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Obesity, chronic pain linked to family history, mood disorders: Study

Though it is well known obese individuals have a high incidence of persistent pain problems, a new study in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society, reports that comorbid obesity and pain also are linked to family history and mood disorders.

20 Jul 2010

Case Western Reserve awarded $0.5M for study of breast cancer in older women

Cynthia Owusu, MD, associate professor at Case Western Reserve University and geriatric-oncologist at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, the School's primary affiliate, has received nearly $500,000 from Susan G. Komen For the Cure to fund a novel three-year study aimed at improving outcomes for older women with newly-diagnosed breast cancer.

20 Jul 2010

Patients often receive inappropriate care when doctors fail to understand patient's situation: Study

Patients often receive inappropriate care when their doctors fail to take into account their individual circumstances, according to a new study by the University of Illinois at Chicago and the VA Center for Management of Complex Chronic Care.

20 Jul 2010

Research shows behavioral economic analysis may help understand role of craving in addictions

Just-published research led by a psychologist at the University of Georgia shows that behavioral economic analysis may lead to an improved understanding of craving for alcohol and other drugs. This method of studying how craving alters the way a person values a drug is fairly new, but according to the study, it may well help assess cravings more accurately and contribute to identifying more effective ways to defeat addictions.

15 Jul 2010

People with alcohol-related problems find comfort in speaking to clergy: Study

Persons with alcohol problems are finding comfort in speaking about their situation to clergy, a new study shows. Among 1,910 people with any alcohol-related problems, 14.7 percent said they used clergy services.The study, from researchers at the University of Michigan Health System and Saint Louis University, also indicates the majority of those who used services from clergy also used professional services at some point; only 0.5 percent used clergy services exclusively for their alcohol use-related problem.

15 Jul 2010

Exposure to 9/11 can impact PTSD, depression levels among children

Two new longitudinal studies show that age played an important role in the effects of the September 11, 2001 (9/11) terrorist attacks on New York City. Both studies appear in a special section on children and disaster in the July/August 2010 issue of the journal Child Development. In the first study, researchers found higher rates of clinically significant behavior problems among preschool children directly exposed to 9/11 in Lower Manhattan according to whether their mothers had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. In the second study, New York City adolescents and their mothers had generally elevated rates of PTSD and depression one year after 9/11. Direct exposure to the events of 9/11 played a small but significant role in explaining the severity of mental health symptoms.

15 Jul 2010

Study links high-fat diet as potential cause of prostatic diseases

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men with an estimated 192,280 new cases diagnosed in the US in 2009 (Jemal 2009). Diet is considered one of the most important controllable risk factors for inflammation and prostate diseases including benign prostatic hyperplsia, prostatitis, and prostate cancer.

15 Jul 2010

Research provides better understanding of drugs used to treat, prevent cardiovascular disease

Using chemical labeling and mass spectrometry-based techniques, Mark Chance, PhD, director of the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics and professor of physiology and biophysics; Sayan Gupta, PhD, instructor at the Case Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics; and a research team from the University of Oxford, for the first time, were able to take a high resolution picture of the open state of a K+ channel, allowing them to comparatively analyze gating mechanisms important to heart function and nerve signaling - in addition these techniques have already permitted Case Western investigators to gain a deeper understanding of G-protein coupled receptors.

14 Jul 2010

Diet and exercise can reduce severity of hot flashes in overweight, obese women

A new study shows that overweight and obese women who suffer from hot flashes can reduce the severity of their hot flashes if they lose weight through diet or exercise.

14 Jul 2010

Medsphere Systems voices support for meaningful use criteria to improve patient care

Medsphere Systems Corporation, the leading provider of open-source healthcare enterprise solutions, today voiced support for the official "meaningful use" requirements released by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. These recently announced requirements will be used to determine hospitals' eligibility for millions in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funds associated with deploying health IT solutions to improve patient care.

14 Jul 2010

Researchers awarded $3M grant to establish DC D-CFAR

Researchers from institutions across Washington, DC, led by Alan E. Greenberg, M.D., M.P.H., of The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, have been awarded an approximately $3M grant over five years from the National Institutes of Health to establish the District of Columbia Developmental Center for AIDS Research.

14 Jul 2010

PTSD treatment claims process eased, some remain skeptical

NPR: The Department of Veterans Affairs announced a new rule Monday that aims to make it easier for troops who return from battle to get the PTSD support they need. "Veterans will no longer have to prove that a certain attack, bomb explosion or event in a combat zone triggered post-traumatic stress. It's a change that most agree has been a long time coming.

14 Jul 2010

Speaker Pelosi praises Obama's announcement to help veterans with PTSD get easier access to treatment

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today praising President Obama's announcement that the Department of Veterans Affairs will start making it easier for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to receive critical health and disability benefits and treatment:

13 Jul 2010

U.S. lags in keeping workers safe from toxic drugs

In many countries, there are strict regulations and inspections regarding workers who handle chemotherapy drugs. "In the U.S., however, neither environmental monitoring nor exposure tracking is mandated. And neither is routinely taking place, said Tom Conner, a research biologist with National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

13 Jul 2010

NIAID names Case Western Reserve University as International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has named Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine as the lead institution of an International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research (ICEMR). The $7.9M seven-year grant will accelerate the control of malaria and help eliminate it worldwide.

13 Jul 2010

Geisinger Health System receives elite Seven Seals Award from ESGR

Geisinger Health System received the elite Seven Seals Award from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a U.S. Department of Defense organization, in a ceremony today, July 9, at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville. The Seven Seals Award is the highest award given by ESRG, and was created to publically recognize employers who provide outstanding patriotic support and cooperation to employees and families of those who have been called to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.

12 Jul 2010

Obama announces VA will ease rules for vets to qualify for stress disorder benefits

"President Barack Obama said Saturday the country has a 'solemn responsibility' to ensure that veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder get the help they need. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki is to announce new regulations Monday intended to make it easier for veterans with PTSD to receive government benefits. The new rules will not only apply to veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, but also those who served in previous conflicts. The regulations drop a provision requiring veterans to prove what caused their illness. Instead, veterans would have to show that the conditions surrounding the time and place of their service could have contributed to their illness" (Pace, 7/10).

12 Jul 2010