Medical News

RSS

Medicaid payments in N.Y., Kentucky questioned

New York auditors says nursing homes were overpaid, while a Kentucky state senator says doctors at the University of Louisville misused Medicaid funds.

30 Sep 2011

Journal of Vascular Surgery publishes Atrium's COBEST Trial on aorto-iliac disease

Atrium Medical Corporation today announced the publication of the COBEST Trial by the Journal of Vascular Surgery. COBEST (Covered Versus Balloon Expandable Stent Trial) was an independent, landmark, prospective, multi center, randomized, controlled clinical trial that has demonstrated that Atrium's proprietary balloon expandable covered stent technology is superior to traditional bare metal stents for the treatment of aorto-iliac disease.

30 Sep 2011

Increased focus on vaccine for dengue fever is critical to curb spread of disease

In this GlobalPost opinion piece, Zulfiqar Bhutta, Husein Laljee Dewraj professor and head of the Division of Maternal and Child Health at the Aga Khan University Medical Center in Karachi, Pakistan, and Ciro de Quadros, executive vice president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute and former director of the Division of Vaccines and Immunization at PAHO, examine the need for a dengue fever vaccine as Pakistan struggles to curb an outbreak of the disease that to date has killed 60 people and has infected more than 8,000.

30 Sep 2011

HBI, TPF launch One Heart Magazine

Heartbeat International Foundation, Inc. (HBI), in partnership with The Publishing Firm Inc (TPF), today announced that it will launch its new publication, One Heart Magazine, to coincide with World Heart Day on September 29, 2011.

30 Sep 2011

Jails are holding increasing numbers of mentally ill

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that in Georgia more mentally ill people are locked away than are treated in state psychiatric hospitals. In other state news about mental health, Florida seeks to recoup $4 million from company that managed Medicaid mental health services, and Milwaukee considers bolstering services.

30 Sep 2011

Elsevier recognizes eleven talented women scientists for research excellence

The Elsevier Foundation, TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world and the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) announced today that they are recognizing eleven talented women scientists from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean for their research excellence.

30 Sep 2011

United Nations 66th General Assembly to discuss how to reduce NCDs

University of Bergen researchers have contributed to an international declaration on the prevention of non-communicable diseases. Now the UN is discussing the issue.

30 Sep 2011

Survey: 25% of employers have little or no understanding of specialty pharmacy, costs

Twenty-five percent of employers have little or no understanding of specialty pharmacy and 53 percent have only a moderate understanding of this challenging benefit according to a new survey released by the non-profit Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH), one of the nation's leading business groups of private and public employers.

30 Sep 2011

GWAS uncovers new genes associated with type 1 diabetes

The largest-ever analysis of genetic data related to type 1 diabetes has uncovered new genes associated with the common metabolic disease, which affects 200 million people worldwide. The findings add to knowledge of gene networks involved in the origin of this complex disorder, in which patients depend on frequent insulin injections to control their blood sugar levels.

30 Sep 2011

GlobalPost examines how Indian city of Surat cleaned up after 1994 plague outbreak

GlobalPost reports how, spurred by an outbreak of the pneumonic plague in 1994, the Indian city of Surat "successfully went from one of the country's dirtiest cities to one of its cleanest in 18 short months." The news service writes that "after 54 residents died and some 300,000 fled to escape a possible quarantine, the people who stuck around were willing to get with the program -- working to eliminate the tons of garbage and overflowing sewers that had inundated the city with disease-carrying rats."

30 Sep 2011

Six sneaky triggers of allergies and asthma

Halloween can be a frightful time for parents of kids with allergies and asthma. Nut-filled candy isn't the only bogeyman that can ruin the fun. Allergy and asthma triggers can hide in other, unexpected places, too, from dusty costumes to leering jack-o-lanterns.

30 Sep 2011

Researchers identify set of proteins that affect development of varicose veins

A new discovery published in the October 2011 print issue of The FASEB Journal explains for the first time what kicks off the process that causes varicose veins.

30 Sep 2011

GSA, NAM select 16 reporters for MetLife Foundation Journalists in Aging Fellows Program

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and New America Media (NAM) have selected 16 reporters for the MetLife Foundation Journalists in Aging Fellows Program, now in its second year.

30 Sep 2011

New technique helps identify how RNA molecules control gene expression

A new technique developed by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine allows researchers to identify the exact DNA sequences and locations bound by regulatory RNAs. This information is necessary to understand how the recently identified RNA molecules control the expression of neighboring and distant genes.

30 Sep 2011

States join forces to fend off Medicaid cuts

With billions of dollars in Medicaid spending at risk in Congress, states are forming a loose confederacy to oppose any federal cuts that could damage state budgets already awash in red ink.

30 Sep 2011

PTK6 protein may play a different role in colon and breast cancer

A protein that regulates cell differentiation in normal tissue may play a different role in colon and breast cancer, activating proliferation of damaged cells, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.

30 Sep 2011

Many Canadians are not screening for glaucoma earlier, finds study

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. Although it can be treated, new research shows Canadians may not be doing enough to protect themselves. According to a new study by Lawson Health Research Institute's Dr. Cindy Hutnik, many Canadian glaucoma patients are not screened until the disease has reached moderate or advanced stages.

30 Sep 2011

Roads may play a major role in the spread or containment of antibiotic resistant bacteria

Antibiotic resistant E. coli was much more prevalent in villages situated along roads than in rural villages located away from roads, which suggests that roads play a major role in the spread or containment of antibiotic resistant bacteria, commonly called superbugs, a new study finds.

30 Sep 2011

Resveratrol inhibits proliferation of hormone resistant breast cancer cells

Cheers! A new research report appearing in the October 2011 issue of The FASEB Journal shows that resveratrol, the "healthy" ingredient in red wine, stops breast cancer cells from growing by blocking the growth effects of estrogen.

30 Sep 2011

Adult male circumcision not a cost effective anti-HIV tactic, panel of economists says

A panel of economists commissioned by the Copenhagen Consensus Centre who "conducted a first-ever cost-benefit analysis of the top AIDS-fighting approaches by comparing the costs of prevention and treatment options per lives saved ... said Wednesday that adult male circumcision, a global priority for preventing HIV infection, is not nearly as cost-effective as other methods of prevention," USA Today reports.

30 Sep 2011