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Some diets and diet pills may cause further kidney damage in overweight adults

With 1 in 5 overweight Americans suffering from chronic kidney disease, Cleveland Clinic researchers analyzed the nutritional and lifestyle habits of overweight adults, finding that their methods included diets and diet pills that may cause further kidney damage.

22 Feb 2012

Congress approves tax package including temporary 'doc fix'

In Friday action, the House and Senate OK'd legislation that prevented a 27.4 percent reduction in Medicare physician pay, which was scheduled to kick in on March 1.

22 Feb 2012

Lent offers a great opportunity to get started on a track to better health

For many people Lent is a time to take a step back, evaluate what is important and think about sacrifice. People of the Catholic faith refrain from eating meat on Fridays. In addition, Catholics and people from other Christian faiths also "give up" something such as eating high-calorie desserts or kicking a bad habit such as smoking.

22 Feb 2012

India still faces challenges in efforts to eradicate polio

The PBS NewsHour examines polio eradication efforts in India, which has gone an entire year without reporting a polio case. "For India, the challenge is to remain vigilant and polio free for two more years to officially fall off the list of endemic countries," according to the news service.

22 Feb 2012

Parental exposure to PFOA may increase risk of obesity in their daughters

The levels of the environmental pollutant perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) that mothers had in their blood during pregnancy increased the risk of obesity in their daughters at 20 years of age.

22 Feb 2012

Scientists study chess player's brains to decipher how humans process visual information

Just as expert chess players scrutinize a board to calculate their next moves, UT Dallas cognitive neuroscientists are studying the way these players' brains work to better understand how visual information is processed.

22 Feb 2012

Study examines impact of EHR on childhood obesity evaluation

Electronic health records and embedded tools can alert and direct pediatricians so they can better manage the weight of children and teenagers, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published online in The Journal of Pediatrics.

22 Feb 2012

AAN to honor former NASA astronaut with Public Leadership in Neurology Award

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and the American Academy of Neurology Foundation (AAN Foundation) have announced that Rich Clifford, former NASA astronaut, is the recipient of the 2012 Public Leadership in Neurology Award.

22 Feb 2012

Over-reactive parents more likely to have toddlers with negative emotionality, problem behaviors

Researchers have found that parents of young children who anger easily and over-react are more likely to have toddlers who act out and become upset easily.

22 Feb 2012

Study aims to achieve early detection of heart disease

With the month of February designated as Heart Health Month, physician-researchers in the Division of Cardiology at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed) - Dr. Matthew Budoff and Dr. Ronald Oudiz - continue to pave the way with their efforts to develop treatments and therapies for conditions affecting the heart, and to help improve overall heart health.

22 Feb 2012

First prospective study of ethnic differences in symptoms of autism in toddlers

The first prospective study of ethnic differences in the symptoms of autism in toddlers shows that children from a minority background have more delayed language, communication and gross motor skills than Caucasian children with the disorder. Researchers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute concluded that subtle developmental delays may be going unaddressed in minority toddlers until more severe symptoms develop.

22 Feb 2012

UMMS' iHeal project uses emerging technologies to detect drug cravings and intervene

Clinical researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) are combining an innovative constellation of technologies such as artificial intelligence, smartphone programming, biosensors and wireless connectivity to develop a device designed to detect physiological stressors associated with drug cravings and respond with user-tailored behavioral interventions that prevent substance use.

22 Feb 2012

Meeting demand for primary care, family physicians

New medical schools are opening with an emphasis on training young physicians in primary care. Meanwhile, the federal government awarded funds to medical students in 30 states and the District of Columbia to encourage their pursuit of family medicine.

22 Feb 2012

First ever publication with data on head impacts from youth football players

The Virginia Tech - Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences (SBES) announces the first ever publication with data on head impacts from youth football players. The paper is published in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering and is available online for free download. The manuscript includes the details of over 700 head impacts measured on 7 and 8 year old youth football players.

22 Feb 2012

Birth control issues crop up on the campaign trail

Republicans cast the debate over mandatory coverage as one of religious freedom, while Democrats frame it as a matter of women's health.

22 Feb 2012

New analysis highlights ongoing scale of tobacco problem among children

Every year around 157,000 children aged 11-15 start smoking - that's enough to fill 5,200 classrooms or make up nearly 14,000 junior football teams. These shocking figures, revealed in a new analysis by Cancer Research UK, highlight the ongoing scale of the tobacco problem, and underline the importance of sustained action to discourage young people from starting to smoke, including by introducing plain packaging for all tobacco products as soon as possible.

22 Feb 2012

Essential benefits, health exchanges trigger questions, answers

Today's headlines include a range of stories about the implementation of the health law and related policy developments.

22 Feb 2012

NYSDOH approves Enzo Biochem's ColonSentry test

Enzo Biochem, Inc. today announced that the New York State Department of Health has approved Enzo Clinical Labs' use of the ColonSentry test for providing an assessment of a patient's risk of having colorectal cancer.

22 Feb 2012

Obama contraceptive rule reverberates through health care marketplace

Before the federal rule was advanced, the policies put in place by various states allowed employers room to manuever, The Washington Post reports. Meanwhile, the insurance industry fears it may be left holding the bag for this requirement, and the New York Times explores the market share of Catholic hospitals.

22 Feb 2012

AAN announces recipients of 2012 scientific research awards

Nearly two dozen scientific research awards are being bestowed on researchers around the world this year by the American Academy of Neurology, the world's largest association of neurologists. The awards will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans April 21-28, 2012, at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

22 Feb 2012