New update of international health system comparisons: US continues to lag on most measures
...ccess, efficiency, equity, and health outcomes. In light of the significant resources we devote to health care in this country, we should expect the best, highest performing health system." In Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: An International Update on the Comparative Performance of American Health Care, by ...Psychosocial support for cancer survivors needs strengthening
...mendation. Dr. Owen concludes, "This study sheds light on which individuals with cancer use these services." This study will help clinicians recognize the importance of support groups for cancer patients. "Assistance in identifying and accessing support groups, should be a standard of care for all patien...'Lite' low tar cigarettes impair blood flow as much as regular cigarettes
...rs. The authors say their results show that both light cigarettes and regular cigarettes impair blood flow through the coronary arteries to a similar degree. They add that many smokers switch to low tar, low nicotine cigarettes in the mistaken belief that they will reduce some of the hazardous effects of...Swedish snus much safer than smoking but linked to pancreatic cancer
...and approved smoking-cessation medications. "In light of all the available evidence, the banning or exaggerated opposition to snus in cigarette-rife environments is not sound public health policy."...Stanford researchers identify immune dysfunction in melanoma patients
...d University School of Medicine have begun to shed light on why the human immune system isn't able to stop such cancers as melanoma, suggesting answers that could pave the way for better treatment of this often-fatal illness. In a small study, the scientists found that the immune cells in a majority of p...Does amateur boxing cause brain damage?
...rticular marker for neuronal damage, neurofilament light (NFL), was four times higher in boxers within 10 days of the fight as compared with healthy non-athletes. These increased levels returned to normal after three months rest from boxing. In addition, the increased levels after a fight were significa...Less sun better than using sunscreen
...organic. Inorganic sunscreens act by scattering UV light using zinc or titanium oxides but are generally less cosmetically favourable due to their opaque nature. However they are generally very well tolerated by the skin and produce few allergic effects, thus are recommended for children. Organic sunscre...TWAS, illycaff announce Trieste Science Prize winners 2007
...switch on' the drugs in the desired location using light as a stimulus. He and his group have also synthesized carbon compounds that may have potential applications in nanotechnology devices. Beyond the laboratory, Mehta has made significant contributions to science education and science policy in India ...Sleep deprivation can threaten competent decision-making
...e by elevating the expectation of gains and making light of ones losses following risky decisions. To understand the neural underpinnings of risky decision making under conditions of sleep deprivation, Vinod Venkatraman and colleagues of Duke University studied healthy volunteers as they underwent funct...Resistant HIV quickly hides in infants' cells
...nd an area of intense investigation, especially in light of the high rates of antiretroviral drug resistance occurring in infants in low-income countries who received a single dose of an NNRTI for prevention of mother-to-child transmission, and for whom treatment options are few." In an accompanying edit...Study finds role of mid-brain in integrating heart and respiratory response to exercise
...n a signal to start exercising. Patients performed light exercise for at least 30 seconds at which time another oral cue and countdown signaled them to rest. This was repeated five times with approximately one minute of rest in between each exercise session. Results The results revealed that anticipat...Plasmonics book gives overview of technology that could revolutionize computing
...sics, describes the basics of plasmonics, in which light signals are sent down the surfaces of small metall...nanostructures. This makes it possible to create light circuits that are much smaller than those that can be made with insulating materials such as glass, ...NIST's stretching exercises shed new light on nanotubes
...d optical properties. One fundamental issue is how light interacts with SWNTs. Is there, for example, a way to use appropriately tailored light to exert a force on SWNTs so that they can be trapped or aligned? Or can they be designed to be nano...Wired for sound: How the brain senses visual illusions
...nce. When subjects were shown a single flash of light interposed between two brief sounds, many subjects...hese illusory sensations. These studies could shed light on how people deprived of one sensation often compensate by developing another for instance, blind ...Study finds drug helps PTSD nightmares
...osin." Trauma nightmares appear to arise during light sleep or disruption in REM sleep, whereas normal dreamsboth pleasant and unpleasant occur during normal REM sleep. Prazosin works by blocking the brains response to the adrenaline-like neurotransmitter norepinephrine. Blocking norepinephrine normaliz...Eye diseases gave great painters different vision of their work, Stanford ophthalmologist says
...er like Monet, whose style was based on the use of light and color, they can affect the ability to see colors." "Monet must have struggled mightily as he looked out into the murky yellow-brown garden and tried to decide what subtle impression to create on canvas," Marmor wrote in the December paper. "Slo...Fragile X, Down syndromes linked to faulty brain communication
...and cellular physiology. "It's as if you had every light in your house wired to just one or two switches, rather than having many switches that can be flipped on or off in complex combinations to control the lighting in one room," he said. Madison is the senior author of a paper on Fragile X syndrome in ...PneuStep -- MRI-safe motor makes robotic biopsies possible
...ut of plastics, ceramics and rubber, and driven by light and air, was published in the February issue of the IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechanotronics. The challenge for his engineering team was to overcome MRIs dependence on strong magnetic interference. Metals are unsafe in MRIs because the machine rel...Study sheds light on medication treatment options for bipolar disorder
...aid Dr. Sachs. Future STEP-BD results will shed light on other treatment options for bipolar disorder, including psychotherapeutic treatments. ...'Smart' sunglasses and goggles let users adjust shade and color
...so, the lenses may stay bright under strong midday light or get too dark in low-level evening light due to the angle of incoming rays. And photochromic lenses have the drawback that when behind a UV-p...