Immunology

Researchers from The Miriam Hospital have found that people with mobility impairments under age 65 have significantly higher rates of smoking than those without mobility impairments. Additionally, smokers with mobility impairments were less likely to attempt quitting than those without mobility impairments, and evidence-based, quit-smoking treatments may not be sufficient for this population. The study and its findings are published online in advance of print in the American Journal of...

According to three new studies, the health law has in its first year reduced the number of uninsured adults by between 8 million and 11 million, and the majority of enrollees report satisfaction with their plans. Politico: The Verdict Is In: Obamacare Lowers Uninsured A survey by the Commonwealth Fund found that 9.5 million fewer adults are uninsured now than at the beginning of the Obamacare enrollment season. The Urban Institute's Health Reform Monitoring Survey found a similar drop,...

UN Member States have reaffirmed their commitment to take bold measures to reduce the avoidable burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). These ailments, including heart disease and stroke, cancer, diabetes and lung disease kill 38 million people every year, many of them before they reach the age of 70. Most of these largely preventable deaths occur in developing countries, where this epidemic threatens to undermine social and economic development. Member States, gathered for the second...

Meanwhile, an ambitious Connecticut plan to overhaul how health care is delivered and paid for worries Medicaid advocates, who fear doctors will have financial incentives to withhold care. The Detroit News: Michigan Medicaid Expansion Exceeds 322K More people have enrolled in Medicaid's expansion in less than four months than were expected to sign up in the entire first year of the program, the Snyder administration announced Thursday. The expansion, called the Healthy...

Cataract surgery for people with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias not only improves vision but can slow decline in cognition and improve quality of life for both people with the disease and their caregivers, according to clinical trial results reported today at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference® 2014 (AAIC® 2014) in Copenhagen. "This study supports the Alzheimer's Association view that people with dementia retain, and benefit from, full healthcare treatment,"...

Veran Medical Technologies, a U.S. based medical device company, announced today the positive, cost-effective final results for the initial study of its innovative SPiNPercâ„¢ procedure. The SPiNPerc endobronchial percutaneous biopsy study results support the use of a percutaneous approach to biopsy when a traditional bronchoscopic method is not possible. Hospitals, patients and physicians experience positive financial outcomes when more can be accomplished in one procedure....

NeoGenomics, Inc. (NASDAQ: NEO), a leading provider of cancer-focused genetic and molecular testing services, announced today it has launched 23 new and innovative NeoTYPEâ„¢ Cancer Profiles based on next-generation sequencing (NGS). These new advanced cancer-profiling tools offer oncologists and pathologists a more targeted and comprehensive ability to tailor cancer testing to an individual patient's needs than has ever been available before. Next-generation sequencing is an advanced molecular...