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Loyola expert shares symptoms, treatment of minor football injuries

Whether tackle or touch the traditional pick-up family football game is almost as important as the Thanksgiving dinner itself to many families.

23 Nov 2011

TJU expands Jefferson Medical College

Thomas Jefferson University announces the expansion of Jefferson Medical College with the creation of its Delaware Branch Campus. The Campus includes three participating hospitals - Christiana Care Health System, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children and the Wilmington Veterans Affairs Hospital.

23 Nov 2011

MU nutrition experts offer healthy Thanksgiving tips

While most people only gain about a pound of weight during the holiday season, that pound may never come off, increasing the likelihood of becoming overweight or obese and the risk of related health problems, according to a National Institutes of Health study. University of Missouri dietitians recommend families maintain healthy diet and exercise habits during the holiday season beginning with Thanksgiving.

23 Nov 2011

New report: Sharp rise in number of energy drink-related ED visits from 2005-2009

A new nationwide report indicates that from 2005 to 2009, there has been a sharp increase in the number of emergency departments visits associated with the use of non-alcohol energy drinks - from 1,128 visits in 2005 to 13,114 visits in 2009.

23 Nov 2011

Saving Lives at Birth partnership supports two bold ideas that address maternal, newborn deaths

Although Kenyan Sam Agutu and Nigerian Aminu Gamawa come from different countries and backgrounds, they share a common passionate commitment - to save the lives of women giving birth and guarantee infants a healthy start.

23 Nov 2011

Safety tips to avoid burn injuries during holiday season

The "most wonderful time of the year" is also one of the busiest for the Vanderbilt Regional Burn Center. As the holidays approach, doctors at Vanderbilt University Medical Center urge people to exercise caution and eliminate potential dangers that could lead to burn injuries.

23 Nov 2011

Crackdown at social security disability program upsets doctors

Earlier this year, senior managers at the Social Security Administration in Baltimore, frustrated by a growing backlog of applications for federal disability benefits, called meetings with 140 of the agency's doctors.

23 Nov 2011

Commonwealth Fund president to step down at end of 2012

Karen Davis will retire as president of the Commonwealth Fund, a health care research foundation, at the end of 2012. The foundation, based in New York, has hired an executive search firm to find Davis' successor. In a news release announcing her retirement, Davis said she would spend her final year helping with the leadership transition and "pursuing opportunities for contributing toward the work that is so important to ensuring that every American receives the best possible care and the opportunity to lead healthy, productive lives."

23 Nov 2011

WHO director-general Chan nominated for second term

The WHO "said on Monday it has received just one application for the U.N. health agency's top post," which was submitted by China and nominated Margaret Chan, the current WHO director-general and former Hong Kong health chief, Agence France-Presse reports.

23 Nov 2011

Prioritizing the family planning needs of young women

The world reached a population milestone in October, but "in the many discussions that have sprung up around the seven billion benchmark -- all of them important and illuminating -- I don't hear enough about our world's most vulnerable: our youth," Jill Sheffield, founder and president of Women Deliver, writes in this Huffington Post opinion piece.

23 Nov 2011

Pediatricians warn about hazards of button batteries

With the increasing production of electronic products in the consumer market, more button batteries are found in the home setting. From remote controls and watches to musical greeting cards and toys, these small, shiny objects are the perfect size for a curious child to swallow or even push into their nasal cavity or ear canal. It is important for parents to be aware of the dangers that button batteries pose to young children and the damage that these batteries can cause.

23 Nov 2011

Flagging medical errors; Expediting malpractice settlements in N.Y.

Flagging medical errors through a system that emphasizes a lack of punishment and maintains anonymity yields more reports than a traditional method of reporting errors, a team of doctors has found. After introducing the new system at a pediatric clinic in North Carolina, the number of reported mistakes jumped from five to 86 per year on average.

23 Nov 2011

Health spending still in jeopardy despite end of super committee

Although Medicare and Medicaid were largely protected when the panel broke up, budget cutters will continue to eye them, and other health programs will likely have funding reduced.

23 Nov 2011

U.N. says AIDS deaths decline for third successive year

The number of people dying of AIDS around the world declined last year for the third year in a row, at the same time that the fraction of people getting treatment for the infection reached almost 50 percent. Both facts are evidence that progress against the 30-year-old epidemic is gaining momentum, according to the United Nations' annual report on the global AIDS epidemic, released Monday.

23 Nov 2011

Biofeedback optimal performance training can improve quality of life for athletes

Biofeedback optimal performance training can benefit not only the sports performance, but also the overall life functioning of an athlete. Individual athletes, teams, and coaches can gain from a multidisciplinary approach of cognitive and behavioral psychology, biofeedback, and neurofeedback. The U.S. Air Force Academy Peak Performance Center offers student-athletes this additional focus on their sports performance and quality of life.

23 Nov 2011

Recession cuts into health spending; High-deductible plans spread

The economic slump has put the brakes on health spending, which may bolster a conservative truism: When consumers become more sensitive to the cost of health care, they cut back. Or maybe it supports a progressive one: Forcing consumers to have more "skin in the game" means they will cut back on needed care, not just elective or unnecessary care. And neither side can tell for sure yet whether people have changed spending patterns for good or just postponed seeing doctors or getting tests or treatment.

23 Nov 2011

Men less willing to participate in cancer screening than women

Although men have higher cancer mortality rates than women, they are less willing to be screened for cancer, according to a study conducted by researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., and colleagues at Sanoa Consulting LLC, Muscle Shoals, Ala., and the New York University College of Dentistry.

23 Nov 2011

'Fistula hotline' in Sierra Leone helps identify women for treatment

IRIN profiles the establishment of a "'fistula hotline,' a free phone number for women who suffer from this debilitating condition that is seldom spoken about," at the Aberdeen Women's Centre, a clinic in Freetown, Sierra Leone. "The fistula hotline, which is run by the center, is the result of a public-private partnership between the Gloag Foundation, USAID, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and telecommunications company Airtel," IRIN notes.

23 Nov 2011

Obama administration calls on Pa. insurer to lower rate hike

The Obama administration on Monday called on a Pennsylvania insurer to lower its proposed 12 percent rate increase for a small business health insurance plan. It's the first time the administration has used such new powers given it in the health reform law.

23 Nov 2011

Panel discussion highlights USAID achievements on 50Th anniversary

This post in the Malaria Policy Center blog summarizes a panel discussion, titled "Partnerships for Global Health Success: Spotlight on USAID," that took place Monday in Washington, D.C., and was sponsored by Research!America.

23 Nov 2011