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Hint of tafamidis benefit in rare polyneuropathy

The results of a randomized trial suggest that tafamidis treatment may slow the progression of early-stage V30M transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy.

2 Aug 2012

3D scanner can identify early foot deformity in RA patients

Researchers report that a digital 3D foot scanner can detect foot deformities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, even before clinical signs are present.

2 Aug 2012

Increased cortical thinning in schizophrenia patients

Patients with schizophrenia show greater cortical thinning in selected subregions of both the frontal and temporal lobes over a 2-year period than mentally healthy individuals, study results show.

2 Aug 2012

Shared decision-making tool cuts antibiotic use

Patients are much less likely to take antibiotics for an acute respiratory infection if they consult a family doctor who has been trained in shared decision-making, report researchers from Canada.

2 Aug 2012

Teamwork at the front line can reduce SSI rate

Rates of surgical site infection can be markedly reduced by the implementation of a front-line provider group that uses local wisdom and existing evidence on patient safety, report US researchers.

2 Aug 2012

Screening tool could help oral cancer detection

Indian researchers report the development of a novel, simple screening tool with a high degree of accuracy for the detection of oral premalignancies that can be used in a general health setting without the need for much training or clinical experience.

2 Aug 2012

Advanced cancer patients able to state their own pain goals

Advanced cancer patients are successfully able to express their desired level of pain relief on a scale of 1–10, indicating that personalized pain goals could be a novel target for pain treatment response, say researchers.

2 Aug 2012

Sickle cell trait link with sudden athlete death ‘confirmed’

Researchers say they have definitively confirmed that there is a link between the sickle cell trait and sudden cardiac death in African–American athletes.

2 Aug 2012

Emergency diverticulitis surgery victim of the ‘weekend effect’

Patients who have emergency surgery at weekends for acute diverticulitis have worse outcomes than those admitted on weekdays, the results of a US study show.

2 Aug 2012

President Clinton delivers 'energizing call to action' at AIDS 2012 closing session

"Former President Bill Clinton delivered an energizing 'call to action' at the closing session of [the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012)], encapsulating the high hopes and the sobering challenges facing the fight against global HIV/AIDS," Janet Fleischman, a senior associate at the Center for Strategic & International Studies' (CSIS) Global Health Policy Center, writes in the center's "Smart Global Health" blog.

2 Aug 2012

Train-Match-Fit-Streamline uses 11 factors to quickly pair likely drugs and diseases

With the cost of putting a single new drug on the pharmacy shelves topping a staggering $1 billion, scientists are reporting development of a way to determine if an already-approved drug might be used to treat a different disease. The technique for repurposing existing medicines could cut drug development costs and make new medicine available to patients faster, they report in ACS' Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

2 Aug 2012

Health law's medical-loss ratio and birth control coverage requirements kick in today

Aug. 1 marks the deadline for insurers to refund consumers and employers if they didn't spend at least 80 percent of premiums on health care. Another provision takes effect requiring most employers to include contraceptive and other women's health services without copays in the insurance plans they offer workers.

2 Aug 2012

Strong oppositional behaviors associated with drug abuse among children

Children who exhibit oppositional behavior run the risk of becoming addicted to nicotine, cannabis and cocaine whilst Inattention symptoms represent a specific additional risk of nicotine addiction. Nevertheless, hyperactivity in itself does not seem to be associated with any specific risk of substance abuse or dependence.

2 Aug 2012

State Medicaid expansion: Consequences for coverage, death rate and bottom lines

States consider what myriad of consequences a Medicaid expansion could have. In Florida, a new study has leaders wondering how many lives could be saved by expansion. Meanwhile, as many as 182,000 Iowans could gain coverage under the plan. Also, Georgia considers cuts to the program.

2 Aug 2012

Investigational drug shows promise against most severe form of congenital hyperinsulinism

A pilot study in adolescents and adults has found that an investigational drug shows promise as the first potential medical treatment for children with the severest type of congenital hyperinsulinism, a rare but potentially devastating disease in which gene mutations cause insulin levels to become dangerously high.

2 Aug 2012

U.N. SG Ban names 26 members to high-level advisory panel for development agenda

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday "announced the members of a High-level Panel to advise on the global development agenda beyond 2015, the target date for achieving the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)," the U.N. News Centre reports.

2 Aug 2012

Researchers report one-third cut in the rate of lethal SSIs after colorectal operations

A patient safety team including researchers in the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality reported a one-third cut in the rate of costly and potentially lethal surgical site infections (SSIs) following colorectal operations after requiring use of a simple safety checklist and urging caregivers to speak up if they see potentially unsafe practices.

2 Aug 2012

GAVI Alliance announces plans to roll out vaccines in countries isolated by war, secrecy

The New York Times reports on efforts by the GAVI Alliance to deliver vaccines for children in war-torn and secretive countries. According to the newspaper, the non-profit group "sold to North Korea a vaccine against five diseases, and has announced plans to roll out other vaccines soon in Yemen, the Republic of Congo and Pakistan."

2 Aug 2012

MDCH unveils Michigan’s Infant Mortality Reduction Plan

The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) has unveiled the state's Infant Mortality Reduction Plan, a strategy that includes significant recommendations developed from medical research conducted by the Perinatology Research Branch (PRB) of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health (NICHD/NIH), at the Wayne State University School of Medicine.

2 Aug 2012

Save the Children, World Vision report examines efforts to build resilience in Africa's Sahel

"Efforts to build resilience in the Sahel, a region chronically affected by drought and malnutrition, are highly fragmented, dysfunctional and ineffective, a report from Save the Children and World Vision said on Wednesday," the Guardian reports.

2 Aug 2012

Medical News

Hint of tafamidis benefit in rare polyneuropathy

3D scanner can identify early foot deformity in RA patients

Increased cortical thinning in schizophrenia patients

Shared decision-making tool cuts antibiotic use

Teamwork at the front line can reduce SSI rate

Screening tool could help oral cancer detection

Advanced cancer patients able to state their own pain goals

Sickle cell trait link with sudden athlete death ‘confirmed’

Emergency diverticulitis surgery victim of the ‘weekend effect’

President Clinton delivers 'energizing call to action' at AIDS 2012 closing session

Train-Match-Fit-Streamline uses 11 factors to quickly pair likely drugs and diseases

Health law's medical-loss ratio and birth control coverage requirements kick in today

Strong oppositional behaviors associated with drug abuse among children

State Medicaid expansion: Consequences for coverage, death rate and bottom lines

Investigational drug shows promise against most severe form of congenital hyperinsulinism

U.N. SG Ban names 26 members to high-level advisory panel for development agenda

Researchers report one-third cut in the rate of lethal SSIs after colorectal operations

GAVI Alliance announces plans to roll out vaccines in countries isolated by war, secrecy

MDCH unveils Michigan’s Infant Mortality Reduction Plan

Save the Children, World Vision report examines efforts to build resilience in Africa's Sahel

How real-time off-gas analysis improves fermentation process control

Advancing Drug Safety Assessment With AI, Predictive Modeling, and Human-Relevant Data

AI-powered analytics and experimental validation

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