Today's Reuters Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News:
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Interpreters in ER may limit medical errors: study
Tue,17 Apr 2012 07:46 PM PDT
Reuters - (Reuters) - Having professional translators in emergency rooms for non-English-speaking patients may help limit potential miscommunications, according to a U.S. study. The study, conducted at two pediatric ERs and published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, found that mistakes which could have "clinical consequences," like giving the wrong medication dose, were about twice as likely if there were no interpreters or if the translator was an amateur. ... Full Story | Top |
What does Caraco court win mean for generic drug companies?
Tue,17 Apr 2012 05:03 PM PDT
Reuters - (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan had fun with semantics in Tuesday's unanimous ruling in the Caraco Pharmaceutical versus Novo Nordisk case in which pharmaceutical companies faced off against generic drug makers. At issue was a 2003 law with a loophole used by brand-name drug makers to keep generic competitors off the market. Faced with expiring patents on successful drugs, brand makers in the 1990s began extending their monopoly rights by obtaining "method" patents on use of the medications. Such patents could give brand-makers longer exclusivity, but the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
Stryker profit in line on stronger hips, knees
Tue,17 Apr 2012 04:03 PM PDT
Reuters - (Reuters) - Medical device maker company Stryker Corp reported quarterly earnings on Tuesday that were in line with analysts expectations as sales of artificial hips and knees picked up pace after a prolonged slump. Investors are looking for signs of improving demand for elective procedures such as hip and knee implants as the economy slowly strengthens. Stryker said the market has stabilized but stopped short of predicting a rebound in the market, which is in the second year of a slowdown. "We did not see any meaningful acceleration in volumes during the quarter. ... Full Story | Top |
Instant View: Warren Buffett says he has Stage 1 prostate cancer
Tue,17 Apr 2012 03:24 PM PDT
Reuters - (Reuters) - Berkshire Hathaway Inc Chief Executive Warren Buffett said he has stage 1 prostate cancer and will begin a two-month treatment in mid-July consisting of daily radiation treatments. Buffett, 81, said in a statement that his condition "is not remotely life-threatening or even debilitating in any meaningful way." Berkshire shares fell 1.5 percent in after-hours trading on the news. COMMENTARY: MICHAEL YOSHIKAMI, CEO OF DESTINATION WEALTH MANAGEMENT "My guess is that the cancer diagnosis was partially behind the depth of the succession disclosure. ... Full Story | Top |
Georgia welfare law requires drug test to receive aid
Tue,17 Apr 2012 01:55 PM PDT
Reuters - ATLANTA (Reuters) - Low-income adults seeking public assistance in Georgia will have to pass a drug test before receiving benefits under a measure signed by Governor Nathan Deal on Monday, making it the latest state to push through the controversial testing requirement. Supporters of the Social Responsibility and Accountability Act said it is designed to ensure that welfare payments, called Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, are not "diverted to illicit drug use. ... Full Story | Top |
U.S. top court rules for generic drugmaker on patent
Tue,17 Apr 2012 12:06 PM PDT
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday in favor of a generic drugmaker in a case over how companies can fight brand-name rivals in an effort to get their cheaper medicines to market. The high court unanimously ruled that the generics company, Caraco Pharmaceuticals, could sue a brand-name drugmaker to get it to narrow its patent description with the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA uses this information to decide whether to approve a generic "copycat" version of a medicine before the patent has expired. ...
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Most breech births are now by C-section: study
Tue,17 Apr 2012 10:48 AM PDT
Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In Dublin hospitals, nine out of 10 babies in the feet-first position are delivered by cesarean section, according to Irish researchers who say the figure represents a more widespread decline in vaginal deliveries of breech babies. "That's definitely a trend and we (do) see that as well in the United States," said Dr. Henry Lee at Benioff Children's Hospital at the University of California, San Francisco. ... Full Story | Top |
Interpreters in ER may help limit medical errors
Tue,17 Apr 2012 10:35 AM PDT
Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Having professional translators in the emergency room for non-English-speaking patients might help limit potentially dangerous miscommunication, a new study suggests. The study, done at two pediatric ERs, found that when Spanish-speaking families had access to a professional interpreter, 12 percent of translation slips -- such as adding or omitting certain words and phrases -- could have had "clinical consequences," like giving a wrong medication dose. ... Full Story | Top |
Low water flows cause U.S. avian cholera outbreak
Tue,17 Apr 2012 08:12 AM PDT
Reuters - PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) - More than 10,000 migrating birds have died from an avian cholera outbreak blamed on reduced water flows through vast marshlands of southern Oregon and northern California known as Western Everglades, federal wildlife officials said. Avian cholera, which poses virtually no risk to human health, surfaces in the region nearly every year in wetlands of the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, but the recent waterfowl die-off there is the worst in over a decade, said Matt Baun, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. ... Full Story | Top |
New Zealand firm to trial pig cells to treat Parkinson's
Tue,17 Apr 2012 08:11 AM PDT
Reuters -  MELBOURNE (Reuters) - A New Zealand company plans to implant pig cells in the human brain in a clinical trial to treat Parkinson's disease and help improve movement and brain functions in patients. The clinical trials, planned for next year, would be the first using pig brain cells for potential treatment in humans. Living Cell Technologies Ltd said on Tuesday the treatment involves transplanting "support" cells from the brain of pigs that can help repair damaged nerve tissue in people with Parkinson's. ...
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Trauma patients taken by chopper may fare better
Tue,17 Apr 2012 07:47 AM PDT
Reuters -  NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who suffer serious injuries may have a better chance of surviving if they're taken to a trauma center by a helicopter instead of an ambulance, suggests new research. The study's lead author said he doesn't know for sure why a helicopter is better than an ambulance or other ground transportation, but two possibilities are the speed of transport and the medical team on the chopper. "It's likely some combination. It's likely not going to be one specific element," said Dr. Samuel Galvagno Jr., from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. ...
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Pricier therapy no better for early prostate cancer
Tue,17 Apr 2012 07:04 AM PDT
Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study suggests that expensive, high-tech proton beam radiation doesn't do any more for men with prostate cancer than the most commonly-used option. Proton beam radiation, heavily promoted by facilities that perform the treatment, also came with a higher risk of certain side effects compared to intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), researchers found. "This paper is the strongest evidence yet that proton beam (therapy) is not only not better, but probably not as good as IMRT," said Dr. ... Full Story | Top |
Hong Kong to slam door on pregnant mainland Chinese
Tue,17 Apr 2012 06:39 AM PDT
Reuters - HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong may bar mainland Chinese mothers from giving birth in public hospitals next year to ease over-crowding in local maternity wards, the city's health chief said on Tuesday. Since it reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997, Hong Kong has benefited from its deepening integration with China. Yet the unfettered access of mainland Chinese to public services in the densely populated city has also caused social strains. ... Full Story | Top |
Venezuela's election battle: Chavez vs Chavez
Tue,17 Apr 2012 03:42 AM PDT
Reuters -  CARACAS (Reuters) - Hugo Chavez's biggest enemy ahead of this year's presidential election in Venezuela could be the socialist leader himself. It is a battle between the sick Chavez who needs peace and quiet to recover from cancer, and the workaholic Chavez determined to keep up the pace to win re-election in October in the toughest political fight of his life. His friend and mentor Fidel Castro hit the nail on the head after Chavez's latest visit to Cuba for his third operation in less than a year: the Venezuelan leader must carve out time to rest and recuperate. "I know you, Chavez. ...
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Boston marathoners cope with high temperatures
Mon,16 Apr 2012 11:07 PM PDT
Reuters - BOSTON (Reuters) - Boston marathoners coped on Monday with unusually hot temperatures that approached 90 degrees (32 degrees Celsius) in a variety of ways - from pouring water over themselves to singing and praying - but few took up organizers' offer to sit out the 116th running of the famous footrace. The hot weather was enough of a concern that even the victor, Wesley Korir of Kenya, said that for much of the race he paid more attention to how much water he drank than to where he stacked up among his rivals. "I knew it was going to he hot ... ... Full Story | Top |
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