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Study finds significant variability in CPR quality between day and night

CPR quality is worse during in-hospital cardiac arrests occurring overnight than those that happen during the day, according to a new University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine study that will be presented at the American Heart Association's annual Scientific Sessions on November 14.

16 Nov 2010

IFPA announces winner of Under the Spotlight Award for psoriasis documentary

125 million people worldwide suffer from psoriasis and the hardships this difficult disease brings. Today, on the International Day of Tolerance we are very proud to announce the winner of the 1st Under the Spotlight Award for Best International Documentary on Psoriasis.

16 Nov 2010

National campaign to highlight significance of antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance is one of the world's most pressing public health threats. To bring attention to this increasing problem, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other government partners will observe its third annual Get Smart About Antibiotics Week on Nov. 15-21, 2010.

16 Nov 2010

Health researchers to address mental health concerns at world conference

More than 500 mental health researchers, practitioners, and advocates representing over 40 countries will gather for the Sixth World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders, November 17–19, 2010, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. With the theme Addressing Imbalances: Promoting Equity in Mental Health, the conference will focus on inequalities in care, research, and practice in ways that protect the most vulnerable.

16 Nov 2010

Mobile phones aid in health firm's promotion

A Washington, D.C., based firm has pioneered targeted public service announcements via mobile phones, and nine months after their experiment began, they say it was a success, The Washington Post reports.

16 Nov 2010

CMS awards $230M task order contract to CSC

CSC announced today that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Clinical Standards and Quality awarded the company a task order to migrate key information technology systems to a new service-oriented architecture. The contract, which was awarded during CSC's fiscal 2011 second quarter, has a six-month base period and six one-year options, bringing the estimated 78-month contract value to $230 million.

16 Nov 2010

Children's Hospital pediatric immunologist collaborates with European gene therapy researchers to study WAS syndrome

A pediatric immunologist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia collaborated with European gene therapy researchers who achieved marked clinical improvements in two young children with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, a very rare but often severe immunodeficiency disorder.

16 Nov 2010

City, national leaders to develop policies to improve health of city dwellers

In an unprecedented demonstration of global collaboration, city and national leaders from around the world are coming together in Kobe, Japan, to compare approaches and develop policies to improve the health of city dwellers.

16 Nov 2010

Study discovers health care gap in treating young patients with thyroid cancer

Thyroid cancer is the third most common malignancy in children, and the incidence is rising approximately one percent per year. Now a new analysis published in the October issue of Annals of Surgical Oncology indicates that although the proportion of young patients undergoing total thyroidectomy increased by 34 percent between 1985 and 2007, a variety of hospital and patient factors—including disparities in access to surgeons and state-of-the-art care—affect whether a child actually receives this procedure or another less extensive operation.

16 Nov 2010

As VA touts quality of system, study shows no difference in mortality rate

The Department of Veterans Affairs has touted for years the achievements of its health-care system, but a new study, published in the journal Medical Care, shows its health outcomes are about like everybody else's.

16 Nov 2010

Reducing salt intake can enhance health of young adults in future: Research

Cutting back on salt in teenagers' diets by as little as one-half teaspoon, or three grams, a day, could reduce the number of young adults with high blood pressure by 44 to 63 percent, according to new research presented Sunday, Nov. 14 at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2010 meeting in Chicago.

16 Nov 2010

Universal Health Services acquires Psychiatric Solutions

Universal Health Services, Inc. announced today that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Psychiatric Solutions, Inc.

16 Nov 2010

Large tobacco companies fight tougher restrictions around the globe

As sales to developing nations become ever more important to giant tobacco companies, they are stepping up efforts around the world to fight tough restrictions on the marketing of cigarettes.

16 Nov 2010

Leaders speak at Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health conference

Education for women is the most important factor for positively influencing the health of women and children, Indian President Pratibha Patil said on Saturday at a meeting in New Delhi of The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH), IANS/Sify News reports. "Education is a powerful driver of health. The relationship between poverty, lack of education and limited access to health services, is well recognised," Patil said at the start of the two-day conference (11/13).

16 Nov 2010

Sen. Lugar highlights potential bioterrorism threat posed by unsecured medical facilities in East Africa

Senator Dick Lugar on Friday said that poorly secured medical laboratories in East African countries, which host insurgent groups linked to Al Qaeda, are vulnerable to bioterrorism, Agence France-Presse reports.

16 Nov 2010

Report shows spells of poverty may have lifelong health implications for children

Spells of poverty, even if temporary, may have lifelong health implications for children, according to the largest report so far reviewing the recent recession's effects on child well-being.

16 Nov 2010

Pawlenty seeks to stop health law as he eyes presidency

Kaiser Health News staff writer Christopher Weaver reports, If there was any doubt that protesting on the new health law was good politics for Republican candidates, it evaporated with the midterm election results.

16 Nov 2010

Medicare cuts looming for doctors; Debt panel's health suggestions questioned

"The scheduled cuts [to doctors' reimbursements from Medicare] -- the result of a failed system set up years ago to control costs -- have raised alarms that real damage to Medicare could result if the lame-duck Congress winds up in a partisan standoff and fails to act by Dec. 1. That's when an initial 23 percent reduction would hit. ... Doctors have muddled through with temporary reprieves for years. ... there's no agreement among lawmakers and the Obama administration on how long a reprieve to grant or whether the cost -- about $1 billion per month -- should be added to the deficit or paid for with spending reductions elsewhere" (Alonso-Zaldivar, 11/13).

16 Nov 2010

Millions of Americans suffer unnecessarily with itchy, gritty, watery eyes, say allergists

Millions of Americans suffer unnecessarily with itchy, gritty, watery eyes, according to allergists at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in Phoenix, Nov. 11-16. The underdiagnosis, undertreatment and self-treatment of eye allergies may seriously diminish quality of life, allergists say.

16 Nov 2010

Texas Republicans talk tough about dropping Medicaid; other states consider steep cuts

As the Medicaid program continues to consume more of states' budgets each year, Republican lawmakers and the just-reelected GOP governor, Rick Perry have an idea: Opting-out of the program altogether, the Houston Chronicle reports.

16 Nov 2010