Health News

Malaria situation in West Africa not likely to worsen with projected climate change

Date: Sep-18-2013
As public-health officials continue to fight malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, researchers are trying to predict how climate change will impact the disease, which infected an estimated 219 million people in 2010 and is the fifth leading cause of death worldwide among children under age 5...

Chronic care management program does not result in increased abstinence from alcohol and other drug dependence

Date: Sep-17-2013
Persons with alcohol and other drug dependence who received chronic care management including relapse prevention counseling and medical, addiction and psychiatric treatment were no more abstinent than those who received usual primary care, according to a study in the September 18 issue of JAMA.  Chronic care management (CCM) is a way of delivering care that has been shown to be effective for chronic medical and mental health conditions...

What are the health benefits of spearmint?

Date: Sep-17-2013
Spearmint is a pleasant-smelling species of mint often used in medicine for its claimed therapeutic properties. The herb is found in many health food products, toothpastes, mouthwashes, and cosmetics . Spearmint is loaded with vitamins, antioxidants and vital nutrients. There are many health claims associated with the consumption of the herb. Some people consume spearming to help alleviate symptoms of nausea, indigestion, gas, headache, toothache, cramps, and sore throat. Spearming is also applied topically (to the skin) to help reduce swelling due to nerve or muscle pain...

Among adults in California, those with Medicaid coverage have highest increase in emergency department visits

Date: Sep-17-2013
"Emergency department (ED) use has been affected by insurance patterns over time and will likely be further affected by expansions of coverage from health care reform." Uninsured patients are often thought of as high and frequently inappropriate ED users, but insured patients, particularly those with Medicaid coverage, may have difficulties accessing primary care and may rely on EDs more frequently than uninsured patients, write Renee Y. Hsia, M.D., M.Sc., of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues...

CDC urges action against drug-resistant bacteria

Date: Sep-17-2013
A landmark report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gives the first snapshot of the toll and threat antibiotic-resistance poses to US health. The report ranks each threat and proposes four core actions to tackle the growing problem. Antibiotic-resistance occurs when an infection does not respond to the drug developed to treat it because the germs have since changed in ways that make them immune to it. Every year, more than two million Americans get infections that are resistant to antibiotics and more than 23,000 die as a result...

Fear drives young cancer patients to needless mastectomies

Date: Sep-17-2013
After being diagnosed with cancer in one breast, many young women opt to have the other healthy breast removed with a procedure called contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM), despite knowing that it will probably not improve chances of survival, a new study shows. Researchers from the Dana-Faber Cancer Institute published their results in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. They note that rates of the procedure have "increased dramatically," especially in younger breast cancer patients...

Chest pain with heart attack 'rarer in young women'

Date: Sep-17-2013
Chest pain is highly recognizable as a symptom of heart problems. But new research suggests that one in five women aged 55 or under will not experience chest pain as a symptom of heart attack. Scientists from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) say this finding has serious implications for healthcare professionals when it comes to accurately diagnosing and treating heart attack. They add that as many as 35% of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) do not report experiencing chest pain...

New marker identified for early diagnosis of lung cancer

Date: Sep-17-2013
A protein called isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH1) is present at high levels in lung cancers and can be detected in the blood, making it a noninvasive diagnostic marker for lung cancers, according to a study published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. "This study is the first to report identification of IDH1 as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) using a large number of clinical samples," said Jie He, M.D., Ph.D...

Market Access World USA, Boston, 23rd - 24th October 2013

Date: Sep-17-2013
Featuring the top experts on market access developments across Europe, Health Network Communications will present Market Access World USA taking place at Omni Parker House, Boston this 23rd - 24th October 2013. This two day executive conference is US focused and will facilitate discussion on the factors influencing pharmaceutical market access, including payer decision-making, reimbursement & pricing strategies and government policies. The agenda is packed full of ideas, case studies and innovative people which are ready to inspire you, your organisation and your strategy...

Health Technology Assessment World Europe 2013, London, 4th - 5th December 2013

Date: Sep-17-2013
Featuring professionals from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, working with health economics and outcomes research. Health Network Communications will present Health Technology Assessment World Europe 2013 taking place at the Grange City Hotel, London this 4th - 5th December 2013. This two day executive conference is globally focused and will facilitate discussion on the challenges in obtaining market access. Both major HTA agencies and leading pharmaceutical companies will be attending...