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OMT offers moderate to substantial pain relief from chronic low back pain

The numbers are staggering. More than 632 million people worldwide suffer from low back pain, and it is a leading cause of disability. According to the Institute of Medicine, one-third of all Americans suffer from chronic pain, which exceeds the number of people who are affected by heart disease, diabetes and cancer combined.

19 Mar 2013

Wall Street Journal examines new initiative to combat drug-resistant TB in India

The Wall Street Journal examines a new effort to combat drug-resistant tuberculosis In India, noting "[a]n international health initiative has brokered a landmark accord that aims to halve the price patients pay for advanced tests for a strain of tuberculosis that is resistant to standard drugs."

19 Mar 2013

Study assesses effectiveness of modern mammography screening in breast cancer

Kerlikowske et al., recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, used obsolete clinical endpoints to assess effectiveness of modern mammography screening and is fundamentally flawed regarding participant selection in the two study groups (annually vs. biennially).

19 Mar 2013

Regardless of breast density or HT use, women aged 50 to 74 years can undergo biennial mammography

A study that compared the benefits and harms of the frequency of screening mammography to age, breast density and postmenopausal use of hormone therapy (HT) suggests that woman ages 50 to 74 years who undergo biennial screenings have a similar risk of advanced-stage disease and a lower cumulative risk of false-positive results than those who get mammograms annually, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

19 Mar 2013

Report says much work remains on hunger, nutrition; FAO head calls for 'integrated nutrition strategies'

"The world's food security remains 'vulnerable,' new data suggests, with some 870 million people experiencing sustained hunger and two billion suffering from micronutrient deficiencies," Inter Press Service reports.

19 Mar 2013

New app to evaluate sports concussion

The American Academy of Neurology, the world's largest association of neurologists who treat brain injuries such as concussion, has launched a new app called "Concussion QuickCheck", to help coaches, athletic trainers, parents and athletes quickly evaluate if someone may have a concussion and needs to see a licensed health care provider, such as a neurologist, who is specialized in concussion.

19 Mar 2013

Research provides better understanding of microbiological factors of periodontitis

Microbes from the human mouth are telling Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists something about periodontitis and more after they cracked the genetic code of bacteria linked to the condition.

19 Mar 2013

Nigerian polio vaccinators face challenges but aim for eradication by 2018

The Independent reports on the challenges polio vaccinators in Nigeria face, including "the daily gauntlet of militant gangs, kidnappers, and unforgiving waters, on a mission to immunize children."

19 Mar 2013

ProtiDiet High Protein Chocolate Dream Bars may contain Salmonella, warns FDA

Pro-Amino International Inc. is recalling protein bars which may contain Salmonella. The product is the ProtiDiet High Protein Chocolate Dream Bar, sold in 210 gram (7.4 oz.) packages, 7 bars per package, bearing UPC 6 21498 42238 1, lot code CR 18 13B, and Best Before date of 2015-08.

19 Mar 2013

Relighting cigarettes related to economic factors, researchers find

In what is believed to be a first of its kind study, a research member at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey and colleagues have found that an accelerating trend of smokers relighting cigarettes is related to economic factors, and the practice has implications for tobacco dependence treatment and policy.

19 Mar 2013

IRIN examines maternal mortality in Nepal

IRIN examines maternal mortality in Nepal, writing, "Observed declines [in the maternal mortality ratio (MMR)] since the early 1990s make Nepal, together with Bangladesh, the most recent 'success story,' comparable to countries like Malaysia, Thailand and Cuba that gained ground decades earlier, Julia Hussein, lead author of a 2011 medical appraisal of Nepal's MMR reduction, told IRIN."

19 Mar 2013

Loyola receives Silver Medal of Honor for Organ Donation

Loyola University Health System was awarded a Silver Medal of Honor for Organ Donation by the Department of Health and Human Services. Loyola is recognized for achieving and sustaining national goals for donation, including a donation rate of 75 percent or more of eligible donors during the time period of April 1, 2010, through March 31, 2012.

19 Mar 2013

Global efforts to address malnutrition should factor in immunization

"On Red Nose Day, we are reminded of the famine in Ethiopia that triggered the first Comic Relief, over 25 years ago," and "as we reflect, we now know that the link between malnutrition and infectious disease makes for a particularly vicious circle," Seth Berkley, CEO of the GAVI Alliance, writes in an opinion piece in the Guardian's "Global Development Professionals Network."

19 Mar 2013

Philip and Cheryl Milstein provide $20M to support advancement of medicine at CUMC

Continuing their family's multigenerational connection to Columbia and support of its leadership in medicine, Philip (CC '71) and Cheryl Milstein (Barnard '82) have made a $20 million commitment to Columbia University Medical Center.

19 Mar 2013

Climate change could worsen global hunger; Upcoming conference to explore links

"The links between climate, hunger and poor nutrition are becoming increasingly clear: a recent report for the Committee on World Food Security warned that climate change could significantly change the amount and quality of food consumed -- with potentially devastating consequences for those most at risk of hunger," Irish Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore; Mary Robinson, president of the Mary Robinson Foundation Climate Justice; Ertharin Cousin, executive director of the World Food Programme; and Frank Rijsberman, CEO of the CGIAR Consortium, write in the CGIAR blog.

19 Mar 2013

Nanomix announces allowance of patent application for carbon nanotube technology

Nanomix Inc., a leading nanotechnology company focused on development of next generation point of care diagnostic tests to enable earlier and more accurate testing in hospital and pre-hospital settings, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has allowed a patent application relating to flexible nanostructure electronic devices, such as nanotube sensors and transistors, and method for fabricating the same.

19 Mar 2013

Mylan gets final approval from FDA for generic Xopenex Inhalation Solution

Mylan Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Mylan Specialty L.P. has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its Abbreviated New Drug Application for Levalbuterol Inhalation Solution USP, 0.31 mg/3 mL (0.0103%), 0.63 mg/3 mL (0.021%), and 1.25 mg/3 mL (0.042%), (Concentrate).

19 Mar 2013

Blog examines new data on global burden of disease

"The Seattle-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation recently published the most recent global estimates of disease burden that update the leading causes of death and disability across the world," Todd Summers, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic & International Studies Global Health Policy Center, writes in the center's "Smart Global Health" blog.

19 Mar 2013

Study examines frequency of VCF use between hospitals

The frequency of vena cava filter use to prevent migration of blood clots to the lungs in patients with acute venous thromboembolism appears to vary widely and be associated with which hospital provides the patient care, according to a study of California hospitals published Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

19 Mar 2013

Wolters Kluwer Health, Amirsys partner to offer Amirsys Imaging Reference Center

Wolters Kluwer Health and Amirsys, Inc., a leader in healthcare information solutions in radiology, pathology, and anatomy, are pleased to announce a partnership to offer the Amirsys Imaging Reference Center and nearly 60 Amirsys ebooks via the OvidSP medical research platform.

19 Mar 2013