Language News and Research

RSS

Language skills are essential to a child’s ability to communicate and develop. These skills enable children to engage with other people and learn from their surroundings and in the classroom.

New Canadian book helps demystify the health care system

If your usual cure for what ails you is to "take two pills and call in the morning" you might be in need of some better medical advice. Take as Directed is a new book from Dalhousie University pharmacy professor Neil MacKinnon and Dal Medical School alumni Rhonda Church. Aimed at helping Canadians from all walks of life navigate the health care system, Take as Directed is essential reading for anybody who is concerned about their health and well being.

23 Sep 2010

Gait disruption increases risk of falls in Parkinson's patients: Study

We've all heard the saying about people who can't walk and chew gum at the same time, but it turns out that walking and talking is difficult enough, especially for people with Parkinson's disease who are at increased risk for falls with injury.

23 Sep 2010

Research offers new strategy to increase learning with less effort

Scientists long have recognized that many perceptual skills important for language comprehension and reading can be enhanced through practice. Now research from Northwestern University suggests a new way of training that could reduce by at least half the effort previously thought necessary to make learning gains.

23 Sep 2010

Data shows preoperative Web-based interactive programs reduce hospital stays

Patients who participate in Web-based interactive programs prior to surgery have a significantly shorter length of stay than those who do not, according to new data. Preoperative education reinforces messages about care instructions and safety, and reduces the level of stress patients experience after their procedure - leading to improved efficiency and care.

23 Sep 2010

MHPA statement highlights common ground between Medicaid health plans, PCMH model

Today, Medicaid Health Plans of America released a policy statement and white paper highlighting the common ground between Medicaid health plans and the patient-centered medical home model. According to MHPA, the capabilities of Medicaid plans are closely aligned with the principles of PCMHs and therefore plans should be included in states' PCMH implementation strategies. MHPA's Policy Statement notes that collaboration between states, medical home providers and health plans is essential for coordinating complex inpatient and outpatient needs of Medicaid beneficiaries.

22 Sep 2010

ACP releases updated resource guide on health care reform

An updated practical resource guide for internists on the health care reform law adopted last March 23, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), was released today by the American College of Physicians (ACP).

22 Sep 2010

Researchers explain how nerve cells transmit electrical signals

Billions of brain cells are communicating at any given moment. Like an organic supercomputer they keep everything going, from breathing to solving riddles, and "programming errors" can lead to serious conditions such as schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

22 Sep 2010

Secretary-General opens U.N. summit on MDGS with appeal for world leaders to maintain target commitments

On the first of the three-day U.N. Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday appealed "to the assembled presidents, prime ministers and kings to use their power to meet U.N. goals to help the world's poorest by 2015," the Associated Press reports.

22 Sep 2010

Over 10% of children falsely identified as having noise induced hearing loss

New research from University of Minnesota hearing scientists shows that fewer than 20 percent of teenagers in the United States have a hearing loss as a result of exposure to loud sounds, thus offering a different analysis of data reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in August.

21 Sep 2010

Public health at risk as Vitamin D evidence mounts

A group of prevention-focused healthcare organizations has expressed deep concern over recently-proposed restrictions to OHIP coverage of Vitamin D testing in the province. The proposed new legislation will delist OHIP insured Vitamin D testing for most Ontarians. Exceptions will be made for those with osteoporosis, malabsorption syndromes, and individuals taking medications that interfere with vitamin D absorption or metabolism.

21 Sep 2010

AMI announces EMscribe 10 CAC software to support ICD-10 diagnostic coding system

Artificial Medical Intelligence today announced EMscribe® 10 Computer Assisted Coding (CAC) software to support the new ICD-10 diagnostic coding system required by the Department of Health and Human Services for all healthcare organizations to implement by October 2013.

20 Sep 2010

Intensive care diary entries can reduce PTSD rates: Study

Some intensive care patients develop post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) after the trauma of a difficult hospital stay, and this is thought to be exacerbated by delusional or fragmentary memories of their time in the intensive care unit. Now researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Critical Care have found that if staff and close relatives make a diary for patients, featuring information about their stay and accompanied by photographs, PTSD rates can be significantly reduced.

16 Sep 2010

Professor advocates steps to help health care industry increase patient understanding of health information

Studies show that nearly half of all Americans have difficulty understanding health information. Confusing medical directions, such as dosage and timing of prescription medicine, can lead to serious consequences including health setbacks, inappropriate hospital admissions and, sometimes, death. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri School of Health Professions are examining what health care facilities can do to increase patient understanding and positive outcomes.

16 Sep 2010

ESMO honors three eminent cancer specialists for their contribution towards medical research

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) honors three eminent cancer specialists for their contribution to the advancement of medical research. The awards will be presented to Hilary Calvert, Alberto Costa and Bengt Glimelius at the 35th ESMO Congress, to take place from 8-12 October in Milan, Italy.

16 Sep 2010

ESMO honors eminent cancer specialists

15 Sep 2010

AAPCHO launches campaign to raise chronic hepatitis B awareness

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health, the Hepatitis B Foundation and the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) today launched a new campaign to raise awareness of the epidemic of chronic hepatitis B among Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage.

15 Sep 2010

Children as young as 4 understand irony

New research findings from the Universit- de Montr-al reveals that children as young as four are able to understand and use irony. This study, published recently in the British Journal of Developmental Psychology, may impact the way parents communicate with their family.

15 Sep 2010

Guidance allowing children with life-limiting illness to receive both hospice care and curative treatments praised

The families of dying children who are covered under Medicaid or the Medicaid expansion Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will no longer face the choice of stopping curative treatments in order for their terminally ill child to receive quality end-of-life care from hospice.

14 Sep 2010

AMCP supports legislation to prohibit financial agreements for delaying marketing of lower-cost generic drugs

The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) supports the inclusion of legislative language similar to S. 369 — the Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act — in appropriations legislation now under consideration by the Senate. S. 369 would prohibit financial agreements between brand-name and generic pharmaceutical manufacturers to delay the marketing of lower-cost generic drugs.

14 Sep 2010

Structural component inside neurons dances when connections are strengthened

Scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have uncovered how a structural component inside neurons performs two coordinated dance moves when the connections between neurons are strengthened.

14 Sep 2010