Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

DASA Group to offer Natera's non-invasive prenatal test for detection of genetic syndromes

DASA Group and Natera today announced that DASA Group will begin offering Natera's non-invasive prenatal test Panorama for the detection of genetic syndromes common in the population, such as trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), trisomy 13 (Patau Syndrome ), trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) and monosomy X (Turner syndrome).

From Natera 8 Aug 2013

First Edition: August 8, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the proposed rule released Wednesday by the Obama administration allowing the government to continue to pay for a significant portion of health insurance for lawmakers and Hill staffers.

8 Aug 2013

Novartis earns global CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation

Novartis International AG, a multinational healthcare company headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is the first company to earn global CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation. Their commitment to workplace wellness reaches across the globe to positively affect the lives of all their employees.

8 Aug 2013

Janssen receives EC approval to use VELCADE as induction therapy in patients with multiple myeloma

Janssen-Cilag International NV announced today that the European Commission has approved the use of VELCADE (bortezomib) as induction therapy (a first therapeutic option) in combination with dexamethasone or thalidomide and dexamethasone. This licence extension will apply to adult patients with previously-untreated multiple myeloma who are eligible for high-dose chemotherapy with haematological stem cell transplantation.

8 Aug 2013

LUHS takes first-of-its-kind initiative to improve breast-feeding rates

More mothers in the United States are breast-feeding their babies, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued during World Breastfeeding Week, Aug. 1 to 7, and National Breastfeeding Month. The CDC attributes this to steps hospitals are taking to increase breast-feeding rates among new mothers.

8 Aug 2013

UAH invents smart pill bottle that notifies you to take your medications

Patented at The University of Alabama in Huntsville, (UAH), a smart pill bottle that notifies you to take your medications or reminds you if you missed a dose could be en route to medicine cabinets as soon as 2015.

8 Aug 2013

Viewpoints: Obamacare isn't a 'job-killing' law; hometown insurer Aetna pulls out of Conn. exchange

The share of part-time jobs rose sharply during the recession, as it always does - employers always cut workers' hours in downturns. Here's the question: Has this share continued to grow as we approach the start of the ACA's employer mandate, which was recently pushed back a year to 2015? The answer is no. Part-time workers represent 19.0 percent of total employment - below the post-recession peak of 20.0 percent and exactly the same as a year ago (Jared Bernstein and Paul Van de Water, 8/6).

8 Aug 2013

ASU expert receives $1.6 million grant to advance microscopy imaging research

At Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute, Nongjian (NJ) Tao has been designing advanced microscopy methods with the ambitious aim of capturing molecular-scale phenomena in living systems. The new techniques, which combine multiple imaging modalities, are poised to revolutionize the study of biology and the development of new drugs.

8 Aug 2013

Mostashari steps down from top federal health IT post

Dr. Farzad Mostashari, the national coordinator for health information technology, announced Tuesday he will step down this fall.

8 Aug 2013

Endovascular Therapy still "reasonable" option for patients with acute stroke

Despite recent discouraging results, endovascular treatment is still a "reasonable" treatment option for selected patients with acute stroke, according to a commentary in the August issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

8 Aug 2013

Chronic exposure biomass fuel smoke can cause cardiovascular problems

Rural households in developing countries often rely on burning biomass, such as wood, animal dung and waste from agricultural crops, to cook and heat their homes. The practice is long known to cause lung disease, but a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine links the resulting smoke to cardiovascular problems, including an increase in artery-clogging plaques, artery thickness and higher blood pressure.

8 Aug 2013

Scientist receives 1.3M grant to study how beneficial bacteria protect against deadly infection

A Norwich Research Park scientist has received -1.3 million in funding from the Wellcome Trust to investigate how beneficial bacteria protect against deadly infection in early life.

8 Aug 2013

Some states say they won't enforce the health law's insurance reforms

Six states have taken this position, according to the Texas Tribune. Meanwhile, media outlets report on new developments regarding state activity on the health law's Medicaid expansion and health exchanges.

8 Aug 2013

Lupin acquires exclusive license to promote, distribute Romark's Alinia for Oral Suspension in US

Romark Laboratories announced that it has entered into a strategic agreement with Lupin Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively Lupin) designed to expand promotion and distribution efforts related to its Alinia (nitazoxanide) for Oral Suspension, 100 mg/5 mL. Under the agreement, Lupin acquired an exclusive license to promote and distribute Alinia for Oral Suspension in the United States.

7 Aug 2013

New online health law tool now available to all Americans

Today, AARP announced new resources available to all Americans looking for facts about the Affordable Care Act including a new online tool called Health Law Answers.

7 Aug 2013

Study could boost development of personalised medicine in cancer care and therapy

A team of scientists led by Associate Professor Zeng Qi from A*STAR's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology have discovered a new biomarker which will help physicians predict how well cancer patients respond to cancer drugs. Having the means to identify patients who are most likely to benefit from currently available cancer drugs not only reduces substantially the healthcare cost for the patient, it could mean saving precious lives by getting the right drugs to the right patient at the onset of the treatment.

7 Aug 2013

St. Louis Children's Hospital implements MetaVision Anesthesia Information Management System

iMDsoft, a leader in Anesthesia Information Management Systems, announced that St. Louis Children's Hospital has implemented MetaVision in 114 beds across its perioperative environment.

7 Aug 2013

Scientists discover biomarker that helps physicians predict how well cancer patients respond to drugs

A team of scientists led by Associate Professor Zeng Qi from A*STAR's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) have discovered a new biomarker which will help physicians predict how well cancer patients respond to cancer drugs.

7 Aug 2013

Sebelius disputes 'rate shock,' assures exchanges' readiness

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a call with reporters yesterday that the agency is "on target" to open new online marketplaces Oct. 1. She also spoke about personal "Obamacare" accounts which consumers can begin creating now in advance of being able to shop for plans.

7 Aug 2013

Mental health concerns increase suicide risk among military personnel: Study

In an examination of risk factors associated with suicide in current and former military personnel observed 2001 and 2008, male sex and mental disorders were independently associated with suicide risk but not military-specific variables, findings that do not support an association between deployment or combat with suicide, according to a study in the August 7 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on violence/human rights.

7 Aug 2013