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Updated guidelines for management of acute pancreatitis

Updated guidelines on the management of acute pancreatitis, a condition that causes acute inflammation of the pancreas, appear in the September issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

5 Sep 2013

Ontario researchers develop evidence-based recommendations for lung cancer screening

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in Ontario. Screening for lung cancer using low-dose computed tomography has been the subject of many research studies since the 1990s. The National Lung Screening Trial compared LDCT with chest radiograph in high-risk populations and found a 20 percent reduction in lung cancer mortality at 6 years with LDCT after an initial scan and two annual rounds of screening.

5 Sep 2013

Virtual surgical planning technologies for most challenging facial reconstruction cases

Virtual surgical planning technologies give surgeons a powerful new tool for their most challenging facial reconstruction cases, reports a paper in the September issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery-, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

30 Aug 2013

AATS agrees with USPSTF recommendation for lung cancer screening of asymptomatic smokers

The American Association for Thoracic Surgery, a professional organization of surgeons dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment, and cure of diseases of the chest, strongly supports the United States Preventive Services Task Force draft recommendation for lung cancer screening of asymptomatic smokers.

29 Aug 2013

Risk of kidney stones increasing among women

The risk of women developing kidney stones is rising, as is the number of cases being seen in U.S. emergency departments, while the rate of hospitalization for the disorder has remained stable.

27 Aug 2013

Medical response, imaging technologies used to save lives of Boston Marathon bombing victims

The Boston Marathon bombing brought international attention back to the devastating effects of terrorism. There were numerous victims with severe injuries that needed immediate attention. A novel study in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology, presents cases from Boston-area hospitals where victims were treated, examining the medical response and imaging technologies used to save lives and limbs.

20 Aug 2013

Scientist develop mathematical model that predicts how individuals respond to cancer treatment

Vittorio Cristini, PhD, uses the example of an airplane to explain what he does in cancer research. "Before calculus," he says, "people couldn't really design a plane that would fly. You can do it by trial and error, but it would probably take centuries." Dr. Cristini has a faster way to try to understand cancer treatment. Like airplane designers today, he uses a mathematical model.

13 Aug 2013

Observation time in ER is associated with reduced CT rates for children at risk of TBI

The longer a child with minor blunt head trauma is observed in the emergency department, the less likely the child is to require computed tomography (CT) scan, according to the results of a study published online Friday in Annals of Emergency Medicine ("Impact of the Duration of Emergency Department Observation on Computed Tomography Use in Children with Minor Blunt Head Trauma").

7 Aug 2013

Viewpoints: Republicans' 'temper tantrum' on health care; 'mixed message' on cancer

Last week House Republicans voted for the 40th time to repeal Obamacare. Like the previous 39 votes, this action will have no effect whatsoever. But it was a stand-in for what Republicans really want to do: repeal reality, and the laws of arithmetic in particular.

6 Aug 2013

Researchers identify precise method for determining bone marrow involvement in DLBCL patients

A more precise method for determining bone marrow involvement in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma-a key factor in tailoring patient management plans-has been identified by researchers in a study published in the August issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

2 Aug 2013

ATS releases clinical practice guidelines on management of childhood ILD in infants

The American Thoracic Society has released new clinical practice guidelines on the classification, evaluation and management of childhood interstitial lung disease in infants.

1 Aug 2013

Task force recommends annual CT scans for high-risk smokers

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended that high-risk current and former smokers get an annual CT Scan to look for cancer. If the draft recommendation becomes final, insurers will likely have to cover the scan at no co-pay cost to consumers.

31 Jul 2013

Study shows good doctor-patient relationships facilitate discussions about health care costs

Strong relationships with physicians, particularly those that are long standing, are likely to increase patients' openness to talk about health care costs when decisions are being made about their treatment options.

24 Jul 2013

Research roundup: Eye care disparities; more complications for Medicaid patients after spine surgery; the cost to states opting against Medicaid expansion

After analyzing 2003-2004 data of patients who underwent spinal surgery at two medical institutions, they found that Medicaid beneficiaries were at much higher risk of experiencing any type of complication than patients who are privately insured. "The results of our study further support the growing body of literature that Medicaid patients have higher rates of complications," the authors write. When evaluating patients and considering the likelihood of complications, "Medicaid status should be considered as well," they concluded (Hacquebord et al., 7/15).

20 Jul 2013

Cost of emergency room visits for severe dizziness projected to reach $4.4 billion by 2015

A new Johns Hopkins research report says emergency room visits for severe dizziness have grown exponentially in recent years, with costs topping $3.9 billion in 2011 and projected to reach $4.4 billion by 2015.

18 Jul 2013

3D-printed airway splint saves life of infant born with severe tracheobronchomalacia

Half a millennium after Johannes Gutenberg printed the bible, researchers printed a 3D splint that saved the life of an infant born with severe tracheobronchomalacia, a birth defect that causes the airway to collapse.

12 Jul 2013

Study links vitamin D deficiency to accelerated aging of bones

Everyone knows that as we grow older our bones become more fragile. Now a team of U.S. and German scientists led by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley has shown that this bone-aging process can be significantly accelerated through deficiency of vitamin D - the sunshine vitamin.

11 Jul 2013

Research roundup: 'Welcome-mat' effect of Medicaid expansion; Setting up shops; California's transition to Medicaid managed care

The number of people eligible for Medicaid who remain uninsured varies from state to state, according to the authors. But the federal health law is likely to increase the rate of enrollment for this group. The potential impact of this increase in Medicaid enrollment, also known as the 'welcome-mat' effect, is unclear.

2 Jul 2013

Companies examine ways to cut health costs, deal with Obamacare

The New York Times explores how employers are wrestling with approaches to health costs, as well as the health law's new requirements.

25 Jun 2013

Hybrid molecular imaging technique helps doctors identify diabetic foot infection

Researchers are kick-starting better diabetic foot care and promoting reduced radiation dose with a new take on a hybrid molecular imaging technique. By targeting both bone cell activity and immune response and improving imaging data interpretation, doctors can better distinguish diabetic foot infection from another common foot condition that often requires an additional bone-marrow scan for definitive diagnosis, say researchers presenting a study at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging's 2013 Annual Meeting.

12 Jun 2013