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Remote telemonitoring does not offer promise for critically-ill patients

Telemonitoring may offer promise for patients in remote locations without access to specially trained intensive care physicians. However, a recent study indicates telemonitoring does not offer improved clinical outcomes compared to patients who receive standard care.

17 May 2011

Five out of 13 plastic products intended for children are toxic

Many plastic products contain hazardous chemicals that can leach to the surroundings. In studies conducted at the University of Gothenburg, a third of the tested plastic products released toxic substances, including 5 out of 13 products intended for children.

17 May 2011

Researchers discover bed bugs with MRSA in lower-income area residents

As if the recent resurgence of bed bugs wasn't bad enough, Canadian researchers have found some of the little blood-sucking critters carrying methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, the potentially deadly superbug known as MRSA.

17 May 2011

WFP resumes food aid operations in South Sudan

The World Food Program (WFP) has resumed food aid operations in South Sudan after operations were suspended last month because of violence, Reuters reports.

17 May 2011

American Heart Association recognizes NIC as Platinum-Level Start! Fit-Friendly Company

NIC, a leading provider of online government services, is one of only two Kansas City metro companies to be recognized as a Platinum-Level Start! Fit-Friendly Company by the American Heart Association's Start! initiative for helping employees eat better and move more.

17 May 2011

Bioengineering students redesign pediatric mannequin

Rice University bioengineering students have modified a child-size training mannequin to give medical students hands-on pediatric experience so that real patients can be spared further stress and pain.

17 May 2011

Concern over vaccine safety prevents parents from vaccinating asthmatic children

Concern over vaccine safety is one of the primary factors preventing parents from having their asthmatic children vaccinated for influenza, or flu, according to Michigan researchers. Parents who do not vaccinate their children are also less likely to view flu as a"trigger" for their child's asthma, the researchers noted.

17 May 2011

LDC conference ends with 10-year action plan

The Fourth U.N. Conference on Least Developed Countries closed in Istanbul on Friday "with a number of recommendations seeking to halve, from 48 to 24, the number of LDCs during the next 10 years," the Guardian's "Global Development" blog reports.

17 May 2011

Business trends shape medical practices

Minnesota Public Radio reports that independent practices increasingly face an uphill battle while the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes that the "company doctor" is making a comeback in workplaces across the nation.

17 May 2011

World Health Assembly begins in Geneva

As the 64th World Health Assembly gets underway in Geneva, the body will consider "an array of subjects pertaining to reforms of the organisation and its financing, vaccines, fake medicines, and influenza pandemic preparedness, as well as communicable and non-communicable diseases," Intellectual Property Watch reports.

17 May 2011

Delay in seeking emergency medical care for asthma exacerbations can result in worse outcomes

Waiting to seek emergency medical care for asthma exacerbations can result in worse outcomes, including hospitalization, according to a study conducted by researchers from New York.

17 May 2011

Gingrich calls GOP Medicare voucher plan radical

Now that he is officially in the running to be the Republican nominee for president, Newt Gingrich made his opinions very clear while appearing on Sunday morning talk shows.

17 May 2011

MHAUS sponsors one-day conference on Malignant Hyperthermia

Medical professionals, patients and families can learn the basics on how recognize, diagnose, and treat Malignant Hyperthermia at a one-day Malignant Hyperthermia conference happening from 10 am to 4 pm June 25 at Lake Receptions located in Mt. Dora, Florida.

17 May 2011

WHO releases annual World Health Statistics report

The WHO on Friday released its annual World Health Statistics report, which includes data on more than 100 indicators - such as life expectancy, mother and child mortality, disease prevalence and health expenditures - from the agency's 193 member states, the Associated Press reports (5/14).

17 May 2011

HealthPartners prescribes walking or exercise for patients with depression

Giving pedometers to patients screened for depression, HealthPartners Medical Group (HPMG) is prescribing walking or exercise in addition to medication and/or therapy as an effective tool in helping patients with depression.

17 May 2011

COPD Foundation to host biannual conference in the U.S. for the first time

Originally hosted in Europe on even calendar years, the COPD Conference series for researchers and healthcare professionals is coming to the U.S. for the first time. The COPD Foundation is hosting the COPD7USA Conference, named after the seventh COPD Conference held last summer in the U.K. COPD7USA will be held on December 3rd and 4th at the Crystal City Gateway Marriott, 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway, Crystal City, VA 22202.

17 May 2011

Fits and starts continue for health law implementation

News outlets report on a variety of aspects of the health law ranging from the IPAB and ACOs to the two states to most recently gain waivers from the Department of Health and Human Services.

17 May 2011

Medicare trustees: Funds will run out sooner than expected

Last Friday, the Medicare trustees offered their annual take on the fiscal fitness of the health insurance program for senior citizens and the disabled. The reviews were worse than last year's projections.

17 May 2011

State roundup: Calif. considers safety measures for mental hospitals

Nearly eight months after a Napa State Hospital patient strangled a psychiatric technician, lawmakers and employee groups are pushing proposals aimed at reversing a worsening safety trend at California's mental health facilities.

17 May 2011

Viewpoints: Ryan on 'shared scarcity'; Romney fallout; Baltimore's ambitious health plan

Too many in Washington remain fixated on the next election, at the expense of the next generation. But there is a hidden cost to the shared scarcity mentality — a cost measured in lost prosperity and lost freedom. We face a choice between two futures. We can continue to go down the path toward shared scarcity, or we can choose the path of renewed prosperity.

17 May 2011