Novel Drug May Protect Organs in Acute HF (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- The mortality reduction seen in acute heart failure with the blood vessel relaxer serelaxin may be a real effect from reduced end-organ damage and faster decongestion, exploratory analysis of the RELAX-HF trial data suggested. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

GAO: CMS Can Learn Much on Pay Incentives

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- The Medicare program needs to look to private-sector practices to strengthen physician incentives as it tries to move away from a fee-for-service system, a Government Accountability Office report said. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

Gun Research Silenced by Cut in Funds, Docs Say

(MedPage Today) -- Restrictions on gun violence research have stymied scientific efforts to find preventive solutions to mass shootings such as the one in Newtown, Conn., according to physician researchers. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

Year in Review: Dueling HCV Screening Recommendations

(MedPage Today) -- Earlier this year the CDC suggested that all "baby boomers" be tested for hepatitis C, but months later the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force made a weaker recommendation. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

Year in Review: CDC Says Test 'Boomers' for Hepatitis C

(MedPage Today) -- Early this year, the CDC suggested one-time hepatitis C screening for all baby boomers and we reported on the guidance on May 18. In a companion article, you'll find out what has happened since. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

Predicting who's at risk for violence isn't easy

CHICAGO (AP) — It happened after Columbine, Virginia Tech, Aurora, Colo., and now Sandy Hook: People figure there surely were signs of impending violence. But experts say predicting who will be the next mass shooter is virtually impossible — partly because as commonplace as these calamities seem, they are relatively rare crimes.

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Drug Shortage Linked To Cancer Relapse

A drug shortage appears to have caused a higher rate of relapse among children, teens and young adults with Hodgkin lymphoma, researchers form St. Jude Children's Research Hospital reported this week. The scientists say this is the first example of the tragic consequences of the current drug shortage. They emphasized that protecting patient access to lifesaving treatment must always be the number one priority in any health care system... via Health News from Medical News Today Read More Here..

Senator McConnell says still time to avert "fiscal cliff"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Republican in the U.S. Senate, Mitch McConnell, on Thursday said that there is still time to avert the "fiscal cliff" and a "wholly preventable economic crisis." In a speech on the Senate floor McConnell warned, however, that Senate Republicans "aren't about to write a blank check for anything Senate Democrats put forward just because we find ourselves at the edge of the cliff. ... via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

Drug Shortage Linked To Cancer Relapse

A drug shortage appears to have caused a higher rate of relapse among children, teens and young adults with Hodgkin lymphoma, researchers form St. Jude Children's Research Hospital reported this week. The scientists say this is the first example of the tragic consequences of the current drug shortage... via Featured Health News from Medical News Today Read More Here..

House may extend session to January 2: Republican aide

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican leaders in the House of Representatives may keep the House in session from Sunday evening through January 2, the final day of the current Congress, a senior House Republican aide said on Thursday. The next Congress, elected in November with a slightly diminished Republican majority, will be convened for the first time on January 3. (Reporting By David Lawder; Editing by Sandra Maler) via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

House sets Sunday session as fiscal cliff deadline nears

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives will hold a work session on Sunday beginning at 6:30 p.m. EST (2330 GMT), a day before the December 31 deadline for reaching a deal that would avert the "fiscal cliff." A senior House Republican aide confirmed that House members were being called back to Washington. The House went on recess a week ago amid a deadlock on how to resolve ways to avoid $600 billion in potentially harmful tax increases and spending cuts. (Reporting By Richard Cowan; Editing by Sandra Maler) via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

New Year's Resolutions

27 Dec 2012 For some, a New Year's Resolution provides the necessary motivation to make a major lifestyle change. Popular resolutions include weight loss, gaining muscle and starting a healthier diet. This guide will help you start a resolution and reach goals.

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Iran's Ahmadinejad sacks only female government minister

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday dismissed his only female cabinet minister, Health Minister Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi, after she criticized her colleagues for failing to provide funds to import vital medicines. Appointed in 2009, Dastjerdi was the first woman government minister since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979. While seen as politically conservative, the gynecologist has advocated a greater role for women in society. ...

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No fewer side effects for prostate proton therapy

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An expensive prostate cancer radiation treatment known as proton beam therapy has just as many side effects as a more common and cheaper radiation method, according to a new study. In terms of side effects, "In the long term, there's really no difference in outcomes between proton radiation and IMRT for men with prostate cancer," said lead author Dr. James Yu, a radiation oncologist at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. Proton therapy advocates argue that protons blast radiation directly to the tumor and therefore avoid side effects. ... via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

No fewer side effects for prostate proton therapy

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An expensive prostate cancer radiation treatment known as proton beam therapy has just as many side effects as a more common and cheaper radiation method, according to a new study.

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Changes in ED Care Result in Higher Bills

(MedPage Today) -- Increased billing for more expensive procedures by emergency department physicians is not solely related to a greater use of electronic health records and the consequent ability to capture more charges, according to one researcher. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

Asparagus May Prevent Holiday Hangover

New Years Eve is quickly approaching as everyone gets their best outfit ready, their new years resolution written down, bottles of champagne prepared, and has asparagus stocked in the fridge. With too much champagne, like other alcohol, comes a hangover, and who wants to spend the first day of 2013 in bed with a hangover? Most people want to start the new year refreshed with their resolution, most commonly starting a popular diet or exercise, especially after over-indulging during the holiday season, however these resolutions can be challenging with a hangover... via Health News from Medical News Today Read More Here..

Asparagus May Prevent Holiday Hangover

New Years Eve is quickly approaching as everyone gets their best outfit ready, their new years resolution written down, bottles of champagne prepared, and has asparagus stocked in the fridge... via Featured Health News from Medical News Today Read More Here..

U.S. Children's Hospitals Treating More Complex, Expensive Conditions

Researchers find biggest increase in patients with special needs, such as cerebral palsy via Resurrection Health Care - Daily News More READ

Cancer-Related Fatigue Often Overlooked, Study Finds

Doctors should address helpful behaviors, treatments, researchers say via Resurrection Health Care - Daily News More READ

For Latinos, healthcare not immigration reform, made a difference in 2012

For Latinos, healthcare not immigration reform, made a difference in 2012 VOXXI “Latinos work hard to earn their money and healthcare reform helps give them a better chance to make progress,” he said. “Because of Obamacare, Latinos won't have to go through personal bankruptcy if their children get sick or go to the emergency room …

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Obamacare Opponents Going About Health Care Reform All Wrong

PolicyMic

Obamacare Opponents Going About Health Care Reform All Wrong PolicyMic While all eyes are or aren't on Washington this holiday season as we near our collective jump off the fiscal cliff in the New Year, there is another battle well under way in our state capitals over, you guessed it, the president's signature health care …

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Health-care consolidation: Better get used to it

Health-care consolidation: Better get used to it North Idaho Business Journal Of course, health care reform also plays a part. According to the Healthcare Financial Management Association, a group of 39,000 health-care executives, health-care reform will impact hospital consolidation in three key areas: 1. Payment rates will …

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Year in Review: Pieces Added to the Lyme Puzzle

(MedPage Today) -- Final numbers for this year aren't in yet, so we don't know if predictions for the worst year ever for Lyme disease will bear out, but pieces of the larger puzzle continue to fall into place. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

Year in Review: Worst Summer Yet for Lyme Disease?

(MedPage Today) -- The summer of 2012 was predicted to be the worst year ever for Lyme disease in the northeastern U.S., even as researchers made advances in the understanding and treatment of refractory cases. via MedPageToday.com - medical news plus CME for physicians Read More Here..

Kenya Hospital Imprisons New Moms Who Can't Pay

For new mothers who can't pay their bill, detention is the norm at one hospital. via Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News Read More Here..

Link Between Mental Disorders and Domestic Violence Identified

Men and women with mental health disorders are more likely to have experienced domestic violence, states study. In this study, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and published today in iPLOS ONE/i, researchers reviewed data from 41 studies worldwide. Compared to women without mental health problems, women with depressive disorders were around 2 and a times more likely to have experienced domestic violence over their adult lifetime ...

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Eating too Much is the Same as Jet Lag of Our Body Clock

US researchers say that too much drinking and eating is almost the same as jet lag of our body clock. A study that was published in the Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that when normal laboratory mice were given food during their regular sleeping hours they adjusted their food clock. They would therefore wake up from their forty winks and would get ready for food. On the other hand, another set of mice that were lacking the protein ...

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Letter: Healthcare in America

Letter: Healthcare in America Ravalli Republic International experience recommends single payer insurance, but is indifferent to government provision of health care, i.e. some countries elect a socialized health insurance reform with government funding and employing health care providers. Instead …

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South Africa's Mandela discharged from hospital: government

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Former South African President Nelson Mandela has been discharged from hospital, ending a nearly three-week stay during which he was treated for a lung infection and had surgery to remove gallstones, the government said on Wednesday. The 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been moved to his Johannesburg home. He has been in frail health for several years. "He will undergo home-based high care at his ... home until he recovers fully," the government said in a statement issued by the presidency. ...

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Shanghai to enact strict new food safety law - Xinhua

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Shanghai will introduce tough new laws to blacklist firms that flout food safety laws, the official Xinhua news agency reported, a significant move in China's consumer hub to end the food scandals that in recent years have killed children.

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