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Doctor/nurse shortages come with a twist

A new study said the projected shortage of primary care physicians may be overstated, and new nurses are having trouble finding work.

16 Jan 2013

Blocking cholesterol biosynthesis pathway in cancer cells appears to improve ability of common drugs

Shutting down a specific pathway in cancer cells appears to improve the ability of common drugs to wipe those cells out, according to new research from scientists at Fox Chase Cancer Center, published in the January issue of Cancer Discovery.

16 Jan 2013

India marks two years since last diagnosed polio case

On January 13, India "completed two years since the last case of the crippling disease was reported ... a huge achievement for a country that as recently as 2009 reported 741 cases of polio -- more than any other country in the world, and almost half of cases reported globally that year," the Wall Street Journal's "India Real Time" blog reports.

16 Jan 2013

Coenzyme Q10 supplement may boost male fertility

Taking a 3-month course of coenzyme Q10 supplements could improve semen quality among infertile men, show researchers.

16 Jan 2013

Selective strategy for D-dimer testing in DVT

Selecting certain patients for D-dimer testing appears to be a safe and more efficient way of diagnosing deep vein thrombosis than uniformly testing all patients suspected of having the condition, report researchers.

16 Jan 2013

Speech training holds promise for cochlear implant recipients

Behavioral speech therapy programs are effective and efficient for training speech sound production in adults who have received a cochlear implant, exploratory research findings show.

16 Jan 2013

Proteinuria common in canine lymphoma

Approximately a quarter of dogs with lymphoma have proteinuria, a much greater proportion than seen in healthy dogs, indicate research results.

16 Jan 2013

SPECT-CT improves preop foot diagnosis

Research demonstrates the usefulness of radionuclide bone scans with single photon-emission computed tomography and computed tomography for the assessment of patients awaiting foot or angle surgery.

16 Jan 2013

BPA adversely affects kidney function in children

Children with high levels of exposure to bisphenol A are at increased risk for low-grade albuminuria, report researchers.

16 Jan 2013

Berries help women beat heart attack risk

Regular consumption of anthocyanin-rich strawberries and blueberries may help prevent heart attacks in young women, suggest study findings.

16 Jan 2013

Acetaminophen may improve postoperative outcomes

Prophylactically administered intravenous acetaminophen could reduce postoperative nausea and vomiting, research suggests.

16 Jan 2013

Clinician demographics key to primary care career choice

The demographics of physician assistants who choose a career in primary care are similar to those of medical students who also choose primary care, US study findings show.

16 Jan 2013

Pneumonia risk increased in schizophrenia

Patients with schizophrenia are at an increased risk for developing pneumonia, results from a large Taiwanese study show.

16 Jan 2013

Elderly rectal cancer patients at risk for stoma non-reversal

Half of elderly rectal cancer patients who undergo low anterior resection do not have stoma reversal surgery within 18 months, show US data.

16 Jan 2013

Ethnicity influences family involvement in end-of-life decisions

Research in Singapore reveals that, as cancer patients age, their families play a larger role in their healthcare decision-making, with patients themselves becoming less involved as their condition deteriorates.

16 Jan 2013

MPAs may reflect genetic risk for schizophrenia

Minor physical anomalies are more common in schizophrenia patients and their unaffected siblings than in mentally healthy individuals without a family history of the disorder, research shows.

16 Jan 2013

Urgent research needed’ on emergency airway management

Research in JAMA adds to suspicions that advanced airway management techniques may do more harm than good in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

16 Jan 2013

Study demonstrates ways in which quality measurement from EHRs can be improved

Health care providers and hospitals are being offered up to $27 billion in federal financial incentives to use electronic health records (EHRs) in ways that demonstrably improve the quality of care. The incentives are based, in part, on the ability to electronically report clinical quality measures.

16 Jan 2013

WHO recommends switching to injectable polio vaccine

"[T]his month the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, proposed a shift in [polio] vaccination strategy from oral vaccines to injected ones that may have to be administered in clinics," Nature reports, adding, "The change is needed to mop up the last remaining pockets of polio, but experts say that it poses challenges in [rural areas], which have poor access to health care."

16 Jan 2013

Sp2 protein plays a key role in creation of neurons from stem cells

A protein known as Sp2 is key to the proper creation of neurons from stem cells, according to researchers at North Carolina State University. Understanding how this protein works could enable scientists to "program" stem cells for regeneration, which has implications for neural therapies.

16 Jan 2013