Doctor News and Research

RSS

HIV/AIDS in Haiti - progress made, challenges remain

There is "some good news" in the fight against HIV in the Americas, Cesar Chelala -- an international public health consultant -- writes in a Miami Herald opinion piece, adding that "most surprisingly, it's coming from Haiti, one of the countries hardest hit by the epidemic." Chelala writes that United Nations data show that about 2.2% of Haiti's population -- or 120,000 people -- are living with HIV/AIDS and that AIDS-related deaths in the country have decreased in recent years.

16 Mar 2009

Lexington Herald-Leader examines funding issues in Kentucky HIV/AIDS clinic

The Lexington Herald-Leader on Thursday examined funding issues faced by the Bluegrass Care Clinic, a Kentucky-based HIV/AIDS clinic that has seen a twofold increase in the number of patients over the last eight years, despite receiving no federal funding increases.

16 Mar 2009

Colon cancer screenings recommended at 45 for African Americans

According to the American Cancer Society, there were about 108,070 new cases of colon cancer and 40,740 new cases of rectal cancer in 2008. Overall, the two cancers caused nearly 50,000 deaths last year.

16 Mar 2009

Telehealth for diabetes promotes aging at home, not in the hospital

A large study of ethnically and racially diverse individuals with diabetes has found that home telemonitoring of their health resulted in significantly fewer deaths than in a similar group that was not monitored. Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

12 Mar 2009

Weighing the options after life-altering stroke

Choosing to have aggressive brain surgery after suffering a severe stroke generally improves the patients' lives and allows them to live longer, according to research by neurologists at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

12 Mar 2009

Mandatory obstructive sleep apnea screenings could reduce risk of truck crashes

Truck crashes are a significant public health hazard causing thousands of deaths and injuries each year, with driver fatigue and sleepiness being major causes.

11 Mar 2009

Interventional treatment can be recommended as first-line treatment for 'silent killer'

Endovascular or endograft repair, a minimally invasive interventional radiology treatment that uses stent grafts to treat abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), has low re-intervention rates that are comparable to those reported for open surgical repair-and can be recommended as first-line treatment, according to a study released at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 34th Annual Scientific Meeting.

11 Mar 2009

Many terminally ill patients feel abandoned by their doctors

Terminally ill patients and their family caregivers often feel abandoned by their doctors and feel a sense of "unfinished business with them, according to a new study by an oncologist at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.

10 Mar 2009

Extra medicare charges for the rich a slippery slope, expert says

A growing trend toward higher Medicare premiums for the richest Americans could ultimately creep into the retirement income of less-wealthy seniors, a University of Illinois expert on federal health insurance warns.

10 Mar 2009

Ecstasy may help suffers of post-traumatic stres

Ecstasy may help suffers of post-traumatic stress learn to deal with their memories more effectively by encouraging a feeling of safety, according to an article in the Journal of Psychopharmacology published by SAGE.

10 Mar 2009

New clinical support tool gives doctors the complete picture

During the course of a hospitalization, patients are seen by a variety of specialists in addition to the physician who has primary responsibility for their care.

8 Mar 2009

Saving heart attack patients in the middle of the night

When Joyce Moss recently arrived at Loyola University Hospital with a life-threatening heart attack, it took just 42 minutes to perform an emergency balloon angioplasty.

5 Mar 2009

More companies offering 'telehealth' consultations

Various "telehealth" services -- allowing consumers access to health care via telephone, Internet or other telecommunications devices -- have cropped up in recent months, the Wall Street Journal reports.

5 Mar 2009

Some physicians asking patients to sign 'gag orders'

Some physicians have begun to ask patients "to agree to what amounts to a gag order that bars them from posting negative comments" on Web sites where patients can rate their doctors anonymously because of concerns about the fairness of such reviews, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports.

4 Mar 2009

Almost half of all adolescents suffer low back pain

A study led by Catalan researchers confirms that 40% of adolescents have low back pain at least once a month. However, the real effect of this pain is minimal in 90% of cases. Another important piece of information: only 35% of adolescents have not had any type of pain in the last month.

4 Mar 2009