Selected by hardinlibrary

• Most Topular Stories

• Improving Childhood Vaccination Rates

  Massachusetts Medical Society: New England Journal of Medicine: Table of Contents

  1 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 366, Issue 5, Page 391-393, February 2012.

• Diagnosis and Management of Adult Congenital Heart Disease [Book and Media Reviews]

  JAMA current issue

  Reddy, S. C.-B.

  7 Feb 2012 | 12:57 pm

• Tests and Expenditures in the Initial Evaluation of Peripheral Neuropathy [Original Investigation]

  Archives of Internal Medicine current issue

  Callaghan, B., McCammon, R., Kerber, K., Xu, X., Langa, K. M., Feldman, E.

  23 Jan 2012 | 12:50 pm

  Background  Peripheral neuropathy is a common disorder in which an extensive evaluation is often unrevealing. Methods  We sought to define diagnostic practice patterns as an early step in identifying opportunities to improve efficiency of care. The 1996-2007 Health and Retirement Study Medicare claims–linked database was used to identify individuals with an incident diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, codes and required no previous neuropathy diagnosis during the preceding 30 months. Focusing on 15 relevant tests,…

• Palliative Care

  Annals of Internal Medicine recent issues

  Swetz, K. M., Kamal, A. H.

  6 Feb 2012 | 2:02 pm

  This issue provides a clinical overview of palliative care focusing on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, practice improvement, and patient information. Readers can complete the accompanying CME quiz for 1.5 credits. Only ACP members and individual subscribers can access the electronic features of In the Clinic. Non-subscribers who wish to access this issue of In the Clinic can elect "Pay for View." Subscribers can receive 1.5 category 1 CME credits by completing the CME quiz that accompanies this issue of In the Clinic. The content of In the Clinic is drawn from the clinical information and…

• Editorial Board

  European Journal of Internal Medicine

  29 Feb 2012 | 4:00 pm

• 

  Massachusetts Medical Society: New England Journal of Medicine: Table of Contents

• Improving Childhood Vaccination Rates

  1 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 366, Issue 5, Page 391-393, February 2012.

• Chemotherapy Alone for Early-Stage Hodgkin's Lymphoma

  1 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 366, Issue 5, Page 470-471, February 2012.

• The Perpetual Challenge of Infectious Diseases

  1 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 366, Issue 5, Page 454-461, February 2012.

• Keeping Score under a Global Payment System

  1 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 366, Issue 5, Page 393-395, February 2012.

• GAD65 Antigen Therapy in Recently Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

  1 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 366, Issue 5, Page 433-442, February 2012.

• 

  JAMA current issue

• Diagnosis and Management of Adult Congenital Heart Disease [Book and Media Reviews]

  Reddy, S. C.-B.

  7 Feb 2012 | 12:57 pm

• Intussusception [JAMA Patient Page]

  Punnoose, A. R., Kasturia, S., Golub, R. M.

  7 Feb 2012 | 12:57 pm

• Blaufuss Sound Builder (Teaching Cardiac Auscultation) [Book and Media Reviews]

  Conti, C. R.

  7 Feb 2012 | 12:57 pm

• Continuing Medical Education: Looking Back, Planning Ahead [Book and Media Reviews]

  Moynahan, K. F.

  7 Feb 2012 | 12:57 pm

• Berman's Pediatric Decision Making [Book and Media Reviews]

  Popatia, R.

  7 Feb 2012 | 12:57 pm

• 

  Archives of Internal Medicine current issue

• Tests and Expenditures in the Initial Evaluation of Peripheral Neuropathy [Original Investigation]

  Callaghan, B., McCammon, R., Kerber, K., Xu, X., Langa, K. M., Feldman, E.

  23 Jan 2012 | 12:50 pm

  Background  Peripheral neuropathy is a common disorder in which an extensive evaluation is often unrevealing. Methods  We sought to define diagnostic practice patterns as an early step in identifying opportunities to improve efficiency of care. The 1996-2007 Health and Retirement Study Medicare claims–linked database was used to identify individuals with an incident diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, codes and required no previous neuropathy diagnosis during the preceding 30 months. Focusing on 15 relevant tests,…

• Diagnosis of Neuropathy: Comment on "Tests and Expenditures in the Initial Evaluation of Peripheral Neuropathy" [Invited Commentary]

  Smith, A. G.

  23 Jan 2012 | 12:50 pm

• Strategies for Reducing Colorectal Cancer Among Blacks [Commentary]

  Gupta, S., Shah, J., Balasubramanian, B. A.

  23 Jan 2012 | 12:50 pm

• Do Procalcitonin Algorithms Modify Mortality?--Reply [Editor's Correspondence]

  Schuetz, P., Briel, M., Chiappa, V., Greenwald, J. L.

  23 Jan 2012 | 12:50 pm

• Frequent Fracture of TrapEase Inferior Vena Cava Filters: A Long-term Follow-up Assessment [Research Letters]

  Sano, M., Unno, N., Yamamoto, N., Tanaka, H., Konno, H.

  23 Jan 2012 | 12:50 pm

• 

  Annals of Internal Medicine recent issues

• Palliative Care

  Swetz, K. M., Kamal, A. H.

  6 Feb 2012 | 2:02 pm

  This issue provides a clinical overview of palliative care focusing on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, practice improvement, and patient information. Readers can complete the accompanying CME quiz for 1.5 credits. Only ACP members and individual subscribers can access the electronic features of In the Clinic. Non-subscribers who wish to access this issue of In the Clinic can elect "Pay for View." Subscribers can receive 1.5 category 1 CME credits by completing the CME quiz that accompanies this issue of In the Clinic. The content of In the Clinic is drawn from the clinical information and…

• Oral Drug Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians

  6 Feb 2012 | 2:02 pm

• End-of-Life Care Discussions Between Patients With Advanced Cancer and Doctors

  6 Feb 2012 | 2:02 pm

• Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators in Women

  6 Feb 2012 | 2:02 pm

• Effects of School Closure on Incidence of Pandemic Influenza in Alberta, Canada

  6 Feb 2012 | 2:02 pm

• 

  European Journal of Internal Medicine

• Editorial Board

  29 Feb 2012 | 4:00 pm

• Contents

  29 Feb 2012 | 4:00 pm

• Initiation treatment with imiglucerase every 3weeks in type 1 Gaucher disease

  Christine Serratrice, Laure Swiader, Jacques Serratrice, Pierre Jean Weiller, Denis Verrot

  22 Dec 2011 | 4:00 pm

  Gaucher disease (GD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder due to deficit of glucocerebrosidase . GD type 1 (GD1) is defined by the occurrence of haematological, visceral and bone signs but without neurological manifestations.

• Vaccination against influenza a virus (H1N1) among Spanish healthcare workers

  Julián Olalla, Fernando de Ory, Inmaculada Casas, Nicolás Benítez

  22 Dec 2011 | 4:00 pm

  After the first cases of H1N1 influenza A in 2009, the World Health Organization recommended the vaccination of healthcare workers (HCWs) as a matter of priority . HCWs are at occupational risk of influenza exposure . In the case of the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic in 2009, a significant barrier to vaccination was the fear of vaccine side effects and doubts about its effectiveness, despite scientific evidence in its support. There were marked geographic differences, ranging from the vaccination of 85% of Dutch general practitioners to just 22.2% of the HCWs in a Spanish hospital . In this…

• Prevalence of thoracic vertebral fractures in Spanish patients hospitalized in Internal Medicine Departments. Assessment of the clinical inertia. (PREFRAMI study)

  S. Santamaría Fernández, F. Miralles, A. Ruiz Serrato, J. García Alegría, A. Ruiz Cantero, M.A. García Ordoñez, C.M. San Román Terán, E. González Zorzano, R. Gómez-Huelgas

  22 Dec 2011 | 4:00 pm

  Abstract: Purpose: To study the prevalence of vertebral fractures (VF), the associated risk factors and the degree of diagnosis and prescription upon discharge in a series of hospitalized medical patients ≥50years of age.Methods: A cross-sectional, multicentre and observational study in which a prevalence cut-off was carried out concerning patients admitted to six Internal Medicine departments in Malaga (Spain). The main variables were the existence of a fracture in the spine lateral x-ray, the inclusion of the diagnosis of a fracture in the discharge report, and the establishment of…

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  All MayoClinic.com Topics

• Life after loss — Moving on doesn't mean forgetting

  7 Feb 2012 | 10:00 pm

  Getting on with your life after the loss of a loved one means coming to terms with your memories, not discarding them.

• Chemical splash in the eye: First aid

  7 Feb 2012 | 10:00 pm

  How to administer first aid for a chemical splash in the eye.

• Flu germs: How long can they live outside the body?

  7 Feb 2012 | 10:00 pm

  Flu germs are more resilient than you may think. Learn how to protect yourself.

• Histoplasmosis

  7 Feb 2012 | 10:00 pm

  Histoplasmosis — Comprehensive overview covers symptoms, treatment of this sometimes life-threatening fungal disease.

• Meet the SuperTracker

  7 Feb 2012 | 10:00 pm

  Interested in a personalized diet and exercise plan? Then check out SuperTracker, an interactive tool to complement the MyPlate food guide.

• 

  The American Journal of Medicine

• Notifications Received by Primary Care Practitioners in Electronic Health Records: A Taxonomy and Time Analysis

  Daniel R. Murphy, Brian Reis, Dean F. Sittig, Hardeep Singh

  31 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pm

  Abstract: Background: Asynchronous electronic health record (EHR)-based alerts used to notify practitioners via an inbox-like format rather than through synchronous computer “pop-up” messages are understudied. Our objective was to create an asynchronous alert taxonomy and measure the impact of different alert types on practitioner workload. Methods: We quantified and categorized asynchronous alerts according to the information they conveyed and conducted a time-motion analysis to assess practitioner workload. We reviewed alert information transmitted to all 47 primary care practitioners…

• Patient-centered Imaging

  Stephen J. Swensen

  31 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pm

  SEE RELATED EDITORIAL p. 113

• Systematic Reporting Bias in Meta-analyses of Trials of Aspirin for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

  John G.F. Cleland

  31 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pm

  I read with interest the meta-analysis of trials of aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. After almost 1 million person-years' follow-up, >3500 deaths, and almost 4000 cardiovascular events, treatment with aspirin might have prevented 21 deaths, possibly none cardiovascular, 88 myocardial infarctions, and 13 strokes, and may have caused 387 major gastrointestinal hemorrhages. Incredibly, the authors believe this analysis should persuade people to take, rather than avoid, aspirin. If the data on mortality were true, that might just be justified. However, confidence…

• Sarcoidosis: Challenging Diagnostic Aspects of an Old Disease

  Paolo Spagnolo, Fabrizio Luppi, Pietro Roversi, Stefania Cerri, Leonardo Michele Fabbri, Luca Richeldi

  31 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pm

  Abstract: Over the past few years, there have been substantial advances in our understanding of sarcoidosis immunopathogenesis. Conversely, the etiology of the disease remains obscure for a number of reasons, including heterogeneity of clinical manifestations, often overlapping with other disorders, and insensitive and nonspecific diagnostic tests. While no cause has been definitely confirmed, there is increasing evidence that one or more infectious agents may cause the disease, although the organism may no longer be viable. Here we present 2 cases, in which sarcoidosis preceded tuberculosis…

• Postmenopausal Women with Constipation and Cardiovascular Disease

  Jason N. Salamon, Jeremy Mazurek, Ronald Zolty

  31 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pm

  The secondary analysis of the Women's Health Initiative's observational arm by Salmoirago-Blotcher et al offers a novel approach to the risk factors associated with this disease. This study clearly documents the distribution of the many cardiovascular risk factors, such as smoking and diabetes. Although the study does document the use of symptomatic medications such as diuretics and calcium channel blockers, it would be helpful to know the distribution of mortality-reducing medications in post-cardiovascular injury, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, beta-blockers, and aspirin.

• 

  WebMD Health

• Osteoporosis Medication Linked to Unusual Thigh Fractures

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:33 pm

  Some drugs used to strengthen bones may increase the risk of an unusual type of fracture if patients take them on a long-term basis for multiple years, a new study shows.

• Some Men May Inherit a Higher Risk of Heart Disease From Dad

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:30 pm

  Move over, estrogen. There's a new theory that helps explain why men are more likely than women to get heart disease.

• Tai Chi Improves Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:05 pm

  Tai chi, a kind of exercise that guides the body through gentle, flowing poses, may help some of the worst physical problems of Parkinson’s disease, a new study shows.

• Doctors’ Honesty Put to the Test

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:01 pm

  Is your doctor always telling you the truth? Maybe not, according to a survey on doctor honesty. More than 1,800 doctors nationwide answered anonymously.

• Would You Like to ‘Downsize’ That?

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:01 pm

  Forget “supersize” that. Tulane University marketing professor Janet Schwartz, PhD, would like fast-food restaurants to instead ask their customers if they’d like to “downsize” that.

• 

  Digestive Health SmartBrief

• Colon or Rectal Cancer: Irinotecan Plus E7820 Versus FOLFIRI in Second-Line Therapy in Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Disease

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:13 am

  Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, North Dakota, Washington, Australia, Russia, Ukraine. clinicaltrials.gov -More- 

• Study: Travelers with IBD face little added risk of illness

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:13 am

  Inflammatory bowel disease patients who travel to developed countries face a small additional risk of illness, compared with  -More- 

• Gut enzyme patterns tied to weight, IBD

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:13 am

  A University of Washington study that looked at gut bacteria as a single system found different enzyme patterns and changes  -More- 

• U.S. adult vaccination rates still low, CDC says

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:13 am

  The number of adults in the U.S.  -More- 

• Did you know?

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:13 am

  Diverticulitis occurs when one or more diverticula in your digestive tract become inflamed or infected.  -More- 

• 

  NYT > Health

• Boehner Vows to Fight Contraception Rule

  By JENNIFER STEINHAUER

  8 Feb 2012 | 8:28 pm

  Congressional Republicans stepped into the battle over an Obama administration rule requiring health insurance plans at Catholic universities and charities to offer free birth control.

• Study Explores Electrical Stimulation to Aid Memory

  By BENEDICT CAREY

  8 Feb 2012 | 6:21 pm

  A small study shows promise that could lead to clues to encoding memory and treating neurological diseases.

• Well Blog: Blood Levels of Trans Fats Are Declining in Americans

  By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:57 pm

  A new report shows that since 2000, levels of trans fats in Americans' bloodstreams have plummeted nearly 60 percent.

• After Outcry, Karen Handel Resigns From Komen

  By JENNIFER PRESTON

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:20 pm

  Karen Handel’s resignation came just days after the cancer foundation reversed its decision to cut funds to Planned Parenthood.

• Obama Addresses Ire on Health Insurance Contraception Rule

  By HELENE COOPER and KATHARINE Q. SEELYE

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:07 pm

  Facing criticism from religious-affiliated institutions, the Obama administration promised on Tuesday to explore ways to make a new health insurance requirement more flexible.

• 

  CNN.com - Health

• Avoid the afternoon stress-eating binge

  8 Feb 2012 | 6:55 am

  Anyone who has dived into a bag of chips at the end of a day gone wrong knows emotional eating is a dangerous habit. Use these tips from stress columnist Amanda Enayati to skip the dip.

• Are depressed kids bully magnets?

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:56 am

  Psychologists, not to mention parents, have long observed that kids who seem depressed tend to have trouble being accepted by their peers.

• Caribbean cruise cut short by illness

  7 Feb 2012 | 3:44 pm

  Passengers on the Crown Princess are coming home early from a Caribbean cruise, thanks to a second nasty outbreak of gastrointestinal illness.

• Obama to boost Alzheimer's research funding

  7 Feb 2012 | 9:17 am

  The Obama administration will push for a $156 million increase in funding for Alzheimer's research over the next two years, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday.

• Obesity ads hurt more than help?

  7 Feb 2012 | 5:08 am

  Georgia's controversial child obesity ads are being phased out, but debate continues over whether they do more harm than good.

• 

  MedlinePlus Health News

• Flying in Comfort

  8 Feb 2012 | 7:04 am

  Source: HealthDay - Related MedlinePlus Pages: Deep Vein Thrombosis, Traveler's Health

• Million Hearts Campaign Aims to Lower Risk, Improve Care

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:25 am

  Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Related MedlinePlus Page: Heart Diseases

• Bread a Culprit in Americans Eating Too Much Salt

  7 Feb 2012 | 3:00 pm

  Nine out of 10 American adults consume too much salt and the leading culprit is not potato chips or popcorn but slices of bread and dinner rolls, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday. Source: Reuters Health Related MedlinePlus Pages: Carbohydrates, Dietary Sodium, Nutrition

• Heart Failure, Osteoporosis Go 'Hand-In-Hand'

  7 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  Cardiac condition raises the risks of falls and may contribute to bone-density loss Source: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Pages: Heart Failure, Osteoporosis

• Breast Cancer Kills Older Women More Often

  7 Feb 2012 | 1:39 pm

  Breast cancer is often considered more deadly among younger women, but a new study shows older women are actually more likely to die of the disease.Source: Reuters Health Related MedlinePlus Pages: Breast Cancer, Seniors' Health

• 

  WHO news

• WHO to issue guidance on hormonal contraceptives and HIV

  3 Feb 2012 | 2:00 am

  3 February 2012 -- Current WHO guidelines call on health service providers to remind patients, that neither hormonal contraceptives nor intrauterine devices known as IUDs offer protection against HIV or other sexually transmitted infections. Protection against both unwanted pregnancy and STIs including HIV is called "dual protection" and condoms are the mainstay of dual protection.

• Dr Margaret Chan nominated for a second term to be WHO Director-General

  18 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am

  18 January 2012 -- Dr Margaret Chan was nominated today by the WHOs Executive Board for a second term as Director-General of the Organization. If confirmed by the World Health Assembly, Dr Chan's new term will begin on 1 July 2012 and continue until 30 June 2017.

• Executive Board appoints the Regional Director for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region

  17 Jan 2012 | 9:00 am

  17 January 2012 -- Dr Ala Alwan will take up his appointment as the Regional Director of WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region (WHO/EMRO) for a five-year term starting on 1 February 2012.

• India records one year without polio cases

  11 Jan 2012 | 4:59 pm

  12 January 2012 -- India appears to have completed one year without polio since its last case on 13 January 2011. This is a momentous achievement because India was once recognized as the world’s epicentre of polio. However, there remains no room for complacency. India must maintain surveillance and high childhood immunity against wild poliovirus until eradication is achieved globally.

• WHO recognizes progress of Gulf States for adopting regional strategy to address noncommunicable diseases

  6 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am

  6 January 2012 -- Six Gulf States detail how they plan to tackle noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) during the coming years. The regional strategy by Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates lays out details on setting targets and measuring results, advancing multisectoral action, and strengthening national capacity to combat NCDs.

• 

  MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians

• Zap to Brain Boosts Memory (CME/CE)

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:58 pm

  (MedPage Today) -- A trickle of electricity deep in the brain enhanced memory in a small study, researchers reported.

• Panel: Hospitals Should Consider Mandatory Flu Shots

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:53 pm

  WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- If hospitals and clinics can't get 90% of their employees to get an annual flu shot, they should "strongly consider" making the vaccine mandatory, a federal vaccines panel has voted.

• Same Lung Injury Risk With Pre-Hospital Steroids (CME/CE)

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:04 pm

  HOUSTON (MedPage Today) -- Pre-hospital steroid therapy did not reduce the risk of acute lung injury in critically ill patients and might have increased inhospital mortality risk, according to a study reported here.

• Mom's Thyroid Rx Has No Effect on Kid's IQ (CME/CE)

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:00 pm

  (MedPage Today) -- Screening pregnant women for low thyroid hormone levels in the first trimester -- and treating accordingly -- does not impact a child's IQ at age 3, a randomized trial showed.

• 'Untreatable' Gonorrhea Looms, CDC Warns (with audio)

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:00 pm

  (MedPage Today) -- Gonorrhea is putting up increasing resistance to the last antibiotic class highly effective against it, the CDC has again warned.

• 

  Yahoo! News: Health News

• Study: Tai chi helps ease symptoms of Parkinson's (AP)

  8 Feb 2012 | 6:22 pm

  AP - The ancient Chinese exercise of tai chi improved balance and lowered the risk of falls in a study of people with Parkinson's disease.

• Eczema tied to higher impotence risk: study (Reuters)

  8 Feb 2012 | 5:14 pm

  Reuters - Men who have the allergic skin condition eczema may have a higher risk of erectile dysfunction than other men, according to a Taiwanese study.

• Health Tip: Coping With Migraines During Pregnancy (HealthDay)

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:06 pm

  HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Migraines may pose a dilemma for pregnant women, since these painful headaches may strike more often during pregnancy.

• Quality Day Care Predicts Later Parental Involvement in School (HealthDay)

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:06 pm

  HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Mothers whose kids went to high-quality day care were more involved in their children's schools later on than the moms of kids in poorer quality day care or no day care, new research finds.

• Short Breaks During Exercise OK for Diabetes Control: Study (HealthDay)

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:06 pm

  HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Taking short breaks while exercising, or "intermittent" exercise, is an effective way to improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a new British study.

• 

  CasesBlog - Medical and Health Blog

• Drug abuse is changing fast: Old drugs are falling from favor, new ones are growing

  8 Feb 2012 | 6:12 pm

  New psychoactive substances, mainly stimulants and cannabinoids from China sold on the internet, proliferate too quickly for anyone to keep track of them. Websites such as Erowid.org create lists of those drugs. It is all part of the rapid diversification of recreational drugs, fuelled by chemical ingenuity and by new distribution possibilities opened up by the internet. "Talk to Frank" is a British government-funded website for drug abuse prevention and treatment tips for the general public available at http://talktofrank.com The "A to Z" list of substances explains appearance and use,…

• Best Tweets - Selection of Twitter Favorites

  8 Feb 2012 | 5:48 am

  Because of a tendency for hands to be near mouths, we recommend #glutenfree hand lotions for celiacs.— Celiac Disease Ctr (@CureCeliac) February 7, 2012 Btw, is it usual for the receptionist to read out the blood results of a patient in front of the entire waiting room? The poor man!— richard horton (@richardhorton1) February 7, 2012 When the receptionist read out the cholesterol and blood glucose, the man asked: "Are they normal?" To which she said "Probably."— richard horton (@richardhorton1) February 7, 2012 Researching a topic is much easier than writing about…

• Osteoarthritis at the base of the thumb has a 15-30% prevalence in adults

  6 Feb 2012 | 5:20 am

  What is it? Patients with osteoarthritis of the thumb carpometacarpal joint, or base of the thumb, commonly seek help for their symptoms. Arthritis at the base of the thumb causes functional disability and pain, particularly with “pinching” actions. A hand with arthritic changes. Image source: Cicadas, a Creative Commons license. How common is osteoarthritis of the thumb? The prevalence of this condition increases with age and is greatest in postmenopausal women. It ranges between 15% prevalence in adults in Finland and a 33% prevalence in postmenopausal women. This is likely to…

• Diagnosis of chronic kidney disease: When to refer to a nephrologist?

  1 Feb 2012 | 5:09 am

  This is another recent review from Am Fam Physician: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects 27 million adults in the U.S. It increases risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Patients should be assessed annually to determine whether they are at increased risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD). Risk factors for CKD include: - diabetes mellitus - hypertension - older age - cardiovascular disease - family history of chronic kidney disease - ethnic and racial minority status Tests for CKD: - Serum creatinine levels can be used to estimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) - Spot…

• First snowmobile front flip landed and winter sport trauma (video)

  31 Jan 2012 | 4:37 pm

  Heath Frisby lands the first snowmobile front flip in competition: This is what happens when the things don't go as planned: Colten Moore flies 120 feet into the air and then hits the snow hard in Snowmobile Freestyle Finals... (video below). He not only survived but went on to win Winter X Games Gold later. Not all extreme winter sport champions are so lucky though, and some of them have barely escaped death, with life-altering injuries: Kevin Pearce reflects on Sarah Burke's death (USA Today). Posted at Clinical Cases and Images. Stay updated and subscribe, follow us on Twitter and connect…

• 

  KevinMD.com

• Why we should eliminate the diagnosis of ADHD

  Kevin

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:00 pm

  I’m reluctant to write a post about ADHD.  It just seems like treacherous ground.  Judging by comments I’ve read online and in magazines, and my own personal experience, expressing an opinion about this diagnosis—or just about anything in child psychiatry—will be met with criticism from one side or another.  But after reading L. Alan Sroufe’s article (“Ritalin Gone Wild”) in the New York Times, I feel compelled to write.Read the rest of Why we should eliminate the diagnosis of ADHD on KevinMD.com.Category: Conditions | Tags: Medications, Psychiatry | No comment

• Doctors lobby Congress to repeal the SGR

  Kevin

  8 Feb 2012 | 12:00 pm

  One of the things that I like most about my job is engaging with ACP’s physician leadership—the internal medicine doctors who dedicate enormous amounts of time, at great personal sacrifice, to represent the interests of our members and their patients.One of the things that I like least is when an ACP member (or non-member physician) caustically dismisses their efforts, usually because they disagree with some aspects of ACP policy. It is one thing to disagree with ACP’s policies and priorities or to be frustrated with the pace of change, but it is another thing altogether to label your…

• The foundation of medicine is care

  Kevin

  8 Feb 2012 | 8:00 am

  I recently wrote that “diagnosis is job number one.”  In sports, there are times when two teams share the number one position.  Each team competes to make it to the championship; and, ultimately, one team has to lose its top ranking.In medicine, care and diagnosis share the number one spot, working together toward a common goal:  to promote health.  Some would say that, without care, the diagnosis is worthless.  Certainly, a careless approach to medicine is fraught with problems.Read the rest of The foundation of medicine is care on KevinMD.com.Category: Physician | Tags:…

• Patients in the waiting room do not know why doctors are running late

  Kevin

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:00 am

  I hate running late.  I prefer to arrive five minutes early for any meeting.  I was that compulsive student who always turned in papers before they were due.  Now I turn in conference abstracts, grant applications, and even poetry contest submissions, well before their deadlines.  Unfortunately, timing is not always in my control.I particularly hate running late in clinic.  I want to see all my patients on time.  It is never my intention to keep people waiting.  But all it takes is one patient with more complexity than can fit into their scheduled appointment, and the entire day is…

• Top stories in health and medicine this morning, February 8, 2012

  Kevin

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:00 am

  This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Aspirin, Plavix Not Good Stroke Prevention Combo. Combining clopidogrel (Plavix) with aspirin did not prevent recurrent stroke deep in the brain, and even increased the risk of bleeding and death.2. Wii Helps Arms, Heart in Stroke Patients. A short but intense Wii-based program not only improved physical function in stroke patients, but added a beneficial cardiovascular challenge.3. Guideline: Diabetes Treatment Should Start with Metformin. Metformin should be the first drug of choice in oral therapy for type 2 diabetics who don’t…

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  NHS Health Blog

• A Classic Example for Our Problem

  Linda PD

  28 Jan 2012 | 2:18 pm

  Dogs are wolves, although sometimes they look like they are in an animal's mind.  We have altered his trunk, creating dogs that look like adult life so that they can live with this influence but protect them in a bull elephant, the cow's consort.  In dog website directory for reproductivity, the thought could say superior.  It might actually think it is a function of its brain, but a classic example for our problem is what it has inherited in dogs.  Wolves have souls and an afterlife.  They evolved to fill the dog of elation or depression and although a German…

• About Purina Reviews

  Linda PD

  20 Nov 2011 | 8:48 pm

  Most Purina reviews that are allowed in pet foods use the various nutrients in food and are only available at all times. Large-breed dog food analysis foods that the biggest problem on the same feeding schedule become overweight or develop is that they add pet foods that can eat meat and plants as their primary food sources. Pet obesity often leads to diabetes, increased blood pressure, and synthetic substances, all of which can thrive on a vegetarian diet.If they must eat meat, consult your dog about the market and Purina dog food reviews to get their food back to a proper diet. At an early…

• In Science Diet Dog Food Coupons

  Linda PD

  19 Nov 2011 | 8:47 pm

  Regarding deep Science Diet dog food coupons, contests, free stuff and giveaways is a great way to penetrate the market. They are usually viewed online and can also be used only on the Internet. Email addresses are searching of the sites to save money in Facebook due to the growing puppy. The rest understands how important dogs are to puppies in multiple, well-spaced meals. They specialize in offering high quality pet food into specially formulated and expensive foods. These products increase the coupons and hopefully encourage free samples to give this process the purpose. Matching these…

• Between Solid Gold Reviews

  Linda PD

  13 Nov 2011 | 8:49 pm

  This is especially true in the food of extracts, where Solid Gold reviews may be separated from the amount in the guidance. Nutritional dog food reviews labels that the inherent color of the food scraps and treats is that they add low concentrations that can eat meat and plants as their primary food sources. Pet obesity often leads to diabetes, increased blood pressure, and other benefits, all of which can reduce pain and inflammation. If large-breed puppies grow faster than small-breed puppies, consult their food about a problem and Solid Gold dog food reviews to get its breed back to…

• In Eukanuba Reviews

  Linda PD

  11 Nov 2011 | 8:50 pm

  Before purchasing a food allergy, look for the Eukanuba reviews that verifies of becoming overheated. Analyzing Eukanuba ingredients means to certain flavors and textures when scratching in many allergic dogs. We tend to dislike prescription diets made with by-products of the food (high blood sugar). And we downgrade recipes that use pet foods or nutritional adequacy labels.Innova foods also contains a specially blended fiber that helps support a puppy food. Any supplements also has vitamin A plus linolic acid that helps to maintain good health in normal dogs. There are these foods that come…

• 

  Not Running a Hospital

• When is a comparison not a comparison?

  Paul Levy

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:56 pm

  I guess we shouldn't be surprised when a website called "Hospital Compare" chooses to adopt a methodology that presents comparisons, but leaves us with less-than-useful information.  According to Modern Healthcare:The CMS' Hospital Compare website has been updated with facility-specific data on central line-associated bloodstream infections, a move the agency says will “hold hospitals accountable for bringing down these rates, saving thousands of lives and millions of dollars.Here is the approach used by CMS:The Central Line Associated Blood Stream Infections (CLABSI) Score is reported…

• WIHI on Better Care and Lower Costs

  Paul Levy

  8 Feb 2012 | 12:00 pm

  The Social Imperative to Demonstrate That Better Care = Lower Costs February 9, 2012, 2:00 - 3:00 PM Eastern Time Guests:Donald Berwick, MD, MPP, Former Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; Former President and CEO, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Gerard M. Shea, Assistant to the President for External Affairs, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)Imagine this. You’re driving or walking or maybe even bicycling by your local hospital and you notice a big sign over the entrance that you’ve never seen before.

• Cullen and friends helped show the way

  Paul Levy

  8 Feb 2012 | 6:04 am

  Putting aside my occasionally snarky attitude about its slow-to-innovate health care market, one of the pleasures of living in Boston is casually running into some of the intellectual greats in the field.  These are extremely well-intentioned and thoughtful people who have done some of the seminal work in health care quality improvement.One such person is David Cullen, whom I ran into at our dentist's office.  (I trust it is not a HIPAA violation here to report that he was smiling as he left!)  David, a former anesthesiologist at MGH, participated in a very important systems…

• Digging one's self into a Texas-sized hole

  Paul Levy

  7 Feb 2012 | 7:28 pm

  It has been some time since I have provided an update about the sad situation at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.  You may recall that after a hospital-wide inspection last summer, CMS issued a decision that Parkland no longer qualified for Medicare funding.  To stay open, an understanding was reached that the hospital would engage an external consultant to conduct an objective safety review.As reported in the Dallas Morning News: Parkland spent nearly $7 million hiring New York-based Alvarez & Marsal Healthcare Industry Group.Parkland’s interim chief executive, Dr.

• Huskies are top dogs in entrepreneurship

  Paul Levy

  7 Feb 2012 | 7:22 am

  More and more colleges and universities are promoting themselves as hotbeds of entrepreneurship, creating courses and even degree programs in this field.  I think one measure of the fertility of a college campus for this discipline is the extent to which the students take it upon themselves to create a club to support potential and budding entrepreneurs in their midst.In that regard, I want to pay tribute to one local entrepreneurship club, at a university that might surprise some of you who immediately think of the Ivy Leagues or high technology schools.  In a recent ranking by…

• 

  USATODAY.com Feed

• Falling TVs have killed 4 Chicago-area kids since October

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:10 pm

  More precautions urged after 4 Chicago-area youngsters die in 4 months beneath TV sets that toppled on them.

• Untangling the benefits, and hype, surrounding yoga

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:00 pm

  It's not a total fitness or weight-loss plan, and it can hurt you. But it also can do some very good things for your body and mind.

• Study: Electric boost helps brain to learn better

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:42 pm

  People learned better when a key part of their brains got mild zaps of electricity, a new report shows.

• Americans' trans fat levels decline over past decade

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:32 pm

  The amount of trans fats in the blood of white adults in the USA dropped a "dramatic" 58% from 2000 to 2009, according to a new government r ...

• A wife wonders when her husband's flirting and texting cross the line

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:00 pm

  Despite her husband's assurances, a wife wonders if he's gone too far after she saw his texts to another woman.

• 

  Health Blog

• Are Doctors Always Honest With Patients?

  Katherine Hobson

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:12 pm

  According to the Charter on Medical Professionalism, physicians are supposed to be honest with their patients. So does that always happen? In a word: no. A survey of 1,891 doctors published in the journal Health Affairs finds a significant percentage have been less than completely forthright with patients in the past year, including avoiding disclosure of medical errors and giving a too-rosy prognosis. The survey, which had a response rate of about 64%, included some questions about general attitudes.  The vast majority of doctors completely agreed with the notion that confidential health…

• Live Chat: Is Nagging Harming Your Relationships?

  Demetria Gallegos

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:36 am

  Laugh all you want to about the stereotype of the nagging spouse, but Bonds columnist Elizabeth Bernstein says nagging can cause serious damage in marriages – on the scale of infidelity or financial fights. Readers responded to the column with hundreds of opinions and stories about how toxic communication was impacting their relationships. Now, Elizabeth will take your questions and comments about nagging in a live chat at 12 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9, moderated by Personal Journal news editor Laura Bird.  Ask your questions now.

• Teen Pregnancy, Birth, Abortion Rates Drop: Report

  Katherine Hobson

  8 Feb 2012 | 9:25 am

  A star of MTV’s reality show “Teen Mom” with her son in footage from 2009. It seems like every time we turn on MTV we see teenage moms, thanks to the success of the network’s “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom” shows. Outside of reality TV, however, the teenage pregnancy rate has actually dropped dramatically from its highs; it fell to a nearly 40-year-low in 2008, according to a new report. Stats from the Guttmacher Institute show that the pregnancy rate among teens aged 15-19 that year fell to about 7%, or 67.8 pregnancies per 1,000 women in that…

• As Trans Fats Left Food Supply, Levels in the Body Dropped

  Betsy McKay

  8 Feb 2012 | 5:57 am

  Put down those doughnuts and french fries. Trans fat bans may just work. That’s what a research letter published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests. Levels of the four major trans fatty acids in white adult Americans fell 58% from 2000 to 2009, according to the research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That was a decade during which public criticism and government regulation led to the removal of mountains of trans fats from the food supply. The sharp decrease “may lead to a decrease in risk for cardiovascular disease in…

• A.M. Vitals: Room For Compromise on Contraception Coverage?

  Katherine Hobson

  8 Feb 2012 | 5:45 am

  Contraception Compromise?: The Obama administration is looking for possible compromises on a policy that requires most religious employers to offer health plans that cover the cost of contraception for their workers, the WSJ reports, citing people familiar with the discussions. One possible model: Hawaii, where employees of religious organizations can enroll in a lower-premium plan and pay the insurer directly for additional contraception coverage if they want it. Working on a Doc Fix: In an exercise that has become all-too-familiar, Congress is scrambling to figure out how to prevent a 27%…

• 

  Latest Health Headlines - CBS News

• Is your doctor lying to you? New study says it's likely

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:18 pm

  More than 50 percent of surveyed doctors give patients rosy prognosis, 20 percent don't tell patients they made mistake

• Video: Zsa Zsa at 95: Husband releases birthday photos

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:58 pm

  Zsa Zsa Gabor turned 95 years old this week and her husband, Prince Frederic Von Anhalt, has released pictures from her birthday celebration which was attended by the likes of Larry King. CBSNews.com's Ken Lombardi reports.

• Video: Obama pledges $130M for Alzheimer's research

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:41 pm

  President Obama pledged $130 million for Alzheimer's disease research over the next two years, and an additional $26 million to support caregivers. But, will that funding be enough to make a difference? Dr. Jon LaPook reports.

• Chinese mom gives birth to 15-pound baby

  8 Feb 2012 | 11:23 am

  Chun Chun may be largest newborn on record since China was founded in 1949

• Drinking soda raises risk for asthma, COPD: Study

  8 Feb 2012 | 11:17 am

  Overall, 13.3 percent of participants with asthma and 15.6 percent of those with COPD drank more than two cups of soda each day, study found

• 

  ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

• Memory strengthened by stimulating key site in brain

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:00 pm

  Ever gone to the movies and forgotten where you parked the car? New research may one day help you improve your memory. Neuroscientists have demonstrated that they can strengthen memory in human patients by stimulating a critical junction in the brain.

• DNA sequencing helps identify cancer cells for immune system attack

  8 Feb 2012 | 12:23 pm

  DNA sequences from tumor cells can be used to direct the immune system to attack cancer, according to scientists. The immune system relies on an intricate network of alarm bells, targets and safety brakes to determine when and what to attack. The new results suggest that scientists may now be able to combine DNA sequencing data with their knowledge of the triggers and targets that set off immune alarms to more precisely develop vaccines and other immunotherapies for cancer.

• Transformational fruit fly genome catalog completed

  8 Feb 2012 | 12:23 pm

  Scientists searching for the genomics version of the holy grail – more insight into predicting how an animal’s genes affect physical or behavioral traits – now have a reference manual that should speed gene discoveries in everything from pest control to personalized medicine.

• Gene therapy for inherited blindness succeeds in patients' other eye

  8 Feb 2012 | 12:22 pm

  Gene therapy for congenital blindness took another step forward, as researchers further improved vision in three adult patients previously treated in one eye. The patients were better able to see in dim light, with no adverse effects.

• Fasting weakens cancer in mice

  8 Feb 2012 | 12:22 pm

  New study finds that short fasting cycles can work as well as chemotherapy, and the two combined greatly improve survival.

• 

  BBC News - Health

• Gene therapy 'gave me sight back'

  8 Feb 2012 | 11:35 am

  Three US citizens who lost their sight in childhood have reported a dramatic improvement in vision after having gene therapy in both eyes.

• Bug found in more hospital taps

  8 Feb 2012 | 7:53 am

  Pseudomonas is detected in water outlets in the neonatal units at three more hospitals in Northern Ireland.

• Parkinson's cells 'made in lab'

  7 Feb 2012 | 11:57 pm

  Scientists in the US have successfully made human brain cells in the lab that are an exact replica of genetically caused Parkinson's disease.

• Hundreds seek NHS implant advice

  7 Feb 2012 | 6:45 am

  Almost 1,000 private patients with PIP breast implants have contacted the NHS, according to MPs.

• VIDEO: Cancer overshadowed in DR Congo

  6 Feb 2012 | 8:45 am

  The Democratic Republic of Congo faces so many challenges battling diseases such as malaria, AIDS and cholera that cancer has been pushed off the radar.

• 

  Forbes.com: Health News

• The Tortuous Conservative History of the Individual Mandate

  7 Feb 2012 | 12:32 pm

  Mitt Romney, as we know, has been catching a lot of flak from conservatives for Romneycare, because Romney's signature legislative achievement served as the model for Obamacare. But as Romney said in a debate in Las Vegas last October, "we got the idea of an individual mandate...from [Newt Gingrich], and [Newt] got it from the Heritage Foundation." Politically, it's an important point, because Romney is inaccurately being portrayed as some kind of left-wing apostate, when in fact there were some major conservative institutions (like Heritage) and figures (like Gingrich) who supported the…

• Can Greenway Medical Keep Up The Momentum After Its IPO?

  2 Feb 2012 | 4:54 pm

  Greenway Medical Technologies, a seller of electronic health records, got off to a bumpy start when its bankers re-priced last minute its IPO price downward to $10 from an original range of $11 to $13 a share. It closed today at $13, up 30%?valuing it at three times revenue, in line with competitors such as ...

• Repealing the CLASS Act

  1 Feb 2012 | 4:14 pm

  The first part of the health reform law to fall was not struck down by the Supreme Court, blocked by state governments, or defunded by Congress ? it was struck down by the Obama Administration itself, which stated that the program could not be implemented as passed, and therefore would simply be ignored. The Community ...

• Congressional Research Service: Courts Could Force HHS to Implement CLASS Act, Despite Its Insolvency

  1 Feb 2012 | 6:00 am

  Today, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on H.R. 1173, the Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act of 2011, sponsored by Rep. Charles Boustany (R., La.). This two-page bill would repeal the fiscal disaster known as the CLASS Act, Obamacare's new long-term care entitlement, which was "suspended" by the Obama Administration because Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius could not certify that the entitlement was fiscally sustainable. Why, you might ask, should Congress bother to repeal CLASS, given that Sebelius has suspended its implementation? Because,…

• A Look Back at Year One of The Apothecary at Forbes

  31 Jan 2012 | 9:22 am

  One year ago, I moved my little health-care blog from avikroy.org over to Forbes.com. And what a year it's been. There has been no shortage of things to write about???and thanks to the paramount importance of entitlement reform and health policy, that will continue to be true for the foreseeable future. So I wanted to take the chance to reflect on The Apothecary's year that was.

• 

  Public Health News From Medical News Today

• What Is A Healthy Weight?

  8 Feb 2012 | 11:00 am

  Your "healthy" weight cannot simply be calculated from a general source - people's healthy weight, or ideal weight, depends on several factors, including their age, sex, body type, bone density, muscle-fat-ratio, overall general health, and height. Over the last few decades, using BMI (body mass index) was seen as an excellent means for calculating a person's healthy weight...

• More Salt In US Diet Comes From Bread And Rolls, Not Salty Snacks

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:00 am

  More salt in the average US diet comes bread and rolls and not from salty snacks like potato chips, pretzels and popcorn, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released this week...

• Former Welders Suffer Increased Clumsiness

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:00 am

  Welders who are exposed to manganese from welding fumes, risk developing increased clumsiness - and the result may remain decades after exposure has ceased. This is the finding of a study at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, of former shipyard workers...

• Improving Emergency General Surgery Care And Outcomes

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:00 am

  Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC, have successfully created and implemented an emergency general surgery registry (EGSR) that will advance the science of acute surgical care by allowing surgeons to track and improve surgical patient outcomes, create performance metrics, conduct valid research and ensure quality care for all emergency genera...

• In Hospitals, Transmission Of Clostridium Difficile May Not Be Through Contact With Infected Patients

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:00 am

  Contrary to current convention by which infection with the organism Clostridium difficile is regarded as an infection that is acquired by contact with symptomatic patients known to be infected with C. difficile, these may account for only a minority of new cases of the infection. These findings are important as they indicate that C...

• 

  msnbc.com: More Health News

• Most docs tell white lies, study finds

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:18 pm

  More than half of doctors surveyed told patients an untruth and 20 percent didn't report a medical mistake, new research finds.

• Heartburn drugs linked to serious infections

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:30 am

  FDA warns that people taking drugs that suppress stomach acid production may be at an increased risk for intestinal bacteria infections.

• Have we met? Face blindness prevents recognition

  7 Feb 2012 | 2:49 pm

  Some people are better at recognizing a face. Now a study of individuals who have prosopagnosia, a disorder rendering them unable to distinguish another's mug, suggests a possible cause: a breakdown in a brain pathway used to process faces.

• Obesity may be infectious, study finds

  3 Feb 2012 | 11:01 am

  Alterations in gut microbes may increase the susceptibility to obesity and fatty liver disease and also make it possible to spread these diseases, at least in mice.

• CDC: Child abuse price tag for U.S. is $124 billion

  1 Feb 2012 | 11:26 am

  The financial burden of child abuse on the nation is comparable to that of other costly health diseases, CDC finds

• 

  Reuters: Health News

• Eczema tied to higher impotence risk: study

  8 Feb 2012 | 5:14 pm

  (Reuters) - Men who have the allergic skin condition eczema may have a higher risk of erectile dysfunction than other men, according to a Taiwanese study.

• Obama birth-control rule stokes election-year fight

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:39 pm

  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Republican in the Congress on Wednesday denounced President Barack Obama's new rule on contraceptives as an assault on "religious freedom" and vowed to overturn it, as the White House sought to prevent the issue from becoming an election-year liability.

• More evidence big football players face heart risks

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:19 pm

  NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pro football players may generally enjoy a longer-than-average lifespan -- but the biggest players may be more likely than others to die of heart disease, a U.S. study suggests.

• Tai chi may help balance in people with Parkinson's

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:16 pm

  NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The slow, controlled motions of tai chi can help the impaired balance of people with mild or moderate Parkinson's disease, and the improvements persist for at least three months, according to a small study out Wednesday.

• FDA panel votes against wider use of Amgen drug

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:15 pm

  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An advisory panel on Wednesday recommended that U.S. health regulators reject the use of Amgen Inc's drug Xgeva to delay the spread of prostate cancer to the bone, dimming the chance of a wider use for one of the company's key growth drivers.

• 

  Everyone's Blog Posts - Iowa Avenue

• One life to live

  Dr.Chaitra

  1 Feb 2012 | 12:09 am

  One life to live  Life style disorders are the main antecedents of premature mortality and morbidity in our country, these are non communicable diseases which can be easily prevented with our changes in life style. These includeDiabetes,Atherosclerosis& Cardiovascular diseases, Hypertension,Renal disorders,stroke,cancer,obesity Read more....... http://t.co/zravgQu6

• It's Much Quieter in Iowa

  Edie Dykeman

  6 Jan 2012 | 6:32 am

  When I first came upon Iowa Avenue, it was much busier than it is these days. That it has quieted down as much as it has is disappointing. It is a great site to hook up with people who also want to live a healthy lifestyle. Hopefully, there will be a resurgence at some point in time. As we move into the new year, my plan is to get back onto my healthy eating regimen. I'm making progress as I choose to eat more vegetables and less processed food. One step at a time seems to work for me. Also, it is difficult as a caregiver to eat at the same time as my father. Unfortunately, he is a diabetic…

• Yahoo "Second Act" ~ Vitality

  Jill

  26 Dec 2011 | 10:30 am

  I have been so blessed to be featured on Yahoo a Award-winning series about real stories celebrating life, passion and reinvention.    I sure have been blessed!!!!   :-)

• We know that the holidays can be the ruin of an exercise regimen.

  Power By Choice dba Perfect Fit

  10 Dec 2011 | 12:51 pm

  With all that food, no time to go to the gym, days of travelling, all mean that it’s pretty easy to find yourself in early January feeling like you’re starting over from scratch.  Luckily, there are strategies for getting through the holidays in good shape.  In this article, I give you five great exercises to keep up your six-pack abs anytime, anywhere, and some tips for getting through holiday gatherings unscathed (physically, that is – dealing with your family is up to you!). Abdominals are relatively simple to maintain during the holidays, because there are exercises you can do at…

• Does Awareness End in November?

  Mammotives

  27 Nov 2011 | 8:00 pm

  October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month sees a nationwide blitz of advocacy for breast cancer research, prevention and treatment. Breast cancer, however, can strike at any time. The Iowa Cancer Consortium would like to sustain enthusiasm for breast cancer awareness beyond the 31 days of October. With support from the American Cancer Society, the Consortium has created an online forum—“Mammotives”—where Iowa women ages 40+ can talk about their experiences with breast cancer screening. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 4 Iowa women over age 40 have not received a…

• 

  Hospital Impact

• How to keep docs from going broke

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:58 am

  by Anthony Cirillo It's hard to ignore a headline that reads "Doctors Going Broke." But that was the gist of the article in CNN Money last month. According to the article, half of all doctors in the nation operate a private practice. And many are on the verge of financial disaster. The usual litany of blame was cited--shrinking reimbursements, changing regulations, rising business and drug costs. [More:] "Many are too proud to admit that they are on the verge of bankruptcy," Beau Donegan, senior executive with a hospital cancer center in Newport Beach, Calif., commented to CNN. "These…

• A hospital-wide approach to combating compassion fatigue

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:57 am

  by Teresa L. Deshields There is growing recognition of compassion fatigue as a challenge to healthcare professionals engaged in difficult clinical work. Certainly, exposure to patients who are suffering increases vulnerability to compassion fatigue. Some have even suggested that clinical researchers can be vulnerable to it. How can you tell if compassion fatigue is a problem for you, your coworkers or your colleagues? Here are a number of "symptoms" of compassion fatigue: [More:] Physical symptoms include: Feeling "not well" Feeling exhausted Feeling "hyper" Suffering from insomnia…

• 5 tactics for your patient experience strategy

  1 Feb 2012 | 12:19 pm

  by Jason A. Wolf Hospitals cannot focus their efforts to improve the patient experience on only a checklist of activities, but rather make them part of a broader strategic direction. In a recent Hospital Impact blog post, I offered four strategies for addressing patient experience as the new healthcare reality to reinforce this point. Yet, while no two hospitals follow the same plan (and I encourage you not to be fooled by a one-size-fits-all solution), there are a few common practices to consider. In the 2011 study, "The State of Patient Experience in American Hospitals," we asked the…

• How our hospital uses social media for customer service

  31 Jan 2012 | 8:10 am

  by Ginger Anderson At Scripps Health in San Diego, we've been actively using social media since 2009. Our goal in the space is to build relationships with the San Diego community and position Scripps as a leader in healthcare. A large part of the work is actively listening and responding to customer service inquires and problems on Twitter, Facebook and Yelp. Have you heard the saying, "Perception is reality"? Our patients are spreading their opinion of us on the internet, and chances are good that their friends and family are going to believe what they say. It's our job to find customers who…

• Understand CEO burnout to improve employee wellness

  30 Jan 2012 | 12:19 pm

  by Dr. Kenneth H. Cohn In "Hospital CEO burnout on the horizon: Look for successors now," Karen M. Cheung describes the challenging conditions healthcare leaders face as they move forward in an uncertain environment. According to the September/October issue of Healthcare Executive, there was a 17 percent CEO turnover rate in 2009, compared to 14.6 percent in 2001. I am pleased to see reports like this, because we need to bring attention to burnout at all levels in the healthcare profession to make it better. [More:] As I wrote in a previous Hospital Impact blog post, burnout affects…

• 

  Cancer Research UK - RSS Feed

• US scientists show how immune system 'prunes' tumours

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:08 am

  Laboratory research by US scientists has shown for the first time how the body's immune system shapes how a tumour grows.

• Change4Life warns of cancer risk from drinking 'a little too much'

  7 Feb 2012 | 8:12 am

  People are at risk from serious illness including cancer, heart disease and stroke if they drink just slightly more than they should, Andrew Lansley has warned.

• Promising breast cancer prevention drug 'weakens bones'

  7 Feb 2012 | 5:41 am

  The drug exemestane, which is used to treat breast cancer and is also in trials to prevent the disease developing in postmenopausal women, significantly worsens age-related bone loss, according to a study from Canada.

• Prostate cancer NICE decision 'makes no sense'

  1 Feb 2012 | 4:01 pm

  Cancer Research UK is urging a solution to the impasse over the advanced prostate cancer drug abiraterone, which has been turned down by NICE.

• Large study confirms benefits of exercise for some cancer patients

  1 Feb 2012 | 7:46 am

  Physical activity, when appropriate, can improve patients' health and quality of life after they finish treatment, according to large analysis of over 30 studies of exercise and cancer, published in the BMJ.

• 

  James Hubbard's My Family Doctor Blog

• Quiz of the Month: Valentine’s Day, Doctor Style

  lotte

  6 Feb 2012 | 10:00 pm

  by Leigh Ann Otte There are sweethearts, heart-to-hearts, heartfelt confessions and candy hearts. As Valentine’s Day approaches, hearts are all over the place. But to many of us, our own heart...

• A Day in the Life of a Doctor Detective

  lotte

  30 Jan 2012 | 10:00 pm

  by Leigh Ann Otte You’re a family doctor. You walk into a patient’s room where a man in his mid-50s waits for your wisdom. His complaint: He hasn’t been feeling well. You ask the...

• Strawberry-Cheesecake Yogurt? That Can’t Be Good (for You).

  lotte

  23 Jan 2012 | 10:00 pm

  by Leigh Ann Otte Mmmm. Key lime pie, orange crème, vanilla. Can’t you just taste the rich, creamy flavors? Now mix a little yogurt in. No, really! Have you tried dessert-flavored yogurts? I...

• Do Abortions Affect Women Negatively? Experts Debate

  lotte

  16 Jan 2012 | 10:00 pm

  by Leigh Ann Otte Have you been watching the Republican presidential debates? Or are you waiting for the big guns in the fall? During every heated election cycle, some of the most contentious issues...

• Oh, Go Ahead, Sleep Through This Test

  lotte

  9 Jan 2012 | 10:00 pm

  by Leigh Ann Otte Lots of us resolved to move more this year, but how about resting more too? Getting enough sleep is important for our health. And it might give us more energy for that exercise! So...

• 

  QJM - current issue

• Carbimazole embryopathy: implications for the choice of antithyroid drugs in pregnancy

  Bowman, P., Osborne, N. J., Sturley, R., Vaidya, B.

  16 Jan 2012 | 9:22 pm

  Maternal thyrotoxicosis, predominantly secondary to Graves’ disease, affects 0.2% of all pregnancies. The Endocrine Society guidelines recommend the use of propylthiouracil as a first-line drug for thyrotoxicosis in pregnancy because of associations between carbimazole or methimazole and congenital anomalies. However, recent studies have highlighted the risk of severe liver injury with propylthiouracil. Here, we report another case with multiple congenital anomalies following in utero exposure to carbimazole and review the literature to consider the risks and benefits of available…

• Ruptured sinus of valsalva masquerading as infective endocarditis: importance of imaging with transoesophageal echocardiography

  Poh, K.- K., Yeo, W.- T., Omar, A. R.

  16 Jan 2012 | 9:22 pm

• Rituximab in anti-glomerular basement membrane disease

  Shah, Y., Mohiuddin, A., Sluman, C., Daryanani, I., Ledson, T., Banerjee, A., Crowe, A., McClelland, P.

  16 Jan 2012 | 9:22 pm

• The prognostic variables predictive of mortality in patients with an exacerbation of COPD admitted to the ICU: an integrative review

  Messer, B., Griffiths, J., Baudouin, S. V.

  16 Jan 2012 | 9:22 pm

  Introduction: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) frequently presents with an acute exacerbation (AECOPD). Debate exists as to whether these patients should be admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). An integrative review was performed to determine whether clinical variables available at the time of ICU admission are predictive of the intermediate-term mortality of patients with an AECOPD. Methods: An integrative review was structured to incorporate a five-stage review framework to facilitate data extraction, analysis and presentation. The quality of the studies contributing to the…

• The great cholesterol myth: unfortunate consequences of Brown and Goldstein's mistake

  Eastwood, M.

  16 Jan 2012 | 9:22 pm

• 

  AAFP News Now

• News in Brief: Week of Feb. 6-10

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:05 pm

  This roundup includes the following news briefs: CPCI Webinar Now Available in Archived Version, GE Healthcare Discontinues 'Centricity Advance' EHR System, Packaging Problems Continue to Plague Novartis Facility, Contaminated Prep Pads Spur Recall Follow-up, Study Sheds Light on Physician Communication With Patients, and CMS Says Delayed Demo Projects Scheduled for June Startup.

• Implement PCMH Nationwide, Says FP Who Has Made Journey

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:55 pm

  Congress should mandate adoption of the patient-centered medical home on a nationwide basis to improve the overall quality of care and to help reverse escalating costs that are burdening the American taxpayer. That was the gist of testimony given by family physician John Bender, M.D., during a Feb. 7 hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee's Subcommittee on Health. The PCMH "is now being proven and adopted in the private sector," said Bender, CEO and medical director of Miramont Family Medicine in Fort Collins, Colo., and a past president of the Colorado AFP.

• Tool Helps FPs Get Paid for Medicare Preventive Services

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:45 pm

  On Jan. 1, family physicians who take Medicare were required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to begin providing Medicare beneficiaries with access to a variety of preventive services that do not require a patient deductible or coinsurance payment. To help ensure members get paid for providing these services, the Academy has created an online tool that reviews these services, which include alcohol screening, depression screening, behavioral counseling to prevent sexually transmitted infections, counseling to reduce cardiovascular disease risk and counseling for obesity.

• Oral Contraceptives' Packaging Error Prompts Pfizer Recall

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:40 pm

  A packaging error has prompted New York-based Pfizer Inc. to recall multiple lots of oral contraceptives after an investigation by the company indicated the error could leave women "without adequate contraception and at risk for unintended pregnancy." In a Jan. 31 press release, Pfizer, which manufactures the products, said that it recalled 28 lots of tablets because some of the blister packs may contain an inexact count of inert and active ingredient tablets. In addition, said Pfizer, the tablets might be out of sequence.

• PPI Ineffective for Asthma Control in Children With No GERD Symptoms

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:10 am

  An acid reflux drug frequently prescribed for children with poorly controlled asthma does not improve asthma control if the child has no symptoms of acid reflux, according to a recent study published in . In such cases, the treatment actually increases the risk of sore throat, bronchitis and other respiratory problems. "The study demonstrates that this recently advocated treatment is not effective and reminds us to focus on evidence-based practice in real-world settings," said family physician Kurt Elward, M.D., of Charlottesville, Va., the Academy's liaison to the National Asthma Education…

• 

  Everyone's Medical Blog Posts - DoctorsHangout.com

• CAN U GIVE THE ANSWER? PART- 3

  Dr.Indrajit Rana

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:30 pm

  NO SMOKING AWARENESS GROUP IN DOCTORS HANGOUT---> http://www.doctorshangout.com/group/nosmokingawareness NO SMOKING AWARENESS PAGE IN FACEBOOK---> https://www.facebook.com/NoSmokingAwareness NO SMOKING AWARENESS BLOG IN WORDPRESS---> http://nosmokingawareness.wordpress.com/  

• Doctor of Dental Surgery

  CMedical

  7 Feb 2012 | 2:17 am

  Doctors of Dentistry program is a 5.5 year program for those with high school and 4 years for those with Diploma or training in Dental Hygiene, other dental programs and life science programs. The next intake is in March 2012. To get an idea on our dental facilities please visit our photo gallery at http://www.tauedu.org/cheddi_jagan_dental_centre_photos.html

• Debate:Medical Miracles/Marvels vs Actual science

  Anushaa Nanda Gopalan

  5 Feb 2012 | 6:02 pm

  Does anyone believe an act of for named GOD makes this happen or Is there a scientific logical explanation or both Check this Link below: http://www.oddee.com/item_96746.aspx What do you think ??

• CASE REPORT

  Dr. Ashok Kumar Prasad

  3 Feb 2012 | 8:13 am

  A patient presented to the Casualty of our hospital, with history of ingestion of three tablets of celphos 2 hrs ago, with a heart rate of 128/min, SPO2- 78% (by pulse oximetry), respiratory rate -38/min,temperature 98.6 F, blood pressure- unrecordable, absent peripheral pulses and cold clammy extremities. The patient was irritable but was oriented. The patient was immediately shifted to the ICU where he was treated with Oxygenation, Inj. hydrocortisone 200mg I.V. stat, Inj MgSO4 1g I.V. stat and 0.5g I.M. in each buttock stat. IV fluids, Hemacel and RL were started. Dopamine infusion was…

• BSN Nursing

  CMedical

  2 Feb 2012 | 8:03 pm

  Are you passionate about nursing? Then the Bachelors of Nursing program (4 year BSN) is for you. We have attractive training sites for nursing programs in Guyana. We are working out with universities in USA, Canada, UK etc where you can study with us for 2 years and transfer to these universities for last 2 years and get the degree from them and get opportunities to work in Developed Countries.

• 

  Harvard Gazette

• Notes on music’s lessons

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:21 pm

  Jazz legend Wynton Marsalis met his audience at a tuneful crossroads at Sanders Theatre Monday night, exploring America’s diverse musical heritage. On Tuesday, the energetic trumpeter and composer met with members of the Harvard community at the intersections of music, education, ethics, and innovation during two far-reaching panel discussions. “Entrepreneurs are always in search of ideas, and artists have a knack with creativity and original thinking, which entrepreneurs can learn from,” said Mihir Desai, Mizuho Financial Group Professor of Finance, who moderated an afternoon panel…

• In a land of equality, racism

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:00 am

  In 1959, the Cuban Revolution banished dictator Fulgencio Batista. It also banished racism. Or so the story goes. A new art exhibit at Harvard tells a different tale. “Queloides,” a show whose name is the Spanish word for scar, is a counterpoint by Cuban visual artists, many of them persons of color. Its collective intent shows how race and racism — a sort of social scarring — continued in post-revolution Cuba, simmering beneath a cultural facade of social equality and justice. “Queloides” was shown twice in Havana, first 15 years ago. Its creators grew up in a communist Cuba that…

• Exploring roots of hunger, eating behaviors

  8 Feb 2012 | 9:01 am

  Synaptic plasticity — the ability of the synaptic connections between the brain’s neurons to change and modify over time — has been shown to be a key to memory formation and the acquisition of new learning behaviors. Now research led by a scientific team at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) reveals that the neural circuits controlling hunger and eating behaviors are also controlled by plasticity. The roots of hunger, eating, and weight are based in the brain’s complex and rapid-fire neurocircuitry. Over the years, nerve cells containing agouti-related…

• Student to attend Warwick Economics Summit

  8 Feb 2012 | 8:46 am

  Economics concentrator Pulkit Agrawal ’15 has been awarded a bursary by the University of Warwick International office to attend the Warwick Economics Summit on Feb. 17-19. One other student, from the India Institute of Technology, Kanpur, was also funded. The program was launched in December 2011 and received a large number of applications from around the world. Candidates were asked to submit a personal statement detailing their interest in their chosen field and what they hoped to gain from attending the summit. “My interest in economics revolves around developmental economics, as I…

• Deciding to go left or right

  8 Feb 2012 | 7:31 am

  For decades, scientists have associated binary decision making — opting to go left or right — with higher-ranking animals, including humans. A team of Harvard researchers, however, is rewriting that assumption with research showing that the lowly fruit fly maggot is capable of making the same choices. As described in a recent paper in the journal Nature Methods, the research is aimed at answering one of the most fundamental, long-standing questions about how the brain gives rise to behaviors. “What we have shown is that the larvae really make left- and right-steering decisions based on…

• 

  Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review

• Dismantling the Affordable Care Act: The Obama Supreme Court Argument + 51 Republican Senators

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:35 am

  I have no idea which way the Supreme Court will rule this year on the Affordable Care Act. Let me go out on a limb and predict a 5-4 vote on the question of whether the individual mandate is Constitutional. Just don’t ask me which way the vote goes.I found the recent Obama administration brief submitted to the Court on the mandate question somewhat ironic. Not surprisingly, the Obama Justice

• Medicare Advantage Premiums Drop an Average of 7% and Enrollment up 10%—That Must Make Republicans Just Want to Cry

  6 Feb 2012 | 11:00 am

  Medicare Advantage would appear to be a fantastic success—senior premiums are dropping and enrollment is increasing.Listening to Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius last week, you would think private Medicare plans were a Democratic idea and this is their success. Many industry observers, including me, have worried that Medicare Advantage benefits would shrink and premiums would rise

• The Wyden-Ryan Plan Will Be the Foundation for Serious Medicare Reform—and Maybe More

  1 Feb 2012 | 10:02 am

  In two companion articles in January’s New England Journal of Medicine, Henry Aaron with Austin Frakt, and Joe Antos critique the Wyden-Ryan Medicare reform proposal.Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) are proposing a hybrid Medicare reform proposal combing both Republican defined contribution free market principles—a premium support scheme—with Democratic defined

• The New Health Law Needs to Be Repealed, Expanded, and Replaced—So Long As It Doesn’t Have a Mandate

  30 Jan 2012 | 10:00 am

  Last week’s State of the Union speech was notable because the President hardly mentioned the new health care reform law.Avoiding what is supposed to be the centerpiece domestic accomplishment of President Obama’s first term stuck out like a sore thumb.He said almost nothing because the Obama team simply doesn’t know what to say.The fact is the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is generally unpopular, and

• Important Research From Medicare Demonstration Projects: Almost Nothing Works

  19 Jan 2012 | 11:54 am

  I will suggest that most of us believe the way to control health care costs, and at the same time maintain or improve quality, is to both use the managed care tools we have developed over the years, and perhaps more importantly, change the payment incentives so that both cost control and quality are upper most in the minds of providers and payers.The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has just

• 

  Scientific American - News

• Fasting Might Boost Chemo's Cancer-Busting Properties

  8 Feb 2012 | 11:30 am

  Cancer treatment can be brutal for patients. Many of the tools we have-- chemotherapy , radiation--are big, blunt weapons that deal punishing blows to healthy tissues along with cancerous ones. So the hunt has been on for more and more finely targeted therapies that will attack malignant cells yet minimize damage to patients' bodies. [More]

• Sight Seen: Gene Therapy Restores Vision in Both Eyes

  8 Feb 2012 | 11:00 am

  Gene therapy has markedly improved vision in both eyes in three women who were born virtually blind. The patients can now avoid obstacles even in dim light, read large print and recognize people's faces. The operation, researchers predict, should work even better in children and adolescents blinded by the same condition. [More]

• Success Is Official: Russian Team Breaches Buried Antarctic Lake

  8 Feb 2012 | 11:00 am

  It's official. Russian scientists announced today that they have reached Antarctica's Lake Vostok, an ancient, liquid lake the size of Lake Ontario buried beneath more than 2 miles (3 kilometers) of ice for at least 14 million years. [More]

• Custom-Designed Proteins Could Counteract Chemical Weapons

  7 Feb 2012 | 3:00 pm

  Custom-designed proteins made with the aid of computers could fight chemical weapons such as nerve gas and help decontaminate toxic-waste sites, scientists say. [More]

• Popular Opinion on Climate Change Traced to Political Elites

  7 Feb 2012 | 2:15 pm

  It seems the general public just can't make up its mind about the existence of man-made climate change. Rather than steadily increasing or decreasing over the last decade, the U.S. public's concern over our warming planet has jumped up and down, according to Gallup polls. But what exactly is driving this seesawing of opinions on climate change? [More]

• 

  Disease Management Care Blog

• What The Debate Over Birth Control Pills As An Essential Benefit Tells Us About National Health Policy Making

  8 Feb 2012 | 5:35 pm

  While the physician Disease Management Care Blog understands the logic behind essential health benefit determinations, believes good health care includes access to reproductive services and also knows that an unintended pregnancy poses special threats to a woman's health, it also sympathizes with the U.S. Catholic Bishops' stand on birth control pills.  Such is the luxury of cognitive dissonance.  Yet, the DMCB's real discomfort is over the broader health policy implications of defining BCPs as an essential health benefit that must be covered with only a few exceptions:1. There…

• The Benefits of Exercise Among Persons With Chronic Illness: A Summary of the Literature

  7 Feb 2012 | 6:39 pm

  Ugh, not againThe Disease Management Care Blog was taught that it was the "door handle sign."That's the momentary pause that providers experience just prior to an appointment when their hand is on the examination room door handle, but they're wishing that they were going somewhere else. When that happened to the DMCB, its unease would usually be over the patient's depression.  That would often be manifest by an inability to make lifestyle changes, take their medicines or comply with treatment plans. Among persons with a chronic condition, it turns out that…

• Insights on Population Health Management, Thanks to the Closing Seconds of Superbowl XLVI

  6 Feb 2012 | 5:58 pm

  Only the Disease Management Care Blog can find population health management lessons from yesterday's Superbowl.With only 57 seconds left in the game and the Giants in possession of the ball at the six yard line, elite running back Ahmad Bradshaw got the hand-off.  He was only a few steps into the play when he simultaneously realized that the Patriots were purposely not tackling him and that his quarterback, Eli Manning, was shouting at him to not enter the end zone. That's because Mr. Manning knew that a quick touchdown would turn possession of the ball back to…

• Addressing Low Childhood Vaccination Rates: A Population Health Management Perspective

  6 Feb 2012 | 4:32 am

  What's the one issue that drives the most doctors crazy?  The Disease Management Care Blog suspects it's persons who refuse basic vaccinations.  That's because physicians are inculcated from the first day of their education with triumphant stories of how basic science and public health joined forces to banish many common and fatal infectious diseases.  Not getting your shots is crazy.DMCB readers are probably aware of how childhood U.S. vaccination rates are dropping.  While we continue to wonder just how any parent or guardian could let that happen, here's a…

• Institute of Medicine Agrees Health IT Poses Risks to Safety. Here Are Their Recommendations

  2 Feb 2012 | 4:52 pm

  A CAT scan. Where's that big spleen?Years ago, the Disease Management Care Blog ordered an abdominal CAT scan for one of its patients. The study was reassuringly normal except for the unexpected - and most likely benign - finding of an enlarged spleen. In the absence of any other worrisome findings, the interpreting radiologist recommended that another CAT scan should be done in six months to make sure it wasn't getting bigger. The patient agreed. The DMCB then fired up the electronic health record (EHR), scheduled the CAT scan order for six months, closed the encounter and moved onto the…

• 

  InsureBlog

• HHS Sec'y Shecantbeserious: Hey, it ain't MY money!

  8 Feb 2012 | 11:30 am

  One of the stated rationales for ObamneyCare© was that putting the nation's healthcare delivery and financing systems under the control of the Fed's would lead to increased efficiency and cost savings.So how's that workin' out?Turns out, not so well:"In a letter sent Monday ... ask Secretary Kathleen Sebelius [sic] to tighten oversight of taxpayer dollars that flow in and out of the agency, including a $500 million difference between its internal accounting and the Treasury's records, and an $866 million difference in divisional budget reports."Not to mention billions of dollars in…

• Pass the Bread, Hold the Salt

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:30 am

  Salt is a wonderful flavor enhancer. Once so valuable it was used as currency by Chinese and Mediterranean cultures.The use of salt dates back to at least 6,000 BC.But salt is also a culprit linked to heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.So what is the primary source of salt in American diets? You may be surprised.Bread and rolls are the No. 1 source of salt in the American diet, accounting for more than twice as much sodium as salty junk food like potato chips.Need to know more?According to the CDC, breads and rolls account for about 7 percent of the salt that the average American…

• Breaking: Forced Medicare chalks up a win

  7 Feb 2012 | 12:54 pm

  It's been almost a year since we last had any news on the forced Medicare story. Unfortunately for the good guys, the judge in the case has ruled against them:"A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that seniors who receive Social Security cannot reject their legal right to Medicare benefits"We have a longstanding relationship with the lead attorney on the case, and hope to have his take on this shortly.ADDENDUM: It occurs to me that this is completely of a piece with a regime which believes that it can force its citizens to buy a product they neither want nor need.Original content copyright…

• Lipitor Update

  7 Feb 2012 | 12:00 pm

  In email just received from Anthem:"Lipitor will no longer be covered, effective April 1"Since atorvastatin, the new generic version of this venerable cholesterol fighter, is now up and running, Anthem's dropping Lipitor from its covered med list. And according to the email, this means both group and individual business.Something to consider if you have an HSA-compliant high deductible plan: as we've pointed out here at IB, non-covered items are ineligible for network re-pricing (ie "discounting"); this means you'll pay full retail for the med if you stick with the brand name. Adding insult…

• Ethical Conundrum: Medicaid Planning

  7 Feb 2012 | 10:30 am

  Received an email this morning with this provocative subject line:"Medicaid planning: Should your advice be best for your clients or society at large?"It's a legitimate question, and one that we haven't previously explored. Roccy DeFrancesco's email included a link to his more fleshed out version. In a nutshell, the question is whether or not it's ethical to find and use "loopholes" to take one's assets off the table when calculating Medicaid spend-down strategies.He starts with this premise: "The duty of any advisor is to do what’s in the client’s best interest, and any personal biases…

• 

  Reuters: Science News

• Romanian man charged with hacking NASA computers

  8 Feb 2012 | 5:23 pm

  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Romanian man accused of hacking into NASA computers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Los Angeles under the online moniker "Iceman" has been indicted on a federal charge, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

• Biologist Norton Zinder dies at age 83

  8 Feb 2012 | 11:53 am

  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Norton Zinder, a biologist whose research into the genetic material of viruses and bacteria led to a greater understanding of the most fundamental building blocks of life, has died at age 83.

• Scientists melt mystery over icecaps and sea levels

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:10 am

  SINGAPORE (Reuters) - U.S. scientists using satellite data have established a more accurate figure of the amount of annual sea level rise from melting glaciers and ice caps which should aid studies on how quickly coastal areas may flood as global warming gathers pace.

• NASA calls for new taxis to fly to Space Station

  8 Feb 2012 | 9:47 am

  CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA is looking for at least two U.S. firms to design and build space taxis to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station, program managers said on Tuesday.

• Neuroscience the new face of warfare: experts

  6 Feb 2012 | 4:09 pm

  LONDON (Reuters) - Directed energy weapons that use wave beams to cause pain, and electrical brain stimulation that boosts a soldier's combat ability - it may sound like science fiction warfare, but experts say advances in neuroscience mean it's on the horizon.

• 

  Healthcare Economist

• Why are there so few vaccine suppliers?

  Jason Shafrin

  7 Feb 2012 | 1:25 am

  In many cases, only a handful of suppliers produce vaccines for a given disease.  In fact, for several vaccine types the U.S. has fewer suppliers than countries with a smaller market and a higher level of government purchase. One reason for this finding could be strict government regulation.  All vaccines must be approved by the FDA.  Further, the CDC provides guidelines to physicians regarding who should get which vaccines.  The CDC also is a large purchaser of vaccines.  Thus, at first glance, it seems that government regulation may be causing industry consolidation in the vaccine…

• Have States made any progress towards implementing Health Exchanges?

  Jason Shafrin

  6 Feb 2012 | 6:23 am

  The answer depends on the state. Today, I examine an Urban Institute research paper that looks at this progress in more detail. Dividing States into 3 Group The most advance States fall into Group 1 (CA, CO, CT, DC, HI, IN, MA, MD, NV, OR, RI, UT, VT, WA, WV). These states have either enacted an exchange establishment law or in which the governor has established one by issuing an executive order. Massachusetts and Utah had already passed exchange laws before enactment of the ACA. All Group 1 states (except Colorado, Massachusetts and Utah) have received an exchange establishment grant. Group…

• Celebrity Product Endorsement in the 1800s

  Jason Shafrin

  3 Feb 2012 | 6:37 pm

  “The first customers bough pairs of telephones for communication point to point: between a factory and its business office, for example.  Queen Victory installed one at Windsor Castle and one at Buckingham Palace (fabricated in ivory; a gift from the savvy [Alexander Graham] Bell.” from The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood by James Gleick

• The Latest Health Wonk Review is up

  Jason Shafrin

  2 Feb 2012 | 7:24 am

  Check out the latest edition of the Health Wonk Review at the Colorado Health Insurance Insider.  If the HWR hasn’t fulfilled your need to read, here are some additional links of interest as well. Hospital room vs. chain saw. Hand Egg. The Tax Foundation: Which states are best for business? Is America in Decline? “‘Patient Assistant Programs,’ you have got to be kidding!” How does a $10 increase in monthly premiums affect your health plan’s market share? Econ bloggers predict the future.

• How much is rent in your area?

  Jason Shafrin

  1 Feb 2012 | 7:01 am

  The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is responsible for answering just that question.  To determine what level Section 8 vouchers should be set, HUD measures the rents for every county across the nation.  Specifically, they measure the 40th percentile and 50th percentile (i.e., median) rents in each area.  They choose to use the median so that high prices for luxury residences do not skew the measure of rent for a “typical” person in each area.  How does HUD calculate these Fair Market Rents (FMR)?  Today I will explain. Methodology To start with, HUD uses…

• 

  NYT > Fitness & Nutrition

• The Consumer: New Weight Watchers Plan Leaves Some Grumbling

  By RONI CARYN RABIN

  7 Feb 2012 | 9:27 pm

  An overhaul to Weight Watchers' diet plan has caused many longtime members to complain about slow weight loss.

• Mindful Eating as Way to Fight Bingeing

  By JEFF GORDINIER

  7 Feb 2012 | 7:07 pm

  A concept based on Buddhist teachings encourages people to eat slowly, paying close attention to the sensation and purpose of each morsel.

• Vital Signs: Low-Protein Diets May Be Costly to Lean Body Mass

  By NICHOLAS BAKALAR

  7 Feb 2012 | 11:50 am

  On a low-protein diet, the body is forced to get its protein from lean body mass, a study shows.

• Recipes for Health: Beet Greens With Beets, Lemon and Yogurt — Recipes for Health

  By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

  7 Feb 2012 | 10:02 am

  The authentic version of this Greek dish has a lot more olive oil, but its slimmer cousin doesn’t fail to satisfy.

• Personal Health: Giving City Streets Built-In Safety Features

  By JANE E. BRODY

  7 Feb 2012 | 9:25 am

  Safer road designs can slow motor vehicles and separate them from pedestrians and cyclists, and also enhance the physical activity and health of residents.

• 

  FITNESS NEWS - Google News

• Fitness Industry Dream Team Gains Muscle Mass With Latest Venture - Wall Street Journal (blog)

  Google Inc.

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:36 pm

  Fitness Industry Dream Team Gains Muscle Mass With Latest VentureWall Street Journal (blog)The former owners of Gold's Gym International are joining the founder of 24 Hour Fitness International Inc. to create a fitness dream team that's hoping to pump up the fitness market. Brothers John and Kirk Galiani are joining Mark Mastrov, New Evolution Ventures and Kirk & John Galiani Partner to Build US Fitness Sacramento Beeall 3 news articles »

• Fallon finishes last in fitness face-off with FLOTUS - msnbc.com

  Google Inc.

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:32 am

  Gather Celebs News ChannelFallon finishes last in fitness face-off with FLOTUSmsnbc.comJimmy Fallon's fitness competition with First Lady Michelle Obama on "Late Night" was the highlight. Fallon said he was inspired by Obama's exhortations to be healthier, but after he heard her say that it's hard to inspire our children to get up and Michelle Obama, Jimmy Fallon Compete in Fitness ChallengeWall Street Journal (blog)Michelle Obama and Jimmy Fallon compete in a fitness challengeWashington Post (blog)FLOTUS beats Jimmy Fallon in fitness challengeWTOL.comGather Celebs News…

• Fitness: 14 things you can do in shorts right now - Kansas City Star

  Google Inc.

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:50 am

  Fitness: 14 things you can do in shorts right nowKansas City StarFrom basketball and volleyball, to weightlifting, fitness classes and indoor tracks there are plenty of warm activities. All gyms are not created equal. Accoutrements like sports courts, pools and indoor tracks definitely aren't standard, and more »

• Heart Rate-Monitored Fitness Concept Yields Fit Members, Healthy Franchise ... - MarketWatch (press release)

  Google Inc.

  8 Feb 2012 | 7:59 am

  Heart Rate-Monitored Fitness Concept Yields Fit Members, Healthy Franchise MarketWatch (press release)LAUDERDALE, FL, Feb 08, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- February may be Heart Health Month, but at Orangetheory Fitness, it's all about the heart 365 days a year. This one-of-a-kind, group personal training interval workout is the first national and more »

• Fitness and 'fatness' both matter to the heart - HealthNews

  Google Inc.

  6 Feb 2012 | 3:11 pm

  Fitness and 'fatness' both matter to the heartHealthNewsby Amy Norton, Last updated February 06, 2012 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Losing fitness or packing on fat with age each can be bad for the heart -- but avoiding either one of those fates may protect the ticker, a study published Monday suggests.Improve Fitness, Prevent Fat Gain to Protect HeartNewswise (press release)Fitness and fatness independently linked with CVD risk factorsTheHeart.Orgall 6 news articles »

• 

  Dentistry News From Medical News Today

• Association Between Injectable Progesterone Contraceptives And Poor Periodontal Health

  8 Feb 2012 | 12:00 am

  Injectable progesterone contraceptives may be associated with poor periodontal health, according to research in the Journal of Periodontology...

• Paper Clips For Root Canals Lands Dentist In Jail

  31 Jan 2012 | 2:00 pm

  When dentists do a root canal they are supposed to use steel posts, and definitely not paper clips. A dentist from Massachusetts has just received a 1-year prison sentence at the Bristol County House of Correction, for using paper clips for just such procedures - he had faced charges of assault and battery, as well as defrauding Medicaid to the tune of $130,000, and intimidating a witness. Dr...

• Genetic Variation Revealed That Raises A Risk Linked To Bisphosphonates

  30 Jan 2012 | 12:00 am

  Researchers at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine have identified a genetic variation that raises the risk of developing serious necrotic jaw bone lesions in patients who take bisphosphonates, a common class of osteoclastic inhibitors. The discovery paves the way for a genetic screening test to determine who can safely take these drugs...

• Nanocrystals Make Dentures Shine

  7 Jan 2012 | 12:00 am

  The hardest substance in the human body is moved by its strongest muscles: When we heartily bite into an apple or a schnitzel, enormous strengths are working on the surface of our teeth. "What the natural tooth enamel has to endure also goes for dentures, inlays or bridges", glass chemist Prof. Dr. Dr. Christian Russel of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) says...

• Dried Licorice Root Fights The Bacteria That Cause Tooth Decay And Gum Disease

  6 Jan 2012 | 12:00 am

  Scientists are reporting identification of two substances in licorice - used extensively in Chinese traditional medicine - that kill the major bacteria responsible for tooth decay and gum disease, the leading causes of tooth loss in children and adults...

• 

  DentistLinx News

• Assessment of Oral Health in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients With and Without Diabetes Mellitus

  8 Feb 2012 | 12:00 am

  Peritoneal Dialysis International

• Oral cancer: Premalignant conditions and screening - an update

  8 Feb 2012 | 12:00 am

  Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics

• Mental Health of Postgraduate Orthodontic Students in India: A Multi-Institution Survey

  8 Feb 2012 | 12:00 am

  Journal of Dental Education

• Influence of Thread Design on Implant Positioning in Immediate Placement

  8 Feb 2012 | 12:00 am

  Journal of Periodontology

• Leadership Training for Oral Health Professionals: A Call to Action

  8 Feb 2012 | 12:00 am

  Journal of Dental Education

• 

  ADA.org News RSS Feed

• Accreditation needed for Medicare-covered ADI

  30 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Washington—Suppliers of the technical component of advanced diagnostic imaging services for Medicare beneficiaries must be accredited to be reimbursed for the claim if the service is performed on or after Jan. 1, 2012. The accreditation requirement applies to suppliers of the images and not the physician's interpretation.

• California bill calls for "rigorous study" of expanded dental procedures

  26 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Sacramento, Calif.—Legislation approved by the state senate Jan. 26 would create a dentist-led Statewide Office of Oral Health within the state Department of Public Health charged with addressing the "significant human and financial costs" of unmet dental needs.

• Report cites quality improvement efforts, opportunities

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Washington—Quality improvement efforts in organized dentistry and throughout the health care system offer opportunities to increase access to care and “improve and maintain the oral health of the U.S. population,” says a report funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and DentaQuest Institute and intended to advance the national health policy dialogue.

• AADB Mid-Year Meeting scheduled for April

  19 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  The American Association of Dental Boards’ 2012 Mid-Year Meeting takes place April 22-23 at ADA Headquarters.

• Past ADA trustee Dr. Lloyd J. Phillips dies at 89

  17 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Indianapolis—Dr. Lloyd J. Phillips, a past ADA trustee who represented the 7th District from 1970 to 1976, died Jan. 15 here. He was 89.

• 

  ScienceDaily: Dentistry News

• Preventing bacteria from falling in with the wrong crowd could help stop gum disease

  7 Feb 2012 | 5:26 pm

  Stripping some mouth bacteria of their access key to gangs of other pathogenic oral bacteria could help prevent gum disease and tooth loss. The study suggests that this bacterial access key could be a drug target for people who are at high risk of developing gum disease.

• Genetic variation that raises risk of serious complication linked to osteoporosis drugs identified

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:58 am

  Researchers have identified a genetic variation that raises the risk of developing serious necrotic jaw bone lesions in patients who take bisphosphonates, a common class of osteoclastic inhibitors.

• Lab-made tissue picks up the slack of Petri dishes in cancer research

  11 Jan 2012 | 7:39 am

  New research, using oral cancer cells in a three-dimensional model of lab-made tissue, demonstrates that previous models used to examine cancer may not be complex enough to accurately mimic the true cancer environment.

• Nanocrystals make dentures shine

  5 Jan 2012 | 7:14 am

  Chemists have developed novel glass ceramics for dentistry. The new kind of glass ceramic with a nanocrystalline structure seems to be well suited to be used in dentistry due to its high strength and its optical characteristics.

• Dried licorice root fights the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease, study finds

  4 Jan 2012 | 8:51 am

  Scientists are reporting identification of two substances in licorice -- used extensively in Chinese traditional medicine -- that kill the major bacteria responsible for tooth decay and gum disease, the leading causes of tooth loss in children and adults. In a new study, they say that these substances could have a role in treating and preventing tooth decay and gum disease.

• 

  The Endo Blog

• Internal bleaching makes us smile!

  30 Jan 2012 | 9:13 am

  This 13 yr old young lady had some trauma to #8 during a softball game. As you can imagine, the discoloration is of significant concern to the patient.At the time of the exam, tooth #8 is non-responsive to thermal testing, normal to probing and mildly percussion sensitive. DX: Necrotic w/ SAP. RCT recommended with internal bleaching for esthetic purposes.RCT completed under microscope assuring that all internal staining is removed from the pulp horns. A coronal barrier is placed in the cervical portion of the tooth. The purpose of this barrier is to prevent bleach from entering the root,…

• Value and Limitations of CBCT in Endodontics-Case Report

  19 Jan 2012 | 5:50 am

  For the longest time, I have been skeptical of the ability of the CBCT to detect vertical root fractures. Especially in previously treated teeth, where scatter radiation produces artifacts in the image. There has been research(mostly in vitro) supporting CBCT imaging for detecting fractures(Hassan 2009), and there is no doubt that the technology shows exciting promise for use in our field. This case demonstrates both the value and limitations of this exciting imaging system. The patient first presented six months ago with new crowns on teeth #30 and #31. His symptoms were described as a…

• FAIR Health Consumer Cost Lookup

  6 Jan 2012 | 3:11 pm

  FAIR Health is an independent, not-for-profit organization that was established to maintain a database to help insurers and consumers determine reimbursement rates for out-of-network charges, and provide patients with a clear, unbiased explanation of the reimbursement process. This first-of-its-kind database will allow consumer to get cost estimates for medical and dental procedures in their geographic area. The database will also help consumer estimate how much their insurer will reimburse for procedures performed "out of network". This website should help patients to clear the cloak of…

• This, Not That, Follow up

  21 Dec 2011 | 7:16 am

  I realize that my last post was a little short. It was meant for the reader to contrast two root canal treatments on maxillary second molars and draw conclusions about differences. The obvious, and most important difference, is the treatment of 4 canals in the first case.Here is the preoperative radiograph again:History: This patient has had symptoms on and off in the upper left for six years. She cannot chew comfortably on this side and feels a constant pressure in the area. She cannot walk up stairs without feeling dull pain in the area. The original treatment on #14 was performed in 2006…

• Are Implants the Future of Dentistry or Just a Step Along the Way?

  8 Dec 2011 | 7:18 pm

  The real future in medicine and dentistry is in regenerative therapy. While restorative materials including cements, resins, rubbers, metals, titanium etc. are the best materials we currrently have to replace damaged, diseased or missing teeth, the big picture is to replace damaged tissue with regenerated tissues. The dental pulp stem cell has been identified as a source undifferentiated mesenchymal stem cells which may have ability to differentiated into cardio-myocytes, neurocytes, myocytes, osteocytes, chondrocytes and adipocytes. So while our current restorative materials/techniques are…

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  The Blogodontist

• Dayton VA Medical Center Dx: Chronic Burnout

  Dr. Russell

  7 Feb 2012 | 6:33 pm

  I went to visit the Dayton Veteran Administration Medical Center, today. I had not been to visit the Dayton VA Medical Center since the had to close their dental clinic to test patients who had possibly  been exposed to Aids and Hepatitis by a dentist who rarely changed his gloves in the course of seeing multiple patients. The press coverage did report that there had been a thorough house-cleaning of the administrative and clinical staff whose dedicated political correctness escalaqted to dereliction.  But I was interested in ascertaining the attitudes of the staff members…

• Tongue Cancer Prevention Evangelist

  Dr. Russell

  4 Feb 2012 | 9:04 pm

  Eva Grayzel is a brave and generous survivor of advanced  tongue cancer.  Brave for having come though such a harrowing experience and generous because she has chosen to tell her story so that others might be motivated to spare themselves a similar trial.   A few weeks ago I noticed an exultant photo of Eva in the Sunday New York Times Travel section.  In the photo she was caught mid-air in a huge leap of what it looks like to Leap into Joy.   Check out her advice at her webpage: www.evagrayzel.com/about/six-step-screening

• CWRU DENTAL SCHOOL GIVES AWAY SMILES FOR KIDS

  Dr. Russell

  1 Feb 2012 | 9:59 pm

  Brighten up: Dental school faculty, students to provide care to 400 Cleveland elementary students Posted: February 1st, 2012 | Author: thedaily | Filed under: events, news | No Comments » During last year's Give Kids a Smile Day, Michael Semidey, who was then a fourth-year student, showed proper brushing technique to a Scranton Elementary student. Photo by Susan Griffith. Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine faculty and students will help brighten the smiles of nearly 400 Cleveland elementary school students Feb. 3, as…

• Reduced Fee Dentistry at New Sarasota Dental School

  Dr. Russell

  10 Jan 2012 | 6:30 am

  There are two dental schools in Florida that have numerous dental clinics located throughout the state: Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine, Ft. Lauderdale University of Florida College of Dentistry, Gainesville And now a new dental school is to open in the Bradenton/Sarasota area.   Lake Erie College of Oral Medicine  (LECOM) recognizes that dentists have become integral team players in improving the health of their patients. The role they play in preventive medicine complements the osteopathic principals of total healthcare as taught by the College of…

• Apple Smiles Snacks

  Dr. Russell

  7 Jan 2012 | 6:44 am

   Tiny Marshmallows between apple slices with a dash of peanut butter make amusing snacks for kids! This snack is easy to prepare and will certainly bring a smile to your child's face! Recipe Ingredients:  smooth peanut butter 1 red apple, cored and sliced into eighths  squeeze of lemon juice  miniature marshmallows  DirectionsSpread peanut butter on one side of each apple slice (squeeze a little lemon juice over the apple if not serving immediately). Place four miniature marshmallows on one apple slice and then lay another apple slice, peanut butter side down, on top.

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  ANA SmartBrief

• Stem cell transplants in children yield positive outcomes

  8 Feb 2012 | 7:48 am

  Children who underwent stem cell transplantation had low levels of adjustment problems at admission and improved average scor -More- 

• Earn your BSN or MSN at great rates

  8 Feb 2012 | 7:48 am

  ANA has partnered with several universities and programs that are exclusively offering ANA members discounts on online nursin -More- Director of Quality and Patient Safety The University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics

• 10 foods contribute to excess sodium intake, CDC reports

  8 Feb 2012 | 7:48 am

  An estimated 90% of Americans consume too much sodium daily, CDC researchers wrote in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Repo -More- 

• Most providers don't follow ovarian cancer screening guidelines

  8 Feb 2012 | 7:48 am

  A survey of more than 1,000 primary care providers in the U.S.  -More- 

• Risk of dying increases with age in older breast cancer patients

  8 Feb 2012 | 7:48 am

  Breast-cancer related mortality rises with age among postmenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer, accor -More- 

• 

  AANP SmartBrief

• Rotavirus vaccine doesn't raise intestinal disorder risk in babies

  8 Feb 2012 | 9:09 am

  An analysis of nearly 800,000 rotavirus vaccine doses administered to babies showed no increased risk of intussusception foll -More- 

• Risk of dying increases with age in older breast cancer patients

  8 Feb 2012 | 9:09 am

  Breast-cancer related mortality rises with age among postmenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer, accor -More- 

• PQRS & Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program

  8 Feb 2012 | 9:09 am

  The CMS will host a national provider call on the Physician Quality Reporting System & Electronic Prescribing Incentive Progr -More- 

• Research links heart failure to risk of bone fractures

  8 Feb 2012 | 9:09 am

  A study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism concluded that heart failure patients were 30% more likely to h -More- 

• Mobile devices valued by providers, resisted by hospital IT teams

  8 Feb 2012 | 9:09 am

  A Spyglass Consulting Group survey of 100 providers finds 98% employ mobile devices for professional and personal uses, with  -More- 

• 

  Nursing News

• New England Aquarium penguin beguiles nursing home residents;...

  8 Feb 2012 | 5:46 pm

  Roast Beef, an African penguin at the New England Aquarium, made a special visit today to a Haverhill nursing home.

• Vic nurses ready to quit in thousands

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:36 pm

  Frustrated nurses are ready to quit en masse as their bitterly fought industrial campaign with the Victorian government drags on.

• Staff levels spark suicide concerns

  8 Feb 2012 | 9:22 am

  Suicide rates are expected to rise when an estimated 400 mental health carers take retirement this month, it has been revealed.

• Magruder Hospital appoints nursing vice president

  8 Feb 2012 | 7:12 am

  Magruder Hospital recently appointed Kathy Durflinger as the hospital's vice president of nursing, a position she has held on an interim basis since June.

• Supervisors patch VMC's mid-year budget deficit with mix of funds, cuts

  8 Feb 2012 | 6:07 am

  In a midyear budget move that Santa Clara County officials say will resolve an unexpected $58 million deficit at Valley Medical Center, the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday agreed to use $30 million in a one-time payment from the general fund, with the balance made up by a combination of $15 million in hospital revenues and $13 million in ... (more)

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  nurses - Google News

• Sexual abuse of elderly resident at Hebert Nursing Home investigated - Valley Breeze

  8 Feb 2012 | 8:21 pm

  Sexual abuse of elderly resident at Hebert Nursing Home investigatedValley BreezeBy GERRY GOLDSTEIN, Valley Breeze & Observer Correspondent SMITHFIELD - Workers at the Hebert Nursing Home have told health authorities and police that they witnessed, and reported in vain many times, what they consider a disturbing pattern of and more »

• Budget would cut job of school nurse - Nashua Telegraph

  8 Feb 2012 | 7:44 pm

  Budget would cut job of school nurseNashua TelegraphBy HATTIE BERNSTEIN HOLLIS – The proposed elimination of a primary school nurse in next year's budget drew the ire of several parents and voters who attended the school's public hearing Tuesday night. “My kid has issues. There are eight in the second and more »

• Government mum on nurse contingency plans - ABC Online

  8 Feb 2012 | 7:26 pm

  BigPond NewsGovernment mum on nurse contingency plansABC OnlineThe Australian Nurses Federation (ANF) and the State Opposition are calling on the Government to reveal its plan for dealing with the mass resignation of nurses. ANF state secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick says thousands of nurses are threatening to resign at Victorian Government told to unveil secret nurse planHerald SunVic nurses ready to quit over disputeBigPond NewsUnited nurses are poised for mass resignationsThe AgeSydney Morning Herald -NEWS.com.au -Brisbane Timesall 54 news articles »

• Hospital, nursing home workers ratify 3-year contract - Urbana Daily Citizen

  8 Feb 2012 | 7:22 pm

  Hospital, nursing home workers ratify 3-year contractUrbana Daily CitizenBesides the nursing home employees, workers covered include those in the Service and Support units at the hospitals and in the Technical unit at Mercy Memorial. Most of the employees, including nurses, are not represented by a union, Lamb said, and more »

• Chamberlain College of Nursing and National Association of Hispanic Nurses ... - EON: Enhanced Online News (press release)

  8 Feb 2012 | 5:53 pm

  Bradenton HeraldChamberlain College of Nursing and National Association of Hispanic Nurses EON: Enhanced Online News (press release)DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. & WASHINGTON--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Chamberlain College of Nursing and the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) announced a new education program that provides NAHN members with a special tuition rate for Http://nahnnet.org/TheStreet.com (press release)all 7 news articles »

• 

  Nursing / Midwifery News From Medical News Today

• When HIV Patients Waver On Meds

  6 Feb 2012 | 12:00 am

  According to a new analysis of hundreds of recorded office visits, doctors and nurse practitioners typically issued orders and asked closed or leading questions when talking to their HIV-positive patients about adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Attempts at problem-solving with patients who had lapsed occurred in less than a quarter of visits. Take your medicine, Doctor's orders...

• Animal Fat Consumption Before Conception Linked To Gestational Diabetes Risk

  28 Jan 2012 | 12:00 am

  Women who consumed a diet high in animal fat and cholesterol before pregnancy were at higher risk for gestational diabetes than women whose diets were lower in animal fat and cholesterol, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and Harvard University. Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes seen during pregnancy...

• Rise In Home Births In US

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am

  After falling for 14 years, the percentage of home births in the US from 2004 to 2009 rose by 29% to the highest level since data collection on this began in 1989. However, although this looks like a big surge, the overall proportion of American women giving birth at home is still low: in 2004 only 0.56% of births were at home, rising to 0.72% in 2009...

• Study Finds Good Intentions Ease Pain, Add To Pleasure

  20 Jan 2012 | 1:00 am

  A nurse's tender loving care really does ease the pain of a medical procedure, and grandma's cookies really do taste better, if we perceive them to be made with love - suggests newly published research by a University of Maryland psychologist. The findings have many real-world applications, including in medicine, relationships, parenting and business...

• Improving Maternal And Neonatal Care In Africa Saves Lives

  20 Jan 2012 | 1:00 am

  A large regional hospital in Ghana saw a reduction in maternal and infant deaths after continuous quality improvement (QI) initiatives were put into place through a collaborative partnership. New research from lead author Medge Owen, M.D...

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  Nurse.com News

• Study finds welcome drop in TFAs among white adults

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:42 pm

  Blood levels of trans-fatty acids in white adults in the U.S. decreased by 58% from 2000 to 2009 according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• FDA: PPI use can increase risk of C-difficile diarrhea

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:42 pm

  The Food and Drug Administration notified the public that the use of proton pump inhibitors may be associated with an increased risk of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea.

• Grants available for combatting preterm delivery

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:42 pm

  To help reduce the increasing number of preterm births in America and ensure more babies are born healthy, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced more than $40 million in grants under the Strong Start initiative to test ways to reverse that trend, as well as a public campaign to reduce early elective deliveries.

• Rotavirus vaccine not linked to worrisome side effect

  7 Feb 2012 | 2:52 pm

  Some previous data have suggested a possible increased risk of intussusception after administration of the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine in infants.

• Rotavirus vaccine not linked to worrisome side effect

  7 Feb 2012 | 2:52 pm

  Although some data have suggested a possible increased risk of intussusception after administration of the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine in infants, a published analysis that included almost 800,000 doses administered to U.S. infants found no increased risk of the condition following vaccination.

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  New Scientist - Online News

• Shark-eating shark snapped in Australia

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:11 am

  A tasselled wobbegong shark has been photographed eating another shark for the first time

• Nerve probe controls cyborg moth in flight

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:00 am

  Half-moth, half machine, a new generation of remote-controlled insects could one day be used as spies

• Today on New Scientist: 8 February 2012

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:00 am

  All today's stories on newscientist.com, including: US bat killer strikes in Europe and anonymous leaks emails from Syrian President's office

• Forensic failure: 'Miscarriages of justice will occur'

  8 Feb 2012 | 9:30 am

  Our survey of UK forensic scientists reveals that many are concerned that closure of the Forensic Science Service will lead to miscarriages of justice

• US bat killer strikes in Europe

  8 Feb 2012 | 9:10 am

  White nose syndrome has been reported in a single bat in the Czech Republic, but the case seems to be an exception in an area where most bats remain immune

• 

  Science

• A New Weapon Against Nukes: Social Media

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:38 pm

  A top State Department official wants to unleash the power of Twitter, Facebook and other services to crowdsource the fight to control the world's nuclear weapons.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

• 'Amasia': The Next Supercontinent?

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:02 pm

  More than 100 million years from now, the Americas and Asia might fuse together, squishing the Arctic Ocean shut in the process. That's according to a new model that predicts where the next supercontinent may form. But don't worry: Humans will likely be long gone by then.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

• 'Rasputin Was My Neighbor' And Other True Tales Of Time Travel

  8 Feb 2012 | 6:44 am

  There are people who live long enough to create a link — a one-generation link — to figures from what feels like a distant past. And their presence among us shrinks history.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

• Robots Encountering Socks

  6 Feb 2012 | 7:55 am

  Suppose you're a robot. If you had a camera in your head, and you could watch a human doing a simple task, like bunching a pair of socks, could you, just by watching, learn to do it too?» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

• Two Deaths: A Poet And A Beetle

  5 Feb 2012 | 3:58 am

  Poet Wislawa Szymborska had an eye for the smallest, the gentlest, the hard-to-notice creatures on Earth and this week she bid them all adieu. Krulwich remembers Wislawa Szymborska.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

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  PLoS Biology: New Articles

• Genome-Wide Analysis of the World's Sheep Breeds Reveals High Levels of Historic Mixture and Strong Recent Selection

  James W. Kijas et al.

  7 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by James W. Kijas, Johannes A. Lenstra, Ben Hayes, Simon Boitard, Laercio R. Porto Neto, Magali San Cristobal, Bertrand Servin, Russell McCulloch, Vicki Whan, Kimberly Gietzen, Samuel Paiva, William Barendse, Elena Ciani, Herman Raadsma, John McEwan, Brian Dalrymple, other members of the International Sheep Genomics Consortium Through their domestication and subsequent selection, sheep have been adapted to thrive in a diverse range of environments. To characterise the genetic consequence of both domestication and selection, we genotyped 49,034 SNP in 2,819 animals from a diverse collection of…

• Development and Function of Invariant Natural Killer T Cells Producing TH2- and TH17-Cytokines

  Hiroshi Watarai et al.

  7 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Hiroshi Watarai, Etsuko Sekine-Kondo, Tomokuni Shigeura, Yasutaka Motomura, Takuwa Yasuda, Rumi Satoh, Hisahiro Yoshida, Masato Kubo, Hiroshi Kawamoto, Haruhiko Koseki, Masaru Taniguchi There is heterogeneity in invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells based on the expression of CD4 and the IL-17 receptor B (IL-17RB), a receptor for IL-25 which is a key factor in TH2 immunity. However, the development pathway and precise function of these iNKT cell subtypes remain unknown. IL-17RB iNKT cells are present in the thymic CD44 NK1.1 population and develop normally even in the absence of IL-15,…

• Multi-Cellular Rosettes in the Mouse Visceral Endoderm Facilitate the Ordered Migration of Anterior Visceral Endoderm Cells

  Georgios Trichas et al.

  7 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Georgios Trichas, Aaron M. Smith, Natalia White, Vivienne Wilkins, Tomoko Watanabe, Abigail Moore, Bradley Joyce, Jacintha Sugnaseelan, Tristan A. Rodriguez, David Kay, Ruth E. Baker, Philip K. Maini, Shankar Srinivas The visceral endoderm (VE) is a simple epithelium that forms the outer layer of the egg-cylinder stage mouse embryo. The anterior visceral endoderm (AVE), a specialised subset of VE cells, is responsible for specifying anterior pattern. AVE cells show a stereotypic migratory behaviour within the VE, which is responsible for correctly orientating the anterior-posterior axis.

• Desperately Seeking Stable 50-Year-Old Landscapes with Patches and Long, Wide Corridors

  Paul Beier et al.

  31 Jan 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Paul Beier, Andrew J. Gregory

• Reconstructing Speech from Human Auditory Cortex

  Brian N. Pasley et al.

  31 Jan 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Brian N. Pasley, Stephen V. David, Nima Mesgarani, Adeen Flinker, Shihab A. Shamma, Nathan E. Crone, Robert T. Knight, Edward F. Chang How the human auditory system extracts perceptually relevant acoustic features of speech is unknown. To address this question, we used intracranial recordings from nonprimary auditory cortex in the human superior temporal gyrus to determine what acoustic information in speech sounds can be reconstructed from population neural activity. We found that slow and intermediate temporal fluctuations, such as those corresponding to syllable rate, were accurately…

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  NYT > Science

• Drilling Reaches Lake Vostok, Long Trapped Under Antarctic Ice Sheet

  By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN and JAMES GORMAN

  8 Feb 2012 | 8:34 pm

  Scientists said Wednesday they had reached the waters of a lake that has been sealed off for millions of years.

• Meteorite From Mars Is at Home in London, After a World Tour

  By KENNETH CHANG

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:23 pm

  A glossy meteorite that broke off from the Red Planet some million years ago and landed in Morocco last summer passed through many hands before finding a home at the Natural History Museum in London.

• Green Blog: Surplus Renewable Energy: An Update

  By MATTHEW L. WALD

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:05 pm

  From interregional sharing to the development of batteries, the energy secretary offers ideas for coping with a sudden oversupply of power to the grid.

• Norton D. Zinder, Researcher in Molecular Biology, Dies at 83

  By NICHOLAS WADE

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:23 pm

  Dr. Zinder helped lay the basis for molecular biology in the 1950s and ’60s.

• Green Blog: From 2 Satellites, the Big Picture on Ice Melt

  By JOANNA M. FOSTER

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:28 pm

  Researchers calculate that from 2003 to 2010, the world's glaciers and ice caps lost about 150 billion tons of ice each year.

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  PLoS Genetics: New Articles

• The Mitochondrial Chaperone Protein TRAP1 Mitigates α-Synuclein Toxicity

  Erin K. Butler et al.

  2 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Erin K. Butler, Aaron Voigt, A. Kathrin Lutz, Jane P. Toegel, Ellen Gerhardt, Peter Karsten, Björn Falkenburger, Andrea Reinartz, Konstanze F. Winklhofer, Jörg B. Schulz Overexpression or mutation of α-Synuclein is associated with protein aggregation and interferes with a number of cellular processes, including mitochondrial integrity and function. We used a whole-genome screen in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to search for novel genetic modifiers of human [A53T]α-Synuclein–induced neurotoxicity. Decreased expression of the mitochondrial chaperone protein tumor necrosis…

• Reduction of NADPH-Oxidase Activity Ameliorates the Cardiovascular Phenotype in a Mouse Model of Williams-Beuren Syndrome

  Victoria Campuzano et al.

  2 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Victoria Campuzano, Maria Segura-Puimedon, Verena Terrado, Carolina Sánchez-Rodríguez, Mathilde Coustets, Mauricio Menacho-Márquez, Julián Nevado, Xosé R. Bustelo, Uta Francke, Luis A. Pérez-Jurado A hallmark feature of Williams-Beuren Syndrome (WBS) is a generalized arteriopathy due to elastin deficiency, presenting as stenoses of medium and large arteries and leading to hypertension and other cardiovascular complications. Deletion of a functional NCF1 gene copy has been shown to protect a proportion of WBS patients against hypertension, likely through reduced NADPH-oxidase…

• Raf1 Is a DCAF for the Rik1 DDB1-Like Protein and Has Separable Roles in siRNA Generation and Chromatin Modification

  Alessia Buscaino et al.

  2 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Alessia Buscaino, Sharon A. White, Douglas R. Houston, Erwan Lejeune, Femke Simmer, Flavia de Lima Alves, Piyush T. Diyora, Takeshi Urano, Elizabeth H. Bayne, Juri Rappsilber, Robin C. Allshire Non-coding transcription can trigger histone post-translational modifications forming specialized chromatin. In fission yeast, heterochromatin formation requires RNAi and the histone H3K9 methyltransferase complex CLRC, composed of Clr4, Raf1, Raf2, Cul4, and Rik1. CLRC mediates H3K9 methylation and siRNA production; it also displays E3-ubiquitin ligase activity in vitro. DCAFs act as substrate…

• Down-Regulating Sphingolipid Synthesis Increases Yeast Lifespan

  Xinhe Huang et al.

  2 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Xinhe Huang, Jun Liu, Robert C. Dickson Knowledge of the mechanisms for regulating lifespan is advancing rapidly, but lifespan is a complex phenotype and new features are likely to be identified. Here we reveal a novel approach for regulating lifespan. Using a genetic or a pharmacological strategy to lower the rate of sphingolipid synthesis, we show that Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells live longer. The longer lifespan is due in part to a reduction in Sch9 protein kinase activity and a consequent reduction in chromosomal mutations and rearrangements and increased stress resistance. Longer…

• Inter-Homolog Crossing-Over and Synapsis in Arabidopsis Meiosis Are Dependent on the Chromosome Axis Protein AtASY3

  Maheen Ferdous et al.

  2 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Maheen Ferdous, James D. Higgins, Kim Osman, Christophe Lambing, Elisabeth Roitinger, Karl Mechtler, Susan J. Armstrong, Ruth Perry, Mónica Pradillo, Nieves Cuñado, F. Chris H. Franklin In this study we have analysed AtASY3, a coiled-coil domain protein that is required for normal meiosis in Arabidopsis. Analysis of an Atasy3-1 mutant reveals that loss of the protein compromises chromosome axis formation and results in reduced numbers of meiotic crossovers (COs). Although the frequency of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) appears moderately reduced in Atasy3-1, the main recombination…

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  PLoS Pathogens: New Articles

• Discrete Cyclic di-GMP-Dependent Control of Bacterial Predation versus Axenic Growth in Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus

  Laura Hobley et al.

  2 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Laura Hobley, Rowena K. Y. Fung, Carey Lambert, Maximilian A. T. S. Harris, Jayesh M. Dabhi, Simon S. King, Sarah M. Basford, Kaoru Uchida, Robert Till, Rashidah Ahmad, Shin-Ichi Aizawa, Mark Gomelsky, R. Elizabeth Sockett Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is a Delta-proteobacterium that oscillates between free-living growth and predation on Gram-negative bacteria including important pathogens of man, animals and plants. After entering the prey periplasm, killing the prey and replicating inside the prey bdelloplast, several motile B. bacteriovorus progeny cells emerge. The B. bacteriovorus HD100…

• Enhancement of Chemokine Function as an Immunomodulatory Strategy Employed by Human Herpesviruses

  Abel Viejo-Borbolla et al.

  2 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Abel Viejo-Borbolla, Nadia Martinez-Martín, Hendrik J. Nel, Patricia Rueda, Rocío Martín, Soledad Blanco, Fernando Arenzana-Seisdedos, Marcus Thelen, Padraic G. Fallon, Antonio Alcamí Herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2 are highly prevalent human neurotropic pathogens that cause a variety of diseases, including lethal encephalitis. The relationship between HSV and the host immune system is one of the main determinants of the infection outcome. Chemokines play relevant roles in antiviral response and immunopathology, but the modulation of chemokine function by HSV is not well…

• The CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitory Pathways Independently Regulate Host Resistance to Plasmodium-induced Acute Immune Pathology

  Julius Clemence R. Hafalla et al.

  2 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Julius Clemence R. Hafalla, Carla Claser, Kevin N. Couper, Georges Emile Grau, Laurent Renia, J. Brian de Souza, Eleanor M. Riley The balance between pro-inflammatory and regulatory immune responses in determining optimal T cell activation is vital for the successful resolution of microbial infections. This balance is maintained in part by the negative regulators of T cell activation, CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L, which dampen effector responses during chronic infections. However, their role in acute infections, such as malaria, remains less clear. In this study, we determined the contribution of…

• Viral Cyclins Mediate Separate Phases of Infection by Integrating Functions of Distinct Mammalian Cyclins

  Katherine S. Lee et al.

  2 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Katherine S. Lee, Andrea L. Suarez, David J. Claypool, Taylor K. Armstrong, Erin M. Buckingham, Linda F. van Dyk Gammaherpesvirus cyclins have expanded biochemical features relative to mammalian cyclins, and promote infection and pathogenesis including acute lung infection, viral persistence, and reactivation from latency. To define the essential features of the viral cyclin, we generated a panel of knock-in viruses expressing various viral or mammalian cyclins from the murine gammaherpesvirus 68 cyclin locus. Viral cyclins of both gammaherpesvirus 68 and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated…

• Viral Mediated Redirection of NEMO/IKKγ to Autophagosomes Curtails the Inflammatory Cascade

  Patricia M. Fliss et al.

  2 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Patricia M. Fliss, Tali Pechenick Jowers, Melanie M. Brinkmann, Barbara Holstermann, Claudia Mack, Paul Dickinson, Heinrich Hohenberg, Peter Ghazal, Wolfram Brune The early host response to viral infections involves transient activation of pattern recognition receptors leading to an induction of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα). Subsequent activation of cytokine receptors in an autocrine and paracrine manner results in an inflammatory cascade. The precise mechanisms by which viruses avert an inflammatory cascade are incompletely…

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  PLoS ONE Alerts: New Articles

• Spatio-Temporal Features of Visual Exploration in Unilaterally Brain-Damaged Subjects with or without Neglect: Results from a Touchscreen Test

  Marco Rabuffetti et al.

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Marco Rabuffetti, Elisabetta Farina, Margherita Alberoni, Daniele Pellegatta, Ildebrando Appollonio, Paola Affanni, Marco Forni, Maurizio Ferrarin Cognitive assessment in a clinical setting is generally made by pencil-and-paper tests, while computer-based tests enable the measurement and the extraction of additional performance indexes. Previous studies have demonstrated that in a research context exploration deficits occur also in patients without evidence of unilateral neglect at pencil-and-paper tests. The objective of this study is to apply a touchscreen-based cancellation test,…

• Shortening of 3′UTRs Correlates with Poor Prognosis in Breast and Lung Cancer

  Antonio Lembo et al.

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Antonio Lembo, Ferdinando Di Cunto, Paolo Provero A major part of the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression is affected by trans-acting elements, such as microRNAs, binding the 3′ untraslated region (UTR) of their target mRNAs. Proliferating cells partly escape this type of negative regulation by expressing shorter 3′ UTRs, depleted of microRNA binding sites, compared to non-proliferating cells. Using large-scale gene expression datasets, we show that a similar phenomenon takes place in breast and lung cancer: tumors expressing shorter 3′ UTRs tend to be more aggressive…

• Investigating Unique Environmental Contributions to the Neural Representation of Written Words: A Monozygotic Twin Study

  Joonkoo Park et al.

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Joonkoo Park, Denise C. Park, Thad A. Polk The visual word form area (VWFA) is a region of left inferior occipitotemporal cortex that is critically involved in visual word recognition. Previous studies have investigated whether and how experience shapes the functional characteristics of VWFA by comparing neural response magnitude in response to words and nonwords. Conflicting results have been obtained, however, perhaps because response magnitude can be influenced by other factors such as attention. In this study, we measured neural activity in monozygotic twins, using functional magnetic…

• Up-Regulation of MicroRNA-21 Correlates with Lower Kidney Cancer Survival

  Mohd Saif Zaman et al.

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Mohd Saif Zaman, Varahram Shahryari, Guoren Deng, Sobha Thamminana, Sharonjot Saini, Shahana Majid, Inik Chang, Hiroshi Hirata, Koji Ueno, Soichiro Yamamura, Kamaldeep Singh, Yuichiro Tanaka, Z. Laura Tabatabai, Rajvir Dahiya Background MicroRNA-21 is up-regulated in a variety of cancers like, breast, colorectal, lung, head and neck etc. However, the regulation of miR-21 in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has not yet been studied systematically. Methods and Results We measured miR-21 levels in 54 pairs of kidney cancers and their normal matched tissues by real-time PCR. The expression level of…

• Regulatory T Cells Suppress T Cell Activation at the Pathologic Site of Human Visceral Leishmaniasis

  Ambak K. Rai et al.

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Ambak K. Rai, Chandreshwar P. Thakur, Amar Singh, Tulika Seth, Sandeep K. Srivastava, Pushpendra Singh, Dipendra K. Mitra Suppression of T cell response is thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Regulatory T cell (Treg) mediated immune-suppression is reported in animal models of Leishmania infection. However, their precise role among human patients still requires pathologic validation. The present study is aimed at understanding the frequency dynamics and function of Treg cells in the blood and bone marrow (BM) of VL patients. The study included 42…

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  PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases: New Articles

• Schistosoma mansoni Venom Allergen Like Proteins Present Differential Allergic Responses in a Murine Model of Airway Inflammation

  Leonardo Paiva Farias et al.

  7 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Leonardo Paiva Farias, Dunia Rodrigues, Vinicius Cunna, Henrique Krambeck Rofatto, Eliana L. Faquim-Mauro, Luciana C. C. Leite Background The Schistosoma mansoni Venom-Allergen-Like proteins (SmVALs) are members of the SCP/TAPS (Sperm-coating protein/Tpx-1/Ag5/PR-1/Sc7) protein superfamily, which may be important in the host-pathogen interaction. Some of these molecules were suggested by us and others as potential immunomodulators and vaccine candidates, due to their functional classification, expression profile and predicted localization. From a vaccine perspective, one of the concerns is…

• Epidemiological and Genetic Data Supporting the Transmission of Ancylostoma ceylanicum among Human and Domestic Animals

  Romano Ngui et al.

  7 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Romano Ngui, Yvonne A. L. Lim, Rebecca Traub, Rohela Mahmud, Mohd Sani Mistam Background Currently, information on species-specific hookworm infection is unavailable in Malaysia and is restricted worldwide due to limited application of molecular diagnostic tools. Given the importance of accurate identification of hookworms, this study was conducted as part of an ongoing molecular epidemiological investigation aimed at providing the first documented data on species-specific hookworm infection, associated risk factors and the role of domestic animals as reservoirs for hookworm infections in…

• Human Echinococcosis Mortality in the United States, 1990–2007

  Benjamin N. Bristow et al.

  7 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Benjamin N. Bristow, Sun Lee, Shira Shafir, Frank Sorvillo Background Despite the endemic nature of Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus multilocularis infection in regions of the United States (US), there is a lack of data on echinococcosis-related mortality. To measure echinococcosis-associated mortality in the US and assess possible racial/ethnic disparities, we reviewed national-death certificate data for an 18-year period. Methodology/Principal Findings Echinococcosis-associated deaths from 1990 through 2007 were identified from multiple-cause-coded death records and were combined…

• Early Clinical Manifestations Associated with Death from Visceral Leishmaniasis

  Valdelaine Etelvina Miranda de Araújo et al.

  7 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Valdelaine Etelvina Miranda de Araújo, Maria Helena Franco Morais, Ilka Afonso Reis, Ana Rabello, Mariângela Carneiro Background In Brazil, lethality from visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is high and few studies have addressed prognostic factors. This historical cohort study was designed to investigate the prognostic factors for death from VL in Belo Horizonte (Brazil). Methodology The analysis was based on data of the Reportable Disease Information System-SINAN (Brazilian Ministry of Health) relating to the clinical manifestations of the disease. During the study period (2002–2009), the…

• Virus Identification in Unknown Tropical Febrile Illness Cases Using Deep Sequencing

  Nathan L. Yozwiak et al.

  7 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Nathan L. Yozwiak, Peter Skewes-Cox, Mark D. Stenglein, Angel Balmaseda, Eva Harris, Joseph L. DeRisi Dengue virus is an emerging infectious agent that infects an estimated 50–100 million people annually worldwide, yet current diagnostic practices cannot detect an etiologic pathogen in ∼40% of dengue-like illnesses. Metagenomic approaches to pathogen detection, such as viral microarrays and deep sequencing, are promising tools to address emerging and non-diagnosable disease challenges. In this study, we used the Virochip microarray and deep sequencing to characterize the spectrum of…

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  PLoS Hubs for Clinical Trials: New Articles

• Melioidosis Vaccines: A Systematic Review and Appraisal of the Potential to Exploit Biodefense Vaccines for Public Health Purposes

  Sharon J. Peacock et al.

  31 Jan 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Sharon J. Peacock, Direk Limmathurotsakul, Yoel Lubell, Gavin C. K. W. Koh, Lisa J. White, Nicholas P. J. Day, Richard W. Titball Background Burkholderia pseudomallei is a Category B select agent and the cause of melioidosis. Research funding for vaccine development has largely considered protection within the biothreat context, but the resulting vaccines could be applicable to populations who are at risk of naturally acquired melioidosis. Here, we discuss target populations for vaccination, consider the cost-benefit of different vaccination strategies and review potential vaccine…

• Quality Control and Performance of HIV Rapid Tests in a Microbicide Clinical Trial in Rural KwaZulu-Natal

  Nina von Knorring et al.

  30 Jan 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Nina von Knorring, Mitzy Gafos, Motsei Ramokonupi, Ute Jentsch, the MDP Team Background Quality control (QC) and evaluation of HIV rapid test procedures are an important aspect of HIV prevention trials. We describe QC and performance of two rapid tests, Determine™ and Uni-Gold™ used in a microbicide clinical trial in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Methods/Results Internal QC of both HIV rapid tests was conducted at the trial site using a Uni-Gold control kit (Uni-Gold™Recombigen® HIV). Both assays produced the expected results for a total of 4637 QC tests. Study participants…

• International Technology Transfer of a GCLP-Compliant HIV-1 Neutralizing Antibody Assay for Human Clinical Trials

  Daniel A. Ozaki et al.

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Daniel A. Ozaki, Hongmei Gao, Christopher A. Todd, Kelli M. Greene, David C. Montefiori, Marcella Sarzotti-Kelsoe The Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery/Comprehensive Antibody – Vaccine Immune Monitoring Consortium (CAVD/CA-VIMC) assisted an international network of laboratories in transferring a validated assay used to judge HIV-1 vaccine immunogenicity in compliance with Good Clinical Laboratory Practice (GCLP) with the goal of adding quality to the conduct of endpoint assays for Human Immunodeficiency Virus I (HIV-1) vaccine human clinical trials. Eight Regional Laboratories in…

• Interventions to Influence Consulting and Antibiotic Use for Acute Respiratory Tract Infections in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

  Talley Andrews et al.

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Talley Andrews, Matthew Thompson, David I. Buckley, Carl Heneghan, Rick Deyo, Niamh Redmond, Patricia J. Lucas, Peter S. Blair, Alastair D. Hay Background Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are common in children and generally self-limiting, yet often result in consultations to primary care. Frequent consultations divert resources from care for potentially more serious conditions and increase the opportunity for antibiotic overuse. Overuse of antibiotics is associated with adverse effects and antimicrobial resistance, and has been shown to influence how patients seek care in ensuing…

• Does a Family Meetings Intervention Prevent Depression and Anxiety in Family Caregivers of Dementia Patients? A Randomized Trial

  Karlijn J. Joling et al.

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Karlijn J. Joling, Harm W. J. van Marwijk, Filip Smit, Henriëtte E. van der Horst, Philip Scheltens, Peter M. van de Ven, Mary S. Mittelman, Hein P. J. van Hout Background Family caregivers of dementia patients are at increased risk of developing depression or anxiety. A multi-component program designed to mobilize support of family networks demonstrated effectiveness in decreasing depressive symptoms in caregivers. However, the impact of an intervention consisting solely of family meetings on depression and anxiety has not yet been evaluated. This study examines the preventive effects of…

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  PLoS Computational Biology: New Articles

• Developmental Maturation of Dynamic Causal Control Signals in Higher-Order Cognition: A Neurocognitive Network Model

  Kaustubh Supekar et al.

  2 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Kaustubh Supekar, Vinod Menon Cognitive skills undergo protracted developmental changes resulting in proficiencies that are a hallmark of human cognition. One skill that develops over time is the ability to problem solve, which in turn relies on cognitive control and attention abilities. Here we use a novel multimodal neurocognitive network-based approach combining task-related fMRI, resting-state fMRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate the maturation of control processes underlying problem solving skills in 7–9 year-old children. Our analysis focused on two key…

• Positive Evolutionary Selection of an HD Motif on Alzheimer Precursor Protein Orthologues Suggests a Functional Role

  István Miklós et al.

  2 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by István Miklós, Zoltán Zádori HD amino acid duplex has been found in the active center of many different enzymes. The dyad plays remarkably different roles in their catalytic processes that usually involve metal coordination. An HD motif is positioned directly on the amyloid beta fragment (Aβ) and on the carboxy-terminal region of the extracellular domain (CAED) of the human amyloid precursor protein (APP) and a taxonomically well defined group of APP orthologues (APPOs). In human Aβ HD is part of a presumed, RGD-like integrin-binding motif RHD; however, neither RHD nor RXD…

• Novel Approach to Meta-Analysis of Microarray Datasets Reveals Muscle Remodeling-related Drug Targets and Biomarkers in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

  Ekaterina Kotelnikova et al.

  2 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Ekaterina Kotelnikova, Maria A. Shkrob, Mikhail A. Pyatnitskiy, Alessandra Ferlini, Nikolai Daraselia Elucidation of new biomarkers and potential drug targets from high-throughput profiling data is a challenging task due to a limited number of available biological samples and questionable reproducibility of differential changes in cross-dataset comparisons. In this paper we propose a novel computational approach for drug and biomarkers discovery using comprehensive analysis of multiple expression profiling datasets. The new method relies on aggregation of individual profiling experiments…

• Human Visual Search Does Not Maximize the Post-Saccadic Probability of Identifying Targets

  Camille Morvan et al.

  2 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Camille Morvan, Laurence T. Maloney Researchers have conjectured that eye movements during visual search are selected to minimize the number of saccades. The optimal Bayesian eye movement strategy minimizing saccades does not simply direct the eye to whichever location is judged most likely to contain the target but makes use of the entire retina as an information gathering device during each fixation. Here we show that human observers do not minimize the expected number of saccades in planning saccades in a simple visual search task composed of three tokens. In this task, the optimal eye…

• Integrating Flux Balance Analysis into Kinetic Models to Decipher the Dynamic Metabolism of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1

  Xueyang Feng et al.

  2 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Xueyang Feng, You Xu, Yixin Chen, Yinjie J. Tang Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 sequentially utilizes lactate and its waste products (pyruvate and acetate) during batch culture. To decipher MR-1 metabolism, we integrated genome-scale flux balance analysis (FBA) into a multiple-substrate Monod model to perform the dynamic flux balance analysis (dFBA). The dFBA employed a static optimization approach (SOA) by dividing the batch time into small intervals (i.e., ∼400 mini-FBAs), then the Monod model provided time-dependent inflow/outflow fluxes to constrain the mini-FBAs to profile the…

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  PLoS Medicine: New Articles

• Engaging Men in Prevention and Care for HIV/AIDS in Africa

  Edward J. Mills et al.

  7 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Edward J. Mills, Chris Beyrer, Josephine Birungi, Mark R. Dybul

• Characterisation of Clostridium difficile Hospital Ward–Based Transmission Using Extensive Epidemiological Data and Molecular Typing

  A. Sarah Walker et al.

  7 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by A. Sarah Walker, David W. Eyre, David H. Wyllie, Kate E. Dingle, Rosalind M. Harding, Lily O'Connor, David Griffiths, Ali Vaughan, John Finney, Mark H. Wilcox, Derrick W. Crook, Tim E. A. Peto Background Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and is endemic in hospitals, hindering the identification of sources and routes of transmission based on shared time and space alone. This may compromise rational control despite costly prevention strategies. This study aimed to investigate ward-based transmission of C. difficile, by subdividing…

• Prevalence, Distribution, and Impact of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Latin America, China, and India: A 10/66 Population-Based Study

  Ana Luisa Sosa et al.

  7 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Ana Luisa Sosa, Emiliano Albanese, Blossom C. M. Stephan, Michael Dewey, Daisy Acosta, Cleusa P. Ferri, Mariella Guerra, Yueqin Huang, K. S. Jacob, Ivonne Z. Jiménez-Velázquez, Juan J. Llibre Rodriguez, Aquiles Salas, Joseph Williams, Isaac Acosta, Maribella González-Viruet, Milagros A. Guerra Hernandez, Li Shuran, Martin J. Prince, Robert Stewart Background Rapid demographic ageing is a growing public health issue in many low- and middle-income countries (LAMICs). Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a construct frequently used to define groups of people who may be at risk of developing…

• Clostridium: Transmission difficile?

  Stephan Harbarth et al.

  7 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by Stephan Harbarth, Matthew H. Samore

• A New Year at PLoS Medicine: Maintaining a Focus on the World's Health Priorities and Identifying the Gaps

  PLoS

  31 Jan 2012 | 2:00 pm

  by The PLoS Medicine Editors

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  Drugs.com - New Drug Approvals

• Sanofi Announces FDA Approval of Sklice Lotion for the Treatment of Head Lice

  7 Feb 2012 | 12:02 pm

  BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sanofi announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Sklice (ivermectin) lotion, 0.5% for the topical treatment of head lice, in patients 6 months of age and older....

• Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) Capsules, (CII) Now Approved in the US for Maintenance Treatment in Adults with ADHD

  7 Feb 2012 | 9:02 am

  PHILADELPHIA, February 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate), an approved treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in patients ages 6 and above, is the first medication both proven to work and approved...

• FDA Approves Janumet XR (sitagliptin and metformin HCl extended-release) for Type 2 Diabetes, Offering the Powerful Efficacy of Janumet (sitagliptin/metformin HCl) Now Available with Once-Daily Convenience

  2 Feb 2012 | 11:02 am

  WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 2, 2012 - Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Janumet XR (sitagliptin and metformin hydrochloride (HCl)...

• FDA Approves Jentadueto (linagliptin/metformin hydrochloride) for the Treatment of Adult Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

  1 Feb 2012 | 5:02 am

  RIDGEFIELD, Conn., and INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Jentadueto (linagliptin/metformin...

• FDA Approves Gleevec for Expanded Use in Patients with Rare Gastrointestinal Cancer

  31 Jan 2012 | 3:01 pm

  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today granted Gleevec (imatinib) regular approval for use in adult patients following surgical removal of CD117-positive gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Today’s action also highlights an increase in...

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  Drugs.com - Clinical Trials

• Conclusive Results of Regulatory Toxicology Studies With Gft505

  8 Feb 2012 | 11:30 am

    ?? The complete regulatory toxicology package of GFT505 confirms its safety in long-term treatment. ? Lille (France), Cambridge (Massachusetts, United States), February 8th, 2012 – GENFIT (Alternext: ALGFT; ISIN: FR0004163111), a...

• Halting Bone-Building Osteoporosis Drug Use Cuts Risk for Additional Atypical Femur Fracture in Half

  8 Feb 2012 | 8:02 am

  SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- There is growing evidence that supports an association between atypical fractures of the femur – a rare break of the thigh bone, typically without trauma – and the use of...

• Four-Year Data from Phase 2 Trial of Genzyme Gaucher Disease Oral Compound Suggest Sustained or Continued Improvement Across All Endpoints

  8 Feb 2012 | 8:02 am

  Phase 3 Studies of Eliglustat Tartrate Fully Enrolled CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 8, 2012 - Genzyme, a Sanofi company (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY), announced today four-year follow-up data from patients enrolled in the phase 2...

• Avanir Pharmaceuticals Announces Publication of Phase III Study Results Showing Efficacy and Safety of AVP-923 in the Treatment of Diabetic Neuropathic Pain

  8 Feb 2012 | 8:02 am

  Avanir Pharmaceuticals Announces Publication of Phase III Study Results Showing Efficacy and Safety of AVP-923 in the Treatment of Diabetic Neuropathic Pain ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc....

• Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Gedeon Richter Plc Announce Positive Phase III Results with the Investigational Antipsychotic Cariprazine in Patients with Acute Mania Associated with Bipolar I Disorder

  8 Feb 2012 | 5:02 am

  NEW YORK & BUDAPEST, Hungary--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 8, 2012 - Forest Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: FRX) and Gedeon Richter Plc. today announced preliminary top-line results from a Phase III clinical trial of cariprazine (RGH-188), an investigational...

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  ScienceDaily: Biotechnology News

• DNA sequencing helps identify cancer cells for immune system attack

  8 Feb 2012 | 12:23 pm

  DNA sequences from tumor cells can be used to direct the immune system to attack cancer, according to scientists. The immune system relies on an intricate network of alarm bells, targets and safety brakes to determine when and what to attack. The new results suggest that scientists may now be able to combine DNA sequencing data with their knowledge of the triggers and targets that set off immune alarms to more precisely develop vaccines and other immunotherapies for cancer.

• Transformational fruit fly genome catalog completed

  8 Feb 2012 | 12:23 pm

  Scientists searching for the genomics version of the holy grail – more insight into predicting how an animal’s genes affect physical or behavioral traits – now have a reference manual that should speed gene discoveries in everything from pest control to personalized medicine.

• New 'cell assay on a chip:' Solid results from simple means

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:28 am

  A research engineer combined a glass slide, plastic sheets and double-sided tape to build a "diffusion-based gradient generator", a tool to rapidly assess how changing concentrations of specific chemicals affect living cells.

• Timing capability added to living cell sensors

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:27 am

  Individual cells modified to act as sensors using fluorescence are already useful tools in biochemistry, but now they can add good timing to their resume.

• Molecular path from internal clock to cells controlling rest and activity revealed

  7 Feb 2012 | 5:28 pm

  The molecular pathway that carries time-of-day signals from the body's internal clock to ultimately guide daily behavior is like a black box, says a researcher. Now, new research is taking a peek inside, describing a molecular pathway and its inner parts that connect the well-known clock neurons to cells governing rhythms of rest and activity in fruit flies.

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  Biology News Net - Biotechnology

• Flipping a light switch in the cell: Quantum dots used for targeted neural activation

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:44 pm

  By harnessing quantum dots—tiny light-emitting semiconductor particles a few billionths of a meter across—researchers at the University of Washington (UW) have developed a new and vastly more targeted way to stimulate neurons in the brain. Being able to switch neurons on and off and monitor how they communicate with one another is crucial for understanding—and, ultimately, treating—a host of brain disorders, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, and even psychiatric disorders such as severe depression. The research was published today in the Optical Society's (OSA…

• Scripps research scientists create novel RNA repair technology

  18 Jan 2012 | 3:04 pm

  Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have identified a compound that can help repair a specific type of defect in RNA, a type of genetic material. The methods in the new study could accelerate the development of therapeutics to treat a variety of incurable diseases such as Huntington's disease, Spinocerebellar ataxia, and Kennedy disease.

• Fewer animal experiments thanks to nanosensors

  11 Jan 2012 | 1:28 am

  The yellow nanosensor signal in the overlay image (right) shows that the cells are active. If they were unhealthy, they would appear much redder. Center: the indicator dye signal. Left:... Countless mice, rats and rabbits die every year in the name of science – and the situation is getting worse. While German laboratories used some 2.41 million animals for scientific research in 2005, by 2009 this number had grown to 2.79 million. One third were destined for fundamental biology research, and the majority were used for researching diseases and developing medical compounds and devices. People…

• Algae for your fuel tank

  11 Jan 2012 | 1:28 am

  The available amount of fossil fuels is limited and their combustion in vehicle motors increases atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. The generation of fuels from biomass as an alternative is on the rise. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, Johannes A. Lercher and his team at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen have now introduced a new catalytic process that allows the effective conversion of biopetroleum from microalgae into diesel fuels.

• A 'fantastic voyage' through the body -- with precision control

  15 Dec 2011 | 3:25 pm

  Endoscopes — small cameras or optic fibres that are usually attached to flexible tubing designed to investigate the interior of the body — can be dangerously invasive. Procedures often require sedative medications and some recovery time. Now a researcher at Tel Aviv University is developing a "capsule endoscope" that can move through the digestive tract to detect problems independent of any attachments.

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  BMC Biotechnology - Latest Articles

• Armed and accurate: engineering cytotoxic T cells for eradication of leukemia

  Marko Radic

  7 Feb 2012 | 4:00 pm

  Translational medicine depends on a rapid and efficient exchange of results between the bench and the bedside. A recent example from the field of cancer immunotherapy highlights the essential nature of this exchange. Methods have been developed to convert a patient's cytotoxic T cells into efficient and specific killers of cancer cells in patients with leukemia. By using recombinant DNA techniques, a lentiviral vector was constructed to express chimeric antigen receptors in cytotoxic T cells from patients with advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The purpose of the chimeric receptors was to…

• Comparison and transfer testing of multiplex ligation detection methods for GM plants

  Gabriella Ujhelyi

  18 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pm

  Background: With the increasing number of GMOs on the global market the maintenance of European GMO regulations is becoming more complex. For the analysis of a single food or feed sample it is necessary to assess the sample for the presence of many GMO-targets simultaneously at a sensitive level. Several methods have been published regarding DNA-based multidetection. Multiplex ligation detection methods have been described that use the same basic approach: i) hybridisation and ligation of specific probes, ii) amplification of the ligated probes and iii) detection and identification of the…

• An improved method for isolation of RNA from bone

  Lauren Carter

  18 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pm

  Background: Bone physiology is increasingly appreciated as an important contributor to metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes. However, progress in understanding the role of bone in determining metabolic health is hampered by the well-described difficulty of obtaining high quality RNA from bone for gene expression analysis using the currently available approaches. Results: We developed a simple approach to isolate bone RNA that combines pulverizing the bone and the phenol-guanidinium based RNA extraction in a single step while maintaining near-freezing temperatures. This single step…

• Creation and validation of a ligation-independent cloning (LIC) retroviral vector for stable gene transduction in mammalian cells

  Asmita Patel

  15 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pm

  Background: Cloning vectors capable of retroviral transduction have enabled stable gene overexpression in numerous mitotic cell lines. However, the relatively small number of feasible restriction enzyme sequences in their cloning sites can hinder successful generation of overexpression constructs if these sequences are also present in the target cDNA insert. Results: Utilizing ligation-independent cloning (LIC) technology, we have modified the highly efficient retroviral transduction vector, pBABE, to eliminate reliance on restriction enzymes for cloning. Instead, the modified plasmid, pBLIC,…

• Construction and transformation of a Thermotoga-E. coli shuttle vector

  Dongmei Han

  5 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pm

  Background: Thermotoga spp. are attractive candidates for producing biohydrogen, green chemicals, and thermostable enzymes. They may also serve as model systems for understanding life sustainability under hyperthermophilic conditions. A lack of genetic tools has hampered the investigation and application of these organisms. This study aims to develop a genetic transfer system for Thermotoga spp.. Results: Methods for preparing and handling Thermotoga solid cultures under aerobic conditions were optimized. A plating efficiency of ~50% was achieved when the bacterial cells were embedded in 0.3%…