http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Hospital readmissions are a costly problem for patients and for the United States health care system with studies showing nearly 20 percent of Medicare patients are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge at an annual cost of $17 billion. Preventing avoidable readmissions could result in improved patient care and significant cost savings. In a new model developed at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), researchers help clinicians identify which medical patients are at the greatest risk for potentially avoidable hospital readmissions so extra steps can be taken to keep those patients healthy and out of the hospital. The model is published in the March 25, 2013 online edition of JAMA Internal Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-hospital-readmission.html Health Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:07:02 EST news283450016 (HealthDay)—For patients with severe acute gastrointestinal bleeding, a restrictive transfusion approach is safe and effective compared with a liberal approach, according to a study published in the Jan. 2 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-restrictive-transfusion-strategy-safe-acute.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 03 Jan 2013 10:58:55 EST news276433113 A meta-analysis of 10 studies suggests that receipt of a blood transfusion among patients with myocardial infarction (heart attack) was associated with increased all-cause mortality compared with not receiving a blood transfusion during heart attack, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-blood-transfusion-death-patients-heart.html Cardiology Mon, 24 Dec 2012 16:00:05 EST news275576622 A new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers suggests that, for HIV patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to treat HIV, there is no benefit from high- vs. standard-dose micronutrient supplementation—and that, in fact, high-dose supplements may cause harm. The study is the first large randomized trial to look at how high-dose multivitamin supplementation affects clinical outcomes among people on HAART. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-benefit-high-dose-multivitamins-hiv-patients.html HIV & AIDS Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:00:15 EST news269614593 (HealthDay)—Arterial stiffness is inversely related to plasma adiponectin levels in young, normotensive patients with type 1 diabetes, according to a study published online Sept. 21 in Diabetes Care. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-arterial-stiffness-inversely-tied-plasma.html Diabetes Thu, 27 Sep 2012 19:00:02 EST news267987157 Could a low-cost screening device connected to a cell phone save thousands of women and children from anemia-related deaths and disabilities? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-undergrads-cell-screener-combat-anemia.html Medical research Tue, 24 Jul 2012 15:52:04 EST news262363911 Pregnant women in poor communities in Bangladesh who received multiple micronutrients, including iron and folic acid combined with early food supplementation, had substantially improved survival of their newborns, compared to women in a standard program that included usual food supplementation, according to a study in the May 16 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on Global Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-prenatal-micronutrient-food-supplementation-intervention.html Health Tue, 15 May 2012 16:35:33 EST news256318526