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Experts in fluid mechanics to study Chiari malformation

Expertise in fluid mechanics at The University of Akron has attracted funding for a new research center designed to help physicians better diagnose and treat an unusual cause of pain in the head, neck and shoulders. Chiari malformation is a disorder of the neurologic system caused in part by an imbalance in brain and spinal fluid.

28 Jun 2012

Program linking paramedics in the field to patients' pre-existing health information wins honors

The nation's first and only program linking paramedics in the field to patients' pre-existing health information -- enabling emergency workers to make more informed treatment decisions and to transport patients to the most appropriate facility -- has been recognized by the prestigious Computerworld Honors Program.

28 Jun 2012

New approved pesticide active ingredients have roots in natural substances

Scientists who search for new pesticides for use in humanity's battle of the bugs and other threats to the food supply have been learning lessons from Mother Nature, according to a new analysis. It concludes that more than two out of every three new pesticide active ingredients approved in recent years had roots in natural substances produced in plants or animals. The article appears in ACS' Journal of Natural Products.

28 Jun 2012

New medical countermeasures against nuclear threats

Concerns about terrorist attacks, the prospect of a rogue nation using nuclear weapons and the Fukushima power plant accident in Japan are fostering efforts to develop a new family of drugs that everyone hopes will never be used, according to an article in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

28 Jun 2012

Harmonizing prescription drug plans can help save millions of dollars

Taxpayers could save millions of dollars if hospitals and provincial governments harmonized their prescription drug plans, new research suggests.

28 Jun 2012

Substituting short vehicle journeys for walks reduces death rates

A new study confirms that doing short journeys on foot rather than taking the car or motorbike would avoid the death of 108 men and 79 women a year in Catalonia alone. This would imply annual savings of more than 200 million euros.

28 Jun 2012

First Edition: June 28, 2012

Today's headlines set the scene for the much-anticipated Supreme Court health law decision, expected out later this morning.

28 Jun 2012

UTMB researchers improve existing experimental vaccine for Rift Valley fever virus

University of Texas Medical Branch researchers have significantly improved an existing experimental vaccine for Rift Valley fever virus, making possible the development of a more effective defense against the dangerous mosquito-borne pathogen.

28 Jun 2012

UI Health first in the Midwest to offer LenSx femtosecond laser for cataract patients

A new laser system for cataract surgery, with accuracy to a few hundred-thousandths of an inch, allows eye surgeons to optimize and customize the incision and ensure the best possible outcome.

28 Jun 2012

Hatch overcomes primary challenge

The veteran Utah senator campaigned heavily on his seniority and experience, maintaining that they put him in a powerful position to work on issues related to deficit spending and health care costs. Meanwhile, a Missouri candidate is being hammered over his stance on the insurance mandate.

28 Jun 2012

Scientists identify abnormal gene that leads to Parkinson's

An international team including scientists from the University of Saskatchewan-Saskatoon Health Region and University of British Columbia, with the help of Saskatchewan Mennonite families, has identified an abnormal gene which leads to Parkinson's disease.

28 Jun 2012

Efforts to fight illegal drugs contributing to spread of HIV, report says

The Global Commission on Drug Policy (GCDP) on Tuesday published a report titled "The War on Drugs and HIV/AIDS: How the Criminalization of Drug Use Fuels the Global Pandemic," which "condemns the drug war as a failure and recommends immediate, major reforms of the global drug prohibition regime to halt the spread of HIV infection and other drug war harms," according to the report summary.

28 Jun 2012

Racial and ethnic composition of community associated with obesity risk

The racial and ethnic composition of a community is associated with the obesity risk of individuals living within the community, according to a study led by researchers at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

28 Jun 2012

California plan to move 880,000 children into Medi-Cal met with skepticism

A budget plan to save money by moving thousands of children into the Medicaid program is scrutinized while legislators scramble to draft companion legislation to implement the budget.

28 Jun 2012

Prenatal exposure to PCBs impacts reproductive function in offspring

Prenatal exposure to the environmental contaminants polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, causes long-term changes to the developing brain that have adverse effects on reproductive function later in life, a new study finds. Results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

28 Jun 2012

When it comes to health care clinics, Wal-Mart falling behind rivals

Five years after Wal-Mart Stores Inc. promised to open thousands of health-care clinics in its sprawling supercenters, it has fallen far behind its industry rivals in what has become a race to provide basic medical care in stores.

28 Jun 2012

High educational debt may limit job choices for new anesthesiologists

Many anesthesia residents are carrying high educational debt—$150,000 or higher—that may constrain their employment decisions after graduation, according to a survey study in the July issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

28 Jun 2012

Romney, Obama offer messaging previews for the coming health law decision

GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney says if the court strikes down the law, it shows President Barack Obama wasted three years. If court upholds it, he promises to get rid of the law if elected. Obama tells a campaign crowd the law is critical to expanding coverage to those who can't get it.

28 Jun 2012

Study finds wide variation in interpretation of NRMP rules

Many hospitals offer residency programs for doctors in training, allowing them to complete the education needed to become practicing physicians. Hospitals find those residents using National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) rules, but a new study finds wide variation in the interpretation of those rules.

28 Jun 2012

Senate sends FDA user fee bill to Obama; House GOP putting pressure on AARP

In rare show of bipartisanship, the Senate overwhelmingly approved the FDA measure. On the other side of the Capitol, top Republicans delved into whether AARP represented its members' interests when the lobby group for seniors supported the health law.

28 Jun 2012