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Conference to address healthcare policy and patient safety

Practical solutions for boosting quality in healthcare and patient safety will take center stage when the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery hosts the 2007 Quality in Otolaryngology conference in Arlington, VA.

26 Jun 2007

Protein C levels help predict severity of illness and risk of death in ICU patients

A simple laboratory test to measure protein C - a natural anti-blood-clotting substance that also reflects the level of inflammation in the body - may offer a useful new indicator of the severity of illness and risk of death among critically ill patients.

26 Jun 2007

Portion-control dishes may help obese diabetics lose weight

A plate and cereal bowl with markers for proper portion sizes appear to help obese patients with diabetes lose weight and decrease their use of glucose-controlling medications, according to a report in the June 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

26 Jun 2007

Pneumonia leads list of causes of hospital re-admissions after stroke

Stroke is a leading cause of hospital admission among older adults. Yet more hospital readmissions after stroke are for pneumonia or for heart disease than for another stroke, according to a study published in the June 2007 issue of the journal Stroke.

26 Jun 2007

Does playfulness in young children encourage creativity and confidence?

That was the key question posed by Anita Bundy; Professor of Occupational Therapy at the University's the Faculty of Health Sciences, when she and her colleagues carried out an activity study of children aged five to seven at a Sydney primary school.

26 Jun 2007

Personal comments by physicians distract from patient needs

In well-intentioned efforts to establish relationships, some physicians tell patients about their own family members, health problems, travel experiences and political beliefs.

26 Jun 2007

Abuse of prescription drugs

Increasingly, drug abusers are getting their next fix from their medicine cabinets, instead of from drug dealers.

26 Jun 2007

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids protect against retinopathy

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids protect against the development and progression of retinopathy, a deterioration of the retina, in mice.

26 Jun 2007

Obesity associated with lower risk of active pulmonary tuberculosis in older population of Hong Kong

Obese or overweight Chinese individuals age 65 and older have a lower risk of developing tuberculosis than those at a normal weight, according to a study in the June 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

26 Jun 2007

NHS goes to market

UNISON will step up its campaign in support of the NHS, while opposing privatisation and the growth of the market, its national conference decided in Brighton this afternoon.

26 Jun 2007

Mylan receives FDA approval for Ondansetron tablets

Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs) for Ondansetron Hydrochloride (HCl) Tablets, 4 mg (base), 8 mg (base) and 24 mg (base), and Ondansetron Orally Disintegrating Tablets (ODT) USP, 4 mg and 8 mg.

26 Jun 2007

Women need to start thinking about heart disease prevention before menopause

Studies in female monkeys helped raise important questions about hormone therapy that were addressed in a Women's Health Initiative study reported last week in the New England Journal of Medicine .

26 Jun 2007

MIT researchers reverse behavioral symptoms in mice

Researchers at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT have, for the first time, reversed symptoms of mental retardation and autism in mice.

26 Jun 2007

Daily meditation may improve focus and performance

Meditation, according to Penn neuroscientist Amishi Jha and Michael Baime, director of Penn's Stress Management Program, is an active and effortful process that literally changes the way the brain works.

26 Jun 2007

Free insecticidal bednets, not social marketing, key to controlling malaria in Africa

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine's Professor Chris Curtis has joined the Earth Institute's Professor Jeffrey Sachs to call for the mass distribution of free insecticidal bed nets to replace social marketing as a means of controlling malaria in Africa.

26 Jun 2007

Alogliptin for type 2 diabetes shows promise in early trial

Alogliptin, a highly selective dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-4) inhibitor under investigation for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, demonstrated efficacy in reducing glucose levels throughout the day, in an early phase clinical study.

26 Jun 2007

Patients with an alcohol-use disorder are more likely to require mechanical ventilation

More than 300,000 patients receive mechanical ventilation during intensive care per year in the United States, even though the hospital mortality rate for ventilated patients can approach 50 percent.

26 Jun 2007

Early diagnosis and prevention of the effects of tooth erosion are fundamental to keeping teeth healthy for life

Fruit, yogurt, citric and soft drinks, may seem like harmless snacks and beverages, but improper consumption and overuse may lead to devastating and permanent damage to teeth. It's known as tooth erosion, the break down of tooth structure caused by the effect of acid on the teeth that leads to decay.

26 Jun 2007

Chimpanzees show unselfish concern for the welfare of others

Debates about altruism are often based on the assumption that it is either unique to humans or else the human version differs from that of other animals in important ways.

26 Jun 2007