Nursing News and Research

Latest Nursing News and Research

Most disabled seniors rate their quality of life 'fair to very good'

Quality of life for disabled elderly people is most closely tied to two factors: a sense of dignity and a sense of control, according to a study by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) and the University of California, San Francisco.

10 Feb 2012

International Congress on Nursing Informatics to be held June 23-27

Informatics leaders, practitioners and other members of the healthcare community will convene June 23-27, 2012, in Montreal, Canada, for the 11th International Congress on Nursing Informatics (NI2012). The Congress gives participants from across the world a forum to discuss the impact of informatics on patient care improvement, global health, professional practice, health policy and research.

10 Feb 2012

Chromosomal microarray provides more information about fetal abnormalities

A nationwide, federally funded study has found that testing a developing fetus' DNA through chromosomal microarray (CMA) provides more information about potential disorders than does the standard method of prenatal testing, which is to visually examine the chromosomes.

10 Feb 2012

Farmers markets at medical centers may improve public health

Farmers markets at medical centers may contribute to greater wellness in surrounding communities while adding public health value to a market's mission, say Penn State College of Medicine researchers who have developed and evaluated a market created at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

10 Feb 2012

Longer looks: Former Komen VP's new 'bona fides'; Alzheimer's definition changing?; Palin on her special needs child

Even if you put politics and ideology completely aside, Karen Handel had to resign from Susan G. Komen for the Cure. It's hard to think of the last time an employee did so much damage to such a respected brand in so little time. ... But while Komen will sustain long-term damage, Handel probably will be just fine. Yes, she's lost her position as Komen's vice president for public policy. But Handel has long had political aspirations, and she's now a right-wing cause célèbre.

10 Feb 2012

SSRIs may minimize risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy

A groundbreaking study published in Elsevier's Epilepsy & Behavior provides evidence in mouse model that drugs known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs; one category of antidepressants) may reduce the risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).

9 Feb 2012

ACC: New community-wide collaboration to reduce impact of chronic diseases

A new community-wide collaboration to reduce the impact of chronic disease and empower patients is generating impressive early results, leaders of the Accountable Care Community (ACC) initiative said today. The Akron-based Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron (ABIA) is leading the initiative with its founding institutional members and more than 60 public and private community partners.

9 Feb 2012

Roundup: State legislatures consider nursing home, insurance exchange bills

Even as Massachusetts business and government leaders celebrate the most modest premium rate hikes in years for small employers and individuals, speakers at a health insurance seminar here yesterday warned that the main trend restraining bigger increases - fewer people seeking health care in the past year - already may be changing.

9 Feb 2012

Washington state's Medicaid program will no longer pay for unnecessary ER visits

Washington state's Medicaid program will no longer pay for ER visits deemed medically unnecessary. Elsewhere, Illinois' governor will propose $2 billion in Medicaid cuts, and fallout continues over controversial proposals to reform California's Medicaid Medi-Cal program.

9 Feb 2012

Stimulants do not increase risk of cardiovascular events in youth with ADHD

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects 5-9% of youth and is frequently treated with stimulant medications, such as methylphenidate and amphetamine products. A recent safety communication from the US Food and Drug Administration advised that all patients undergoing ADHD treatment be monitored for changes in heart rate or blood pressure.

9 Feb 2012

Few ways to stay on track on Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day has turned into a day of indulgences. Whether swimming in the eyes of the one you love over a luscious dinner or drowning your loneliness in a box of chocolates, Valentine's Day can be a big road bump on your path to better health and fitness.

9 Feb 2012

First comprehensive look at how metal-on-metal total hip replacements fail in patients

A study by Hospital for Special Surgery researchers has provided the first comprehensive look at just how metal-on-metal total hip replacements are failing in patients around the country.

9 Feb 2012

$OATS procedure superior to microfracture in repairing cartilage defects$

OATS procedure superior to microfracture in repairing cartilage defects

A new study has demonstrated that a procedure wherein healthy cartilage is transplanted to fix an area of damaged cartilage (osteoarticular cartilage transplantation or OATS procedure) is superior to the standard of care for repairing cartilage defects. It is thought that fixing such lesions may ultimately help to prevent the onset of osteoarthritis, and get athletic individuals back to sporting activities reliably.

9 Feb 2012

FDA clears externally controllable internal limb lengthening system

A pioneering new system codeveloped by Sinai Hospital orthopedic surgeons Shawn Standard, M.D., head of Pediatric Orthopedics at the International Center for Limb Lengthening (ICLL), and John Herzenberg, M.D., director of the ICLL, offers a major advancement in limb lengthening surgery.

8 Feb 2012

Simple, innovative program can detect and prevent falls among seniors

It's a scenario played out all too frequently: Adult children, worried about the safety of their aging parents, foist devices on them to monitor their safety. And their parents, resentful of having their privacy invaded and losing their independence, resist fiercely.

8 Feb 2012

President's budget plan to include Medicare and Medicaid spending cuts but no structural changes

The president will propose cutting spending on Medicare, the federal health program for the elderly, and Medicaid, the joint federal-state program for the poor and disabled. However, he isn't proposing the structural changes that experts say are needed to control spending in these programs over the long term.

8 Feb 2012

Scientists reveal how psychostimulant drugs work to control hyperactivity

It has long been known that psychostimulant drugs have the paradoxical effect of reducing hyperactivity. [Psychostimulant drugs include methylphenidate - known by the trade names Ritalin, Concerta, and Methylin - and methamphetamine]. Since the mid-1950s, millions of children and adults have been prescribed stimulant medications to control attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

8 Feb 2012

Study examines dimensional structure linked with DSM antisocial personality disorder criteria

With no lab tests to guide the clinician, psychiatric diagnostics is challenging and controversial. Antisocial personality disorder is defined as "a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood," according to the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) of the American Psychiatric Association.

8 Feb 2012

FDA accepts Genentech's pertuzumab BLA and grants Priority Review

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company's Biologics License Application for pertuzumab and granted Priority Review.

8 Feb 2012

FDA approves ivermectin lotion for treatment of head lice

Sanofi announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Sklice® (ivermectin) lotion, 0.5% for the topical treatment of head lice, in patients 6 months of age and older. Effective and well-tolerated, Sklice Lotion treats lice in most patients with a single 10-minute application of the lotion, without nit combing.

7 Feb 2012