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Hospital quality needs significant improvement: 2009 Leapfrog Hospital Survey

According to new results from the 2009 Leapfrog Hospital Survey released today at the World Health Congress in Washington, DC, hospital quality needs significant improvement and waste remains rampant. One encouraging sign: steady improvements over time, supporting the value of hundreds of purchasers' growing efforts to use Leapfrog performance data in decision-making, contracting, pay for performance, and benefits design.

13 Apr 2010

Touching story of young man fighting Alzheimer's disease

In her new unwavering memoir, Jim's Journey: The Story of a Young Man with Early On-set Alzheimer's (published by Trafford Publishing), debut author Gretchen L Dausey reveals the touching story of her husband's battle against Alzheimer's disease and her unwavering support despite the inevitable degeneration of his mind and body.

13 Apr 2010

Global mHealth market revenues to reach $1.9 billion by 2014

According to Juniper Research, revenues from remote patient monitoring using mobile networks will rise to almost $1.9 billion globally by 2014, with heart based monitoring in the US accounting for the bulk of early mobile monitoring roll-outs.

13 Apr 2010

Older patients more likely to die in hospital following implantation of defibrillators: Report

Older patients may be more likely to die in the hospital following the implantation of defibrillators or pacemakers, according to a report in the April 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

13 Apr 2010

New tool for retrieving accurate drug side-effect information

It's not uncommon for individuals to take as many as a dozen different prescriptions, each with its own set of possible side effects. If a patient experiences one of the potential hundreds of different adverse reactions such as nausea, headaches, insomnia or heart palpitations, how does the physician quickly and accurately determine which drug is the culprit?

13 Apr 2010

Tailwind device that helps stroke survivors improve arm movement now available

The Tailwind, a new rehabilitation device that helps stroke survivors improve arm movement, even many years after their stroke, is now available on the eve of May as National Stroke Awareness Month. The exercise device empowers stroke survivors to become more independent and enables them to achieve the tasks of daily life.

13 Apr 2010

Loss of lives, hope and trust in the NHS organ donor blunder

In one of the big NHS blunders, nearly 800,000 people who have pledged one or more of their organs for donation may have had their preferences of which organ/s recorded incorrectly for the past 10 years. There are nearly 17 million donors who consent to give all their organs. However some have preferences and withhold consent for some organs like eyes, skin or heart etc. Some had also expressed their wish that their body tissue should not be used in research after their death. This huge error came to public notice in 2009 when the NHS Blood and Transplant started sending out mails to potential donors to check their preferences. Many people wrote back that the information in the records were not right.

13 Apr 2010

Stem cell scientists receive stimulus grants to study lung and blood disorders

Stem cell scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) were awarded stimulus grants totaling almost $2 million to research experimental treatments for blood disorders and inherited lung diseases affecting children.

13 Apr 2010

High glycemic diet in women linked to increased risk of coronary heart disease

Consuming carbohydrates with high glycemic index—an indicator of how quickly a food affects blood glucose levels—appears to be associated with the risk of coronary heart disease in women but not men, according to a report in the April 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

13 Apr 2010

Tips to prevent heat-related injuries among seniors

The dog days of summer are fast approaching, and while we cannot control the rising temperatures on the streets, we can control the heat index of our bodies.

13 Apr 2010

Physicians warn parents on dangers of prescription drug abuse among children

With reports of increased prescription drug overdoses in emergency departments, the nation's emergency physicians are issuing a strong warning to parents about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs, which are now the second most abused drugs, after marijuana. Hospital visits caused by accidental and unintentional prescription drug overdoses went up 37 percent between 1999 and 2006, according to new data released by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

13 Apr 2010

Increase in circulating stem cells can be achieved through Stem-Kine: Study

A study published in the peer reviewed Journal of Translational Medicine demonstrated administration of Stem-Kine, a commercially available nutritional supplement, significantly elevated levels of two types of stem cells in circulation.

13 Apr 2010

DHA crucial for male fertility

According to a University of Illinois study, omega-3 fatty acids may be good for more than heart health. A little-known omega-3 may have implications for treating male infertility.

13 Apr 2010

Zargis Cardioscan software and Littmann Electronic Stethoscope win red dot design award

Zargis Medical Corp., a majority-owned subsidiary of Speedus Corp. (Nasdaq: SPDE), today announced that its Zargis Cardioscan™ device and the compatible 3M™ Littmann® Electronic Stethoscope Model 3200 have jointly won a "red dot: best of the best" award as part of the internationally renowned "red dot award: product design 2010" competition.

13 Apr 2010

Lockheed Martin pledges $4M to aid UCLA Health System's Operation Mend program

The Lockheed Martin Corp. announced today a pledge of $4 million to benefit the UCLA Health System's Operation Mend program, which provides reconstructive surgeries and other health care needs to U.S. military personnel wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

13 Apr 2010

More treatment doesn't mean better outcomes, studies show

USA Today reports that "doctors have long been rewarded for providing more care, though more isn't always better. Three recent studies show that a doctor's instincts are no match for hard science." The studies include one of 800 high blood pressure patients that found opening clogged arteries with stents didn't lower blood pressure and actually raised side effects.

13 Apr 2010

Genes influence chronic kidney disease risk: Research

A team of researchers from the United States and Europe has identified more than a dozen genes that may play a role in the etiology of common forms of kidney disease. The team, known as the CKDGen Consortium, examined common variations in DNA sequences in more than 65,000 individuals of European descent. Common variations in several genes were found to be more frequent among people with poor kidney function or chronic kidney disease than in those with normal kidney function.

13 Apr 2010