Lantus insulin has been linked to an increased risk of cancer in diabetics following a sizable study out of Sweden. More studies are due to be published in the coming months reports Bloomberg.
Business posts from Morningstar's Footnoted.com illustrate that research costs are not the sole reason drugs are expensive. Compensation packages and options buy-outs for ousted executives cut a substantial wedge in the economic pie.
The Atlantic: Adding a cat to the household once you're an adult invites allergies.
Here is a link to one of the most thorough pieces of journalism posted by Reuters reports Ros Krasny and Toni Clarke that dissects the health care program instituted in Massachusetts for which former Governor Romney has been heavily criticized, particularly after President Obama's health plan was approved by Congress.
No one wants to submit to additional X-rays from a TSA body scanner when there are other, safer (and less intrusive) ways to protect the flying public. ProPublica reporter Michael Grabell has done extensive research on the subject and details serious concerns raised by researchers about the possibility of an impact on DNA.
Government subsidies used to bolster corporate and state retirement benefits for early retirees (under 65) are about to end, reports Bloomberg.
Mechanical devices from artificial hips to pacemakers will be monitored for safety and reliability if a bipartisan bill before the Senate is passed, notes the New York Times. Consumer advocates have been requesting this kind of follow up to identify and warn patients against mechanical failures which inevitably cause distress and require additional surgery.
Marshall Allen, a ProPublica investigative journalist has pulled back the covers on the practice of not ordering an automatic autopsy when a patient dies in the hospital unexpectedly. Doctors protecting their colleagues from malpractice investigations and hospitals trying to save money has resulted in serious distress for families who need complete information. Errors go unexplored. Where are the biomedical ethicists?
As more private patients flow into the UK's National Health Service, a blogger from The Economist ponders whether this shift will influence the quality of care for patients with fewer resources and put pressure on doctor's to treat paying customers differently, essentially tinkering with the dynamics?
Cancer survivors have struggled "to get back to normal" without the benefit of a rehabilitation program that controls or eliminates the after affects of multiple treatments. Many people I know have turned to gentle yoga classes. Now oncology rehab is being integrated into hospital rehabilitation to meet that deficit and extend the kind of support a patient with post treatment symptoms might be unable to manage on their own. Adding specialized oncology-oriented training for rehab therapists ensures that hospitals will remain competitive.
A rare combination of extraordinary architects and the needs of cancer patients has merged to construct new facilities that foster hope with patient-friendly, healing surroundings. The Financial Times describes the first of these warm and caring places now open. Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres were the culmination of an effort driven by architectural writer and landscape designer Charles Jencks.
Just in time for your holiday flight the Wall Street Journal published this article on why we frequently come home with colds and flu after traveling by air. (updated)
Google News has posted an AP story about leaky silicone breast implants made by a French company now out of business. It is a possible there could be a massive call for the product's surgical removal affecting over 30,000 European women. The London Times has also written about this tragedy.
A lawsuit questioning the label "all-natural" for snacks manufactured with crops that have been genetically modified has been filed in California, posted Jack Neff for Ad Age.
Newer metal on metal designs for artificial hips and knees might not be a better choice than previous models according to a new study spotlighted in the New York Times.
Duke University is about to extend their aspirin research abroad by studying those of Chinese descent. They are trying to understand why some people taking this inexpensive drug are protected from heart attacks and stroke while others remain vulnerable to blood clots.
Epidural steroid injections, frequently used to mitigate against chronic neck and back pain and inserted close to the spine have a risk of paralysis now being investigated by the FDA reports Bloomberg's David Armstrong. Medicare reimbursements for corticosteroid shots administered for sore joints are increasing as Baby Boomers age. The loose guidelines over who administers these delicate injections and the frequency with which they can safely be given has been linked to a variety of complications. We clearly need more information.
Ending a year of turmoil in health care Peter Waldman's Bloomberg article exposes the inevitable detritus when poorly managed hospice programs lead to the release of patients who survive a serious illness yet emerge from care crippled by an acquired addiction to pain killers. Meanwhile Bloomberg reported that GE paid $30 million to settle claims for overcharging Medicare for a diagnostic drug.
