Health News

Should Young Men Be Vaccinated Against Human Papilloma Virus?

Date: Aug-14-2012
A new study published in Viral Immunology has sparked a debate on whether the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination should be given to men. The review - available at http://www.liebertpub.com/vim - was conducted by Gorren Low and colleagues from University of Southern California and David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, and Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC. The researchers assessed how cost effective it is to expand routine HPV vaccination to include young males as well as the potential for reducing illness caused by HPV infection...

Autism Defective Gene Link

Date: Aug-14-2012
According to a study published online in PLoS ONE, researchers have identified how a defective gene causes brain changes that lead to the atypical social behavior characteristic of autism. The study, conduced by researchers affiliated with the UC Davis MIND Institute, also offers a potential target for drugs to treat the condition. Previous studies have already demonstrated that the gene is defective in children with autism, but were unable to determine its effects on neurons on the brain. In this study, the team found that in mice, the gene disrupted energy use in neurons...

Cannabis Enhances Bipolar Patients' Neurocognitive Performance

Date: Aug-14-2012
According to a study published online in the journal Psychiatry Research, individuals with bipolar disorder who used cannabis showed higher neurocognitive performance than patients who did not use cannabis. Researchers at The Zucker Hillside Hospital in Long Island, NY, in collaboration with a team at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, examined the difference in cognitive performance among 50 individuals with bipolar disorder who had a history of cannabis use, with 150 bipolar patients who had no history of cannabis use...

Very Common Diabetes Drug Raises Risk Of Bladder Cancer

Date: Aug-14-2012
New research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute has found that a popular class of diabetes drug increases people's risk of developing bladder cancer.  According to researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the drug that accounts for up to 20% of the medication prescribed to diabetics in the U.S., thiazolidinedione (TZDs), gives patients a 2 to 3 times greater likelihood of developing bladder cancer than those taking a sulfonylurea drug, another common class of medication for diabetics...

Lifespans For Type 1 Diabetes Patients Getting Longer

Date: Aug-14-2012
According to a study published online in the journal Diabetes, life expectancy significantly increased among individuals with type 1 diabetes during a 30-year, long-term prospective study. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that study participants diagnosed with type 1 diabetes between 1965 and 1980 lived around 15 years longer than participants diagnosed between 1950 and 1964. During the same period, the life expectancy of the general U.S. population also increased by less than one year. Rachel Miller, M.S...

Lucentis (Ranibizumab Injection) Approved For Diabetic Macular Edema Treatment By FDA

Date: Aug-14-2012
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Lucentis to treat diabetic macular edema, an eye disease that occurs in people with diabetes. Along with good diabetic blood sugar control, Lucentis is an injection given by a health professional once a month that can treat the symptoms of this disease and restore some vision. Diabetes (type 1 and type 2) affects 26 million people in the United States and is the leading cause of blindness among people ages 20 to 74. All diabetes patients are at risk for diabetic macular edema (DME)...

Preschoolers Who Pay Attention More Likely To Get Degrees Later On

Date: Aug-14-2012
In a recent study published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly, findings show that young children who pay attention and can complete tasks have a 50 percent better chance of finishing college. The Oregon State University study followed a group of 430 pre-school aged children and concluded that social and behavioral skills such as completing a task, following directions, and paying attention can be more crucial than academic abilities. The advantage to these findings is that these adaptable skills can be taught to children...

Leukoaraiosis Alters Brain Function In Seniors

Date: Aug-14-2012
According to a study by Mayo Clinic, published in Radiology, a common condition called leukoaraiosis, made up of tiny areas in the brain that have been deprived of oxygen and appear as bright white dots on MRI scans, is not a harmless part of the aging process; it is a disease that changes the function of the brain in elderly people. Kirk M. Welker, M.D., assistant professor of radiology in the College of Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, said: "There has been a lot of controversy over these commonly identified abnormalities on MRI scans and their clinical impact...

Regular Exercise In Middle Age Protects Heart

Date: Aug-14-2012
Research on more than 4,000 middle-aged Britons finds that staying physically active into the senior years is linked to lower markers of inflammation which is important for protecting the heart. The researchers say even moderate intensity exercise like housework, gardening and brisk walking can make a difference. The researchers report their work in a paper published online on Monday in the journal Circulation...

Getting Your Healthcare Organization Ready For ICD-10 - Interview For National Healthcare CFO Summit October 21-23, 2012, Texas

Date: Aug-14-2012
Most hospitals are not ready for the switch from ICD-9 to ICD-10, according to Bernadette Spong, Chief Financial Officer, Rex Healthcare. Although healthcare organizations are currently waiting for a confirmation of the go-live date of January 10, 2014, Spong says that regardless of the date, hospitals should be preparing for the switch to ICD-10...