Planetaki Planet health

Editorial: The Freedom to Choose Birth Control

2012-02-11T07:27:09Z

President Obama’s accommodation to church groups was not needed, but it preserves the basic principle of free access to birth control for any woman.

On Religion: Recovery Rabbi Shais Taub Finds Wide Audience - On Religion

2012-02-11T07:27:09Z

Addiction, Rabbi Shais Taub argues, is less a chemical dependency or a mental illness than the consequence of an individual’s absence from God.

Supply of Methotrexate, a Cancer Drug, May Run Out Soon

2012-02-11T07:27:09Z

Hundreds or even thousands of lives are at risk after a major manufacturer suspended production of methotrexate, a treatment for childhood leukemia.

National Briefing | Environment: E.P.A. Is Sued Over Delays in Soot Standards

2012-02-11T07:27:09Z

Eleven states sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday over its delays in tightening air quality standards involving soot.

Drug Halts Organ Damage in Inflammatory Genetic Disorder

2012-02-11T07:27:23Z

Source: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases -
Related MedlinePlus Page: Genetic Disorders

Depression Linked To Adolescent Bullying

2012-02-11T07:27:14Z

A recent study by authors Gary Ladd, a professor in the School of Social and Family Dynamics, Karen Rudolph, University of Illinois, and Karen Kochel, an assistant professor in ASU's School of Social and Family Dynamics and published in Child Development, explains that teens suffering from depression are at a greater risk of being bullied due to difficulties in establishing friendships amongst their peers. Kochel states: "Often the assumption is that problematic peer relationships drive depression. We found that depression symptoms predicted negative peer relationships...

C-Section Not The Best For Babies

2012-02-11T07:27:14Z

Cesarean deliveries have not been considered damaging or risky to a new born's health, but new research is beginning to overturn that assumption. A good example is preterm babies that are small for their gestational age. Erika F. Werner, MD, MS, assistant professor of Maternal Fetal Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, made the research along with Heather S. Lipkind, MD, MS, assistant professor of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine...

Obama Offers ‘Accommodation’ on Birth Control Rule

2012-02-10T23:34:20Z

The final budget proposal of President Obama’s term, to be delivered Monday, would continue a payroll-tax reduction and extended unemployment benefits.

Biological Computer Performs Decryption of Images

2012-02-10T23:34:35Z

A team of researchers from The Scripps Research Institute in California and the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology have created a purely biological computer that can decrypt images stored on DNA chips.

The actual computer is a transparent liquid full of small bits of DNA, DNA enzymes and ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) to power the device.

Gene Therapy Helps Restore Oligodendrocytes in Demyelinating Diseases

2012-02-10T23:34:36Z

A number of neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, end up with damaged oligodendrocytes that make myelin that in turn protects axons of nerve cells.

The consequences are debilitating and cause all kinds of terrible side effects, but researchers at Caltech have developed a therapy, so far tested in a mouse model, that can help replace damaged oligodendrocytes.

Dark Chocolates On Valentine's Day Are Better For You

2012-02-10T23:34:29Z

A recent study, published just in time for Valentine's Day, states that dark chocolate is the "heart-healthy" way to go, not only on Valentine's day, but all year long. Dr. Gary Kaplan, director of the Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine, says: "The research is clear: dark chocolate is chock-full of antioxidants that fight dangerous 'free radicals' in your body, and it also provides significant protection against cardiovascular disease." Â� Free radicals are defined as impaired atoms - they are missing electrons...

Chemotherapy During Pregnancy Does Not Risk The Child's General Health

2012-02-10T23:34:29Z

A recent study published by the The Lancet Oncology indicates that children of women who received chemotherapy during their pregnancy suffer no adverse effects, developing as well as children in the general population. The study was led by Dr FrÃ©dÃ©ric Amant, Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Center, Leuven Cancer Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. The researchers assessed 68 pregnancies of mothers who received an average of three to four cycles of chemotherapy - a total of 236 cycles. The average age of cancer diagnosis for the mothers was 18 weeks into pregnancy...

Adele's Grammy Comeback After Vocal Cord Surgery

2012-02-10T23:34:21Z

To better understand the procedure Adele underwent and the reasons for it, WebMD spoke with Gerald Berke, MD, director of the UCLA Voice Center for Medicine and the Arts. Berke, a head and neck surgeon, did not treat Adele.

AngioDynamics Releases New DuraFlow 2 Chronic Hemodialysis Catheter

2012-02-10T23:34:36Z

AngioDynamics launched in the U.S. its new DuraFlow 2 chronic hemodialysis catheter that allows for higher blood flow over a longer period of time with less recirculation.

Additionally, the soon to be released DuraFlow 2 VascPak (VP) kit has been redesigned to make them smaller for easier handling and storage.

The Marketing of Back Surgery

2012-02-10T23:34:33Z

Stories like this one recently published in the WSJ could be told (and are being told) in cities all over the country. The unsuspecting patient is pure bait.

Kudos to the WSJ by the way for stepping in as somewhat of a spine surgery media "watchdog". Despite the well intended attempts of organizations like the Association of Medical Ethics, the incentives are just too tempting for spine surgeons to successfully police it themselves. Even the most basic conflict of interest disclosures regarding financial relationships with device manufacturers are not routine.

I get tired or writing posts like this one and others. Exposure is a decent but not complete remedy to be sure.

What say you?

I hope everyone is enjoying CSM!

John

Innovation Day at Children’s Hospital Boston

2012-02-10T23:34:36Z

For those in the Boston area trying to find something to be cheerful about ever since last Sunday’s Superbowl, Children’s Hospital Boston will be hosting its first, and hopefully annual, Innovation Day. The afternoon event scheduled for next Tuesday will feature short talks and presentations of breakthrough medical technologies from about a dozen researchers that are implementing them at the hospital.

More info: Innovation Day 2012: a time to inform and inspire…

Does Brain Go Into Standby Mode When Metabolic Energy Is Low?

2012-02-10T23:34:29Z

By using a computerized model to study an electroencepholagram (EEG) brain pattern called "burst suppression", researchers in the US believe they have discovered a fundamental mechanism of how the brain behaves when the metabolic energy supply to brain cells is low. It is as if burst suppression is a type of intermittent standy mode, where a period of intense activity is followed by a period of inactivity, which endures until there is enough metabolic energy for cells to become active again...

Boston Sci’s TruePath CTO Crosses Challenging Peripheral Arterial Blockages

2012-02-10T23:34:36Z

Boston Scientific has launched its TruePath CTO Device in the U.S. with a rollout in Europe scheduled for later in the year. TruePath is designed for penetrating through chronic total occlusions that block peripheral arteries, avoiding the need for the patient to undergo a bypass.

The device features a diamond coated tip that can spin at 13,000 rpm to drill right through uncooperative plaque buildups.

Cellnovo Launches Wireless Glucometer/Insulin Pump System

2012-02-10T23:34:36Z

Having received European CE Mark approval in September, Cellnovo out of London, UK has launched its diabetes management system that looks like a smartphone system, but is actually an integrated glucometer, wirelessly connected insulin pump, activity monitor, and cell phone-based data transfer system to share readings with family and clinicians.

To kick off the release of the system, Cellnovo launched a usability trial involving type 1 diabetics whose doctors will be able to monitor their blood glucose levels in real time as they’re being measured.

Well Blog: Hearty Winter Recipes for Health

2012-02-10T23:34:20Z

Heat up your winter dinners with these hot vegetable dishes from Martha Rose Shulman.

Eat Your Way to a Spicier Sex Life

2012-02-10T23:34:21Z

Researchers say the smell, taste, and even appearance of certain foods can act as potent aphrodisiacs that not only get you in the mood for love, but also may even make you a better flirt and lover.

More Patient Choice - Good For Some Bad For Others, UK

2012-02-10T23:34:29Z

According to MDDUS, serious concerns are being raised for doctors regarding accountability and continuity of patient care, as a result of a government pilot scheme to eliminate practice boundaries in an attempt to increase patient choice. The plan allows individuals to choose a GP closer to their work or children's school, while still being registered at a practice close to their home. The pilot scheme will be launched in England and will operate in parts of London, Nottingham, and Manchester, in April 2012...

Chromosomal Microarray Superior To Standard Prenatal Tests

2012-02-10T23:34:29Z

According to a study which involved more than 4,000 participants, more information about potential disorders can be obtained using chromosomal microarray (CMA) to test a developing fetus' DNA, than the standard method of prenatal tests, which is used to visually analyze the chromosomes (karyotyping). The 34-center study, funded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, was recently published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology...

Defensive Orthopedic Medicine Creates Enormous Additional Costs

2012-02-10T23:34:29Z

According to an estimate by researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, orthopedic surgeons generate around $2 billion each year in additional health care costs linked to orthopedic care, as a result practicing defensive medicine (ordering additional but unnecessary tests and diagnostic procedures). The study is published in the February issue of the American Journal of Orthopedics. These additional tests may help clear physicians from accusations of malpractice, even though they result in no considerable benefit to patients' care...

Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate Approved For ADHD In Adults, USA

2012-02-10T23:34:29Z

In the U.S., in 2007, the prescription medication Vyvanse was introduced for the treatment of ADHD in children aged 6 to 12 years old by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The following year the medication was approved to treat ADHD in adults, and approved in 2010 to treat adolescents aged 13 to 17 with ADHD...