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Many hospitals struggle to meet electronic health records deadline and face penalties

Many of the nation's hospitals struggled to meet a federally mandated electronic health records deadline, and as a result could collectively face millions of dollars in reduced Medicare payments this year, a University of Michigan study shows.

7 Aug 2014

Studies link meals consumed at fast-food and full-service restaurants with higher caloric intake

For adults, eating at both fast-food and full-service restaurants is associated with significant increases in the intake of calories, sugar, saturated fat, and sodium, according to a new study.

7 Aug 2014

Z Trim launches soluble dietary fiber ingredient, Biofiber Gum

Z Trim Holdings, Inc., an AgriTech company providing value-added, highly functional ingredients to a variety of industries, announced today the commercial launch of a food-grade, soluble dietary fiber ingredient called Biofiber Gum ("BFG").

7 Aug 2014

Study focuses on benefits of human milk for sick newborns

Human milk is infant food, but for sick, hospitalized babies, it's also medicine. That's the central premise of a series of articles in a neonatal nursing journal's special issue focused on human milk for sick newborns.

7 Aug 2014

New study casts doubt on the effectiveness of brief counseling for illicit drug use

In an effort to stem substance use, the U.S. has invested heavily in the past decade in a brief screening-and-intervention protocol for alcohol and other drugs.

7 Aug 2014

American Journal of Public Health special issue to highlight health disparities among Veterans Affairs

In an online-only, open access special issue of the American Journal of Public Health, researchers investigate issues of health equity, quality and disparities within the Veterans Affairs health care system.

7 Aug 2014

Low levels of vitamin D may double dementia, Alzheimer's risks

In the largest study of its kind, researchers suggests that in older people, not getting enough vitamin D may double the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The study is published in the August 6, 2014, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Aug 2014

UMass Amherst researcher receives grant to uncover molecular mechanisms of skeletal muscle fatigue

Muscle physiologist Edward Debold at the University of Massachusetts Amherst's School of Public Health and Health Sciences recently received a three-year, $198,000 grant from the American Heart Association to support studies to uncover the molecular mechanisms of skeletal muscle fatigue.

7 Aug 2014

Proper seat belt use is crucial in saving children's lives

9 out of 10 children are seriously or fatally injured in traffic accidents because they are incorrectly restrained or because of loose objects in cars. Correct use of safety equipment will save more lives, according to a new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

7 Aug 2014

Sinai Hospital’s groundbreaking program helps ER patients to manage own care

Sinai Hospital of Baltimore and HealthCare Access Maryland are piloting a groundbreaking program developed to proactively help patients, who frequently use the hospital's Emergency Department for non-urgent and chronic health conditions, better manage their own care, lead healthier lives, and in turn, save precious health-related resources.

6 Aug 2014

Improving nutrition is essential for promoting Aboriginal health

Nutrition has not been given enough priority in national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health policy in recent years.

6 Aug 2014

Racial differences in life expectancy vary substantially across U.S. states

Racial differences in life expectancy have declined nationally but still vary substantially across U.S. states, according to a new study by McGill University researchers.

6 Aug 2014

Promoting healthy diet from infancy important to prevent childhood obesity

Promoting a healthy diet from infancy is important to prevent childhood obesity and the onset of chronic disease.

6 Aug 2014

Potential health concerns, but limited data on electronic cigarettes safety

Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) are booming in popularity-but there's still only limited evidence on their potential health risks, or their advertised benefits in helping people to quit smoking, according to a research review in the July/August Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

6 Aug 2014

Study suggests that cuts in Medicare prices may slow overall hospital spending

A recent study in Health Services Research based on 15 years of hospital data suggests that cuts in Medicare prices under the Affordable Care Act may slow the growth in total overall hospital spending.

5 Aug 2014

Costly specialty drugs drive up Medicare tab

ProPublica and The New York Times look at the explosive spending growth from an obscure medication for treating multiple sclerosis and a rare kidney disease -- and how several top prescribers have links to drugmaker, Questcor Pharmaceuticals.

5 Aug 2014

Computer simulation forecasts favorable trends in eradicating hepatitis C

5 Aug 2014

Hepatitis C could become a rare disease by 2036

Effective new drugs and screening would make hepatitis C a rare disease by 2036, according to a computer simulation conducted by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. The results of the simulation are reported in the August 5 edition of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

5 Aug 2014

Diabetics who live in low-income neighborhoods are up to 10 times more likely to lose toe, foot, leg

It's no secret that poverty is bad for your health. Now a new UCLA study demonstrates that California diabetics who live in low-income neighborhoods are up to 10 times more likely to lose a toe, foot or leg than patients residing in more affluent areas of the state.

5 Aug 2014

Findings support regular mammography screening in women ages 75 and older

Mammography-detected breast cancer is associated with a shift to earlier stage diagnosis in older women, subsequently reducing the rate of more advanced, difficult-to-treat cases, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.

5 Aug 2014