Health Archives

Medicare serves elderly more effectively

Medicare’s strong performance in consumer satisfaction, access to care, and other areas suggests that many adults under age 65 would choose a public health insurance option if it were offered as part of health reform. – Elderly Medicare beneficiaries are more satisfied with their health care, and experience fewer problems accessing and paying for care, than Americans with employer-sponsored insurance (ESI), according to a study by Commonwealth Fund researchers published today on the Health Affairs Web site.

$45 million for infectious disease research, UCI

UCI awarded $45 million for infectious disease research. Facility seeks to improve detection, treatment and vaccine development. – The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded UC Irvine $45 million over five years for infectious disease research.

Gene defect can cause sever mental retardation as Angelman syndrome

Preclinical Work Shows How One Gene Causes Severe Mental Retardation. – Researchers at Duke University Medical Center and the University of North Carolina have discovered in mice how a single disrupted gene can cause a form of severe mental retardation known as Angelman syndrome.

DASH diet reduces women’s risk of heart failure

Diet prescribed to lower blood pressure also reduces women’s risk of heart failure. – The DASH diet was initially developed to help patients lower their blood pressure, but a large study led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) demonstrates that women who followed the diet also significantly reduced their risk of developing heart failure.

Food allergy cases increased by 18% in last 10 years

Allergic reactions to food can range from mild, itchy hives to anaphylaxis, the most severe reaction. Standardized clinical guidelines will help healthcare providers better diagnose food allergy, manage ongoing food allergy and treat acute food allergy reactions. – This week, May 10-16, marks Food Allergy Awareness Week, a time to focus public awareness on this growing health problem. Together with the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), a patient and family advocacy group at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) encourage all Americans to help those affected by this life-limiting disease.

Sunbed usage going to rise in UK

Credit crunched Brits swap holidays for sunbeds – 19% sunbed users are planning to increase their sunbed usage because they cannot afford to go on a summer holiday. – As the credit crunch continues to hit UK adults hard in the pocket, a new survey, released by Cancer Research UK to raise awareness of its annual SunSmart campaign, reveals that some sun seekers are planning to swap their summer holidays for increased sessions on a sunbed.

Low blood sugar not good for kidney disease patients

Low blood sugar: A killer for kidney disease patients? Patients with or without diabetes are at risk for developing hypoglycemia. – Low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, poses a serious health threat for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN).

Health and well being in old age

Health and well-being in old age: It’s still money that counts – The impact that wealth and social class has on people’s well-being in old age is far greater than is often assumed. New research from the Economic and Social Research Council reveals just how great the difference really is in people’s health and well-being between different social groups at older ages.

Fanapt iloperidone approved for schizophrenia treatment

FDA Approves Vanda Pharmaceuticals’ Fanapt(TM) for the Treatment of Schizophrenia – Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: VNDA) announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing approval of Fanapt (iloperidone) for the acute treatment of adult patients with schizophrenia.

Face transplant patient appeared before media, US

Connie Culp, who underwent the first face transplant surgery conducted in the US, appeared before reporters. – An Ohio woman who received America’s first near-total face transplant in the Cleveland Clinic appeared before the media for the first time.

Humans driving increased dengue risk in Australia

Humans, not climate, driving increased dengue risk in Australia – Drought-proofing Australia’s urban regions by installing large domestic water tanks may enable the dengue mosquito Aedes aegypti to regain its foothold across the country and expand its range of possible infections, according to a new study published May 5 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Infant pain response depends on order of administration of vaccine

Infant pain response during routine intramuscular vaccine injection was affected by the order of administration of the vaccine. – Infants who receive the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) following the combination vaccine for diphtheria, polio, tetanus, pertussis and Haemophilus influenzae type b (DPTaP-Hib vaccine) appear to experience less pain than those who are immunized in the opposite order, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, a theme issue on vaccines.