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Researchers determine normative data for hopping or running

Motor development in children under five years of age can now be tested reliably: Together with colleagues from Lausanne, researchers from the University Children's Hospital Zurich and the University of Zurich have determined normative data for different exercises such as hopping or running. This enables parents and experts to gage the motor skills of young children for the first time objectively and thus identify abnormalities at an early stage.

21 Feb 2013

Possible Medicare Advantage pay reductions cause insurer stocks to slip

The proposed cuts in federal payments, which are open to comment until March 1, could lead to reduced coverage or fewer options for people who choose to buy these plans.

21 Feb 2013

Hydroxyethyl starch associated with increased risk of death and acute kidney injury

In an analysis of studies that examined critically ill patients requiring an increase in blood fluid volume, intravenous use of the fluid hydroxyethyl starch was not associated with decreased mortality, according to an article appearing in the February 20 issue of JAMA.

21 Feb 2013

Push for electronic medical records leads to profits for some companies

The approach came in 2009, in a presentation to doctors by Allscripts Healthcare Solutions of Chicago, a well-connected player in the lucrative business of digital medical records.

21 Feb 2013

BCHE gene variant predicts extent of plaque deposits in Alzheimer's

A study combining genetic data with brain imaging, designed to identify genes associated with the amyloid plaque deposits found in Alzheimer's disease patients, has not only identified the APOE gene -- long associated with development of Alzheimer's -- but has uncovered an association with a second gene, called BCHE.

21 Feb 2013

Blog profiles ranking Republican on Senate HHS Appropriations subcommittee

The Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog profiles Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. Moran is an advocate of funding for the National Institutes of Health, the blog notes, adding that during his seven terms as

21 Feb 2013

UCSD molecular biologist to receive Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

Napoleone Ferrara, MD, PhD, the molecular biologist credited with helping decipher how tumors grow and now senior deputy director for basic sciences at the University of California, San Diego Moores Cancer Center, was today named one of 11 recipients of the inaugural Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, which comes with a $3 million cash award.

21 Feb 2013

New test for leprosy gives results in less than 10 minutes, New York Times reports

"A simple, fast and inexpensive new test for leprosy offers hope that, even in the poorest countries, victims can be found and cured before they become permanently disabled or disfigured like the shunned lepers of yore," the New York Times reports.

21 Feb 2013

Sucampo launches RESCULA Eye Drops in the U.S.

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that RESCULA Eye Drops had been launched in the U.S. market.

21 Feb 2013

IRIN examines why humanitarian aid request remains constant in 2013 Sahel Regional Strategy

Noting "the 2013 Sahel Regional Strategy calls for $1.66 billion to help meet humanitarian needs and build up resilience among vulnerable groups -- an identical figure to the 2012 crisis appeal -- even though aid agencies estimate the number of Sahelians at risk of going hungry this year has dropped 44 percent to 10.3 million," IRIN examines "why the ask has remained constant."

21 Feb 2013

Studies confirm music therapy's positive effects on perceived quality of life

After 35 years as a music therapist, Anci Sandell can now present research findings showing that the therapy methods she uses, increases quality of life for people who are being treated for severe medical or psychosocial conditions.

21 Feb 2013

U.N. official says humanitarian situation in Syria deteriorating but efforts to reach those affected continue

"Humanitarian agencies are trying to keep up with the rising needs stemming from the ongoing conflict in Syria, the top United Nations relief official said Tuesday, while noting that limited access is preventing everyone who requires assistance from receiving it," the U.N. News Centre reports.

21 Feb 2013

Policymakers, insurers should consider generic-only coverage to improve health and reduce costs

A new study published online today in the American Journal of Managed Care found that in Medicare Part D, generic drug coverage was cost-saving compared to no coverage in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, while also improving health outcomes.

21 Feb 2013

Viewpoints: ACOs are doomed to fail; The need to expand Medicaid in Texas; The case against malpractice changes in Iowa

Spurred by the Affordable Care Act, hundreds of pilot programs called Accountable Care Organizations have been launched over the past year, affecting tens of millions on Medicare and many who have commercial health insurance.

21 Feb 2013

Dietary antioxidants may not protect against stroke and dementia

Contrary to other research, a new study found that the total level of antioxidants in people's diets is not related to their risk of developing stroke or dementia.

21 Feb 2013

NINDS to award TSRI scientist with $3.5M Jacob K. Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award

Ron Davis, PhD, chair of the Neuroscience Department on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute, has been selected to receive a prestigious $3.5 million Jacob K. Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award for his work on the complex biology of memory formation and the disorders that disrupt it.

21 Feb 2013

Study measures awareness, adoption and use of informatics tools by infection preventionists

Advances in electronic medical record systems and health information exchange are shifting efforts in public health toward greater use of information systems to automate disease surveillance, but a study from the Regenstrief Institute has found that these technologies' capabilities are underutilized by those on the front lines of preventing and reporting infections.

21 Feb 2013

Osteopontin plays a role in X-linked hypophosphatemia

Diagnosed in toddlers, X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is the most common form of heritable rickets, in which soft bones bend and deform, and tooth abscesses develop because infections penetrate soft teeth that are not properly calcified. Researchers at McGill University and the Federal University of Sao Paulo have identified that osteopontin, a major bone and tooth substrate protein, plays a role in XLH. Their discovery may pave the way to effectively treating this rare disease.

21 Feb 2013

New bio-mimicking therapeutics could help treat skin wounds

In "before" and "after" photos from advertisements for wound-healing ointments, bandages and antibiotic creams, we see an injury transformed from an inflamed red gash to smooth and flawless skin. What we don't appreciate is the vital role that our own natural biomolecules play in the healing process, including their contribution to the growth of new cells and the development of new blood vessels that provide nutrients to those cells.

21 Feb 2013

Signaling pathway might determine genetic susceptibility for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Fetal alcohol syndrome is the leading preventable cause of developmental disorders in developed countries. And fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), a range of alcohol-related birth defects that includes fetal alcohol syndrome, is thought to affect as many as 1 in 100 children born in the United States.

21 Feb 2013

Medical News

Researchers determine normative data for hopping or running

Possible Medicare Advantage pay reductions cause insurer stocks to slip

Hydroxyethyl starch associated with increased risk of death and acute kidney injury

Push for electronic medical records leads to profits for some companies

BCHE gene variant predicts extent of plaque deposits in Alzheimer's

Blog profiles ranking Republican on Senate HHS Appropriations subcommittee

UCSD molecular biologist to receive Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

New test for leprosy gives results in less than 10 minutes, New York Times reports

Sucampo launches RESCULA Eye Drops in the U.S.

IRIN examines why humanitarian aid request remains constant in 2013 Sahel Regional Strategy

Studies confirm music therapy's positive effects on perceived quality of life

U.N. official says humanitarian situation in Syria deteriorating but efforts to reach those affected continue

Policymakers, insurers should consider generic-only coverage to improve health and reduce costs

Viewpoints: ACOs are doomed to fail; The need to expand Medicaid in Texas; The case against malpractice changes in Iowa

Dietary antioxidants may not protect against stroke and dementia

NINDS to award TSRI scientist with $3.5M Jacob K. Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award

Study measures awareness, adoption and use of informatics tools by infection preventionists

Osteopontin plays a role in X-linked hypophosphatemia

New bio-mimicking therapeutics could help treat skin wounds

Signaling pathway might determine genetic susceptibility for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Fourier 80: bringing benchtop NMR systems to the laboratory

How industrial hygiene flow calibration supports defensible exposure data

How electrical engineering ensures accurate calibration and patient safety

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