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UK and USA healthcare systems can learn from each other

The healthcare systems of the USA and the UK are often thought of as polar opposites, yet the two countries may have much to learn from each other as they both embark upon significant health reforms, according to the authors of a Health Policy paper, published in The Lancet.

12 Oct 2012

Queen's chemists devise novel technique for rapid production of MOF porous materials

Chemists at Queen's University Belfast have devised a novel, environmentally friendly technique, which allows the rapid production of Metal-Organic Frameworks porous materials (MOFs).

12 Oct 2012

$IOF report: 80% of patients with fracture are not screened for osteoporosis or risk of future falls$

IOF report: 80% of patients with fracture are not screened for osteoporosis or risk of future falls

Today, the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) released a new report, revealing approximately 80 percent of patients treated in clinics or hospitals following a fracture are not screened for osteoporosis or risk of future falls. Left untreated, these patients are at high risk of suffering secondary fractures and facing a future of pain, disfigurement, long-term disability and even early death.

12 Oct 2012

Perception test could predict mild cognitive impairment

Psychologists at the University of Toronto and the Georgia Institute of Technology - commonly known as Georgia Tech - have shown that an individual's inability to recognize once-familiar faces and objects may have as much to do with difficulty perceiving their distinct features as it does with the capacity to recall from memory.

12 Oct 2012

Financial Times features special report on NTDs

The Financial Times has published a special report on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) featuring 10 articles examining issues including prevention, research, and treatment.

12 Oct 2012

AIUM to host Ultrasound First Forum on Nov. 12

The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) will host an Ultrasound First Forum on November 12, 2012, in New York, New York. The forum will address the expanding role of ultrasound imaging as a "first" imaging examination and will be devoted to encouraging the use of ultrasound as a safe, effective, and affordable alternative to other diagnostic imaging modalities where scientific evidence supports its appropriateness.

12 Oct 2012

World observes first International Day of the Girl Child

On the first annual International Day of the Girl Child, observed October 11, "UNICEF and partners are highlighting joint efforts to end child marriage -- a fundamental human rights violation that impacts all aspects of a girl's life," the Times of India reports.

12 Oct 2012

Mediterranean and low-carbohydrate diets have long-lasting healthy effects

Mediterranean and low-carbohydrate diets have lasting, healthy effects, even with partial weight regain, according to a follow-up study by researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Israel's Nuclear Research Center.

12 Oct 2012

Medicare sure to be hot topic in vice presidential debate

Will Mr. Ryan be tempted to repeat a staple of his and Mr. Romney's stump speech, that the president has plundered $716 billion from Medicare to pay for "Obamacare?" There is danger there. Mr. Ryan incorporated the same $716 billion savings into his House budget this spring, and he has now renounced that plan because Mr. Romney promises to "restore" the money to Medicare.

12 Oct 2012

Sinai Hospital of Baltimore announces opening of new neurological rehabilitation center

Sinai Hospital of Baltimore announces the opening of the new Louis and Phyllis Friedman Neurological Rehabilitation Center. The 20-bed center located on the fifth floor of the hospital's South Tower provides specialized rehabilitation services to adults who have sustained a brain injury, stroke or other neurological disorder and is one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in the state.

12 Oct 2012

Blog examines Japanese contribution to global vaccine efforts

In a post in Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Seth Berkley, CEO of the GAVI Alliance, examines "the contribution the Japanese people have made to immunization."

12 Oct 2012

Study compares two drug combinations for use as deep sedation during oral surgery

The ideal sedative for oral surgery should make the patient comfortable during the surgery and should wear off quickly enough that the patient can leave the dental chair soon after the procedure. Finding the best plan of anesthetic treatment is essential to the success of dental procedures such as the extraction of wisdom teeth.

12 Oct 2012

State roundup: Minn. says health exchange will cost $40 million

Minnesota budget officials estimate it could cost the state as much as $40 million to run its health insurance exchange in 2015. The state-based online insurance marketplaces are a cornerstone of the federal health care overhaul.

12 Oct 2012

Three WSU studies could result in new treatments for epilepsy, behavioral disorders

Three studies conducted as part of Wayne State University's Systems Biology of Epilepsy Project (SBEP) could result in new types of treatment for the disease and, as a bonus, for behavioral disorders as well.

12 Oct 2012

UNAIDS to support Republic of Congo's efforts to reduce HIV MTCT

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe "on Wednesday hailed the efforts of the Republic of Congo government in the fight against HIV/AIDS in general, and particularly in the reduction of transmission from mother to child," Xinhua reports.

12 Oct 2012

Study identifies pitfalls in current calculation of hospital readmission rates in spine surgery

When hospital patients have to be readmitted soon after discharge, hospitals look bad. And in addition to reflecting poorly on a hospital's quality of care, a high readmission rate also can result in reduced Medicare reimbursements, under provisions now taking effect under the 2010 health care law.

12 Oct 2012

States, companies and officials worry over health law implementation

The medical device industry and other companies are concerned about how the health law's tax and compliance provisions are affecting their bottom lines and are strategizing new ways forward to avoid the monetary hit.

12 Oct 2012

ZELTIQ Aesthetics’ CoolCurve+ applicator to be highlighted at EMAA 2012

ZELTIQ Aesthetics, Inc., a medical technology company focused on developing and commercializing products utilizing its proprietary controlled-cooling technology platform, today announced it is exhibiting at the 8th European Masters in Aesthetics & Anti-Aging (EMAA) in Paris, October 12-14, 2012, and will highlight CoolCurve+, the newest addition to the applicator platform for the CoolSculpting System.

12 Oct 2012

U.S. needs better evaluation, more transparency for foreign assistance

"As the importance of America's foreign assistance has grown, so has the number of mechanisms to dispense it," Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) and David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World and co-chair of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network, write in the Huffington Post's "Politics" blog.

12 Oct 2012

Bidirectional communication between breast cancer cells and nearby MSCs cause metastasis

In recent years investigators have discovered that breast tumors are influenced by more than just the cancer cells within them. A variety of noncancerous cells, which in many cases constitute the majority of the tumor mass, form what is known as the "tumor microenvironment."

12 Oct 2012