While doctors have long advised overweight/obese patients with sleep apnea to lose weight, there has been little scientific evidence to prove the link. But a new study has found that those who lost weight were three times more likely to have virtually no sleep apnea episodes after one year.
Researchers have used nanomaterials to develop a microchip sensitive enough to quickly determine the type and severity of a patient’s cancer so that the disease can be detected earlier for more effective treatment.
Scientists working to develop a vaccine for the human immunodeficiency virus report they have created the first antigen that induces protective antibodies capable of blocking infection of human cells by genetically-diverse strains of HIV. The new antigen differs from previously-tested vaccines by virtue of its chemically-activated property that enables close sharing of electrons and produces strong covalent bonding. Researchers used a mouse model to generate the antibodies.
Using an RNA-powered nanomotor, biomedical engineering researchers have successfully developed an artificial pore able to transmit nanoscale material through a membrane.
New research has identified a therapeutic target for acute lung injury resulting in acute respiratory distress syndrome, a highly fatal complication of influenza infection.
Researchers are developing new methods for delivering measles vaccines that could potentially reduce costs and improve safety. While vaccines exist to protect children against measles, the vaccines are often difficult to store, costly to transport and may be prone to contamination when shipped to developing countries.
Exposure to light and possibly photosynthesis itself could be helping disease-causing bacteria to be internalized by lettuce leaves, making them impervious to washing, according to new research.
A research team has explained why two subtypes of HIV-1 — the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS — held steady at relatively low levels for more than 50 years in west central Africa before erupting as an epidemic in east Africa in the 1970s.
HIV/AIDS is up to five times more prevalent in American prisons than in the general population. Adherence to treatment programs can be strictly monitored in prison. However, once prisoners are released, medical monitoring becomes problematic. A new study suggests the majority (76 percent) of inmates take their antiretroviral treatment intermittently once they leave prison, representing a higher risk to the general population.
A majority of Americans would not take an H1N1 flu vaccine or drug additive authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration, according to a new study. The study found that less than 10 percent of those surveyed said they would be willing to take such a vaccine or drug and nearly 30 percent remained undecided.
In order to be able to ward off disease pathogens, immune cells must be mobile and be able to establish contact with each other. Scientists have discovered a mechanism in an animal model revealing how HIV, the AIDS pathogen, cripples immune cells: Cell mobility is inhibited by the HIV Nef protein.
Using mice as a model to study human breast cancer, researchers have demonstrated that a negative social isolation causes increased tumor growth. The work shows — for the first time — that social isolation is associated with altered gene expression in mouse mammary glands, and that these changes are accompanied by larger tumors. This novel finding may begin to explain how the environment affects human susceptibility to other chronic diseases: central obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension.
One out of every eight strokes is preceded by a “warning stroke,” which is a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or mild stroke, according to new research.
Hospital-at-home care may be a practical alternative to traditional hospital inpatient care for patients with acutely decompensated (suddenly worsening) chronic heart failure, according to a new report.
Maximizing the proportion of time spent performing chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation substantially improves survival in patients who suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital setting, according to a multicenter clinical study.
Formosa Medical Travel, a medical tourism facilitation company headquartered in Taipei, has entered into agreements with three of Taiwan’s leading hospitals, with the assistance of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA). Tungs’ Taichung MetroHarbor Hospital, Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, and Changhua Christian Hospital are the three newest members of Formosa Medical Travel’s network.
A nationwide effort to coordinate mental health with primary care is underway, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. “The idea is to give simple interventions in 15- to 30-minute visits that will address behavioral issues ranging from stress to traumatic reactions that often go untreated.” Some clinics have coupled licensed social workers with their other clinical staff; the mental health experts provide services while patients and family members receive physical care.
Schuylkill County’s The Seltzer Group, a member of Keystone Insurers Group, announces it has formed an alliance with St. Luke’s Miners Memorial Hospital to provide medical insurance solutions and occupational health services to businesses in Luzerne, Carbon and Schuylkill Counties.
Governors express nervousness about about Congress’ pending health reform proposals. In Green Bay, residents watched costs rise, again, this year according to a new survey, and in Hawaii, most state workers saw soaring premiums, while teachers got off the hook by means of an innovative alternative insurance plan. In Massachusetts, 60 doctors accepted speaking fees from a drug giant.
As the Senate Finance Committee writes incentive bonuses for IT into the new “America’s Healthy Future Act” reform bill, there already exists a fast-growing roster of vendors and healthcare organizations delivering mobile applications that make health management more efficient, accessible, and cost-effective for the shared benefit of physicians, healthcare providers and consumers alike.
Innovex, a Quintiles company, and Healthcare at Home today announced that they have agreed to form an innovative healthcare joint venture in Europe, named Healthcare at Home Europe.
The Faculty of Pharmacy at Université Laval sees the creation of the Treatment Compliance Chair as a means to help improve population health and well-being. Medication is a part of everyday life for many Quebecers.
Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE:RAD) and Atlantic General Hospital and Health System today announced an agreement to open Atlantic ImmediCare clinics inside three Rite Aid stores in Ocean Pines and Pocomoke City, Maryland, and Millsboro, Delaware, this fall. The clinics, which will be open daily, will provide extended hours for care in the evening and on weekends.
Impulse Monitoring, Inc. (IMI), a leading provider of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) services to hospitals, today announced that it has signed an agreement with the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, TN, to provide comprehensive IONM overflow support to VUMC’s in-house neuromonitoring team.
Efforts to achieve greater efficiency and higher quality in health care through new health information technologies are not without new risks as well.
