Health News

1 Million Hours Of Psychiatrist Time Wasted On Phone Annually Getting Insurance Approvals For Hospitalization Of The Mentally Ill: Harvard Researchers

Date: Apr-23-2013
A study published today in Annals of Emergency Medicine reports lengthy waits for severely ill psychiatric patients in need of immediate hospitalization in the Boston area, due in part to time-consuming prior authorizations required by insurance companies. Psychiatrists spent, on average, 38 minutes on the telephone getting authorization. In 10 percent of cases it took more than one hour to obtain insurance authorization; in one case authorization took five hours of psychiatrist time...

WMA Launches Influenza Immunization Campaign For Physicians

Date: Apr-23-2013
A new immunization campaign against influenza among physicians and other health workers has been launched by the World Medical Association. The announcement comes as the World Health Organization begins its Immunization Week under the slogan, "Protect your world - get vaccinated". With the support of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, the WMA campaign intends to raise physicians' awareness globally of the importance of influenza vaccination among healthcare professionals to protect their patients and families...

Cell-Permeable Peptide Shows Promise For Controlling Cardiovascular Disease

Date: Apr-23-2013
Cell-Permeable Peptide Hampers Inflammation and Atherosclerosis in Mice, Report Investigators in Atherosclerosis - sometimes called "hardening of the arteries" - is a leading cause of death and morbidity in Western countries. A cell-permeable peptide containing the NF-kB nuclear localization sequence (NLS) shows promise as a potential agent in controlling the development of atherosclerotic disease. This study is published in the May 2013 issue of The American Journal of Pathology. Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial and vascular wall...

Early Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Reduces Risk Of Psychosis

Date: Apr-23-2013
Young people seeking help who are at high risk of developing psychosis could significantly reduce their chances of going on to develop a full-blown psychotic illness by getting early access to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), new research shows. Researchers from The University of Manchester found the risk of developing psychosis was more than halved for those receiving CBT at six, 12 and 18-24 months after treatment started...

Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy Reduces Side Effects In Patients With Early Breast Cancer

Date: Apr-23-2013
Intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) gives better results than standard radiotherapy in patients with early breast cancer, according to results from a randomised trial presented today (Sunday) to the 2nd Forum of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO). IMRT is an advanced, high-precision form of radiotherapy that can deliver an even dose of radiation, thus reducing the cosmetic problems that can often occur after breast radiotherapy...

Imaging And Modelling The Brain To Help Earlier Dementia Diagnosis

Date: Apr-23-2013
A major European project, led by the University of Sheffield, will develop sophisticated image-based biophysical models of the human brain to enable early diagnosis of dementia and help doctors predict the progression of the disease. The model will be the first to combine a wide range of physiological data from medical imaging - such as blood flow, brain tissue properties and cellular activity - with psychological measures such as memory and cognitive function...

Wellbeing For City Dwellers: The Effects Of Living In Greener Areas Trumps 'Big Hitting' Life Events

Date: Apr-23-2013
New research published in the journal Psychological Science has found that people living in urban areas with more green space tend to report greater wellbeing than city dwellers that don't have parks, gardens, or other green space nearby. The research has been led by Dr Mathew White from the University of Exeter Medical School's European Centre for Environment & Human Health, in Truro, Cornwall...

Discovery Upends Model For How Dividing Cells Monitor The Equal Distribution Of Their Chromosomes, A Process That Often Runs Awry In Cancer

Date: Apr-23-2013
Ludwig researchers Arshad Desai and Christopher Campbell, a post-doctoral fellow in his laboratory, were conducting an experiment to parse the molecular details of cell division about three years ago, when they engineered a mutant yeast cell as a control that, in theory, had no chance of surviving. Apparently unaware of this, the mutant thrived. Intrigued, Campbell and Desai began exploring how it had defied its predicted fate...

Study Shows How We Refocus To Track Down A Person, Animal Or Thing

Date: Apr-23-2013
A contact lens on the bathroom floor, an escaped hamster in the backyard, a car key in a bed of gravel: How are we able to focus so sharply to find that proverbial needle in a haystack? Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have discovered that when we embark on a targeted search, various visual and non-visual regions of the brain mobilize to track down a person, animal or thing...

Sweeping Study Of Cancer Metabolism Identifies Hundreds Of Alterations And Potential Drug Targets To Starve Tumors

Date: Apr-23-2013
A massive study analyzing gene expression data from 22 tumor types has identified multiple metabolic expression changes associated with cancer. The analysis, conducted by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center, also identified hundreds of potential drug targets that could cut off a tumor's fuel supply or interfere with its ability to synthesize essential building blocks. The study was published in the online edition of Nature Biotechnology...