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ER docs Medicaid complaint: Some patients denied coverage if diagnosis doesn't merit their care

Some states are not considering the symptoms that brought the patients to the hospital, the doctors charge. In other Medicaid news, Texas is looking at several options for Medicaid reform, Pennsylvania looks at human service program cuts, Wisconsin Democrats seek to stop reductions there and Minnesota officials respond to criticism from Sen. Charles Grassley.

2 Mar 2012

Study: Kidney donors at no increased risk of heart disease

There is good news for the 27,000 plus people around the world who donate a kidney each year. A study which followed living kidney donors for 10 years found that they were at no greater risk for heart disease than the healthy general population.

2 Mar 2012

Ekso Bionics, Kessler Foundation partner to test commercial robotic exoskeleton

On Monday, Kessler Foundation became the second rehabilitation research center in the U.S. to implement Ekso, a wearable, robotic battery-powered exoskeleton that allows wheelchair users with lower-extremity weakness to stand and walk.

2 Mar 2012

Treatment with vitamin D reduces size of uterine fibroids

Treatment with vitamin D reduced the size of uterine fibroids in laboratory rats predisposed to developing the benign tumors, reported researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.

2 Mar 2012

Campaign to elicit donations for health projects from airline travelers winds down amid funding woes

The Switzerland-based Millennium Foundation, a UNITAID-funded campaign to solicit donations for health projects from airline travelers, "is being wound down after spending nearly $20 million to generate less than $300,000 over the past four years," the Financial Times reports.

2 Mar 2012

CSL Behring to receive 2012 EURORDIS Award for pioneering work

CSL Behring is the recipient of a 2012 EURORDIS Award for its pioneering work in developing and manufacturing therapies used to treat rare and serious medical conditions.

2 Mar 2012

p14 ARF protein also regulates tumor-induced angiogenesis

Researchers at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have identified a new function for a gene that normally prevents the development of cancer.

2 Mar 2012

U.S. panel may re-evaluate bird flu research after scientists present new data about risks to humans

Speaking at the American Society for Microbiology's (ASM) Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research meeting in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Ron Fouchier, the leader of the team at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands that genetically altered the H5N1 bird flu virus, making it transmissible among ferrets and "touching off public fears of a pandemic, said that the virus he created was neither as contagious nor as dangerous as people had been led to believe, prompting the United States government to ask that the experiments be re-evaluated by a government advisory panel that recommended in December that certain details of the work be kept secret and not published," the New York Times reports.

1 Mar 2012

KI receives additional fund for research into bicuspid aortic valve

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have received an additional 1.4 million Euro from business magnate Fredrik Lundberg for research into bicuspid aortic valve and its links to aneurysm.

1 Mar 2012

DRI scientists create novel oxygen-generating material

Scientists at the Diabetes Research Institute have developed a revolutionary technique to provide critical oxygen for maintaining the survival of insulin-producing cells. This is the first time that scientists have been able to successfully deliver oxygen locally to beta cells using a biomaterial.

1 Mar 2012

UMHS signs new master affiliation agreement with Trinity-Michigan

The University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) and Trinity Health-Michigan have signed a new master affiliation agreement that paves the way for close cooperation between the two health systems that will benefit patients around the state.

1 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: Ryan and Medicare; Va. ultrasound bill 'overreaches'?; NEJM on patient-centered care

Over the past year, an entitlement revolution has taken place on Capitol Hill. ... The revolution involves Medicare, the health-care program for the elderly and the single biggest cause of America's looming debt crisis. Reform of Medicare would be achieved by a policy known as "premium support." It would bring consumer choice and spending restraint to the beleaguered program.

1 Mar 2012

New NPS information on dextropropoxyphene: recommendations and alternatives

NPS has published information online for prescribers to help them prepare for the TGA’s cancellation of Capadex and Paradex, two of the four medicines available in Australia containing dextropropoxyphene.

1 Mar 2012

Metal hip implants need monitoring annually: MHRA issues guidelines

The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency advised that patients with certain artificial hips need annual tests to check for metal ions and MRIs if they show symptoms. The new guidelines follow reports from doctors of swelling and tissue damage in some patients with metal-on-metal hip implants. The update applies to those in Britain with a hip replacement with a head diameter of 36 millimetres or more. The MHRA said on Tuesday that around 49,000 UK patients with large-head hip implants out of 65,000 with all-metal hips were in a high-risk category.

1 Mar 2012

1.3 million cancer deaths in 2012 in the EU: Report

New research released this Wednesday shows that almost 1.3 million people will die of cancer in the European Union this year, but death rates from the disease are on a steady decline.

1 Mar 2012

Parkinson's drug Amantadine may help brain injury victims: Study

The study shows that Amantadine helps boost brain levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked to arousal. And for patients who are in a vegetative state following a brain injury, the drug can help -- possibly by improving responsiveness during rehabilitation.

1 Mar 2012

Photon etc. announces the launch of IRIS, an innovative Retinal Hyperspectral Imaging system

Targeting the emergent field of hyperspectral retinal imaging, Photon etc. is proud to launch IRIS™, a new device for non-invasive localization of biomolecules in the eye fundus. Based on a custom-made mydriatic retinal camera and Photon etc.’s Tunable Laser Source, IRIS™ is a versatile instrument that allows high definition retinal imaging at any wavelength from 420 to 1000 nm. IRIS™ is the ideal research tool to better understand and develop tomorrow’s treatments for retinal diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. This product is sold for research purposes only.

1 Mar 2012

Research into disease fighting foods at UL receives funding boost

Food and health related research led by Professor Dick FitzGerald at the University of Limerick (UL) recently received a funding boost at the Science Foundation Ireland Technology Innovation Development Award (TIDA) programme announced by Minister for Research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock.

1 Mar 2012

Non-invasive hyperspectral imaging system for skin cancer screening relies on Andor technology

Malignant melanoma (MM), the most dangerous type of skin cancer, is caused mainly by intense episodes of UV exposure and originates in the pigment-producing melanocytes in the basal layer of the epidermis. Early detection and complete excision of the primary lesions is crucial for reducing melanoma-related deaths but current diagnostic practice is highly subjective. This leads to unnecessary surgical procedures, which are highly-invasive and expensive.

1 Mar 2012

Public agencies must study ecological risks of synthetic biology

Experts say at least $20 million to $30 million in government research is needed over the next decade to adequately identify and address the possible ecological risks of synthetic biology, an emerging area of research focused on the design and construction of new biological parts and systems, or modification of existing ones, to create new applications in areas ranging from energy to chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

1 Mar 2012