Medical News

RSS

In bid to calm markets, Obama urges deficit reduction approach that includes 'modest adjustments' to Medicare

As the stock market plunged, President Barack Obama said the nation's deficit couldn't be ignored. He recommended an approach that includes spending cuts as well as increased tax revenue and "modest adjustments" to health care programs. Meanwhile, health care stocks were among those that posted double-digit losses, and, as the fallout from S & P's downgrade continues, some states are at more risk than others.

10 Aug 2011

Nearly half of men expect better recovery from side-effects of prostate cancer surgery

Nearly half of men undergoing surgery for prostate cancer expect better recovery from the side effects of the surgery than they actually attain one year after the operation, a University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center study finds.

10 Aug 2011

Medications can be harmed by excessive heat

We all know that people and animals can be harmed by excessive heat; so can medications, states Dr. Amy Peak, director of Drug Information Services for Butler University.

10 Aug 2011

Dems split on Supreme Court Medicaid case

Some congressional Democrats told the Supreme Court Monday that low-income Medicaid beneficiaries should be able to file suit to enforce their rights to care and to challenge state cuts to the program.

10 Aug 2011

Hydros-TA therapy provides next generation of osteoarthritis relief

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, affecting roughly 10% of Canadians. This degradation of the joints is painful and crippling, especially when it affects the knee. Although there are viable OA treatment options, they are short-lived and can have serious side-effects.

10 Aug 2011

Flatworms provide new insight into organ regeneration, evolution of mammalian kidneys

Our bodies are perfectly capable of renewing billions of cells every day but fail miserably when it comes to replacing damaged organs such as kidneys. Using the flatworm Schmidtea mediterranea-famous for its capacity to regrow complete animals from minuscule flecks of tissue-as an eloquent example, researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research demonstrated how our distant evolutionary cousins regenerate their excretory systems from scratch.

10 Aug 2011

UofL professor to teach and conduct research for Italian students in Fulbright Program

Learning more about how to save researchers money through decision analysis is an important area of study for Steven McCabe, MD, assistant professor, University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences. He will have the chance to exchange knowledge about decision analysis with colleagues in Italy as a Fulbright Scholar.

10 Aug 2011

Music and music therapy may benefit cancer patients

Cancer patients may benefit from sessions with trained music therapists or from listening to music. Using music can reduce anxiety in cancer patients, and may also have positive effects on mood, pain and quality of life, according to a new Cochrane systematic review led by Dr. Joke Bradt, an associate professor in Drexel University's College of Nursing and Health Professions.

10 Aug 2011

Study finds very low rates of pertussis in children with cough

Contrary to some recent studies, only a low percentage of children treated for respiratory illness with cough have unsuspected pertussis, reports a study in the August issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

10 Aug 2011

Improved patient selection and practice patterns may lower number of negative tests for CAD

Hospitals vary markedly when it comes to the rate at which diagnostic coronary angiography or catheterization - an invasive procedure that allows doctors to see the vessels and arteries leading to the heart - actually finds obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in people without known heart disease.

10 Aug 2011

Proportion of new HIV cases increasing among older population in China

The case of a Chinese man nearly 80 years old who was recently diagnosed with HIV is "shedding light on a segment of the Chinese population said to be overlooked by the country's AIDS education efforts," according to "a recent report from state-run media Xinhua News Agency," the Wall Street Journal's "China Real Time" blog reports.

10 Aug 2011

New sensor can detect 'date rape' drugs

Smart women know it's wise to beware when out at a bar or club - there could be more than just alcohol in that cocktail. Psychoactive substances classified as "date rape" drugs can be dropped into an unsuspecting victim's drink, rendering her barely conscious and susceptible to sexual assault.

10 Aug 2011

Sleep deprivation negatively affects school-age children

Going back to school should not be just an excuse for kids to get new clothes and school supplies. Instead, say University of Alabama at Birmingham experts, it also should be a time to get them back to healthier sleep schedules.

10 Aug 2011

Roundup: Mass. Gov. remains committed to health payment changes; insurers fight Fla. decision on state workers' HMO

The Patrick administration is still angling to get the Legislature to pass a sweeping overhaul of the state's health care payment and delivery system by the end of 2011, Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray said yesterday.

10 Aug 2011

New genetic cause of retinitis pigmentosa

Combining the expertise of several different labs, University of Iowa researchers have found a new genetic cause of the blinding eye disease retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and, in the process, discovered an entirely new version of the message that codes for the affected protein.

10 Aug 2011

Research shows six-fold risk of autism in grandchildren of acrodynia survivors

Researchers from Australia have identified an ancestry of Pink Disease (Infantile Acrodynia) as a risk factor for Autism Spectrum Disorders.

10 Aug 2011

Sanofi to launch Care Challenge program for nurses

Sanofi announced today the launching of the Care Challenge program.

10 Aug 2011

Vitamin D, UVB may help prevent dental caries

Large geographical variations in dental health and tooth loss among U.S. adolescents and young adults have been reported since the mid-1800s. The first study finding a north-south gradient in dental caries was a report of men rejected from the draft for the Civil War for lost teeth, from 8 per 1000 men in Kentucky to 25 in New England.

10 Aug 2011

Older women with sleep disordered breathing may face greater risk of dementia

Older women who have sleep-related breathing problems may be at greater risk of problems with mental function, including dementia, according to a new study in the August 10, 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

10 Aug 2011

Health Canada approves Boston Scientific's WallFlex Biliary RX Fully Covered Stent

Boston Scientific Corporation's WallFlex Biliary RX Fully Covered Stent has received Health Canada approval for the treatment of benign biliary strictures, which supplements its current indication for management of malignant biliary strictures.

10 Aug 2011