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The connection between lifestyle and biomarkers of Alzheimer’s

Dr. Denise A. Valenti Medical & Allied Healthcare

A recent study took a close look at the relationship between lifestyle behaviors and the biomarkers used to determine a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found that despite having a history of lifelong cognitive stimulation and activity, the biomarkers of disease were still evident.

Study: Poverty harms brain development in children

Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied Healthcare

Between 2009 and 2010, 1 million more children in America joined the ranks of those living in poverty, bringing the total to an estimated 15.7 million poor children in 2010, an increase of 2.6 million since the recession began at the end of 2007. Most of these children have parents who work, but low wages and unstable employment leave their families struggling to make ends meet.

For better infection control, providers must look in the mirror

Joan Spitrey Healthcare Administration

During their education, healthcare providers are taught about disease transmission and infection control. The six links in the chain of infection — infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry and susceptible host — are a mainstay in infection prevention and well known by healthcare providers.

Healthcare providers preparing for dialysis pay-for-performance change

Christina Thielst Healthcare Administration

Beginning Jan. 1, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will pay outpatient dialysis facilities for performance. The End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program (QIP) will promote high-quality services by linking a portion of payment directly to the dialysis facility's performance on quality-of-care measures.

The surprising connection between healthy living and hearing

Patricia Sarmiento Medical & Allied Healthcare

I'm a self-diagnosed health nut. I love reading articles, tweets and blog posts about healthy living. My motto has always been that the more I know, the better I’ll be able to take care of my family. They're all very familiar with the routine. But I have to admit that in all my time worrying about things like heart health and cancer prevention, I overlooked a very important part of wellness — our hearing.

Massive growth continues in mHealth market

Scott E. Rupp Healthcare Administration

The mHealth market continues to see sizable gains, with its current valuation at more than $10.5 billion, according to a new report by Allied Market Research. The sector is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 33.5 percent from this year through 2020. According to the recent report, blood pressure monitors have the largest share of the global mHealth device market, followed by blood glucose monitors and cardiac monitors.

Are sodas the new cigarettes?

Jason Poquette Pharmaceutical

According to a recent analysis published in the British Medical Journal, sugar-sweetened soda drinks may be the next big target for a public health awareness campaign. If the conclusions of this meta-analysis are correct, the consumption of sugary soda drinks will contribute to 2 million more Type 2 diabetes cases over the next 10 years in the U.S. It makes me wonder if soda consumption is nearly as dangerous to our health as cigarettes.

When the big toe becomes a big problem

Heidi Dawson Sports & Fitness

The big toe joint. Also known as the first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ). It's not something most of us ever really think about. However, if you're someone who suffers from knee pain, hip pain, lower back pain or tight calf muscles, maybe you should be paying a little more attention to it. This is especially true in runners and even those who walk any distance regularly, for exercise or not. So, really, most people.

The graying of the US healthcare workforce

Christina Thielst Healthcare Administration

The baby boomer generation started reaching retirement age in 2011. As millions of baby boomers are starting to need the additional healthcare services that come with aging, the healthcare industry is considering their labor options. At the same time more workers will be needed, a wave of older healthcare workers will also be retiring. So where will the labor needed come from when there just aren't enough younger workers to fill the gaps?

Green is the new black for Ornge pilots

Mark Huber Medical & Allied Healthcare

A rather public debate has been raging all summer up in Ontario with regard to what are safe nighttime operations for the province's HEMS provider Ornge. The fatal nighttime crash in 2013 of one of the Ornge's S-76As while taking off into a "black hole" from its base in Moosonee that killed all four crew members has resulted in a series of reforms.

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