Did You Know

The number of hospitals facing financial penalties for failing to stop patients from returning to the hospital will remain steady next year, but the potential severity of the punishments is doubling. The CMS’ hospital readmissions reduction program is expected to cut Medicare spending on hospitals by about $227 million during …

Diabetes was one of the first diseases ever described when an Egyptian manuscript from 1500 BC mentioned "too great emptying of the urine." Indian physicians around the same time identified the disease and classified it as madhumeha or "honey urine," noting the urine would attract ants. Type 1 and type …

Fifty percent of US broadband households with access to online services such as prescription refills, real-time video calls with a doctor, or appointments use these services, and nearly 20%, over 17 million households, are interested in a live chat service with health experts. In addition, 13% of these households are …

An analysis of Medicare part B claims from 2000 to 2010 for the cause and locations of amputations showed a 29% decline in the overall rate of lower extremity amputations. Furthermore, among diabetes patients, there was a 47% drop of upper and lower leg amputations over the 10 year period. …

In a retrospective study, gastric banding was found to help resolve or improve comorbidities like asthma, HTN, sleep apnea, and GERD; significantly improved glucose metabolism, caused cessation or reduction in oral hypo-glycemics and insulin; and improved glycemic control, insulin sensitivity, and beta-cell function. Gastric banding completely resolved type 2 diabetes …

About 35.1% of diabetes patients who attained remission following gastric bypass surgery redeveloped the disease within five years, according to a study. Longer diabetes duration, insulin use and poor preoperative glycemic control were associated with a higher risk of diabetes relapse, researchers said. Obesity Surgery 2013 

 Researchers studied the growth factor family that negatively regulates skeletal muscle growth and myostatin (MSTN). They found that overexpression of the myostatin (MSTN) gene resulted in elevated insulin resistance and obesity. In contrast, MSTN gene deletion increased the muscle mass in mice models, reduced resistance to diet-induced obesity, and increased …

Thomas P. J. Solomon, PhD, of the Centre of Inflammation and Metabolism, Copenhagen, and colleagues studied body composition, aerobic fitness and glycemic control in 105 overweight or obese patients (mean BMI, 33 kg/m2; mean age, 61 years) with impaired glucose tolerance (n=56) or type 2 diabetes (n=49) before and after …

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization reports that 32.8% of Mexican adults are obese, compared with 31.8% of adults in the U.S. Diabetes kills as many as 70,000 people a year in Mexico — roughly equal to the deaths authorities say are caused by more than six years of the …

A study found that overweight women who watched a 15-minute DVD once a week that featured an avatar performing healthy weight-loss behaviors lost 3.5 pounds, on average, after four weeks. The results suggest that "virtual reality could be a promising new tool for building healthier habits," said researcher Melissa Napolitano. …