Utilizing health information technology

Utilizing health information technology

Utilizing health information technology for keeping electronic health records and other purposes will produce a higher quality of care, while reducing medical costs and errors.
– Mike Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human Services, USA, highlighted benefits of utilizing health information technology in his statement regarding Medicare Physician Payment Legislation and Health Information Technology.

Reduce excess salt in food

American Medical Association asked the FDA to set strict limits on salt in processed foods and work to better educate the public on the benefits of a low-sodium diet.
– In an effort to reduce the burden of heart disease and stroke, the American Medical Association (AMA) testified to the Food and Drug Administration urging immediate action to reduce excess salt in food. The AMA asked the FDA to set strict limits on salt in processed foods and work to better educate the public on the benefits of a low-sodium diet.

Antiaging skin care – reversing skin aging by gene blockade

The blockage of a single gene, called NF-?B, can reverse aging in the mammalian skin. This finding sets the stage for the development of future genetic age-intervention therapies.
– In the December 15th cover story of G&D, a research team led by Dr. Howard Chang (Stanford University School of Medicine) reports that the blockage of a single gene, called NF-?B, can reverse aging in the mammalian skin. This finding sets the stage for the development of future genetic age-intervention therapies.

Night shift work may cause cancer

World Health Organization study found that night shift work increases the risk of cancer in humans. Women are at a higher risk to develop breast and colon cancer and men more likely to experience prostate cancer.
– A study by the World Health Organization has found that night shift work increases the risk of cancer in humans. The study found that after prolonged exposure to night shift work, women are at a higher risk to develop breast and colon cancer. Men who work the night shift are more likely to experience prostate cancer.

New perspectives on health disparities in breast cancer research

Asian breast cancer women (67.5 percent) choose to have a mastectomy over lumpectomy compared to Caucasian women (57.3 percent).
– Breast cancer is a disease with a number of known genetic and behavioral risk factors, but scientists have seen that these risks are often compounded by social and racial inequalities. The question remains: how, exactly, do social disadvantages, genetics, race and culture add to the disparities faced by so many groups of women?

Mobile phone users to to find an HIV testing center near them

Mobile phone users can send a text message with their zip code to ?KNOWIT? (566948). Within seconds, they will receive a text message containing information on HIV testing sites near them.
– In the United States, an estimated 1 million people are living with HIV; of these, approximately 25 percent are unaware of their HIV infection and at increased risk for infecting others. The earlier people know they have HIV, the sooner they can benefit from life-extending treatment, and reduce the risk of infecting their partners.

Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Uganda

Uganda has confirmed an outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever, in Bundibugyo District, western Uganda. 51 suspected cases might be infected with Ebola virus.
– The Ministry of Health (MoH), Uganda, has confirmed an outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever, in Bundibugyo District, western Uganda. As of 28 November, 51 suspected cases, including 16 deaths have been reported. Among the reported cases, 3 health care workers were also infected, including one fatality. Cases are being hospitalized at Kikyo and Bundibugyo.

Why some young women are at greater risk of developing anorexia nervosa

Young women with past anorexia nervosa show vastly different patterns of brain activity compared to similar women without the eating disorder.
– Even after more than a year of maintaining a normalized body weight, young women who recovered from anorexia nervosa show vastly different patterns of brain activity compared to similar women without the eating disorder, Walter H. Kaye, M.D., professor of psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and colleagues report in the December issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

High-calorie foods cheaper and increases obesity risk

High calorie diets are cheaper in price, but tend to increase obesity risk. Low calorie diets helpful in maintaining good health are costlier now.
– High-calorie foods tend to cost less than lower-calorie items and are less likely to increase in price due to inflation ? a possible explanation for why the highest rates of obesity are seen among people in lower-income groups, according to researchers at the University of Washington.

Sleep disordered breathing affects obese children

Sleep disordered breathing affects obese and overweight children. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can pose serious health threats.
– As the obesity epidemic grows in the U.S., doctors are discovering more and more far reaching health concerns for overweight children. Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), which can include various sleep behaviors ranging in severity from snoring to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), disproportionately affects children who are overweight and African- American, according to a new study published in the December 2007 edition of Otolaryngology ? Head and Neck Surgery.

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