If consumer-directed health plans grow to account for half of all employer-sponsored insurance in the United States, health costs could drop by $57 billion annually -- about 4 percent of all health care spending among the nonelderly, according to a new RAND Corporation study. Consumer-directed health plans, which include high deductibles and personal health accounts, are a market-based approach that many employers have adopted to address health care spending. Such plans now account for about 13 percent of all employer-sponsored health coverage. Aggressive expansion ...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — For most people with asthma, a couple of puffs from an inhaler filled with steroids makes breathing easy. But if their lungs become resistant to the calming effect of that medicine, they live in fear of severe asthma attacks that could send them to the hospital – or worse. Now, new research from the University of Michigan Health System may help explain what's going on in the lungs of these steroid-resistant individuals. The findings could aid the development of new treatment options, and of better ways to identify people at risk of becoming steroid-resistant. The ...

The Daily Titan, the student-run newspaper at California State University, Fullerton, reports on the proceedings of the 2012 Educational Summit on Online Education, which took place at the Fullerton campus. Speakers at the event cite online education as a key part of education's future, and as such hope to explore the ways in which Internet-based educational programs can boost the academic performance of American students. Almeda University, which has been providing online educational opportunities for over 15 years, is glad that U.S. political leaders are finally paying ...

A study on a handful of people with suspected mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) suggests that a device that sends continuous electrical impulses to specific "memory" regions of the brain appears to increase neuronal activity. Results of the study using deep brain stimulation, a therapy already used in some patients with Parkinson's disease and depression, may offer hope for at least some with AD, an intractable disease with no cure. "While our study was designed mainly to establish safety, involved only six people and needs to be replicated on a larger scale, we don't have ...

Since 1997, an active ban on owning or harboring a pit bull or pit bull mix has existed in Prince George's County, Maryland. Many consider the penalty, which is punishable to up to six months in prison and a $1,000 fine, an unnecessary act of breed discrimination. Nationwide, organizations, like No Leash Needed and the SPCA discourage such injustices. However, in a recent report by MSNBC, the Maryland Court of Appeals rules that pit bulls are an "inherently dangerous" breed. The ruling states that pet owners, or landlord that rent to them, are fully liable ...

WASHINGTON, May 7—X-ray mammography is an important diagnostic tool in the fight against breast cancer, but it has certain drawbacks that limit its effectiveness. For example, it can give in false positive and negative results; it also exposes women to low doses of ionizing radiation, which – while accepted as safe – still carry some risk. In the first phase of clinical testing of a new imaging device, researchers from Netherlands' University of Twente and Medisch Spectrum Twente Hospital in Oldenzaal used photoacoustics – light-induced sound – rather than ionizing radiation ...

It is increasingly difficult to deny the reality that, for businesses of all shapes and sizes, social media is the future of public relations. This point was driven home when major financial firm Goldman Sachs announced that it would be hiring a full-time social media strategist. According to a report in the New York Times, Goldman's social media strategist will be tasked with overseeing the various online communities that have built up around the firm, as well as cultivating a "positive online presence" for the company. This underscores just how vital social ...

One popular climate record that shows a slower atmospheric warming trend than other studies contains a data calibration problem, and when the problem is corrected the results fall in line with other records and climate models, according to a new University of Washington study. The finding is important because it helps confirm that models that simulate global warming agree with observations, said Stephen Po-Chedley, a UW graduate student in atmospheric sciences who wrote the paper with Qiang Fu, a UW professor of atmospheric sciences. They identified a problem with the ...

It is often said that small businesses are the backbone of the American economy, yet for many small business owners, it does not always feel that way. Some small business owners can feel as though they are taken advantage of, particularly by larger corporations that seek to exploit tax loopholes. A recent CNBC report draws attention to this phenomenon. According to the report, small business pay the price, literally, when larger corporations don't pay their fair share; in light of this, more and more small businesses are seeking financial assistance, not just from conventional ...

Researchers studying the molecular signals that drive a specific type of lymphoma have discovered a key biological pathway leading to this type of cancer. Cancerous cells have been described as being "addicted" to certain oncogenes (cancer-causing genes), and the new research may lay the groundwork for breaking that addiction and effectively treating aggressive types of B cell lymphoma. B cell lymphomas, which occur both in children and adults, are cancers that attack B cells in the immune system. "Our research suggests ways to devise more specific therapies to selectively ...

ORANGE, Calif. – A groundbreaking study lead by Chapman University professor Brennan Peterson, Ph.D. on fertility awareness of American college students will be published in the May 5th edition of Human Reproduction—a top-tier international journal in reproductive biology. It is the first such study on fertility awareness among American undergraduate university students. In the USA, the postponement of childbearing is reflective of contemporary social norms of delaying marriage, pursuing education and securing economic stability prior to having a baby. However the awareness ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- The Medical Publishing Insights and Practices (MPIP) initiative and its co-sponsors recently collaborated with journal editors to characterize the persistent and perceived credibility gap in reporting industry-sponsored research and to identify potential approaches to resolve it. This unique round table, hosted by MPIP, reached consensus on Ten Recommendations for Closing the Credibility Gap in Reporting Industry-Sponsored Clinical Research as reported in the May issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Attendees of the roundtable agreed that important improvements ...

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, report that significant numbers of myofibroblasts – cells that produce the fibrous scarring in chronic liver injury – revert to an inactive phenotype as the liver heals. The discovery in mouse models could ultimately help lead to new human therapies for reversing fibrosis in the liver, and in other organs like the lungs and kidneys. The work is published in the May 7, 2012 online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "The ...

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers have discovered that a drug already prescribed to millions of people with diabetes could also have another important use: treating one of the world's leading causes of blindness. In laboratory rat and cell-culture experiments, the scientists found that metformin, which is commonly used to control blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes, also substantially reduced the effects of uveitis, an inflammation of the tissues just below the outer surface of the eyeball. Uveitis causes 10 to 15 percent of all cases of blindness ...

One of the biggest online poker rooms in the world, Titan Poker recently upgraded its Titan Rewards program and introduced new schemes that will benefit all players, even new and casual visitors to its poker tables. Under the Monthly Cash program, players will receive a monthly supply of cash from the moment they sign up and download the Titan Poker software. For every 100 Titan Points that you accumulate, you will receive a $1 cash gift. This new program automatically rewards new and casual players who have not yet achieved VIP status with a return on their game play ...

BOSTON – Living close to a major highway poses a significant risk to heart attack survivors, reinforcing the need to isolate housing developments from heavy traffic areas, a Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center study concludes. Writing in the May 7 edition of Circulation, researchers found heart attack survivors living less than 100 meters or 328 feet from a roadway have a 27 percent higher risk of over within 10 years than survivors living at least 1,000 meters away. That risk recedes to 13 percent for those living between 200 and 1,000-meter or 656 to 3,277-feet from ...

Washington, D.C.— In the search for Earth-like planets, it is helpful to look for clues and patterns that can help scientist narrow down the types of systems where potentially habitable planets are likely to be discovered. New research from a team including Carnegie's Alan Boss narrows down the search for Earth-like planets near Jupiter-like planets. Their work indicates that the early post-formation movements of hot-Jupiter planets probably disrupt the formation of Earth-like planets. Their work is published the week of May 7 by Proceedings of the National Academy of ...

Pasadena, CA—Type Ia supernovae are important stellar phenomena, used to measure the expansion of the universe. But astronomers know embarrassingly little about the stars they come from and how the explosions happen. New research from a team led by Harvard University and including Carnegie's Josh Simon, Chris Burns, Nidia Morrell, and Mark Phillips examined 23 Type Ia supernovae and helped identify the formation process for at least some of them. Their work will be published in The Astrophysical Journal and is available online. Type Ia supernovae are violent stellar explosions. ...

Despite worlds of potential, sales of Amalga have been limited and its overall KLAS performance score has dropped 14 points in the last two years, from 84.2 to 69.9, revealing a split personality in customer opinions. Some healthcare providers are pleased with the results that Amalga has achieved at their facility, and others are displeased with the product as a whole. Given Amalga's potential, yet lack of progress, this KLAS study takes a closer look at Amalga's story. The report "Microsoft Amalga 2012: The Price of Flexibility" discusses why some customers ...

On May 1, USDA Forest Service, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Memphis Zoo, and other partners released seven young Louisiana pine snakes on a restored longleaf pine stand in the Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana. The release is the fourth in 2 years, part of a plan to restore a very rare snake to its range in Louisiana. Last year the partners released 20 newly hatched snakes; this year's snakes are 6 months old and about 3 feet long. Four to 5 feet long as an adult and covered with a striking pattern of black, brown ...

Women in the upper echelons of corporations are not helping other qualified women break through the glass ceiling according to new research from Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. "My research aims to understand the complicated processes that contribute to the dearth of women in the top tiers of organizations," says Michelle Duguid, PhD, assistant professor of organizational behavior at Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis, and author of "Female Tokens in High-prestige Work Groups: Catalysts or Inhibitors of ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. — The peak risk for misusing prescription pain relievers occurs in mid-adolescence, specifically about 16 years old and earlier than many experts thought, according to a new study by Michigan State University researchers. The results, based on recent nationwide surveys of nearly 120,000 U.S. adolescents, suggest prevention programs may need to be introduced earlier, in childhood and early adolescence, said James C. Anthony of MSU's Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Recent trends show clinicians and public health professionals are prescribing ...

The city of Providence is seriously considering its options in the wake of a $20 million budget deficit. Like many municipalities across the country, Providence is having trouble in these difficult financial times. The mayor and city managers are looking at bankruptcy as a last resort to restore the city's fiscal health. Providence has explored several measures to close the gap in the budget, yet up to this point it has not fully resolved the problem. The city has requested voluntary concessions from city retiree pension plan holders in an effort to help stave off bankruptcy. ...

The Atlanta movers at A.C. White Relocations are pleased to introduce their company's newest division, Secure Record Storage, to the public. Secure Record Storage offers private, secure storage for business and personal records. No matter the number of documents to be stored, Secure Record Storage is the safest choice. By storing records with Secure Record Storage, clients get the very best in safe, climate controlled private storage to ensure that their documents are safe from any threat from weather to thieves. When you are running a business, paper copies can quickly ...

Atlanta tree service Yellow Ribbon Tree Experts encourages Atlanta residents to hang a tree swing or hammock in their yard to enjoy the warm weather. "With such a mild winter this year, many Atlantans are already excited about spending time outdoors this spring," notes Gary Robertson, owner of Atlanta tree removal company Yellow Ribbon Tree Experts. "Many people find that adding a tree swing or hammock encourages them to enjoy their outdoor space even more." The most important thing to consider when hanging a tree swing or hammock is the tree or ...