Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

Major Study Of Malpractice Insurance Finds No Basis To Limit Liability Of Unsafe Health Care Providers
A major new study released today by Americans for Insurance Reform finds that premiums and claims for doctors both have dropped significantly in recent years while the medical malpractice insurance industry is enjoying remarkable profits in light of the global economic collapse. It concludes that further limiting the liability of negligent doctors and unsafe hospitals is not only unjustified, but also would have almost no impact lowering this country"s overall health care expenditures.

Study Links Depressive Mood, Racial Disparities In Preterm Birth
Women who have depression symptoms prior to becoming pregnant are at an increased risk for having preterm births, with the risk twice as high for black women as for white women, according to a study in the Journal of Women"s Health, Reuters reports. For the study, Amelia Gavin of the University of Washington and colleagues examined the links between race, preterm birth and pre-pregnancy depressive mood among 555 women. The study used data collected from 1990-1996 as part of a larger, long-term investigation of heart disease risk.Researchers determined that 18.1% of the 249 black women in the study gave birth prior to 37 weeks" gestation, compared with 8.5% of the 306 white women in the study. The study also found that 9.4% of black women had pre-pregnancy symptoms of depressive mood, compared with 7.2% of white women. After researchers accounted for other factors associated with preterm birth, such as body weight and sociodemographic characteristics, black women"s risk remained more than twice that of white women.Gavin said, "The black-white disparity in preterm birth may be in part a consequence of different exposures to depressive mood prior to pregnancy." She said, "Reproductive outcomes must be viewed in light of women"s health over the entire life-course, as well as during pregnancy," adding that the study"s results suggest that "the experience of cumulative health disadvantages or "weathering"" might play a role in increased risk for preterm birth (Hendry, Reuters, 6/25).
News of the day
WHO And EFA Call For Global Action On Chronic Respiratory Disease
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases (EFA) today announced that they are bringing together over 150 international delegates to discuss the growing epidemic of Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRD) that affects one billion people worldwide1, [2], [3] and is responsible for four million deaths annually1. The conference which will discuss the implementation of a five-year initiative to unite policy makers, providers and patient groups will be hosted by the Italian Ministry of Health in Rome on June 12 and 13.
Public Health

Cancer Risk In Delaying Sex Assignment Surgery

An editorial and a case report on Disorders of Sexual Development (DSD) in the Medical Journal of Australia highlight the need for early diagnosis and effective risk management in these rare but potentially life threatening cases. DSD describes conditions in which patients are born with ambiguous genitalia; DSD were previously described by terms such as "intersex", "hermaphroditism" and "testicular feminisation". In the editorial, endocrinologists from Melbourne"s Royal Children"s Hospital, Dr Garry Warne and Dr Jacqueline Hewitt, discuss the sometimes contentious management of the disorder, and call for the preparation of separate risk management strategies for individual patients. "International debate continues about the ethics of performing genital surgery on affected infants and children," Dr Warne said. "The option to assign a gender but postpone surgery until the child is able to give consent has been strongly advocated in some quarters, but hasn"t gained wide acceptance because of concerns that children might suffer psychological harm if left with ambiguous genitalia. "Another dilemma in delaying sex-assignment surgery is the increased risk of gonadal malignancy. what has largely been missing from the debate is recognition that surgery forms a necessary part of the risk management strategy for preventing gonadal malignancy." Gonadal malignancy proved fatal in a case detailed in the MJA by Dr Jim Parker (et al) from the University of Western Sydney. The case was of a 59 year old man who presented with previously undiagnosed DSD. Internal investigations for a related complaint revealed a normally formed uterus and an abdominal gonad with an advanced malignancy. The uterus and gonad were surgically removed, and the patient was treated postoperatively with chemotherapy, but died 18 months later. Dr Warne said the tragic case highlighted the need for accurate diagnosis and early monitoring and care from a multidisciplinary team. "The means for accurate diagnosis are improving with the development of microarray technology that offers an exciting and promising advance in identifying genetic mutations," Dr Warne said. Medical Journal of Australia


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009