Health News

Practice-based learning improves end of life care confidence in community nurses

Date: Feb-25-2014
District and community nurses who completed a practice-based educational pathway reported greater confidence in delivering palliative and end of life care to patients.Nurses working in these roles said communication was their main area of concern in relation to end of life care but this increased significantly during the project, due to interaction with colleagues experienced in this area.The pathway involved assigning community nurses from one NHS foundation trust in the north of England a mentor from a specialist palliative care team.

Medication to treat high blood pressure associated with fall injuries in elderly

Date: Feb-25-2014
Medication to treat high blood pressure (BP) in older patients appears to be associated with an increased risk for serious injury from falling such as a hip fracture or head injury, especially in older patients who have been injured in previous falls. Most people older than 70 years have high blood pressure, and blood pressure control is key to reducing risk for myocardial infarction (MI, heart attack) and stroke. Previous research has suggested that blood pressure medications may increase risk of falls and fall injuries.

Pointing is infants' first communicative gesture

Date: Feb-25-2014
Catalan researchers have studied the acquisition and development of language in babies on the basis of the temporary coordination of gestures and speech. The results are the first in showing how and when they acquire the pattern of coordination between the two elements which allows them to communicate very early on.

Cancer patients want more written information on late effects

Date: Feb-25-2014
Patients who undergo radiotherapy for pelvic cancers want to be better informed about side effects before treatment, research has revealed.Half of patients who took part in a UK survey reported unmet information needs on a range of issues, including rehabilitation, ways to access supportive services and how to cope with the treatment's sexual consequences.More than two thirds of the 58 patients said they were given written information, mostly by a nurse, and this was well received. None of the respondents wanted less information.

Exercise in older patients improves long-term health and wellbeing

Date: Feb-25-2014
Nurses can increase independence and quality of life as well as reduce social isolation in older patients by promoting exercise.A 12-week community fitness programme for the over 60s was found to motivate and encourage individuals to continue with regular physical activity after they completed the intervention.The research, published in Nursing Older People, involved 42 Liverpool residents aged 60 and older with a variety of physical and mental health conditions, including arthritis, dementia, and high cholesterol.

Study finds differences in benefits, service at hospices based on tax status

Date: Feb-25-2014
The tax status of a hospice (for-profit vs. nonprofit) affects community benefits, the population served and community outreach. The number of for-profit hospices has increased over the past two decades with about 51 percent of hospices being for-profit in 2011 compared with about 5 percent in 1990. But little is known about how for-profit and nonprofit hospices differ in activities beyond service delivery.

First clinical trial of type 1 diabetes treatment developed by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researcher has extremely positive results

Date: Feb-25-2014
A clinical study on a promising treatment for Type 1 diabetes developed by a Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researcher in collaboration with the University of Colorado Health Science Center had an "exceptional outcome" after an eight-week treatment of Alpha1-Antitrypsin (AAT).According to the study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, the goal was to evaluate safety and effect of a novel therapy using the anti-inflammatory serum protein Alpha1-Antitrypsin (AAT) in Type 1 Diabetes patients in the first of three published Phase 1 open trials.

Experimental treatment eradicates acute leukemia in mice

Date: Feb-25-2014
A diverse team of scientists from UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed an experimental treatment that eradicates an acute type of leukemia in mice without any detectable toxic side effects. The drug works by blocking two important metabolic pathways that the leukemia cells need to grow and spread.The study, led by Dr. Caius Radu, associate professor of the biomedical physics interdepartmental program and molecular & medical pharmacology, and Dr.

UK launch of once-daily tablet from Janssen provides new option to improve blood glucose control for thousands of people with Type 2 diabetes

Date: Feb-25-2014
Janssen has announced the launch of INVOKANA® (canagliflozin) in the UK, a new Type 2 diabetes treatment shown to reduce blood sugar levels in people for whom diet and lifestyle measures or treatment with other blood sugar-lowering medicines, do not provide adequate control.1In parallel with today's launch, canagliflozin has also received a preliminary positive recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), as a treatment option for adults with Type 2 diabetes.

New study, harnessing ground-breaking science, offers hope to British mesothelioma patients

Date: Feb-25-2014
Pleural mesothelioma, is an aggressive form of lung cancer strongly linked to asbestos exposure, which has very limited treatment options and is associated with poor patient survival, with most having less than a year left to live once diagnosed.1 Eight leading UK cancer research centres are participating in a ground-breaking new study to evaluate a potential new treatment targeting cancer stem cells, and measure if the life expectancy of these patients could be prolonged.