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Shorter stay protocols for TKR patients may increase risk of mortality, readmission

No previous research has quantified and compared the costs and outcomes between total knee replacement (TKR) patients who have differing lengths of hospital stay following surgery.

10 Feb 2012

Web-based tool suite helps first responders rapidly coordinate resources during disasters

A Web-based tool suite that helps first responders rapidly coordinate resources during disasters, co-sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), is being introduced at a University of Connecticut panel Feb. 8-11 as part of a month-long rollout.

10 Feb 2012

Scientists identify single prion protein that causes neuronal death

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have identified a single prion protein that causes neuronal death similar to that seen in "mad cow" disease, but is at least 10 times more lethal than larger prion species.

10 Feb 2012

Congressional Republicans vow to overturn contraception rule

Speaker John Boehner was among those who promised Wednesday to get rid of the administration's regulation that would require religious employers, such as hospitals, charities and universities, to cover free birth control for employees.

10 Feb 2012

$Hip fracture patients should be screened for cervical myelopathy$

Hip fracture patients should be screened for cervical myelopathy

Hip fractures are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in elderly patients. Cervical myelopathy is a common neurological condition that can diminish balance and coordination. In new research presented today at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), investigators screened 28 hip fracture patients and 35 hip replacement patients for cervical myelopathy. Eighteen percent (five) of the hip fracture patients did indeed have cervical myelopathy. None of the hip replacement patients tested positive for the condition.

10 Feb 2012

White House scrambles for compromise on birth control rule

Officials say Obama remains committed to the HHS regulation, amid indications they are exploring ways to get around religious groups' complaints.

10 Feb 2012

VCU program reduces cost and utilization of ED among uninsured population

The cost of caring for the uninsured population who will gain coverage through the Affordable Care Act of 2014 can be reduced by almost half once the act is implemented, according to a new study from Virginia Commonwealth University researchers.

10 Feb 2012

Survey finds doctors not always honest with patients

Most physicians paint overly optimistic prognoses for their patients, and many have withheld information concerning their medical mistakes and financial relationships with drug companies and device manufacturers, according to a national survey published in Health Affairs.

10 Feb 2012

Automated insulin pump delivery can reduce hypoglycemia in individuals with type 1 diabetes

An automated on/off feature built into insulin pump systems can suspend insulin delivery when it detects low blood glucose levels (via continuous glucose monitoring), significantly reducing the severity and duration of hypoglycemia in individuals with type 1 diabetes, according to a study published in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

10 Feb 2012

Komen's Brinker apologizes for 'how we mishandled this situation'

In her first public statement since her organization reversed a decision to stop donating to Planned Parenthood, Nancy Brinker, the founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, said that "I made some mistakes" in the case, which swelled into a massive controversy. Brinker, in a letter to Washington Post columnist Sally Quinn, also noted that many commentators had blamed "culture wars" for the intensity of the criticism over the foundation's cutoff of funding.

10 Feb 2012

VTT develops new NFC-based applications for visually impaired

As the proportion of senior citizens grows, their special needs are gaining momentum. Human eyesight, for example, weakens with age. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has been developing new NFC-based applications that make life easier for the visually impaired.

10 Feb 2012

Democrats to unveil options to pay for 'doc fix,' other measures

Republicans expect to receive on Thursday a list of Democratic options to pay for a large tax-cut extension measure that includes a freeze in scheduled cuts to Medicare physician pay rates. However, at least one Republican expects negotiations on the legislation to make little progress before a law freezing current policy in place expires at the end of the month.

10 Feb 2012

Genomics pioneer to present at ARVO 2012 meeting

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology is pleased to welcome J. Craig Venter as the keynote speaker at the opening session of ARVO 2012 on Sunday, May 6 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Venter's presentation is entitled "From Reading to Writing the Genetic Code."

10 Feb 2012

New program aims to reduce early elective deliveries

The Obama administration launched a $40 million effort Wednesday to reduce premature births, especially early elective deliveries, but it has no plans to stop Medicaid from paying for those deliveries.

10 Feb 2012

Researchers call for collective effort to halt increases in drug-resistant gonorrhea

Researchers are continuing to sound the alarm on the growing threat of multi-drug resistant gonorrhea in the United States, according to a Perspective commentary in the Feb. 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

10 Feb 2012

Hospitals seek to consolidate in Ga., Wis. and N.Y.; Other state hospital news

Hospitals in Atlanta, Wisconsin and New York are consolidating or partnering more closely with others in a bid to reduce costs and save themselves. In other hospital news, small California hospitals market back surgery to patients and a Minnesota hospital faces a "patient abuse" crisis.

10 Feb 2012

Study: Syncope results in unexplained cardiac arrests

Up to 45,000 sudden cardiac arrests occur each year in Canada, and less than five percent survive. In some of these cases, the event cannot be explained by the presence of underlying heart disease. In order to identify people at risk of these unexplained cardiac events, a newly published study examined the presence of certain warning symptoms that are present in people who have been resuscitated from a cardiac arrest.

10 Feb 2012

Quantifying the quality of health aid

In this post on the Center for Global Development's (CGD) "Global Health Policy" blog, Amanda Glassman, director of global health policy and a research fellow at CGD, and Denizhan Duran, a research assistant in global health policy at CGD, describe a paper they wrote in which they try to determine "which donor provides the 'best' health aid, and why this is a relevant question."

10 Feb 2012

Vytacera Pharma to develop Sulfanegen for treatment of cyanide poisoning

Cyanide poisoning is often fatal and typically affects victims of industrial accidents, terrorist attacks, or structural fires. Based on research conducted at the Center for Drug Design at the University of Minnesota, startup Vytacera Pharma Inc. will develop and market Sulfanegen, a treatment for cyanide poisoning. Sulfanegen could be administered by first responders in the case of a mass casualty emergency, or to victims of smoke inhalation from a house fire.

10 Feb 2012

WFP, FAO warn food security worsening for millions in South Sudan, call for action

The U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) "warned Wednesday that millions of people in South Sudan are facing worsening hunger and called for urgent action to improve food security through adequate food aid and projects to boost agricultural production," the U.N. News Centre reports,

10 Feb 2012