Health News

Study Examines Utilization, Outcomes, Costs Of Inpatient Surgery At Critical Access Hospitals

Date: May-01-2013
JAMA Surgery Study Highlights A study by Adam J. Gadzinski, M.D., M.S., of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and colleagues examined the utilization, outcomes and costs of inpatient surgery performed at critical access hospitals (CAHs). (Online First) Researchers performed a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing inpatient surgery from 2005 through 2009 at CAHs or non-CAHs using data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample and American Hospital Association. Among the 1,283 CAHs and 3,612 non-CAHs reporting to the American Hospital Association, 34.8 percent and 36...

FDA Approves Emergency Contraceptive Available Over The Counter For Females Over 15

Date: May-01-2013
The emergency contraceptive "Plan B One-Step", also known as "the morning after pill", has just been approved by the FDA for use among women and girls at least 15 years old, without the need of a doctor's prescription. Teva Women's Health, Inc. had previously made an application for Plan B One-Step to be available for sale over the counter, without the need of a prescription, to all women (of any age) last year, but the FDA did not approve it. Plan B One-Step was approved by the FDA in 2009...

Two-Year-Old Girl Receives Windpipe From Stem Cells In A Groundbreaking Procedure

Date: May-01-2013
A two-year-old girl who was born without a windpipe had one grown from her own stem cells - making her the youngest person in the world to successfully benefit from this groundbreaking procedure. Hannah Warren was born in August 2010 in Seoul, South Korea without a windpipe. She could not breathe, eat, drink, or swallow on her own. Until she was brought to the U.S. for the operation, she spent her entire life in a hospital in Seoul. Prior to her trip to the U.S., doctors in South Korea informed her parents there was not much hope for Hannah. Dr...

Over 4,400 Kids Injured On Amusement Rides Each Year

Date: May-01-2013
Over 4,400 kids are injured on amusement rides each year in the U.S., according to a new study. The research was conducted by scientists in the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital and was published in Clinical Pediatrics...

Scientists Decode "Molecular Chatter" That Makes Cancer Cells Spread

Date: May-01-2013
For the first time, scientists in the US have decoded the "molecular chatter" that makes cancer cells more aggressive and more likely to travel and set up tumors in other parts of the body (metastasize). The discovery came about as a result of bringing together specialists in cancer development with specialists in wound healing. Principal investigator Russell Taichman, a professor at the University of Michigan (U-M) School of Dentistry in Ann Arbor, and colleagues, write about their discovery in the 30 April online issue of Nature Communications...

FDA Approves Kcentra For Acute Bleeding

Date: May-01-2013
A drug for acute major bleeding, called Kcentra (Prothrombin Complex Concentrate, Human) has just been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Kcentra, manufactured by CSL Behring, Marburg, Germany, works as an urgent reversal of vitamin K antagonist (VKA) anticoagulation in adults. The only other product that's currently approved for the same purpose is plasma...

New Type Of Gene Switch Found In Fungus

Date: May-01-2013
From studying C. albicans, scientists in the US have discovered a surprising new type of gene switch that appears to challenge beliefs that we have discovered most of what there is to know about genes and the mechanisms that govern their behavior. It suggests more of the genome could contain code for regulating gene expression than was previously thought. Alexander Johnson of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and colleagues, write about their discovery in the 22 April online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences...

Many Stressors Associated With Fracking Due To Perceived Lack Of Transparency And Trust, Pitt Finds

Date: May-01-2013
Pennsylvania residents living near unconventional natural gas developments using hydraulic fracturing, known by the slang term "fracking," attribute several dozen health concerns and stressors to the Marcellus Shale developments in their area, according to a long-term analysis by University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health researchers. Reported health impacts persist and increase over time, even after the initial drilling activity subsides, they noted...

New Research From The University Of Edinburgh Calls For More To Be Done To Establish Good Eating Habits In Children's Early Years

Date: May-01-2013
New research from The University of Edinburgh has found that in a study of 2000 families with five year olds, those children who eat the same meals as their parents are far more likely to have healthier diets than those who eat different foods. In light of the new findings, the paper recommends that government advice to families should be kept simple to help establish good eating habits in their children's early years...

For Those With Psychological Issues, Cosmetic Surgery May Not Be The Solution

Date: May-01-2013
Patients who have suffered from domestic violence, or who have underlying psychological issues, are more likely to undergo cosmetic surgery. Their conditions may also actually worsen rather than improve following surgery. The study, from the Institute of Education - a systematic review of all available research evidence -- comes in the wake of last year's PIP (Poly Implant Prothese) breast implant controversy...