Health Care

"A simple vinegar test slashed cervical cancer death rates by one-third in a remarkable study of 150,000 women in the slums of India, where the disease is the top cancer killer of women. Doctors reported the results Sunday at a cancer conference in Chicago. Experts called the outcome "amazing" and said the quick, cheap test could save tens of thousands of lives each year in developing countries by spotting early signs of cancer, allowing treatment before it's too late. Pap smears and tests for HPV, a virus that causes most cervical cancers, have slashed cases and deaths in the United States. But poor countries can't afford those screening tools. The study tried a test that costs very little and can be done by local people with just two weeks of training and no fancy lab equipment. They swab the cervix with diluted vinegar, which can make abnormal cells briefly change color. The low-tech visual exam cut the cervical cancer death rate by 31 percent, the study found. It could prevent... more... - Anne Bouey from Bookmarklet

wow - SteVe C

This is fantastic. - Janet:#TeamMonique

"In a medical first, doctors used plastic particles and a 3-D laser printer to create an airway splint to save the life of a baby boy who used to stop breathing nearly every day. It's the latest advance from the booming field of regenerative medicine, making body parts in the lab. In the case of Kaiba (KEYE'-buh) Gionfriddo, doctors didn't have a moment to spare. Because of a birth defect, the little Ohio boy's airway kept collapsing, causing his breathing to stop and often his heart, too. Doctors in Michigan had been researching artificial airway splints but had not implanted one in a patient yet. In a single day, they "printed out" 100 tiny tubes, using computer-guided lasers to stack and fuse thin layers of plastic instead of paper and ink to form various shapes and sizes. The next day, with special permission from the Food and Drug Administration, they implanted one of these tubes in Kaiba, the first time this has been done. Suddenly, a baby that doctors had said would probably... more... - Anne Bouey from Bookmarklet

"Kaiba had the operation on Feb. 9, 2012. The splint was placed around his defective bronchus, which was stitched to the splint to keep it from collapsing. The splint has a slit along its length so it can expand and grow as the child does — something a permanent, artificial implant could not do. The plastic is designed to degrade and gradually be absorbed by the body over three years, as healthy tissue forms to replace it, said the biomedical engineer who led the work, Scott Hollister." - Anne Bouey

"As the guitarist strums and softly sings a lullaby in Spanish, tiny Augustin Morales stops squirming in his hospital crib and closes his eyes. This is therapy in a newborn intensive care unit, and research suggests that music may help those born way too soon adapt to life outside the womb. Some tiny preemies are too small and fragile to be held and comforted by human touch, and many are often fussy and show other signs of stress. Other common complications include immature lungs, eye disease, problems with sucking, and sleeping and alertness difficulties. Recent studies and anecdotal reports suggest the vibrations and soothing rhythms of music, especially performed live in the hospital, might benefit preemies and other sick babies. Many insurers won't pay for music therapy because of doubts that it results in any lasting medical improvement. Some doctors say the music works best at relieving babies' stress and helping parents bond with infants too sick to go home. But amid beeping... more... - Anne Bouey from Bookmarklet

So, what we need is a huge playlist of appropriate songs and a whole lot of musicians willing to volunteer some of their time and talents to play in newborn intensive care units, till the insurance companies get a clue. - April Russo

"A bird flu that has never before been a problem for humans has infected more than 80 people in China, killing 17 of them, and is raising concerns among infectious disease experts worldwide. The first human case was identified three weeks ago, and the rapid compilation of human cases since then has public health officials in China and scientists from around the world scrambling to identify the source of the infection and prevent further spread. So far, the strain identified as H7N9 does not appear to pass easily between humans. Human-to-human transmission is a critical sign that a virus could reach pandemic levels, such as what occurred with the H1N1 "swine flu" that quickly spread around the world in 2009. It's not clear where people have acquired the H7N9 strain. Exposure to infected birds is suspected because the strain is known to circulate among them, but Chinese public health authorities have not been able to identify a specific source. Meanwhile, several cases of possible... more... - Anne Bouey from Bookmarklet

People living in Puerto Rico have a greater life expectancy than we do.... Residents of Cuba have a lower infant mortality rate than we do.... We are the most medicated population on the planet and yet we are also one of the sickest.... If the U.S. health care system was a country, it would have the 6th largest economy on the globe and yet rates of cancer, heart disease and diabetes continue to increase.... In the United States today, health care bills cause more bankruptcies than anything else does. Millions of Americans are afraid to go to the hospital because they know that even a short visit would be a huge financial burden.... The health care system in the United States is so broken that it probably cannot be repaired.... The entire thing needs to be dismantled and completely reinvented. ... http://krunchd.com/hellscare - pb: from Bookmarklet

At HomeCare Technologies an unrivalled range of products are available to provide a safe environment, reducing the risk of falls and alert carers when a fall occurs. - Carlos Carvallo