Hans Rosling, director of the Gapminder Foundation, just released another spectacular video featuring 200 years of 200 healthcare systems with 12,000 numbers in four minutes. Enjoy:
*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*
Not as often as you think, even though Medicare may be willing to pay for it every two years. Via Science Daily:
Now a new study led by Margaret L. Gourlay, MD, MPH of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine finds that women aged 67 years and older with normal bone mineral density scores may not need screening again for 10 years.
“If a woman’s bone density at age 67 is very good, then she doesn’t need to be re-screened in two years or three years, because we’re not likely to see much change,” Gourlay said. “Our study found it would take about 16 years for 10 percent of women in the highest bone density ranges to develop osteoporosis. That was longer than we expected, and it’s great news for this group of women,” Gourlay said.
The researchers suggest that for T scores > -1.5, repeat testing needn’t be done for 10 years. Women with T scores between -1.5 and -2.0 can be re-screened in 5 years, and those with T scores below -2.0 can have every other year testing as is done now.
To be honest, I’ve been spacing out bone density testing in woman with good baseline scores for some time, but not knowing how long I can go. This is great information for me and for my patients.
*This blog post was originally published at tbtam*
Treating Cancer Better with Reduced Side Effects from Patient Power® on Vimeo.
*This blog post was originally published at Andrew's Blog*
Because current sepsis tests can take up to two days to provide a diagnosis, many patients fail to receive proper treatment until it is too late.
However, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology hope to improve survival rates with the MinoLab, a new testing platform which they claim will be able to provide results in under an hour. The MinoLab uses magnetic nanoparticles to carry the analyte through multiple reaction chambers before providing a final diagnosis.
More from the announcement:
Dr. Dirk Kuhlmeier, a scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, explains how all that works: “After taking a sample of blood, magnetic nanoparticles bind themselves to the target cells in the blood sample through specific catcher molecules. We then use a simple magnet to transfer the particles onto the plastic card along with the pathogens and move them through various miniaturized reaction chambers which is where the polymerase chain reaction takes place. This is a method for copying even the smallest DNA sequences of pathogens millions of times. After it is copied, the nanoparticles transport the pathogen DNA into the detection chamber where a new type of magnetoresistive biochip can identify pathogens and antibiotics resistances.”
Link: Fast sepsis test can save lives…
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
I’ve heard people say that healthcare is recession proof. Even when the economy is suffering, people still get sick and need service.
The current recession is entering the third year and it’s finally caught up to the healthcare industry. The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there were 16 mass hospital layoffs in October, up from 10 in September. Mass layoffs involve 50 or more employees and in the first 10 months of 2010, and 128 mass layoffs occurred. The Bureau projects 12,349 initial claims for unemployment benefits, which surpasses the number in 2009.
What causes mass layoffs? The recession and unemployment has reduced demand for elective procedures and reduced reimbursement from government programs (Medicare and Medicaid). Charity care has also increased and hospitals are adjusting to a lower bottom line by eliminating their most costly item: Employees. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
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