Health News

Brain switch that says 'it is time to sleep' found

Date: Feb-26-2014
Researchers at the University of Oxford in the UK have discovered the molecular switch in the brain that sends us to sleep. Although the researchers worked on fruit flies for their study, they believe a similar mechanism exists in human brains.The discovery took place in the laboratory of senior author Prof. Gero Miesenböck at Oxford's Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour (CNCB). Two mechanisms regulate our sleep: one takes into account the external environment, and the other monitors the internal environment.

Medicaid Managed Care Congress, May 19-21st 2014, Baltimore

Date: Feb-26-2014
2014 Medicaid Managed Care Congress Brochure Now AvailableAccording to the CBO, Medicaid Expansion will extend coverage to up to 17 million new low-income adults and children. The 22nd Annual Medicaid Managed Care Congress provides you with information on how to capitalize on new opportunities, including Medicaid Expansion, Health Insurance Marketplaces and payment reform. 

Download the brochure to view the full agenda for the Medicaid Managed Care Congress, taking place on May 19-21st in Baltimore.

Increasing brain acidity may reduce anxiety

Date: Feb-26-2014
Increasing acidity in the brain's emotional control center reduces anxiety, according to an animal study published in The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings suggest a new mechanism for the body's control of fear and anxiety, and point to a new target for the treatment of anxiety disorders.Anxiety disorders, which are characterized by an inability to control feelings of fear and uncertainty, are the most prevalent group of psychiatric diseases.

More intensive radiotherapy is better than less for localised prostate cancer

Date: Feb-26-2014
A radiotherapy regime involving higher doses of radiation is a better option than having lower doses for men with localised prostate cancer, the 10-year results of the largest trial of its kind have shown. Having 37 rounds, or fractions, of radiotherapy at 74 Gray (Gy) - compared with 32 fractions at 64 Gy - controlled the disease more effectively and reduced the chance that men would need follow-up hormone-deprivation therapy, which can have long-term side-effects. The findings, published in The Lancet Oncology, come from the major RT01 phase III trial.

Patient-centered medical home program led to little improvement in quality and no reduction in use of services, total costs

Date: Feb-26-2014
One of the first, largest, and longest-running multipayer trials of patient-centered medical home medical practices in the United States was associated with limited improvements in quality and was not associated with reductions in use of hospital, emergency department, or ambulatory care services or total costs of care over 3 years, according to a study in JAMA. The patient-centered medical home is a team-based model of primary care practice intended to improve the quality, efficiency, and patient experience of care.

Blood transfusion for patients undergoing PCI associated with increased risk of in-hospital cardiac event

Date: Feb-26-2014
In an analysis that included more than two million patients who underwent a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI; procedures such as balloon angioplasty or stent placement used to open narrowed coronary arteries), there was considerable variation in red blood cell transfusion practices among hospitals across the U.S., and receiving a transfusion was associated with an increased risk of in-hospital heart attack, stroke or death, according to a study in JAMA. Red blood cell transfusion among patients with coronary artery disease is controversial.

Continuous handling of receipts linked to higher urine BPA levels

Date: Feb-26-2014
Study participants who handled receipts printed on thermal paper continuously for 2 hours without gloves had an increase in urine bisphenol A (BPA) concentrations compared to when they wore gloves, according to a study in JAMA. Human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) has been associated with adverse health outcomes, including reproductive function in adults and neurodevelopment in children exposed shortly before or after birth. "Exposure to BPA is primarily through dietary ingestion, including consumption of canned foods.

Earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease through novel imaging technique

Date: Feb-26-2014
New nuclear imaging techniques help in detecting Alzheimer's disease much earlier than before. Recently developed tracers, used with positron emission tomography (PET) make beta-amyloid in the brain visible. This part of a protein, which is a main causal factor of Alzheimer's, can now be detected long before the onset of the symptoms. "This helps doctors to confirm their diagnosis and to plan the individually appropriate treatment strategy right from the start.

NICE recommendation set to leave UK patients with newly diagnosed advanced melanoma without access to Yervoy®q (ipilimumab)

Date: Feb-26-2014
Bristol-Myers Squibb has expressed its disappointment that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued draft guidance which effectively denies access to Yervoy®q (ipilimumab) for NHS patients with previously-untreated advanced (unresectable or metastatic) melanoma, not involved in clinical trials.

Tip to dieters: Beware of friends and late night cravings

Date: Feb-26-2014
There's more to dieting than just sheer willpower and self-control. The presence of friends, late night cravings or the temptation of alcohol can often simply be too strong to resist. Research led by Heather McKee of the University of Birmingham in the UK monitored the social and environmental factors that make people, who are following weight management programs, cheat. The study is published in the Springer journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine.Eighty people who were either part of a weight-loss group or were dieting on their own participated in the one-week study.