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New study looks at factors that impact healthfulness of men over 70

Seventy year olds who don't frequently visit the doctor have something unexpected in common - most played high school sports. They were active on a team over 50 years ago and are more likely to be active into their late 70s.

30 Dec 2013

Slowing eating speed leads to significant reduction in energy intake: Study

Obesity rates in the United States increased from 14.5% of the population in 1971-1974 to 35.9% of the population in 2009-2010. It's believed that one contributing factor to expanding waistlines is the reported increase in energy intake. Research suggests that the ability to control energy intake may be affected by the speed at which we eat, and a high eating rate may impair the relationship between the sensory signals and processes that regulate how much we eat.

30 Dec 2013

Social norms influence food intake, find researchers

Is obesity a socially transmitted disease? In order to try to find out, researchers in the United Kingdom conducted a systematic review of several experimental studies, each of which examined whether or not providing information about other peoples' eating habits influences food intake or choices. Their results are published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

30 Dec 2013

White House: More than 1 million now enrolled in Obamacare

Nearly 1 million people signed up for health insurance through the federal Obamacare exchanges between Dec. 1 and the Dec. 24 deadline for getting coverage by the start of the new year, according to figures released by the administration Sunday. The 975,000 people who enrolled during that window bring the total number of federal sign-ups to more than 1.1 million since the rocky rollout of the government's Healthcare.gov website on Oct. 1 (Allen, 12/29).

30 Dec 2013

HAMS offers evidence-based strategies to help change drinking habits for the better

Every year at New Year's millions of people make resolutions to change habits such as drinking alcohol, smoking, overeating, exercise, etc. However, research by Richard Wiseman from the University of Bristol shows that only 12% of New Year's resolutions succeed; the other 88% fail. What is the difference between those who succeed and those who fail? Do some of us have wills of iron whereas others have wills of Silly Putty? Not at all.

30 Dec 2013

Mission of Hope develops holistic model for rebuilding Haiti

With the four-year anniversary of Haiti's devastating, 7.0 magnitude earthquake just two weeks away, Mission of Hope a Christian nonprofit headquartered in Haiti, has developed a holistic model for long-term development and rebuilding that works and is sustainable.

30 Dec 2013

Research could pave way for more effective treatments for bacterial infections

The mechanism by which some bacteria are able to survive antibacterial treatment has been revealed for the first time by Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers. Their work could pave the way for new ways to control such bacteria.

30 Dec 2013

January 6 announced as registration deadline for Depuy ASR hip implant cases

In November 2013, Johnson & Johnson announced that it has agreed to pay at least $2.5 billion to settle nearly 8,000 DePuy Orthopaedics Hip Implant lawsuits which have been filed across the country. It is estimated by some accounts that the total settlement figure could reach $4 billion.

28 Dec 2013

Improper way of working out may do more harm than good

With the coming of the new year, many people will vow to get in shape after overindulging during the holidays. However, not knowing the proper way to work out might do more harm than good.

28 Dec 2013

Blood pressure monitors, pain relief products and first-aid products are FSA eligible expenses

Each year, more than $400 million in tax-free income is wasted when flexible spending account (FSA) holders don't spend FSA funds, or fail to submit expenses to be reimbursed by an FSA. While recent U.S. Treasury Department changes give employers the option to offer a rollover of up to $500 each year in unused FSA funds, a recent FSAstore.com survey of its benefit administrator partners found that 66 percent of employers are expected to wait until next year to amend their FSA plans.

28 Dec 2013

White paper outlines pitfalls of administering Medicare Part D

Compliance is a particular concern for Health Plans and Pharmacy Benefit Managers in the Medicare Advantage and Managed Medicaid markets. With regulations continually changing in response to Health Care Reform, payers can minimize the risk of sanctions and increase plan ratings (and thus, revenue) by employing automated checks and balances, a less burdened internal system and best practice enforcement, according to a new white paper published by TMG Health.

28 Dec 2013

Researchers check familiarity of 'MyPlate' circle for healthy meals

Most Americans know about MyPyramid - the triangle depicting how many servings of each food group you should eat in a day - but who knows about MyPlate - the circle showing what a healthy meal looks like? MyPlate was created in 2011 by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help American consumers put the Dietary Guidelines into practice. It's a simple, colorful icon that prompts us to think about what's on our plate, illustrating healthy proportions of fruit, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy within a single meal.

28 Dec 2013

Elementary school administrator donates healthy kidney to total stranger

Terie Cota, an elementary school administrator from Santa Maria, Calif., describes herself as an "average 56-year-old woman." She has been married 34 years, is the mother of four sons and grandmother of two little girls. But there is nothing average about Terie Cota because she chose to do something few others would think to do: She donated one of her healthy kidneys to a total stranger.

28 Dec 2013

Keeping teeth and gums healthy through interactive games

Learning about oral health can be informative and fun at the same time. The Pennsylvania Dental Association's (PDA) website features a section specifically designed for kids, and we encourage you to check it out. The Kids' Corner, www.padental.org/kidscorner, is an excellent resource for children of all ages and features the lovable Topher Tooth. It includes interactive games and activities, information on brushing and flossing, answers to frequently asked questions, nutritional information and more.

28 Dec 2013

New research defines roles and responsibilities of patient navigators

New research out of the George Washington University Cancer Institute (GWCI) defines the roles and responsibilities of patient navigators. With the rapid growth of patient navigation, the paper seeks to develop a framework to describe similarities and differences across navigators and clarify their place in the health care system, leading to greater standardization of the profession.

28 Dec 2013

AACE releases first 2013 list of most frequently searched endocrine medical conditions

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) today released its first annual list of the most frequently searched endocrine medical conditions for 2013, as measured by visits to the organization's patient education website, www.empoweryourhealth.org.

28 Dec 2013

University of Barcelona participates in ‘Astronaut Exercise Prescriptions Promoting Health and Fitness on Earth’ project

The University of Barcelona participates in the European project A-fit (Astronaut Exercise Prescriptions Promoting Health and Fitness on Earth), coordinated by the Karolinska Institute (Sweden). It aims at designing a fitness programme to avoid muscle atrophy associated to microgravity. Its results will contribute to the understanding of the beneficial effects of exercise in order to combat the effects of long-term muscle disuse. Findings may be also applied to other research areas, for instance, those diseases characterized by muscular dysfunction.

28 Dec 2013

Integration of Parma Community General Hospital and EMH Healthcare into UH system receives approval

University Hospitals (UH) has received final approval from state and federal government regulators this week for the integration of Parma Community General Hospital and EMH Healthcare into the UH health system.

28 Dec 2013

Preoperative tests increasing for Medicare patients undergoing cataract surgery, despite lack of benefits

The elimination of extensive routine preoperative tests and consultations represents an area of potentially large health care savings across many disciplines, particularly for low-risk patients being evaluated for cataract surgery. It is also a major theme of the Choosing Wisely campaign from the American Board of Internal Medicine.

28 Dec 2013

Ancient Peru healers drilled holes in the cranium for treatment

Cranial surgery is tricky business, even under 21st-century conditions (think aseptic environment, specialized surgical instruments and copious amounts of pain medication both during and afterward).

28 Dec 2013