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Research roundup: Funding for safety-net hospitals; insurance competition

Safety-net hospitals rely on disproportionate-share hospital (DSH) payments to help cover uncompensated care costs and underpayments by Medicaid

9 Jun 2014

Bacteria exposure may help protect babies from wheezing and allergic disease

Research funded by the National Institutes of Health suggests that exposure to specific combinations of allergens and bacteria within the first year of life may protect children from wheezing and allergic disease.

9 Jun 2014

Scientists use mice to replicate aspects of human breast cancer to find cure among women

Scientists have routinely used mice to replicate aspects of human breast cancer in an effort to find a cure to the most common type of cancer among women.

9 Jun 2014

Cellular blockages in nerve cells of insect's brain can form and dissolve in 30 seconds

Motorists in Los Angeles, San Francisco and other gridlocked cities could learn something from the fruit fly.

9 Jun 2014

Scientists develop new molecule for monitoring drug concentration

Monitoring the drug concentration in patients is critical for effective treatment, especially in cases of cancer, heart disease, epilepsy and immunosuppression after organ transplants.

9 Jun 2014

CBO: Only 4 million to face fines for lacking health coverage

That is down about 2 million from an earlier projection by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, reflecting the calculation that more of the nation's 30 million uninsured will qualify for exemptions under the law.

9 Jun 2014

Gene variants that lead to longer telomeres boost brain cancer risk

New genomic research led by UC San Francisco scientists reveals that two common gene variants that lead to longer telomeres, the caps on chromosome ends thought by many scientists to confer health by protecting cells from aging, also significantly increase the risk of developing the deadly brain cancers known as gliomas.

9 Jun 2014

Scientists design nanoparticle to target tumor cells

Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have designed a nanoparticle that has a couple of unique - and important - properties.

9 Jun 2014

Researchers uncover several gene networks with potentially important roles in autism

A large new analysis of DNA from thousands of patients has uncovered several underlying gene networks with potentially important roles in autism.

9 Jun 2014

Tiny molecule may provide marker for depression

Levels of a small molecule found only in humans and in other primates are lower in the brains of depressed individuals, according to researchers at McGill University and the Douglas Institute.

9 Jun 2014

Financial and industry analysts attend Allscripts' CCM conference

Today, Allscripts will host a gathering of financial and industry analysts at the Center for Connected Medicine (CCM) in Pittsburgh, Penn.

9 Jun 2014

Prevalence of pulmonary arterial hypertension characterised in CHD patients

Pulmonary arterial hypertension affects just over 3% of individuals with congenital heart disease, reveal nationwide data from the Netherlands.

6 Jun 2014

Cardiac biomarkers aid microvascular risk prediction in diabetics

Assessing cardiac biomarkers results in a moderate improvement in the ability to predict microvascular complications in patients with Type 2 diabetes, say researchers.

6 Jun 2014

Study heterogeneity hinders mortality predictions in Parkinson’s disease

Poor study quality and heterogeneity in study methods and patients make it difficult to determine the impact Parkinson’s disease has on mortality, UK researchers report.

6 Jun 2014

Senators reach bipartisan deal to fix VA

The agreement, announced Thursday by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., gives authority to the acting VA chief to fire senior officials and to allow veterans who have experienced long waits or who live further than 40 miles from a VA facility to seek care elsewhere. If passed by both houses, the bill would also authorize VA to spend $500 million hiring new doctors and nurses.

6 Jun 2014

Healthcare.gov to get makeover

The Wall Street Journal reports that the federal health insurance website is slated for an overhaul that will likely result in the scrapping of major parts of it that caused problems during last fall's launch. Its tight timeline is among the issues raising new concern.

6 Jun 2014

Progress in constructing protein nanomachines

A route for constructing protein nanomachines engineered for specific applications may be closer to reality.

6 Jun 2014

TSRI develops accurate structural map of complex molecular machines in cells

A team led by researchers at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has used advanced electron microscopy techniques to determine the first accurate structural map of Mediator, one of the largest and most complex "molecular machines" in cells.

6 Jun 2014

Studies show relation between spice and different types of psychosis

Professors of Medicine Degree at the CEU Cardenal Herrera University and the Provincial Hospital of Castellón, in collaboration with doctors of the Addictive Behaviors Unit of Valencia, have described the first case of catatonic psychosis caused by a synthetic derivate of Cannabis: the spice.

6 Jun 2014

New targets could increase effectiveness and reduce side effects linked with breast cancer treatments

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found new targets for potential intervention in breast cancer. These new targets could eventually increase effectiveness and reduce the undesirable side effects associated with current treatments.

6 Jun 2014