January 31, 2012
As Kenya’s leading psychiatrist, Frank Njenga has been championing the cause of better mental health care on the east African country and the continent for more than three decades. (CNN)
January 31, 2012
Skin cells have been converted directly into cells which develop into the main components of the brain, by researchers studying mice in California. (BBC News)
January 31, 2012
Chrissy Rivera, the mother of the 3-year-old girl who was initially told by a doctor at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia that he would not recommend a kidney transplant for her mentally disabled daughter, is “hopeful” the hospital will help after … Read More
January 31, 2012
If you were at higher risk for developing a condition like Alzheimer’s disease or breast cancer, would you want to know about it? (ABC News)
January 31, 2012
The Supreme Court and the Obama administration, already headed for a face-off in March over the constitutionality of the healthcare law, appear to be on another collision course over whether church-run schools, universities, hospitals and charities must provide free contraceptives … Read More
January 31, 2012
You’re taking a new medication and have dry mouth and feel dizzy. Want to know how many other people have reported those side effects—and how your drug compares with similar drugs? (Wall Street Journal)
January 31, 2012
When Amy Messier was preparing to undergo back surgery, doctors asked her to fill out a survey with an unusual question: “Have you felt so down in the dumps that nothing could cheer you up?” (Wall Street Journal)
January 30, 2012
Credit card companies, airlines and hotels all have customer loyalty programs. Maybe it was only a matter of time before hospitals got in on the act. (Washington Post)
January 30, 2012
After moving from New York to Los Angeles in 2010 to take a job with a financial services firm, Joan, now 59, believed she needed to freshen her look. So she got a face-lift and tummy tuck from a board-certified … Read More
January 30, 2012
Thirteen drug companies, the governments of the United States, Britain and the United Arab Emirates, the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lions Club and other smaller charitable organizations on Monday announced a joint effort to tackle … Read More
January 30, 2012
Informing clinical-trial participants of the risks they face is a cornerstone of modern medical research, and it is enshrined as a human right in international codes of ethics. (Nature News)
January 30, 2012
This is how the military might treat burned faces in 2017: A mask, worn for several months, that’s layered with sensors, actuators and a regenerative elixir — including stem cells — to regrow missing facial tissue. (Wired)
January 27, 2012
Pharmaceuticals have improved and extended the lives of millions of people. But the many advances over the past couple of decades haven’t come without controversy, much of it centering on the massive profits the industry makes on blockbuster drugs. (Wall … Read More
January 27, 2012
Heart disease is the biggest killer in the country. But an argument is raging about a popular way of preventing it. (Wall Street Journal)
January 27, 2012
A nationwide penny-per-ounce excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages would reduce consumption of the beverages by 15% and save an estimated $17 billion in medical costs over 10 years, says a study in the January Health Affairs. (American Medical News)
January 27, 2012
Health care access — as measured by the ease and timeliness with which people obtain medical services — is a key indicator of quality of care. Some people have high-quality care, with round-the-clock access to doctors. (TIME)
January 27, 2012
The nation’s second-largest health insurer is shaking up its approach to paying doctors, putting a major investment behind the idea that spending more for better primary care can save money down the road. (Wall Street Journal)
January 27, 2012
For 17-year-old Nathan Stiles, his senior year was supposed to be the best yet. (CNN)
January 26, 2012
DNA sequencing has identified difficult-to-diagnose diseases in humans – the first time the technology has been used in a clinic. (New Scientist)
January 26, 2012
Kristy Bryner worries her 80-year-old mom might slip and fall when she picks up the newspaper, or that she’ll get in an accident when she drives to the grocery store. What if she has a medical emergency and no one’s … Read More
January 26, 2012
Plastic surgeon Dr. Maria Siemionow, PhD, asks one to imagine what it’s like to live without a face, with no nose, lips or eyelids. (American Medical News)
January 26, 2012
Growing up, Khrys Vaughan always believed that she had inherited her looks and mannerisms from her father, and that her appreciation for tradition and old-fashioned gentility stemmed from her parents’ Southern roots. But those facets of her self-image crumbled when … Read More
January 26, 2012
Scientists have successfully replicated Alzheimer’s disease neurons with stem cells for the first time in a landmark, multi-year study – an achievement that may lead to critical new understanding of the disease, the scientists said. (Fox News)
January 25, 2012
The Food and Drug Administration is giving pharmaceutical companies some rules for how they interact with consumers on social media. But the companies say they need a lot more clarification from the FDA before they’re comfortable getting back online again. … Read More
January 25, 2012
More twins are being born in the United States than ever before. (NY Times)
