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ACA cost reduction news: Abortions just as safe when performed by nurses and physician assistants

First trimester abortions are just as safe when performed by trained nurse practitioners, physician assistants and certified nurse midwives as when conducted by physicians, according to a new six-year study led by UC San Francisco.

With the onset of increased health care costs due to the Affordable Care Act and the 40th anniversary of the landmark Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision that took abortion from being allowed on a state-by-state basis to being a federal mandate in the USA, the timing of the analysis is excellent.

Severity of emphysema predicts mortality

Severity of emphysema, as measured by computed tomography (CT), is a strong independent predictor of all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality in ever-smokers with or without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study from researchers in Norway. In patients with severe emphysema, airway wall thickness is also associated with mortality from respiratory causes.

Researchers find that simple blood test can help identify trauma patients at greatest risk of death

SALT LAKE CITY – A simple, inexpensive blood test performed on trauma patients upon admission can help doctors easily identify patients at greatest risk of death, according to a new study by researchers at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City.

The Intermountain Medical Center research study of more than 9,500 patients discovered that some trauma patients are up to 58 times more likely to die than others, regardless of the severity of their original injuries.

Factors linked with survival differences between Black, White kidney failure patients

Highlights

In minutes a day, low-income families can improve their kids' health

URBANA – When low-income families devote three to four extra minutes to regular family mealtimes, their children's ability to achieve and maintain a normal weight improves measurably, according to a new University of Illinois study.

"Children whose families engaged with each other over a 20-minute meal four times a week weighed significantly less than kids who left the table after 15 to 17 minutes. Over time, those extra minutes per meal add up and become really powerful," said Barbara H. Fiese, director of the U of I's Family Resiliency Program.

Botox beats steroids for painful foot condition, plantar fasciitis

Los Angeles, CA (January 17, 2013) - Plantar fasciitis is the most frequent cause of chronic heel pain, leaving many sufferers unable to put their best foot forward for months at a time. Now a Mexican study suggests that physicians should turn to Botox rather than steroids to offer patients the fastest road to recovery. The research appears in the journal Foot & Ankle International, published by SAGE.

Irregular heart beat elevates risk of kidney failure

Many people who suffer from chronic kidney disease progressively lose their kidney function over time and eventually develop a condition called end-stage renal disease – the complete failure of the kidneys – placing them in need of lifelong dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Guided care provides better quality of care for chronically ill older adults

Patients who received Guided Care, a comprehensive form of primary care for older adults with chronic health problems, rated the quality of their care much higher than patients in regular primary care, and used less home care, according to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University.

Hearing-loss-prevention drugs closer to reality thanks to new UF test

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A new way to test anti-hearing-loss drugs in people could help land those medicines on pharmacy shelves sooner. University of Florida researchers have figured out the longstanding problem of how to safely create temporary, reversible hearing loss in order to see how well the drugs work. The findings are described in the November/December 2012 issue of the journal Ear & Hearing.

Vaginal delivery is the safest option for women with pelvic girdle pain

Caesarean section increases the risk of persistent pelvic girdle pain after delivery compared with vaginal delivery, according to a new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

Caesarean section rates are increasing worldwide, and this trend has partly been explained by women's requests for planned caesarean section without a medical reason. Pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain has been associated with increased preference for caesarean section and with increased planned caesarean section rates.

Unsurprising study finds preferences for partner height translate into actual partner choices

Finding Mr. or Ms. Right is a complicated process, and choosing a mate may involve compromising - well, maybe on trivial things, like whether or not having kids is important or on being different religions or races. Height preference seems to be a hard stop for many, according to a paper published January 16th in PLOS ONE by Gert Stulp and other psychologists from the University of Groningen, Netherlands who suggest that despite the many other factors involved, people's preferences for a partner's height are accurately reflected in real couples in the UK.

Dear Punxsutawney Phil: If you don't predict an early spring, you are against the science consensus

Record warm temperatures in 2010 and 2012 resulted in the earliest spring flowering in the eastern United States in more than 150 years, researchers at Harvard University, Boston University and the University of Wisconsin have found.

Checklists in operating rooms improve performance during crises

Boston – In an airplane crisis—an engine failure, a fire—pilots pull out a checklist to help with their decision-making. But in an operating room crisis—massive bleeding, a patient's heart stops—surgical teams don't. Given the complexity of judgment and circumstances, standard practice is for teams to use memory alone.

Inaccurate diagnoses of melanoma by smartphone apps could delay doctor visits, life-saving treatment

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 16, 2013 – Smartphone applications that claim to evaluate a user's photographs of skin lesions for the likelihood of cancer instead returned highly variable and often inaccurate feedback, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings, published in JAMA Dermatology and available online today, suggest that relying on these "apps" instead of consulting with a physician may delay the diagnosis of melanoma and timely, life-saving treatment.

Risk factors identified for prolonged sports concussion symptoms

Researchers have found clear, identifiable factors that signal whether an athlete will experience concussive symptoms beyond one week. The researchers sought to identify risk factors for prolonged concussion symptoms by examining a large national database of high school athletes' injuries. Previous concussion studies were limited in scope, focusing only on male football players. The information from this study applies to male and female athletes from a number of different sports.