October 2014 Briefing - Pathology

Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pathology for October 2014. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.

Fewer Malpractice Claims Paid in the United States

THURSDAY, Oct. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The number of medical malpractice payments in the United States has dropped sharply since 2002, according to a new study. And compensation payment amounts and liability insurance costs for many doctors declined in recent years. These findings were published online Oct. 30 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Leprosy Still Occurs in the United States, CDC Reports

THURSDAY, Oct. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Leprosy, although quite rare, continues to appear in the United States, according to research published in the Oct. 31 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

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Brain Scans Yield Clues to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

THURSDAY, Oct. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- There are clear differences in the brains of people with chronic fatigue syndrome and the brains of non-affected people, new research indicates. In the study, published online Oct. 29 in Radiology, patients with chronic fatigue syndrome had less overall white matter than the people who didn't have the condition.

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Would Alternative Payment Plan Cut Medical Bills?

THURSDAY, Oct. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- New research supports replacing the traditional way of reimbursing doctors for care -- paying for each service provided -- with an alternative system that gives a set amount of money to health care organizations for patient care. The study was published in the Oct. 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Adrenal Sex Hormone Level May Predict Heart Disease Risk

THURSDAY, Oct. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Blood levels of the adrenal sex hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate (DHEA-S) may predict an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in elderly men, according to a study published in the Oct. 28 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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AMA Code of Ethics Offers Guidance for Physicians

THURSDAY, Oct. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The American Medical Association (AMA) Code of Ethics and other articles provide guidance for physicians in relation to public health emergencies, according to a report from the AMA.

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Clinical Illness, Outcomes for Ebola in Sierra Leone Reviewed

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with Ebola virus disease (EVD) from Sierra Leone, the incubation period for is six to 12 days and case fatality 74 percent, according to a study published online Oct. 29 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Voters' Views on Affordable Care Act Split Along Party Lines

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Americans' opinions about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are sharply divided along political lines, according to research published online Oct. 29 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The findings come from 27 public opinion polls conducted by 14 organizations.

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High Milk Intake Linked to Increased Mortality Risk

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Men and women who drink three glasses of milk or more every day may have a higher mortality risk than those who drink less than one glass per day, according to new research published online Oct. 28 in The BMJ.

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Mortality Risk Higher in Normal-Weight Diabetes Patients

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- In older adults with type 2 diabetes, muscle size may mediate the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality, according to research published online Oct. 14 in Diabetes Care.

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Plastics' Chemical May Affect Boys' Genital Development

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Boys born to mothers with greater exposure to the chemical di-isononyl phthalate (DiNP) may have a shorter anogenital distance, according to a new study. The researchers said their findings, published online Oct. 29 in Environmental Health Perspectives, add to concerns about the possible effects of certain plasticizers on the male reproductive system.

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Less Competition Among Docs = Higher Medical Costs

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Competition between medical practices helps keep health care costs lower, according to a study published in the Oct. 22/29 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Enzyme May Impair Recovery From Spinal Cord Injury

TUESDAY, Oct. 28, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The presence of the enzyme matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) may play a key role in worsening spinal cord injury (SCI) and impairing long-term neurological recovery, according to research published in the November issue of The American Journal of Pathology.

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Kidney Stones May Increase Fracture Risk

TUESDAY, Oct. 28, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Urolithiasis patients may be at increased risk for fractures and may require treatment to protect their bone health, according to a new study published online Oct. 23 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

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USPSTF: More Evidence Needed for Thyroid Screening

TUESDAY, Oct. 28, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has concluded that there is currently insufficient evidence to assess the benefits and harms of thyroid screening. These findings form the basis of a draft recommendation statement based on an evidence review published online Oct. 28 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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CDC Issues Revised Interim U.S. Guidance on Ebola

MONDAY, Oct. 27, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Today, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a revision of their Ebola guideline document -- Interim Guidance for Monitoring and Movement of Persons with Ebola Virus Disease Exposure.

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New York, New Jersey Ease Ebola Quarantines

MONDAY, Oct. 27, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Faced with pressure from the White House and criticism from infectious disease experts, the governors of New York and New Jersey have eased their quarantine measures that required all medical workers returning from West Africa who had contact with Ebola patients to be forced into isolation.

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Cadavers Beat Computers As Med School Teaching Tool

MONDAY, Oct. 27, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Cadavers are better than a computer simulation of the human body for teaching anatomy to college students, according to research published in the September/October issue of Anatomical Sciences Education.

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Knowing Genetic Risk of Cancer Doesn't Change Behavior

MONDAY, Oct. 27, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Knowledge of genetic colorectal cancer (CRC) risk does not influence screening behavior, according to research published in the Oct. 21 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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Suboptimal Staging Linked to Mortality in Bladder Cancer

MONDAY, Oct. 27, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with bladder cancer, the omission of muscle in the specimen or its mention in the pathology report is associated with increased mortality, according to a study published online Oct. 22 in Cancer.

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Two Biomarkers May Aid Diagnosis of Rhinosinusitis

FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Two protein markers may serve as biomarkers for chronic rhinosinusitis, according to a proof-of-principle study published in The Laryngoscope.

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Sleep Duration Linked to Ulcerative Colitis Risk

FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Not getting the right amount of sleep might raise the risk of ulcerative colitis, according to a study published in the November issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Those who sleep less or more than the recommended seven to eight hours per night may be more prone to developing the chronic condition.

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HSV Infection May Contribute to Development of Alzheimer's

FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection might increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease, two studies by Swedish researchers suggest. The findings were published in Alzheimer's & Dementia.

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Airborne Transmission of Ebola Highly Unlikely

FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- People face no threat of airborne transmission of Ebola, according to a panel of Ebola experts gathered by the New England Journal of Medicine for an issue briefing Wednesday.

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New York City Health Officials Confirm First Ebola Case

FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- New York City health officials said Thursday that a health care worker who recently returned from West Africa has tested positive for Ebola. The patient, identified as Craig Spencer, M.D., by city officials, had been working with Doctors Without Borders helping to treat Ebola patients in Guinea, one of three West Africa countries hit hard by the disease.

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NT-proBNP Modestly Improves CVD Risk Prediction in Women

FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) modestly improves cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction for women, according to a study published in the Oct. 28 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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Breast Cancer Markers Commonly Used for Routine Surveillance

FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Breast cancer tumor markers are frequently used for routine surveillance in nonmetastatic breast cancer, and their use has been found to increase the number of diagnostic procedures performed as well as the total cost of care, according to a study published online Oct. 20 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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T2DM-Linked Hypoglycemia Doesn't Impact Brain Pathology

THURSDAY, Oct. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Hypoglycemia related to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) doesn't appear to impact brain pathology, according to a study published online Sept. 29 in Diabetes Care.

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Coworker Response 'Crucial' in Workplace Bullying Resolution

THURSDAY, Oct. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Targets of workplace bullying can offer chaos, report, or quest narratives about their experiences, and coworker response plays a role in narrative development, according to a study published online Sept. 25 in Management Communication Quarterly.

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Aspirin May Cut Mortality in Nonmetastatic Prostate Cancer

THURSDAY, Oct. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Daily aspirin use, even at low doses, may reduce mortality among men with high-risk nonmetastatic prostate cancer, according to research published online Oct. 20 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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Mortality Declines for Aortic Dissection Patients

THURSDAY, Oct. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Over the last decade, mortality rates for patients undergoing surgical repair for aortic dissection have improved, according to a study published online Oct. 21 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

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U.S. Ranks Last Among Wealthy Nations in Health Care Access

THURSDAY, Oct. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. health care system ranks last compared to other industrialized nations when it comes to affordability and patient access, according to a new survey published in the Oct. 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Americans Report Distrust of Medical Profession

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Americans are less trusting of the medical profession than people in many other countries -- even though they often like their own doctor, according to a new report. The findings were published in the Oct. 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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U.S. Residents Back From Ebola-Affected Areas to Be Tracked

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Public health officials plan to actively monitor all U.S. residents returning home from one of the three Ebola-affected nations in West Africa, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday.

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APIC Provides Resources for Ebola Management

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Resources are available to increase protection against Ebola transmission, according to a report from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

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Drinking Sugary Sodas May Promote Aging at Cellular Level

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking sugar-sweetened sodas may affect cellular aging by shortening telomere length, according to research published online Oct. 16 in the American Journal of Public Health.

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Few With Diabetes + Normal Heart Imaging Have CAD Events

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- High-risk asymptomatic patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and normal myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (MPS) have a low rate of first manifestations of coronary artery disease (CAD); however, patients with DM and abnormal MPS have a seven-fold higher rate of progression to overt or silent CAD despite therapy. These findings were published in the Oct. 1 issue of JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging.

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Hospital Conversion to For-Profit Status Ups Financial Margins

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Hospital conversion to for-profit status is associated with improvements in financial margins, but has no effect on process quality metrics or mortality rates, according to a study published in the Oct. 22/29 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Price Transparency Platform Linked to Lower Claims Payments

TUESDAY, Oct. 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Access to an employer-sponsored private price transparency platform is associated with reduced total claims payments, according to research published in the Oct. 22/29 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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CDC: 'Think Ebola' and 'Care Carefully'

TUESDAY, Oct. 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued updated guidelines for the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by health care workers when caring for patients with Ebola, along with a reminder to health care workers to "Think Ebola" and to "Care Carefully."

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Law Requiring Release of Health Information Upheld

TUESDAY, Oct. 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A state law that requires plaintiffs to release relevant protected health information before proceeding with allegations of medical liability has been upheld by a federal appeals court, according to the American Medical Association (AMA).

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CDC Tightens Guidelines on Caring for Patients With Ebola

TUESDAY, Oct. 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tightened previous infection control guidance for health care workers caring for patients with Ebola, the organization announced on Monday.

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Children May Be at Lower Risk for Ebola Virus Disease

MONDAY, Oct. 20, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Children may be at lower risk of Ebola virus disease (EVD), but physicians should be aware of the signs and symptoms, according to a viewpoint piece published online Oct. 17 in JAMA Pediatrics.

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Viewpoint: Getting United States Prepared for Ebola Outbreak

MONDAY, Oct. 20, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A case of delayed Ebola diagnosis in Dallas and subsequent infection of health care workers has highlighted the lack of preparedness for a U.S. outbreak of the disease, according to a viewpoint piece published online Oct. 17 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Enterovirus Infection Linked to Incidence of T1DM in Children

MONDAY, Oct. 20, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The risk of type 1 diabetes is increased for children diagnosed with enterovirus infection, according to a study published online Oct. 17 in Diabetologia.

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Dutch Guidelines Do Not Cut Incidence of Group B Strep

MONDAY, Oct. 20, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Dutch guidelines, implemented in 1999, do not appear to be effective for reducing the incidence of invasive group B streptococcal disease in newborns, according to a study published in the November issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

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New MCAT Shifts Focus, Will Include Humanities

MONDAY, Oct. 20, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) has been revised, and the latest changes, including more humanities such as social sciences, are due to be implemented next April, according to a report from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

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Obama Appoints Ron Klain As 'Ebola Czar'

FRIDAY, Oct. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- President Barack Obama on Friday appointed Ron Klain, a former chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, as Ebola "czar" to oversee the federal government's response to the presence of virus in the United States.

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Low Testosterone May Up Risk of Atherosclerosis in Diabetes

FRIDAY, Oct. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Low testosterone may exacerbate the risk of atherosclerotic complications in men with type 2 diabetes, according to research published online Oct. 16 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

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Long Noncoding RNAs Can Detect Prostate Cancer

FRIDAY, Oct. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Differential expression of long noncoding RNAs identified in prostate cancer cell lines, patient tissue samples, and patient urine samples can detect prostate cancer, according to a study published in the November issue of the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.

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Specialized Care Centers May Be Needed to Contain Ebola

FRIDAY, Oct. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Specialized medical centers may be necessary to adequately treat and contain the Ebola virus in the United States, according to an ideas and opinions piece published online Oct. 16 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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Many Docs Believe Mobile Health Apps Can Improve Patient Care

FRIDAY, Oct. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A Manhattan Research survey recently found that many physicians believe digital communication technologies, including mobile apps, can be used to improve patient outcomes, according to an article published Oct. 8 in Medical Economics.

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70-Gene Signature Not Cost-Effective in Breast Cancer

FRIDAY, Oct. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with node-negative breast cancer (NNBC), the 70-gene signature is unlikely to be cost-effective for guiding adjuvant chemotherapy decision making, according to a study published online Oct. 6 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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Prevalence of Familial Pancreatic Cancer About 9 Percent

THURSDAY, Oct. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The prevalence of familial pancreatic cancer (FPC) is about 9 percent, and patients with FPC have more precursor lesions and are less likely to smoke than patients with sporadic pancreatic cancer (SPC), according to a study published online Oct. 14 in Cancer.

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Ebola Workshop Scheduled for Nov. 3 in Washington, D.C.

THURSDAY, Oct. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- At the request of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council will host a workshop to discuss research needed to prepare for handling the occurrence of Ebola virus disease in the United States, according to a press release from the National Academies.

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Psoriasis Tied to Raised Risk of Uncontrolled Hypertension

THURSDAY, Oct. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- People with more severe cases of psoriasis may be at increased risk of uncontrolled hypertension, according to a study published online Oct. 15 in JAMA Dermatology.

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Limiting Malpractice Claims May Not Curb Costly Medical Tests

THURSDAY, Oct. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Malpractice reform may not keep physicians from ordering unnecessary and expensive tests, according to a study published in the Oct. 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Immune Therapy Induces Remission for Many With ALL

THURSDAY, Oct. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- An experimental immune-system therapy can often lead to complete remission in advanced acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients who have run out of other options, according to research published in the Oct. 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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IBD Linked to Worse Prognosis After Myocardial Infarction

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For patients after first-time myocardial infarction (MI), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with worse prognosis, according to a study published online Oct. 14 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

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Change in Doc, Public Attitudes Needed to Cut Overtreatment

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Reform of malpractice laws as well as inclusion of patients in medical decision making may help reduce overdiagnosis and overtreatment, according to an article published online Oct. 14 in The BMJ.

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CDC Takes Steps Toward Hospital Preparedness for Ebola

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has sent new resources to Dallas to support the highest standard of infection control, according to a news release issued by the organization Tuesday.

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Second Health Care Worker in Dallas Tests Positive for Ebola

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A second health care worker who helped treat a patient who died of Ebola last week at a Dallas hospital has tested positive for the disease, health officials said Wednesday morning.

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Allergy to Some Metal Implants Linked to Rare Skin Cancer

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A rare type of skin cancer has been linked to allergic reactions to metal implants, according to research published online Oct. 8 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

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Embryonic Stem Cells Exhibit Long-Term Effectiveness, Safety

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A new study is the first to show the long-term safety of embryonic stem cell transplants to treat human disease. The study was published online Oct. 15 in The Lancet.

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CDC Develops a New, Faster Lab Test for Enterovirus D68

TUESDAY, Oct. 14, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has developed and begun using a new, faster lab test for the detection of enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) in specimens from people in the United States with respiratory illness, according to a news release issued by the organization on Tuesday.

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Guidelines Issued for Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophies

TUESDAY, Oct. 14, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Clinical phenotype, inheritance patterns, and associated manifestations should be used to guide genetic testing for diagnosis of patients with suspected limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMDs), according to evidence-based guidelines published in the Oct. 14 issue of Neurology.

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Resident Proficiency in High-Value Care Is Hard to Test

TUESDAY, Oct. 14, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The high-value care (HVC) subscore on the Internal Medicine In-Training Examination (IM-ITE) helps assess resident knowledge of HVC, but additional tools are needed to measure proficiency in practice, according to research published online Oct. 14 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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Sudden Cardiac Death a Risk for Women Living Near Major Roads

TUESDAY, Oct. 14, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Women who live near major roads may be at increased risk for sudden cardiac death, according to a new study published online Oct. 13 in Circulation.

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Smoking-Related Illnesses in U.S. Total 14 Million

TUESDAY, Oct. 14, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Cigarette smoking accounts for approximately 14 million major medical conditions that plague the lives of U.S. adults, according to a new government report published online Oct. 13 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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Obesity Appears to Speed Aging of the Liver

TUESDAY, Oct. 14, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Extra pounds cause the liver to age faster, potentially explaining why obesity is linked to diseases like liver cancer and insulin resistance, new research suggests. The study appears online Oct. 13 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Review: Weak Power in Most CRC Neoplasia Risk Prediction Models

TUESDAY, Oct. 14, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Most colorectal neoplasia risk prediction models have weak discriminatory power, according to a review published in the October issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

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Health Officials Reviewing Ebola Procedures at Dallas Hospital

MONDAY, Oct. 13, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Federal and local health officials said Monday that they were re-examining infection-control efforts at the Dallas hospital where a nurse contracted Ebola while caring for America's first diagnosed victim of the deadly disease.

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Texas Hospital Worker Tests Positive for Ebola

MONDAY, Oct. 13, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A health care worker who helped treat the Liberian man who died of Ebola in a Dallas hospital last week has tested positive for the virus, public health officials reported Sunday.

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Love Your Coffee? You May Have Been Born That Way

MONDAY, Oct. 13, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- People who consume large amounts of coffee may have genetics to thank for their cravings, according to a study published online Oct. 7 in Molecular Psychiatry.

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Combining Healthy Habits Equals Greater Reduction in CRC Risk

MONDAY, Oct. 13, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A few healthy habits could reduce the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), according to a study published online Oct. 10 in BMC Medicine.

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Even Decaf Coffee May Help Protect the Liver

FRIDAY, Oct. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Prior research has suggested that drinking coffee may help protect the liver, but new findings indicate caffeine might not be the active ingredient at work. The study was published online recently in Hepatology.

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High Cholesterol Tied to Prostate Cancer's Return

FRIDAY, Oct. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- After surgery for prostate cancer, elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides may be linked with greater risk of the cancer's return, new research suggests. The findings were published online Oct. 10 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

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Body May Change Bad Fat to Good After Exposure to Cold

FRIDAY, Oct. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Cold temperatures may prompt unhealthy white adipose tissue in the thighs and abdomen to turn into brown adipose tissue (BAT) that burns calories for body heat, according to a study published online Oct. 9 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

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Medicines Are Biggest Culprit in Fatal Allergic Reactions

FRIDAY, Oct. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Over half of allergy-related deaths are caused by medications, while less than 7 percent are caused by food allergies, according to research published online Sept. 30 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

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Americans Increasingly Anxious About Ebola

FRIDAY, Oct. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- One-quarter of Americans now view Ebola as a major public health threat to the United States, with many saying they'd change their travel plans due to Ebola fears, a new Harris Poll/HealthDay survey reveals.

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CDC: Less Than Half of HIV+ U.S. Hispanics Are Getting Proper Care

FRIDAY, Oct. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Even though Hispanics in the United States become infected with HIV at rates triple those of whites, less than half of Hispanics with the virus are receiving adequate treatment, according to research published in the Oct. 10 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

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Specialty Drugs May Be Worth the Higher Costs

FRIDAY, Oct. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Despite high costs, specialty drugs may provide value that balances the price difference compared with traditional drugs, according to research published in the October issue of Health Affairs.

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Potential Clue to Ebola Treatments Uncovered

THURSDAY, Oct. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists who mapped out the shape and structure of a key protein in the Ebola virus say their discovery could help efforts to develop drugs to prevent or treat infection with the pathogen. Their research was published in the September issue of Acta Crystallographica Section D.

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Airborne Particulates Beyond Traffic Fumes Affect Lung Health

THURSDAY, Oct. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Ambient particulates with median aerodynamic diameters of <10 µm (PM10) seem to cause more injury to airway epithelial cells (AEC) than traffic-derived airborne particulate matter, according to a study published online Sept. 14 in Respirology.

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Androgen Receptor Signaling Tied to Insulin Resistance

THURSDAY, Oct. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Mouse models show tissue-specific androgen receptor (AR) signaling is involved in regulation of metabolism, which may explain the link between androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and the development of metabolic syndrome in men, according to research published in the October issue of Diabetes.

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Reducing Residency Work Hours Doesn't Affect Patient Outcomes

THURSDAY, Oct. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Duty-hour reforms have not adversely affected hospital mortality or length-of-stay of patients cared for by new attending physicians who were partly or fully exposed to reduced duty hours during residency, according to research published in the October issue of Health Affairs.

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Gene Therapy Shows Potential for Severe Immunodeficiency

THURSDAY, Oct. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A new form of gene therapy may offer a safe and effective way to treat severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), according to research published in the Oct. 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Five Major U.S. Airports to Screen Travelers for Ebola

THURSDAY, Oct. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Five major U.S. airports will begin screening travelers entering the country from the three West African nations hit hardest by the ongoing Ebola epidemic, federal health officials announced Wednesday.

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Dallas Ebola Patient Has Died, Hospital Officials Confirm

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian national who was the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, died Wednesday morning at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.

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CDC: U.S. Life Expectancy Hits Record High of Nearly 79 Years

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Average life expectancy in the United States reached an all-time high of 78.8 years in 2012, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday. For people 65 years old in 2012, life expectancy was an additional 19.3 years, up slightly from the year before. Women age 65 and older in 2012 can expect to live another 20.5 years, while men may get around an additional 18 years.

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Nearly 10 Percent of Ketamine Abusers Have Liver Injury

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Liver injury is seen in about 10 percent of chronic abusers of ketamine, according to a study published in the October issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

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AAFP Urges Docs to Check Accuracy of Open Payments Data

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) urges family doctors to check the accuracy of the first set of data published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments transparency program.

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Scientists Aim to Improve Vaccines Against Avian Flu

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Two groups of researchers report they are refining the vaccine strategies that will be needed in the event of an avian influenza pandemic. Both studies appear in the Oct. 8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on infectious disease.

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Ovarian Cancer DNA Detected in Vaginal Fluid

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have found it's possible to detect ovarian cancer gene mutations in vaginal fluid samples -- a finding they hope is a step toward an effective screening test for the disease. The findings were published online Oct. 6 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.

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Despite Proper Cleaning, Endoscopes May Pass on E. coli

TUESDAY, Oct. 7, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- An Escherichia coli outbreak at an Illinois hospital was caused by endoscopes that had bacterial contamination despite being disinfected in the recommended way, according to a study published in the Oct. 8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on infectious disease.

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About Half of All U.S. Hospital Patients Receive Antibiotics

TUESDAY, Oct. 7, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- About half of all U.S. hospital patients receive antibiotics, and these drugs are commonly the ones more likely to promote the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to a new study, led by researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and published in the Oct. 8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on infectious disease. The CDC also funded the study.

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Fetal BPA Exposure to Tied to Childhood Wheeze

TUESDAY, Oct. 7, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure in pregnancy to bisphenol A (BPA) may increase a child's risk of respiratory issues, researchers say. The findings, published online Oct. 6 in JAMA Pediatrics, indicate that for every 10-fold increase in the average amount of BPA in the mothers' urine, there is a nearly 55 percent increase in the odds of some type of wheezing in their children.

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Obama Considers Tighter Ebola Screening for Travelers

TUESDAY, Oct. 7, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- President Barack Obama said Monday that his administration is preparing additional screening measures to prevent the Ebola epidemic in West Africa from gaining a foothold in the United States.

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Factors Identified That Influence Overuse of Pap Testing

TUESDAY, Oct. 7, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Demographic variables associated with overuse of Papanicolaou (Pap) testing have been identified, according to research published online Sept. 4 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

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CDC Team Assisting Ebola Response in Dallas

MONDAY, Oct. 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have arrived in Texas and are working closely with Texas state and local health departments to investigate the first Ebola case in the United States, according to a news release issued by the agency.

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Officials Report First Confirmed Death Due to Enterovirus D68

MONDAY, Oct. 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The first confirmed death due to Enterovirus D68 has been confirmed, a 4-year-boy in New Jersey, health officials report.

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EPA Wants Less Dental Mercury Entering Environment

MONDAY, Oct. 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed new standards to reduce the amount of mercury released from dentists' offices.

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Researchers Further Explain the Role of Genetics in Height

MONDAY, Oct. 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- New research confirms that genetics play a huge role in determining height. The findings were published online Oct. 5 in the Nature Genetics.

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Ebola Patient in Dallas Hospital Takes Turn for the Worse

MONDAY, Oct. 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The first Ebola patient to be diagnosed in the United States has "taken a turn for the worse," federal health officials said Sunday. Thomas Eric Duncan, a native of Liberia, is receiving supportive care at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. Hospital officials have changed his condition from serious to critical.

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Gout Independently Associated With Diabetes Risk

MONDAY, Oct. 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Gout appears to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, especially in women, according to a study published online Oct. 2 in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

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Impact of Physician Payments Sunshine Act Discussed

MONDAY, Oct. 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The Physician Payments Sunshine Act is causing concern for manufacturers and providers, as well as physicians, according to a health policy brief published online Oct. 2 in Health Affairs.

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Ebola Focus Shrinks to About 50 People in Texas

FRIDAY, Oct. 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- About 50 people in Texas are now being checked daily for possible Ebola infection, based on their prior contact with the Liberian national undergoing treatment in Dallas for the virus, health officials said Friday.

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Physician Payments Found Not to Favor Procedures

FRIDAY, Oct. 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Physician Fee Schedule does not systematically provide higher valuation of physician work per unit time for procedure/test codes than for evaluation and management (E/M) codes, according to a study published online Sept. 18 in the Annals of Surgery.

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Only DM Duration Independently Tied to Microvascular Events

FRIDAY, Oct. 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with type 2 diabetes, age or age at diabetes diagnosis and diabetes duration are independently associated with macrovascular events and death, but only duration of disease is independently associated with microvascular events, according to a study published online Sept. 17 in Diabetologia.

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Second Baby 'Cured' of HIV Suffers Relapse

FRIDAY, Oct. 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- An Italian toddler thought cured of HIV with early aggressive treatment following birth has suffered a relapse, his doctors report. The 3-year-old child's viral levels of HIV rebounded two weeks after doctors took him off antiretroviral medications, according to a case report published in the Oct. 4 issue of The Lancet. The child's HIV levels had been undetectable since he was 6 months old due to aggressive drug therapy that doctors started within 12 hours of his birth.

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Too Much Alcohol May Harm Sperm

FRIDAY, Oct. 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The more alcohol young men drink, the lower their sperm count and quality may be, according to a study published Oct. 2 in BMJ Open. In addition, high alcohol consumption was linked to a higher risk of contracting human papillomavirus (HPV), according to a study published Oct. 2 in Sexually Transmitted Infections.

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Medical Errors Should Be Used to Improve Patient Care

THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Medical errors occur and should be used to help improve medical processes, according to a report from the American Medical Association.

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CDC: Heroin Overdose Deaths Doubled in Much of U.S.

THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Deaths from heroin overdoses doubled from 2010 to 2012, according to research published in the Oct. 3 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

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Infant's Early Diet Doesn't Change Celiac Disease Risk

THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A newborn's risk of developing celiac disease isn't reduced by breastfeeding. Nor will delaying the introduction of gluten to an infant's diet help prevent celiac disease. These are the conclusions from a pair of new studies published in the Oct. 2 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Four Patients Who Died Tested Positive for Enterovirus D68

THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Forty-two states and the District of Columbia now have a total of 500 confirmed cases of Enterovirus D68, the severe respiratory illness that has been infecting children since the summer, U.S. health officials reported Wednesday. Four people infected with the virus have died in recent weeks, but it's not clear what role -- if any -- the virus played in those deaths, officials said.

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Updated Count for Those Potentially Exposed to U.S. Ebola

THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Health officials in Texas say more than 80 people came into contact with Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan, on top of the 18 already under surveillance.

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Providers Received Billions From Drug/Device Companies

THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- About 546,000 doctors and 1,360 teaching hospitals in the United States received billions of dollars from drug and medical device makers in the second half of 2013, according to data released Tuesday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The financial benefits ranged from research grants to trips, and totaled nearly $3.5 billion from August through December last year, the Associated Press reported.

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CDC Offers Ebola Guidance for Health Care Providers

THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- In the wake of the first confirmed case of a patient being diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is offering information on Ebola diagnosis and management for health care providers, including testing protocol.

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Preterm Birth, Pneumonia Leading Causes of Child Mortality

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly two million children younger than 5 died worldwide in 2013 of complications from premature birth and pneumonia, according to a study published online Oct. 1 in The Lancet.

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In Cancer Prevention, 9-Valent HPV Vaccine Looks Promising

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A vaccine meant to protect against nine types of human papillomavirus (HPV) could prevent 90 percent of all cervical cancers, according to a study published in the October issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

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CDC Monitoring Those Who Had Contact With Ebola Patient

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Federal health officials are monitoring up to 18 people who were exposed to the man being treated at a Dallas hospital for the first confirmed case of Ebola in the United States.

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CDC Issues Ebola Best Practices Reminder for Providers

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a general reminder to travelers and health care providers on best practices regarding Ebola.

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High Salt Intake + Smoking May Up Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Although no link has been found between sodium intake and risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), there might be an increased risk for RA among smokers with high sodium consumption, according to research published online Sept. 10 in Rheumatology.

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Obesity Tied to Higher Cancer Risk for CRC Survivors

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients who are overweight or obese when diagnosed appear to face a slightly higher risk for developing a second weight-related cancer, according to research published online Sept. 29 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The finding didn't speak to the risk of CRC recurrence, only the potential for developing other cancers associated with obesity.

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No Genetic Proof Vitamin D Guards Against Type 2 Diabetes

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- There's no genetic evidence that high levels of vitamin D can prevent type 2 diabetes, according to research published online Oct. 1 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

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CDC Confirms First Patient Diagnosed With Ebola in U.S.

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The first confirmed case of Ebola has surfaced in the United States, involving a man who recently flew here from Liberia, federal health officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced late Tuesday.

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Burnout on the Job Isn't Just About the Work

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Work, non-work, and individual factors explain a considerable part of psychological distress, depression, and emotional exhaustion, according to a study published online July 24 in Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology.

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