOP strategists say health overhaul is aiding their path to white house; Mich. Senators who opposed Medicaid expansion gave themselves lifetime medical benefits

Thousands of American higher-education administrators will spend part of Labor Day weekend trying to plumb the meaning of the ideas President Obama dropped on them last week to "reform" the American college and university system.

30 Aug 2013

Wal-Mart to offer health benefits to same-sex partners of employees

The nation's largest private employer said it's making the move to have one policy for the entire company, which must otherwise navigate each state's laws regarding civil unions and domestic partnerships.

29 Aug 2013

Pulmonary hypertension may be caused by molecular pathway that damages blood vessels

Pulmonary hypertension, a deadly form of high blood pressure that develops in the lungs, may be caused by an inflammation-producing molecular pathway that damages the inner lining of blood vessels, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

29 Aug 2013

Legislation proposed to end federal funding for lawmaker's health insurance

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said she will introduce the bill when Congress returns from its five-week break in September.

28 Aug 2013

Wait times for colorectal cancer procedures at VA hospitals increase to 32 days

A study published in the August print issue of the Journal of Oncology Practice shows that from 1998-2008, wait times for colorectal cancer operations at Veterans Administration hospitals increased from 19 to 32 days. But researchers think longer waits may be a reflection of several unmeasured variables including more careful care, staffing, and patient conditions or preferences.

27 Aug 2013

VA health system scrutiny draws headlines

Howard and Jean Somers have been meeting with VA officials and congressional staffers to tell their son's story. "If your system is so difficult to get into," Howard Somers asked, "how the hell are you going to prevent suicides?" ... (Daniel's) service in Iraq, including multiple combat missions as a turret gunner, left him with severe post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

27 Aug 2013

Article sheds new light on differences between normal aging and Alzheimer's disease

The ability of different regions of the brain to communicate gradually breaks down with aging and in Alzheimer's disease, but there are key differences between these two processes. Some of these differences are reported in a study that compared neural networks, signaling efficiency, and disruptions in connectivity in the brains of healthy elderly subjects and patients with Alzheimer's disease.

23 Aug 2013

Brain size can predispose person to develop eating disorders

New research indicates that teens with anorexia nervosa have bigger brains than teens that do not have the eating disorder. That is according to a study by researchers at the University of Colorado's School of Medicine that examined a group of adolescents with anorexia nervosa and a group without.

23 Aug 2013

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy may affect people's thinking, memory, behavior and mood

New research suggests that chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain disease associated with repeat brain trauma including concussions in athletes, may affect people in two major ways: initially affecting behavior or mood or initially affecting memory and thinking abilities.

22 Aug 2013

Low-cost intervention reduces transmission of lymphatic filariasis to undetectable levels

An international team of scientists have demonstrated that a simple, low-cost intervention holds the potential to eradicate a debilitating tropical disease that threatens nearly 1.4 billion people in more than six dozen countries.

22 Aug 2013

Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine's July issue focuses on assistive technology for spinal cord injury

The July issue of the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine focuses on, "Advances in Technology for People with Spinal Cord Injury." Guest Editor Rory Cooper, PhD, is a member of the journal's Editorial Board. Dr. Cooper is the FISA/PVA Endowed Chair and a Distinguished Professor of the Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh.

22 Aug 2013

RTI International takes initiatives to understand long-term effects of TBI in military members, veterans

As part of a federal initiative to better understand traumatic brain injuries suffered by the nation's military service members and veterans, researchers at RTI International will join a consortium led by Virginia Commonwealth University to better understand the long-term effects of chronic mild brain injuries, or concussions.

21 Aug 2013

RNA biomarkers in blood may identify people at risk for committing suicide

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers have found a series of RNA biomarkers in blood that may help identify who is at risk for committing suicide.

20 Aug 2013

Mathematical model to help answer critical questions to large-scale anthrax exposure

If terrorists targeted the United States with an anthrax attack, health care providers and policy makers would need key information - such as knowing the likelihood of an individual becoming infected, how many cases to expect and in what pattern, and how long to give antibiotics - to protect people from the deadly bacteria.

17 Aug 2013

UCSF researchers develop assessment tool to predict patient's risk of delirium

UC San Francisco researchers have developed a two-minute assessment tool to help hospital staff predict a patient-s risk of delirium, a change in mental cognition characterized by severe confusion and disorientation that can prolong hospital stays.

7 Aug 2013

Mailed outreach invitations to underserved patients result in higher CRC screening

Among underserved patients whose colorectal cancer (CRC) screening was not up to date, mailed outreach invitations appear to result in higher CRC screening compared with usual care, according to a study by Samir Gupta, M.D., M.S.C.S., of the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, and the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues.

6 Aug 2013

Veterans Affairs News and Research

Indicators of poor preoperative health predict risk of major medical complications

New joint program could improve patient care, physician and staff morale

Omecamtiv mecarbil fails to achieve primary endpoint in phase II ATOMIC-AHF study

Research: Male sexual development less stable than other genetic programs

Viewpoints: Rove says job losses growing under health law; GOP strategists say health overhaul is aiding their path to white house; Mich. Senators who opposed Medicaid expansion gave themselves lifetime medical benefits

Wal-Mart to offer health benefits to same-sex partners of employees

Pulmonary hypertension may be caused by molecular pathway that damages blood vessels

Legislation proposed to end federal funding for lawmaker's health insurance

Wait times for colorectal cancer procedures at VA hospitals increase to 32 days

VA health system scrutiny draws headlines

Article sheds new light on differences between normal aging and Alzheimer's disease

Brain size can predispose person to develop eating disorders

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy may affect people's thinking, memory, behavior and mood

Low-cost intervention reduces transmission of lymphatic filariasis to undetectable levels

Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine's July issue focuses on assistive technology for spinal cord injury

RTI International takes initiatives to understand long-term effects of TBI in military members, veterans

RNA biomarkers in blood may identify people at risk for committing suicide

Mathematical model to help answer critical questions to large-scale anthrax exposure

UCSF researchers develop assessment tool to predict patient's risk of delirium

Mailed outreach invitations to underserved patients result in higher CRC screening

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

How microplastics and bacteria interact to drive antibiotic resistance

Single-cell proteomics: Revealing proteome diversity from cellular heterogeneity to non-canonical biology

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