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Studies examine health care use, quality

The New York Times: A new study finds "that more than half of the 354 million doctor visits made each year for acute medical care, like for fevers, stomachaches and coughs, are not with a patient's primary physician, and that more than a quarter take place in hospital emergency rooms. The authors of the study, which was published Tuesday in the journal Health Affairs, said it highlighted a significant question about the new federal health care law: can access to primary care be maintained.

8 Sep 2010

Stratos Genomics closes Series-A financing deal

Stratos Genomics Inc. today announced it has closed a Series-A financing deal of $4 million to continue development of its ultra-low-cost nucleic acid sequencing method for whole genome analysis and molecular diagnostics. The round was led by Fisk Ventures and included Stratos Group LLC.

8 Sep 2010

AHRQ releases free evidence-based guides for eight health conditions

HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality today released a series of free evidence-based guides designed to help Spanish speakers understand and compare the risks, benefits and side effects of treatments for eight health conditions.

7 Sep 2010

UCSF scientists to receive two grants for personalized medicine research

UCSF scientists will receive two grants totaling $15.1 million over the next five years to expand their research into how genes affect an individual's response to medication and to strengthen a global network of researchers involved in these efforts.

7 Sep 2010

Study: Malpractice costs $55.6 billion annually, most in defensive medicine

An analysis by the journal Health Affairs has found that $55.6 billion, 2.4 percent of all annual health spending, is spent on medical malpractice, reports Modern Healthcare. "The estimate includes defensive-medicine activities, such as ordering tests or treatments ... which alone costs an estimated $45.6 billion per year, the study found.

7 Sep 2010

OpEds: Health costs and new law; Penn. doctor supply; Anesthesiologists vs. nurses

Some sort of Medicare-for-all program remains the only equitable way that every American can be provided with adequate and affordable coverage. This wouldn't be socialized medicine and it wouldn't be state-run healthcare (David Lazarus, 9/7).

7 Sep 2010

University of Maryland School of Medicine orders AVANCE III 950 US2 NMR spectrometer from Bruker

Bruker Corporation announces a major order from the University of Maryland School of Medicine for its ultra-high field AVANCE III 950 US2 NMR spectrometer. The 950 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance magnet and spectrometer will help University of Maryland researchers to unravel the mysteries of molecules and develop new agents to treat cancer, AIDS and other diseases.

7 Sep 2010

NextGen executes agreement with MKMG to deploy EHR solution

NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Systems, Inc. and leading provider of healthcare information systems and connectivity solutions, today announced it has executed an agreement with Mount Kisco Medical Group, PC (MKMG) to deploy NextGen Ambulatory EHR (Electronic Health Record), NextGen Practice Management, and the NextGen Patient portal.

7 Sep 2010

Survey outlines German physicians' attitude towards end of life practices

Discussions about end of life practices in Germany have been almost taboo for over half a century, but now intense debate is underway as professional bodies review their guidelines to physicians caring for the dying. A new study out today in Palliative Medicine, published by SAGE, reveals that German physicians do hasten death in some cases, against current ethical guidelines - sometimes without sufficient patient involvement.

7 Sep 2010

Study finds increase in patient traffic to hospital emergency departments

About 17 percent of all visits to hospital emergency departments across the United States could be treated at retail medical clinics or urgent care centers, potentially saving $4.4 billion annually in health care costs, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

7 Sep 2010

Study reveals high rate of parental depression in first year after child's birth

More than one-third of mothers and about one-fifth of fathers in the United Kingdom appear to experience an episode of depression between their child's birth and 12th year of age, with the highest rates in the first year after birth, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the November print issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

7 Sep 2010

An overview on low-carbohydrate diets

Headlines make news, but don't read too much into current headlines about a recent study titled "Low-Carbohydrate Diets and All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality," published in the September 7, 2010, issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. Although the headlines may say the study suggests that long-term adherence to a low-carb diet based heavily on animal protein may reduce lifespan, Dr. Funga, who was the lead author of the study, says that her research "is not representative of popular low-carb eating plans

7 Sep 2010

Endocrine Society releases new clinical practice guideline on congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Today, The Endocrine Society released a new clinical practice guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). The guideline features a series of evidence-based clinical recommendations developed by an expert task force.

7 Sep 2010

Scientists urge government to set target effectiveness for newly approved antibiotics

The United States must focus on conserving the use of antibacterial drugs, or face a public health crisis from rapidly rising rates of antibiotic-resistant infections, according to an analysis out today.

7 Sep 2010

Chemicals in non-stick cookware elevates cholesterol level among children: Report

Children and teens with higher blood levels of chemicals used in the production of non-stick cookware and waterproof fabrics appear more likely to have elevated total and LDL cholesterol levels, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

7 Sep 2010

Geometric pattern preference may be an early identifier of autism

Using eye-tracking methods, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have shown that toddlers with autism spend significantly more time visually examining dynamic geometric patterns than they do looking at social images - a viewing pattern not found in either typical or developmentally delayed toddlers.

7 Sep 2010

Insufficient nighttime sleep among infants may develop childhood obesity risk: Report

Insufficient amounts of nighttime sleep among infants and preschool-aged children may be a significant risk factor for developing childhood obesity, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Additionally, napping does not appear to be an adequate substitute for nighttime sleep in terms of preventing obesity.

7 Sep 2010

Sleep deprived kids at risk of obesity: Study

Children under five who do not get adequate sleep at night are at increased risk for later childhood obesity says a new study. The researchers found that daytime naps are not enough to compensate for sleep loss at nights in terms of preventing obesity. The study is published in the September issue of the journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

7 Sep 2010

Young drug users develop brain abnormalities

According to a new study published in the Australian Medical Journal, 20 percent of users of the drugs ecstasy, ice and speed in the ER developed signs of brain damage. Two thirds had concentration and mood problems, and half said they had general health problems.

5 Sep 2010

Kavli Day 2010 at Norwegian University of Science and Technology

In celebration of Kavli Prize Week, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, and the Kavli Foundation will hold a series of lectures and events on 9 September 2010 in Trondheim, Norway at the NTNU campus. The event features a number of 2010 Kavli Prize Laureates. The festivities continue after the official celebration, with two symposia sponsored by NTNU, one in neuroscience and one in nanoscience.

4 Sep 2010