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A new technology for studying the human body's vast system for toggling genes on and off reveals that genes associated with the immune system toggle more frequently, and those same genes operate differently in women and men.
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A large-scale genetic study of the links between telomere length and risk for five common cancers finds that long telomeres are associated with an increased risk of lung adenocarcinoma. No significant associations between telomere length and other cancer types or subtypes were observed. The study, led by scientists from the University of Chicago, uses a novel method to measure genetic predisposition for telomere length, rather than physiological measures which are confounded by factors such as age and lifestyle. The findings are published in Human Molecular Genetics on July 29, 2015.
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In a proof-of-concept study at Johns Hopkins, researchers have shown that results of common and routine blood tests are not affected by up to 40 minutes of travel via hobby-sized drones.
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Seeking to stem the tide of permanent hearing loss from the use of life-saving antibiotics, researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have found that patients stricken with dangerous bacterial infections are at greater risk of hearing loss than previously recognized. Inflammation from the bacterial infections substantially increased susceptibility to hearing impairment by increasing the uptake of aminoglycoside antibiotics into the inner ear, the researchers report. Their findings are published in online in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
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In a way, trying to repair age-related heart damage and trying to fight cancer are opposite problems. Your heart cells' ability to regenerate themselves and proliferate into new, young cells degrades as you get older. They simply lose their proficiency at cell division. Cancer cells, on the other hand, are too good at proliferating. They don't know when to stop, and the overgrowth results in tumors.
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Mice that have a particular brain chemical switched off become hyperactive and sleep for just 65 per cent of their normal time.
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At first glance, the eyes of mammals and those of insects do not seem to have much in common. However, a comparison of the neural circuits for detecting motion shows surprising parallels between flies and mice. Scientists have learned a lot about the visual perception of both animals in recent years. Alexander Borst at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried and Moritz Helmstaedter at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, both of whom have made a significant contribution to the current level of knowledge in the case of flies and mice, have now demonstrated the similarities.
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Resveratrol, a chemical found in red grapes, is more effective in smaller doses at preventing bowel cancer in mice than high doses, according to new research published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
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By blocking the expression of a certain gene in patients, University of Montreal researchers have contributed to the demonstration of great decreases in the concentration of triglycerides in their blood, even in various severe forms of hypertriglyceridemia and regardless of the base values or the treatment the patient usually receives. The gene in question codes for the apoC-III protein.
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Using data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), scientists from Trinity College Dublin, St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland and three UK Universities have discovered a significant link between serious falls causing injury in older men and a particular group of commonly used medicines. The findings are published today by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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Periodic telephone counseling can be a highly effective, low-cost tool for lowering blood-sugar levels in minority, urban adults with uncontrolled diabetes. The findings are the result of a clinical trial led by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and their collaborators at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (Health Department). The study published online today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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At least half of those with an intellectual disability across the world do not have a formal diagnosis. However, thanks to new DNA sequencing technology, along with the expertise and perseverance of University of Adelaide researchers over 45 years, dozens of Australians with intellectual disability now have a name for their condition.
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Hair samples can be used to measure the effects of asthma on the cortisol levels of women during pregnancy, according to research presented today at the 2015 AACC Annual Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo in Atlanta. This research also shows that levels of cortisol, a stress-related hormone, tend to be lower among pregnant women with asthma than among pregnant women without the chronic, inflammatory lung disease.
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If you're sceptical about the claims made by cosmetics firms about the attributes of their lotions and potions, you're not alone. A study by US academics just published in the Journal of Global Fashion Marketing shows how little truth there seems to be in those glossy magazine ads – as well as how unlikely we are to believe them anyway.
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Researchers have successfully tested two new potential methods for diagnosing and monitoring diabetes in its standard and gestational forms. These findings, presented today at the 2015 AACC Annual Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo in Atlanta, may lead to easier, timelier, and more affordable ways of identifying and treating this chronic disease.
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UCLA scientists have discovered a groundbreaking experimental therapy that has the ability to suppress the development of ulcerative colitis (UC), a disease which causes inflammation in the digestive tract and colon cancer. The treatment utilizes a chemical inhibitor able to block an RNA molecule (microRNA-214) involved in the transmission of genetic information.
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It's not easy to lose weight in our "super-sized" nation, but researchers at USC Dornsife and the USC Marshall School of Business have found that even modest incentives to eat smaller portions work in a big way.
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A study that included more than 4,000 Swedish 60-year-olds, showed that high levels of polyunsaturated fats in the blood are linked to increased longevity and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. The study was a collaboration between Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University and was published in the medical journal Circulation.
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Johns Hopkins researchers say their review of 128 medical case histories suggests that financial penalties imposed on Maryland hospitals based solely on the total number of patients who suffer blood clots in the lung or leg fail to account for clots that occur despite the consistent and proper use of the best preventive therapies.
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Women who were socially well integrated had a lower risk for suicide in a new analysis of data from the Nurses' Health Study, according to an article published online by JAMA Psychiatry.
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Scientists at Colorado State University have detected a notably high number of Culex mosquitoes in northern Colorado this season, which could translate into high infection rates of West Nile virus. But so far there is no indication that the virus is spreading quickly from mosquito populations to birds, horses or people.
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Infection with the Chikungunya virus produces a 'signature' pattern of immune messenger molecules in the blood, according to the latest research from A*STAR scientists. This discovery will hopefully improve patients' prognoses, and lead to better outcomes for the often-debilitating disease.
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A first-of-its kind prostate 'organoid' grown from human embryonic stem cells has enabled researchers to show that exposure to bisphenol A, a chemical in many plastics, can cause overproduction of prostate stem cells in the developing organ—and thus may increase men's risk of prostate cancer.
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People who gradually increase the amount of salt in their diet and people who habitually eat a higher salt diet both face an increased risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
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With the growing number of people with Alzheimer's disease, understanding their care is vital for doctors. Yet medical students often just learn the facts and may only see people with advanced disease who are at the hospital or nursing home. A study shows a new way to help medical students learn about the disease—at the art museum.
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Mild hypothermia in deceased organ donors significantly reduces delayed graft function in kidney transplant recipients when compared to normal body temperature, according to UC San Francisco researchers and collaborators, a finding that could lead to an increase in the availability of kidneys for transplant.
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A promising agent for the treatment of cancer has so far had little effect on the most common lung tumours, but new research from The University of Manchester has suggested how this resistance might be overcome.
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A gene responsible for a severe form of the brain formation disorder microlissencephaly has been identified by A*STAR scientists through a collaboration with researchers in seven countries.
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Imagine a prototypical thug. A real bruiser. Chances are they are male – no surprises there – but picture what his face looks like.
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There is a strong relationship between sleep problems such as insomnia, and self-harm, according to findings in a new Norwegian study.
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When people feel or act negatively toward a group, they may explain their feelings or behavior by saying, "I felt threatened." However, new research reveals how easily people can be conditioned to feel prejudice—and that unrecognized prejudice can be the source of a perceived threat. The study by Angela Bahns, a social psychologist and professor at Wellesley College, is published this month in the journal Group Processes and Intergroup Relations.
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ecently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the study found that starting anti-HIV treatment within two weeks of TB being diagnosed improved survival rates among patients with both infections who had very low immune-cell counts. Those with strong immune systems, however, appeared to benefit from waiting until after the end of the six-month TB treatment before initiating anti-HIV therapy. The study recommended updating guidelines to take these findings into account.
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It's a disease that sneaks up on you. Fingers and toes slowly but surely become stiff and painful. A nice morning stretch is no longer all it takes to get your body moving. Arthritis is a chronic illness that sinks its claws into your body, and causes inflammation in your joints.
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Researchers have published a study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) about the formation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) which allows understanding the unexpected behaviour of some antagonists that block physiological responses.
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The semantic representation of social groups involves areas of the brain associated with processing emotions. So says a study at SISSA in collaboration with the University of Trieste and the University Hospital of Udine which was published in the journal Cortex.
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Asthma rates in children have dropped by more than 10 percent in ten years according to the first and longest running asthma survey in the UK which itself is now 50 years old.
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Researchers at Barrow Neurological Institute have spent years of medical sleuthing across three continents to uncover a brain surgery that changed history.
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Researchers from Griffith University's Institute for Glycomics, together with the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio, have uncovered groundbreaking evidence to help vaccine developers prevent middle ear infections.
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Impaired activation of mitochondrial energy metabolism in the presence of glucose has been demonstrated in pancreatic beta-cells from patients with type 2 diabetes. The cause of this dysfunction has been unknown. Publishing online in Endocrinology, Buck Institute assistant research professor Akos Gerencser, PhD, shows that in patients with type 2 diabetes the balance between supply and demand of the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔψM) is altered causing a decrease in the signaling that turns on insulin secretion.
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For the first time, UCLA researchers have shown that a natural protein fragment produced in the brain can act as an inhibitor of a key enzyme implicated in the onset of Alzheimer's disease, a finding that could lead to the development of new drugs to treat the disease.
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Antibiotics are a blessing but may also be an empty promise of health when microbes develop resistance to our pharmacological arsenal. Globally, the emergence of antibiotic resistance is an important threat to both human and animal health.
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(HealthDay)—St. John's wort is a popular herbal therapy for depression, but a new Australian study highlights the fact that "natural" does not always equal "safe."
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(HealthDay)—A longitudinal study that will track the personal and professional experiences of early-career pediatricians has been developed. The details are published online July 27 in Pediatrics.
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(HealthDay)—The 2008 Hospital-Acquired Conditions Initiative (HACI) payment changes for pressure ulcers have had a minimal effect, according to a study published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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(HealthDay)—From 2002 to 2012, individuals with diabetes had consistently higher health expenditure compared to those without diabetes, according to a study published online July 22 in Diabetes Care.
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(HealthDay)—Not all placebos are equally effective for knee osteoarthritis and some can trigger clinically relevant responses, according to a review published online July 28 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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(HealthDay)—For Japanese patients who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), atorvastatin plus ezetimibe is associated with improved outcomes versus atorvastatin alone, according to a study published in the Aug. 4 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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(HealthDay)—Components of the Mediterranean lifestyle may reduce postprandial lipemia (PPL), an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, according to a review published online July 7 in the American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism.
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(HealthDay)—Wide blood pressure fluctuations may signal an increased risk of coronary heart disease and early death, according to research published online July 28 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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(HealthDay)—In a position statement published online July 20 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology has called on the U.S. government and the cancer research community to broaden clinical trials to include older adults.
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(HealthDay)—The incidence of paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH) following cryolipolysis may be higher than previously described, according to a report published in the August issue of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine.
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(HealthDay)—For patients with neural foraminal or lateral recess stenosis with unilateral leg neurogenic symptoms (NS), a minimally invasive surgical (MIS) approach offers no advantage over an open lumbar laminotomy approach in the longer term, according to a study published in the Aug. 1 issue of The Spine Journal.
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(HealthDay)—For patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), not resecting ideal candidates for resection is associated with increased mortality, according to a study published in the Aug. 1 issue of Hepatology.
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(HealthDay)—In an updated draft recommendation released Monday, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force urges that primary care physicians regularly screen for depression in all adult patients (B recommendation).
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In a small study, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center report they have verified the ability of a free smartphone app to accurately read, interpret and record the color of a newborn's poop as a possible early symptom of biliary atresia (BA)—a rare disorder that accounts for nearly half of pediatric end-stage liver disease in the United States.
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Charging people to participate in research studies is likely to undermine the fundamental ethical basis of clinical research, according to a new paper written by bioethicists, including lead author Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, PhD, chair of the department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and published in Science Translational Medicine. The paper outlines the arguments for and against the concept of "pay-to-play" research, ultimately concluding that this type of approach compromises the overall integrity of clinical research.
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Visits to emergency departments by children with sports-related head injuries have skyrocketed in the past decade, and new research finds that many patients undergo unnecessary computed tomography or CT scans that expose them to radiation and increase the cost of treatment. Fifty-three percent of patients studied received a CT scan, but only four percent of those actually had traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) on their CT scans. The new study was published online in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.
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When they reach for the glass, they often know no limits: Hazardous drinking is fairly common among young Swiss men. The good news: Based on a survey of around 5,700 young Swiss men with a mean age of 20, scientists from the University of Zurich reveal that legal regulations - such as the minimum legal drinking age and restrictions on the sale or advertising of alcoholic beverages - have a preventive effect on young consumers.
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(HealthDay)—The majority of hospitalists believe that routinely assessing dyspnea severity would enhance their clinical decision making and positively affect patient care, according to a study published online July 20 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
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(HealthDay)—Probiotic supplementation in pregnancy and early infancy can prevent infantile eczema, according to a review and meta-analysis published online July 21 in Allergy.
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(HealthDay)—A novel, low-cost, high-resolution microendoscope (HRME) improves the accuracy of Lugol's chromoendoscopy (LCE) for screening and surveillance of esophageal squamous cell neoplasia, according to a study published in the August issue of Gastroenterology.
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(HealthDay)—For canagliflozin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes, the incidence of serious adverse events of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is low, according to research published online July 22 in Diabetes Care.
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(HealthDay)—Topical retinoid exposure is not significantly associated with an increased risk of major congenital malformations, spontaneous abortion, low birth weight, or prematurity, according to a review published online July 26 in the British Journal of Dermatology.
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(HealthDay)—The recently developed RAPID score, which identifies the risk of mortality in patients with pleural infections based on five clinical factors, has been validated in a diverse patient cohort. The findings have been published online July 20 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
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(HealthDay)—For patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS), routine early invasive strategy (coronary arteriography and myocardial revascularization, as clinically indicated) is not associated with improved outcomes at 10 years over a selective invasive strategy (coronary arteriography for recurrent ischemia only). The findings were published in the Aug. 4 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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The rising proportion of operations carried out as day cases over the past few decades has been good for patients and a much more efficient use of NHS resources, says John Appleby, Chief Economist at the King's Fund, in a databriefing for The BMJ this week.
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Following the BMA's call for a 20% sugar tax to subsidise the cost of fruit and vegetables, experts in The BMJ this week debate whether a sugar tax could help combat obesity.
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Following several years of research and collaboration, physicians and engineers at Johns Hopkins and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center say they have developed a computer platform that provides rapid, real-time feedback before and during facial transplant surgery, which may someday improve face-jaw-teeth alignment between donor and recipient.
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More than 80,000 people undergo resection of a pulmonary tumor each year, and currently the only method to determine if the tumor is malignant is histologic analysis. A new study reports that a targeted molecular contrast agent can be used successfully to cause lung adenocarcinomas to fluoresce during pulmonary surgery. This enables real-time optical imaging during surgery and the identification of cancer cells. The results are reported in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, the official publication of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS).
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The stem cells in our gut divide so fast that they create a completely new population of epithelial cells every week. But this quick division is also why radiation and chemotherapy wreak havoc on the gastrointestinal systems of cancer patients - such therapies target rapidly dividing cells. Scientists at the UNC School of Medicine and the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center found that a rare type of stem cell is immune to radiation damage thanks to high levels of a gene called Sox9.
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People who have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, have twice the odds of having a generalized anxiety disorder at some point in their lives when compared to peers without IBD, according to a new study published by University of Toronto researchers.
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Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have demonstrated a direct connection between two signaling proteins and liver fibrosis, a scarring process underlying chronic liver disease, the 12th leading cause of death in the United States.
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Patients with type 1 diabetes have significantly lower blood levels of four proteins that help protect their tissue from attack by their immune system, scientists report.
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A targeted therapy already used to treat advanced skin cancer is also effective against the most common subtype of the brain tumor medulloblastoma in adults and should be considered for treatment of newly diagnosed patients, according to research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
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With many types of cancers, early detection offers the best hope for survival. However, research into new early-detection screenings, as well as possible interventional radiology and surgical treatments, has been hindered by the lack of a large animal model that would accurately reflect the types of cancers seen in human cells.
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When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law on July 30, 1965, roughly half of Americans 65 and older had no health insurance.
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It's midday and the white bucket balanced on the rocky shore at Mountha Uppasay's feet holds five or six white bass, moving sluggishly in the water she scooped from the Des Moines River.
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Controversy over a leading U.S. reproductive health group supplying fetal tissue for research has focused attention on a little-discussed aspect of science.
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Parents should lose the flash cards, learning apps and other educational gadgets and strategies de jour, advises Stephen Camarata, a child development researcher and professor who thinks they need to rediscover their inner "parenting voice" instead.
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Research presented at the 2015 AACC Annual Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo will expand on the studies that led to a fingerprick Ebola test becoming the first and only rapid diagnostic for this disease to receive approval from the World Health Organization (WHO). This test could prove vital to breaking Ebola's grip on West Africa by identifying suspected Ebola cases within minutes, and enabling healthcare workers to isolate and treat these patients much faster than is currently possible.
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A recent PLOS One research article, "Monitoring Sub-Saharan African Physician Migration and Recruitment Post-Adoption of the WHO Code of Practice: Temporal and Geographic Patterns in the United States," examined how the migration of physicians from sub-Saharan Africa to the United States for work has led to a dire health worker shortage in the region.
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Writing in the International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management, researchers in Denmark explain how the new paradigm of a digital health care system, as it matures, is putting the picture of the doctor-patient relationship in an entirely new frame and not always in a positive way.
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About twice every hour, all of the blood in our bodies filters through our kidneys, removing waste and excess water to produce urine. But this important kidney function is irreversibly compromised in about 20 million Americans by chronic disease, most often related to poorly controlled diabetes and high blood pressure. In many cases, modern medicine does nothing to slow kidney disease for one very simple reason—most who are affected don't know it until it's already too late.
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Researchers in the United Kingdom (Southampton), Singapore and New Zealand (Auckland) from the EpiGen Global Research Consortium are to trial the use of a combination of nutrients and probiotics before and during pregnancy in a bid to improve the health of mothers and their babies.
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A University of Southampton study will investigate how the provision of nurses in hospitals affects the care and safety of patients.
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Mylan NV said Wednesday that it received European regulatory approval to move forward with its proposed buyout of Perrigo Co., which has resisted repeated overtures.
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New research shows that exposing a 3D human skin tissue model to extracts of medical device materials can detect the presence of sensitizers known to cause an allergic response on contact in some individuals. Conventional skin sensitization testing of medical devices relies on animal testing, whereas human skin models could replace animal methods, according to an article in the new journal Applied In Vitro Toxicology.
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The World Health Organization on Wednesday hailed the fewest weekly infections for over a year in the west African Ebola epidemic, but warned they were braced for a significant new outbreak in Sierra Leone.
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(HealthDay)—The 2015 version of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) maintenance-of-certification (MOC) program is expected to generate considerable costs, mainly due to physician time costs, according to research published online July 28 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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The Endocrine Society today issued a Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) on strategies for treating Cushing's syndrome, a condition caused by overexposure to the hormone cortisol.
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Enrolling in an insurance plan under the Affordable Care Act is only the first step for consumers to be actively engaged in their health care, according to a new analysis from RAND Corporation researchers.
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Support for eliminating existing exemptions, except for medical reasons, from immunization laws was among the policy recommendations adopted last weekend at the summer meeting of the Board of Regents of the American College of Physicians (ACP).
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Researchers have explored the characteristics of people with disabilities who have achieved success in the workplace. The gap was found to be smaller among women, married people, individuals with higher educational achievement, Asians, and Hispanics, and people in their 20s and 60s. These findings can inform efforts to develop policies and practices that will narrow the persistent gap in employment between people with and without disabilities. The article, "Individual characteristics and the disability employment gap" appears in a special issue of the Journal of Disability Policy Studies.
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An innovative three-month elective course has helped make some first-year medical students at Albert Einstein College of Medicine more confident about dealing with health disparities they'll likely encounter as physicians, according to a follow-up study published online today in the journal Academic Medicine.
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