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US hospitals lack infection prevention staff, resources to fight Ebola

Only 6 percent of U.S. hospitals are well-prepared to receive a patient with the Ebola virus, according to a survey of infection prevention experts at U.S. hospitals conducted October 10-15 by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

24 Oct 2014

Medicinal plant market goes untested for health hazards, shows study

Medicinal plant market goes untested for health hazards, according to a recent study published in journal Fungal Biology

24 Oct 2014

Viewpoints: Fund CHIP; media overdrive on Ebola; slowdown in Medicare costs

In what may be a hopelessly quixotic effort, supporters of the federal Children's Health Insurance Program are trying to persuade Congress to renew its funding almost a year in advance -; and in a lame-duck session. Nevertheless, lawmakers ought to heed that call. The program plugs a troubling gap between Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act's subsidized plans, and states need to know whether they can count on federal funding or whether they will have to spend far more dollars of their own (10/21).

24 Oct 2014

Human trial of second investigational Ebola vaccine candidate under way

Human testing of a second investigational Ebola vaccine candidate is under way at the National Institutes of Health's Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

23 Oct 2014

Study: Music therapy improves self-esteem, reduces depression in children

Researchers at Queen's University Belfast have discovered that music therapy reduces depression in children and adolescents with behavioural and emotional problems.

23 Oct 2014

Daylight saving associated with public health benefits

We all like the light evenings and dread the clocks going back, but it has now been shown that more hours of waking daylight may be beneficial to our health. Research published today (just before the end of UK daylight saving) shows that permanent adoption of daylight saving could increase the amount of physical activity in children.

23 Oct 2014

Novel approach may help detect invasive aspergillosis

Many different microbes can cause pneumonia, and treatment may be delayed or off target if doctors cannot tell which bug is the culprit. A novel approach—analyzing a patient's breath for key chemical compounds made by the infecting microbe—may help detect invasive aspergillosis, a fungal infection that is a leading cause of mortality in patients with compromised immune systems, according to a proof-of-concept study now online in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

23 Oct 2014

Helping children understand Ebola

It dominates the headlines and is striking fear and panic in many communities around the world, Ebola. The constant barrage of information and so much unknown can be especially difficult for children, making it all the more important for parents to help their kids feel safe and to have a dialogue with them at the appropriate developmental level.

23 Oct 2014

‘Neuroprotective’ effects of smoking disputed

The apparent neuroprotective effect of smoking may simply be because ease of quitting smoking is a marker of prodromal Parkinson’s disease, say researchers.

22 Oct 2014

Marital hostility, history of depression can increase obesity risk in adults

The double-whammy of marital hostility and a history of depression can increase the risk for obesity in adults by altering how the body processes high-fat foods, according to new research.

22 Oct 2014

Viewpoints: Health care opponent's legal strategy; the challenge for this open enrollment

In 2011 after the first appeals circuit struck down the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate, the White House asked the Supreme Court to take the case as soon as possible and "put these challenges to rest."

21 Oct 2014

ACA knowledge gap greatest among uninsured

Most of the uninsured know little about the online insurance marketplaces, or that financial help is available for those with low incomes, finds a poll.

21 Oct 2014

Views on Ebola: America needs to 'calm down'; political criticism is off base

A Texas university refuses to accept students from Nigeria, where there were a couple dozen Ebola cases before the disease was quickly stopped.

21 Oct 2014

Researchers find frequency, severity of medication errors among young children

According to Nationwide Children's Hospital researchers, 63,000 children under the age of six experienced out-of-hospital medication errors annually between 2002 and 2012. One child is affected every eight minutes, usually by a well-meaning parent or caregiver unintentionally committing a medication error.

21 Oct 2014

Older individuals exposed to positive messaging exhibit psychological, physical improvements

Older individuals who are subliminally exposed to positive stereotypes about aging showed improved physical functioning that can last for several weeks, a new study led by the Yale School of Public Health has found.

21 Oct 2014

Two IOM members honored for outstanding service

The Institute of Medicine honored members Dan G. Blazer and Richard B. Johnston Jr. for their outstanding service during the IOM's 44th annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

21 Oct 2014

Loyola University Health System to hold medication take-back day

Loyola University Health System will partner with the Cook County Sheriff's Department to hold a medication take-back day.

21 Oct 2014

Views on Ebola: Blame misplaced; conspiracy theories abound; 'nasty' politicization

Anybody who has been following the travails of our dysfunctional health-care system can find plenty of reasons to criticize American hospitals.

21 Oct 2014

Study predicts substantial disruption in individual health insurance if ACA subsidies are eliminated

Eliminating subsidies that help low- and moderate-income people purchase coverage through government-run health insurance marketplaces would sharply boost costs for consumers and cause more than 11 million Americans to lose their health insurance, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

21 Oct 2014

Pentagon plans 30-person team to tackle Ebola in U.S.

The defense department announced Sunday that it would create a team to assist U.S. doctors responding to new Ebola cases, while the government issued more stringent guidelines for protective garb for health care workers treating Ebola patients. In addition, The Wall Street Journal profiles a biologist who has been working since 1997 on an Ebola vaccine which has been proven to block the disease in monkeys.

20 Oct 2014