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Older men more likely to die from prostrate cancer

Contrary to common belief, men age 75 and older are diagnosed with late-stage and more aggressive prostate cancer and thus die from the disease more often than younger men, according to a University of Rochester analysis published online this week by the journal, Cancer.

20 Oct 2011

University of Delaware receives DoD grant to create and manage BADER Consortium

The Department of Defense (DoD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program (PRORP) has awarded a $19.7 million grant to the University of Delaware to create and manage a consortium that will improve the quality of life for warfighters who suffer significant limb injuries in combat.

20 Oct 2011

NIST, CU develop novel low-power transport microchip

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and University of Colorado Boulder (CU) have developed a low-power microchip that uses a combination of microfluidics and magnetic switches to trap and transport magnetic beads. The novel transport chip may have applications in biotechnology and medical diagnostics.

20 Oct 2011

Pediatrician offers ten Halloween safety tips

Halloween is approaching, and many parents may wonder if trick-or-treating is safe. Dr. Luz Adriana Matiz, pediatrician at NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, suggests that with a few precautions, Halloween can be a happy and safe occasion for all. Dr. Matiz suggests that children limit trick-or-treating to familiar neighborhoods and neighbors.

20 Oct 2011

Study examines potential benefits of discordant couple HIV therapy

A new study published online in the journal AIDS uses mathematical models to predict the potential impact of treating discordant couples with antiretroviral therapy, according to a Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health press release.

20 Oct 2011

Intestinal ecosystem more dynamic than previously thought

The intestinal ecosystem is even more dynamic than previously thought, according to two studies by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers published in the latest issue of Science.

20 Oct 2011

Gates Foundation provides funding for relief efforts in Horn of Africa

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation "on Tuesday announced a $2.5 million grant to Mercy Corps to fund relief and longer-term recovery efforts in drought-stricken Wajir County on Kenya's border with Somalia," representing "more than 40 percent of the $5.4 million in private funds that Mercy Corps has raised to date for Horn of Africa relief efforts," the Seattle Times reports.

20 Oct 2011

Department of Health Care Services dismantles ADHC program for California seniors

The State of California is facing a budget crisis and, as usual, the most vulnerable and needy face the biggest cuts. The Department of Health Care Services is dismantling a vital program for our state's seniors, and Governor Jerry Brown has reneged on a deal to replace the program with some kind of viable alternative.

20 Oct 2011

Higher Medicare premiums will undermine social security's raise

Social Security reciepients are expected to get a 3.5 percent cost-of-living increase in January, but a boost in the cost of Medicare Part B premiums will likely offset some of the impact.

20 Oct 2011

New prosthetic design may not offer same benefits for all knee replacement recipients

Undergoing a knee replacement involves sophisticated medical equipment, but innovative prosthetic design may not offer the same benefits for all knee replacement recipients, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a perspective article in the October 20 issue of New England Journal of Medicine.

20 Oct 2011

HHS issues regs to reduce red tape for hospitals, providers

The Obama administration moved Tuesday to roll back numerous rules that apply to hospitals and other health care providers after concluding that the standards were obsolete or overly burdensome to the industry. Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, said the proposed changes, which would apply to more than 6,000 hospitals, would save providers nearly $1.1 billion a year without creating any "consequential risks for patients."

20 Oct 2011

Aggressive Behaviour Risk Assessment Tool can reduce violence in clinical settings

Using a specially designed risk assessment tool within 24 hours of admission was an effective way of identifying which hospital patients in medical and surgical units would become violent. Researchers studied more than 2,000 patients admitted to an acute care hospital over a five-month period. As well as identify the traits that were most likely to lead to violence, they found that a disproportionate number of elderly patients and males became violent.

20 Oct 2011

Experts recommending fewer cancer screenings

New cervical cancer screening guidelines are the latest example of this emerging cautious view.

20 Oct 2011

OPHN1 protein mediates mGluR-dependent longterm depression at synapses

Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have solved part of a puzzle concerning the relationship between changes in the strength of synapses - the tiny gaps across which nerve cells in the brain communicate - and dysfunctions in neural circuits that have been linked with drug addiction, mental retardation and other cognitive disorders.

20 Oct 2011

Kenya aims to reduce preventable deaths by 50% by December 2012

GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog examines how Kenya is working to decrease the number of preventable deaths under a "recently launched ... campaign called 'Let's Live,' which sets a target of reducing preventable deaths in Kenya by 50 percent by December 2012."

20 Oct 2011

Three factors appear to correlate with mortality for a patient after surgery

Duke University Medical Center researchers have verified data that suggest three medical factors appear to correlate with mortality for a patient who has been under anesthesia for an operation.

20 Oct 2011

USAID funding PATH projects to improve health in resource-poor settings

USAID this week announced investments in two new projects to be led by the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), according to a USAID press release.

20 Oct 2011

Tenofovir gel shows promise against HSV infection

HIV infection is commonly associated with other sexual infections, such as herpes simplex virus (HSV). Infection with HSV facilitates the risk of HIV infection and negatively impacts the clinical course of HIV disease. Therefore, it would be highly beneficial to identify multi-faceted microbicide compounds that are efficient against HIV-1 and other sexually transmitted infections.

20 Oct 2011

JAMA study: Heart failure hospitalization rates fall

The rate of hospital admissions for elderly patients in the U.S. fell by nearly 30 percent in the past decade, based on an analysis of Medicare data. This finding, being published today, is viewed as progress against cardiovascular disease and the costs associated with this illness.

20 Oct 2011

Rituximab may alleviate chronic fatigue syndrome through B-lymphocyte depletion

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) may be alleviated by the anti-cancer drug Rituximab, suggesting that the source of the disease could lie in the immune system, according to a new study published Oct. 19 in the online journal PLoS ONE.

20 Oct 2011