Heres a recent story that touches on a whole lot of themes in health reform – without getting bogged down in a lot of jargon. Value-based purchasing. Evidence-based medicine. Shared decision-making.
Jackie Crosby of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune writes about how a Minnesota insurer, HealthPartners, has introduced a new approach for patients with low back pain. Before they get surgery, they have to get a consult on nonsurgical alternatives. 
Joanne Kenen is AHCJ’s health reform topic leader. If you have questions or suggestions for future resources, please send them to .
If they still opt for surgery, they can have it. But t
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Released: 12/9/2011 9:45 AM EST Source: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Newswise BOSTON – Cancer of the liver – rare in the United States but the third-leading cause of cancer death worldwide – can result from environmental exposures or infections like chronic hepatitis, but the link is poorly understood.
Now, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have identified a mechanism in mice that triggers inflammation in the liver and transforms normal cells into cancerous ones. In ad
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Moderate Red Wine Consumption May Lower Breast Cancer Risk Posted on 2012-01-24 06:00:01 in Cancer | Diet | Womens Health |
Drinking red wine in moderation may reduce one of the risk factors for breast cancer, providing a natural weapon to combat a major cause of death among American women. Chrisandra Shufelt, from Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute (California, USA), and colleagues studied 36 women who were randomized to drink either Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay daily for almost a month, then switched to the other type of wine. Blood was collected twice each month to measure hormone levels. Researchers sought to determine whether red wine mimics the effects of aromatase inhibitors, which play a key role in managing estrogen levels. A
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Autophagy is a process by which a cell responds to starvation and other stresses by degrading damaged or unneeded parts of itself to produce energy. It is sometimes called the cell’s housekeeping pathway.
“Exercise is known to have many health benefits but the mechanisms have been unclear. Autophagy is also known to have several health benefits, and these benefits correspond closely to the effects of exercise. We hypothesized that some of the health benefits of exercise might be explained through autophagy,” said senior author Dr. Beth Levine, professor of internal medicine and microbiology who leads the Center for Autophagy Research at UT Southwestern.
Dr. Levin
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