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Congress of CA Seniors’ seminar to focus on elder abuse

Finding ways to end elder abuse is the theme of a free seminar sponsored by the Congress of California Seniors Region 3. The event will be held from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on Thursday, May 17, 2012 at the St. Regis Retirement Center, 23950 Mission Blvd., in Hayward.

14 May 2012

Safety tips to prevent heat-related illness

The National Weather Service reports that heat is the number one cause of weather-related deaths, killing approximately 400 Americans each year.

14 May 2012

DIBH can spare hearts and lungs of breast cancer patients from radiation

Respiratory movement during radiotherapy makes it difficult to hit the right treatment target and this in turn can lead to an under-dose of radiation to the tumour, or a potentially toxic over-dose to the surrounding healthy tissue. Getting this right is a real challenge for the radiotherapist, but new techniques are helping to deliver the correct dose to the right place, the 31st conference of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO 31) will hear today.

14 May 2012

Majority of UK adults believe that children should not be exposed to tobacco marketing

The vast majority (84 per cent) of UK adults believe that children should not be exposed to any tobacco marketing according to new data* published by Cancer Research UK today.

14 May 2012

JHSPH wins GCE grant for global health and development research project

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health announced today that it is a Grand Challenges Explorations winner, an initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Alain Labrique, PhD, director of the Johns Hopkins University Global mHealth Initiative, will pursue an innovative global health and development research project, titled "mTIKKA - Harnessing a Mobile - Cloud System to Achieve Universal Vaccination."

14 May 2012

Event addresses FDA's recent draft guidelines for development of biosimilar products

Dr. Richard Dolinar, chairman of the Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines (Alliance) outlined five areas of concern that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should resolve before they allow biosimilar medications on the U.S. drug market in prepared testimony for the FDA's May 11th public hearing. The event addressed the FDA's recent draft guidelines for the development of biosimilar products.

14 May 2012

Kidney transplants more frequent among NxStage home hemodialysis patients

NxStage Medical, Inc., a leading manufacturer of innovative dialysis products, today commented on findings of the Chronic Disease Research Group (CDRG) study showing that patients receiving daily, or more frequent, home hemodialysis with the NxStage System One are more likely to receive a kidney transplant when compared with conventional thrice-weekly dialysis, particularly in patients not on the transplant waitlist at initiation of daily home hemodialysis.

14 May 2012

Lenalidomide delays progression of multiple myeloma after stem cell transplant

Multiple myeloma is a form of cancer where the plasma cells in the bone marrow grow out of control, causing damage to bones as well as predisposing patients to anemia, infection and kidney failure. A medical procedure called autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, commonly known as a stem cell transplant, is frequently an important treatment option for many patients.

14 May 2012

Inducing labour improves survival rates for babies

Babies born when labour is induced around their due date may have better survival rates than those whose birth is not induced, a study suggests.

14 May 2012

Sports injury prevention tips from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/CUMC

As the weather warms up, people start filling the courts, fields, greens and trails looking to get back in shape and practice their game. However, this also means there are plenty of opportunities for cuts and bruises, ankle sprains, muscle strains, and knee injuries, to name a few.

14 May 2012

Unemployment rates in healthcare industry fell slightly to 8.1% in April

Unemployment rates fell slightly to 8.1 percent in April according to newly released figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employers added 115,000 workers last month, which is down 39,000 from March and 45,000 shy of the minimum some economists had forecast.

14 May 2012

Central Park West Dentistry to offer free services for senior citizens

Today, on Friday, May 11th, for the second year in a row, the doctors and staff of Central Park West Dentistry will donate their time and services to the community, by hosting a day of free dental care. Last year, the free dental event benefited children in the community, but this year, the dental office has chosen to give free services to senior citizens, ages 65 and up.

14 May 2012

Differences in regional readmission rates for heart failure tied to socioeconomics, availability of care

Differences in regional hospital readmission rates for heart failure are more closely tied to the availability of care and socioeconomics than to hospital performance or patients' degree of illness, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care & Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2012.

14 May 2012

New mom receives surprise heart transplant

New mom Windy Hill, 38, of Kingsport, Tenn., was given the ultimate Mother's Day gift a little early after she was wheeled into the operating room at Vanderbilt University Hospital on April 20 to receive a mechanical pump to aid her failing heart and save her life.

14 May 2012

Chronic asthma sufferers may have new hope for relief due to two BWH research studies

Chronic asthma sufferers may have new hope for relief due to two new research studies that are getting underway at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH). Researchers from BWH's Asthma Research Center are exploring whether two new therapies will relieve asthma symptoms.

14 May 2012

Towers Watson signs agreement to acquire Extend Health

Towers Watson, a global professional services company, announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire Extend Health, Inc., which operates the largest private Medicare exchange in the United States.

14 May 2012

New EMR tool helps reduce unnecessary abdominal CT scan use among ER patients

A new electronic medical record tool that tallies patients' previous radiation exposure from CT scans helps reduce potentially unnecessary use of the tests among emergency room patients with abdominal pain, according to a study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania that will be presented today at the annual meeting of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

14 May 2012

Regenerating sensory hair cells could help treat hearing loss

Regenerating sensory hair cells, which produce electrical signals in response to vibrations within the inner ear, could form the basis for treating age- or trauma-related hearing loss. One way to do this could be with gene therapy that drives new sensory hair cells to grow.

14 May 2012

Beta blockers do not reduce risk of colorectal cancer

A new study has found that, contrary to current thinking, taking beta blockers that treat high blood pressure does not decrease a person's risk of developing colorectal cancer. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study also revealed that even long-term use or subtypes of beta blockers showed no reduction of colorectal cancer risk.

14 May 2012

Guidelines to help protect teens from harmful effects of sun

It's never too early to start protecting yourself against sun damage, and if you are a teenage girl this message is especially important. "It only takes one blistering sunburn to increase your risk of skin cancer. Sun exposure plays a significant role in the development of melanoma. Although more adults are using sunscreens during outdoor activities, many are unaware of how important it is to make sure that their children are getting the necessary skin protection," says Dr. Desiree Ratner, director of dermatologic surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center.

14 May 2012