Health News: Smoking in pregnancy 'affects boys' fitness in later life' ♦ Over testing for diabetes patients reaps negative rewards ♦ Less than half of US hospitals require flu shots for staff

Combining adult stem cells with hormone may speed bone fracture healing A combination of adult stem cells and parathyroid hormone significantly increased new bone formation in laboratory animals and may speed the healing process for human bone fractures caused by osteoporosis.

Less than half of US hospitals require flu shots for staff, despite risk to patients Within weeks, flu will start spreading. Multiple national recommendations urge all healthcare workers to get the influenza vaccination, to reduce the chances they will pass the virus on to their patients. But a new study finds that more than half of hospitals still don't require this.

Smoking in pregnancy 'affects boys' fitness in later life' Mothers who smoke are putting more than their own health at risk.

Over testing for diabetes patients reaps negative rewards A national trend toward overtesting glycated hemoglobin levels in adult patients with type 2 diabetes has been uncovered by a recent study. Overtesting causes redundancy and waste says the study team, adding unnecessary costs and time burden for patients and providers. In addition, excessive testing can result in overtreatment with hypoglycemic drugs, adding additional cost and potential health complications.

11/26/13 Health News: Monsanto Signs Pesticide Deal, Biggest Mistake Doctors Make, Vitamin D Helps Kidney Transplants, Childrens Wound Healing Geans

Maui signs pesticide disclosure deal with Monsanto

WAILUKU, Hawaii -- Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa has signed a pesticide disclosure agreement with agricultural giant Monsanto. The county said Wednesday the deal requires Monsanto to disclose what types of restricted-use pesticides it's using and how much.continue reading

Two Genes May Accelerate Wound Healing in the Young

The mystery of why wounds heal more quickly in the young compared to the elderly may soon be solved following the discovery of two of the genes involved in tissue regeneration. The scientists believe that the genes, called Lin28a and IMP1, are designed to be especially active during the foetal stages of development and are gradually turned off as an animal ages - which could explain why wounds take longer to heal in the elderly and how ageing occurs.continue reading

Vitamin D for Healthy Kidney Transplants

A new study suggests that getting enough of a crucial vitamin may be essential for maintaining kidney health after a transplant. The study showed that vitamin D levels were directly related to how well patients' kidneys filtered waste out of the blood in the years after transplant surgery. Patients with lower levels of vitamin D were more likely to have an organ rejection.continue reading

The Biggest Mistake Doctors Make

Misdiagnoses are harmful and costly. But they're often preventable.

A patient with abdominal pain dies from a ruptured appendix after a doctor fails to do a complete physical exam. A biopsy comes back positive for prostate cancer, but no one follows up when the lab result gets misplaced. A child's fever and rash are diagnosed as a viral illness, but they turn out to be a much more serious case of bacterial meningitis. Such devastating errors lead to permanent damage or death for as many as 160,000 patients each year, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Not only are diagnostic problems more common than other medical mistakes—and more likely to harm patients—but they're also the leading cause of malpractice claims, accounting for 35% of nearly $39 billion in payouts in the U.S. from 1986 to 2010, measured in 2011 dollars, according to Johns Hopkins. The good news is that diagnostic errors are more likely to be preventable continue reading