Medical News

RSS

Applying more stringent ozone standards would minimize premature mortality and morbidity

Establishing a more stringent ozone standard in the U.S. would significantly reduce ozone-related premature mortality and morbidity, according to a new study published online July 18 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

18 Jul 2012

Taking action on London Summit on Family Planning outcomes

"In the build-up to the London Summit on Family Planning, there have been a lot of opinions expressed on blogs, in mainstream media coverage, in peer-reviewed journals, and even exchanges on the streets and at the water cooler," Gary Darmstadt, head of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Family Health Division, writes in this post in the foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog.

18 Jul 2012

New roadmap provides expert guidance on how to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities

Major disparities exist along racial and ethnic lines in the United States for various medical conditions, but guidance is scarce about how to reduce these gaps. Now, a new "roadmap" has been unveiled to give organizations expert guidance on how to improve health equity in their own patient populations.

18 Jul 2012

Health law opponents sharpen fight focus on insurance tax credit

According to news reports, critics have pinpointed this part of the health law in their effort to undo the sweeping overhaul. Meanwhile, USA Today reports that very few middle-income taxpayers will pay more as a result of the measure's taxes, fees and penalties.

18 Jul 2012

Interferon beta not associated with less progression of disability in patients with RRMS

Among patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), treatment with the widely-prescribed drug to treat MS, interferon beta, was not associated with less progression of disability, according to a study in the July 18 issue of JAMA.

18 Jul 2012

State roundup: Mass. to allow coupons for some branded drugs

Johns Hopkins Hospital lost its coveted spot as the nation's top-ranked hospital for the first time in 22 years, edged out by Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital in the latest analysis by U.S. News & World Report to be released Tuesday. Hopkins still ranked No. 2, and marketing experts said falling one spot will hurt the hospital's ego more than its reputation.

18 Jul 2012

Simple shoe insole can improve posture in post-stroke patients

A stroke can weaken one side of the body, raising the dangerous possibility of unstable walking and debilitating falls. Physical therapy can help patients learn to shift their body weight slightly to the weaker, stroke-affected side to help regain balance, but for some patients, the weakness returns after their therapy ends.

18 Jul 2012

Emerging mHealth field shows promise, faces challenges, Devex reports

In a health care exclusive feature, Devex examines the emerging field of mHealth, "the practice of using mobile devices for medicine and public health practices."

18 Jul 2012

Cigna, PAMF launch collaborative accountable care initiative

Cigna and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF), a not-for-profit health care organization that is a pioneer in the multispecialty group practice of medicine, have launched a collaborative accountable care initiative to expand patient access to health care, improve care coordination, and achieve the "triple aim" of improved health outcomes (quality), lower total medical costs and increased patient satisfaction.

18 Jul 2012

Drug coverage issues, dual eligibles program draw Democrats' interest

According to these stories from Politico and Politico Pro, some House Democrats are calling on the Department Of Health and Human Services to use the Medicare prescription drug program as a model for the health law's essential health benefits drug coverage requirement.

18 Jul 2012

Research explains why exercise is beneficial for heart function in type 2 diabetes

A detailed study of heart muscle function in mice has uncovered evidence to explain why exercise is beneficial for heart function in type 2 diabetes. The research team, led by scientists at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, found that greater amounts of fatty acids used by the heart during stressful conditions like exercise can counteract the detrimental effects of excess glucose and improve the diabetic heart's pumping ability in several ways.

18 Jul 2012

New York Times examines global efforts to predict new disease outbreaks

The New York Times examines how "teams of veterinarians and conservation biologists are in the midst of a global effort with medical doctors and epidemiologists to understand the 'ecology of disease.'"

18 Jul 2012

U.S. News & World Report names UCLA Medical Center among 2012 America's Best Hospitals

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center ranks among the top five American hospitals, according to a U.S. News & World Report survey that reviewed patient-outcomes data, reputation among physicians and other care-related factors.

18 Jul 2012

VOA examines maternal mortality in South Sudan one year after independence

"A year after independence, South Sudan is still battling a lack of staff and resources as it tries to end its distinction of having the highest maternal mortality rate in the world," VOA News reports.

18 Jul 2012

Nanofiber scaffolds regenerate protein components in cartilage repair

Johns Hopkins tissue engineers have used tiny, artificial fiber scaffolds thousands of times smaller than a human hair to help coax stem cells into developing into cartilage, the shock-absorbing lining of elbows and knees that often wears thin from injury or age. Reporting online June 4 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, investigators produce an important component of cartilage in both laboratory and animal models.

18 Jul 2012

Podcast examines HIV/AIDS economics, U.S. role in global epidemic response

In this Center for Global Development (CGD) "Global Prosperity Wonkcast," Lawrence MacDonald, vice president for communications and policy outreach at CGD, interviews CGD senior fellow Mead Over, an expert on the economics of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and Jenny Ottenhoff, CGD policy outreach associate, about the "state of the epidemic, budget austerity, and the U.S. role in the global response."

18 Jul 2012

Targeted regulation of microRNA-125b may lead to effective prostate cancer therapies

A small, naturally occurring nucleic acid sequence, called a microRNA, known to regulate a number of different cancers, appears to alter the activity of the androgen receptor, which plays a critical role in prostate cancer.

18 Jul 2012

Study: Medicare payment adjustments could take toll on safety net hospitals

A change in Medicare hospital payments, which is based on quality and scheduled to kick in this October, could add to the financial problems faced by facilities that treat largely the poor and uninsured.

18 Jul 2012

PPAHS releases safety checklist that targets Patient-Controlled Analgesia

The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS), an advocacy group devoted to improving patient health and safety, today announced the release of a concise checklist that reminds caregivers of the essential steps needed to be taken to initiate Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) with a patient and to continue to assess that patient's use of PCA.

18 Jul 2012

Advocates, policy experts respond to FDA approval of Truvada for HIV prevention

Though the FDA's Monday approval of the antiretroviral drug Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of HIV infection among people at risk of contracting the virus "was hailed by many as an important step in the fight against AIDS, concerns that people will incorrectly use the drug -- potentially spurring drug resistance -- led others to blast the agency for not laying down tougher rules," the Wall Street Journal's "Health Blog" writes.

18 Jul 2012