Health Links

For the first time, Medicare patients can see how often hospitals report serious conditions that develop during an inpatient hospital stay that could possibly harm patients. This data about the safety of care available in America’s hospitals has been added to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Hospital Compare website more »

The survey of state departments of health indicated that those with a nuclear power plant were better prepared for a major nuclear emergency, but most still weren't prepared enough ... Fewer than half of the states surveyed had written plans for radiation exposure assessment, environmental sampling, human specimen collection and analysis, and human health assessment. more »

Why do some people fret over the most trivial matters while others remain calm in the face of calamity? Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have identified two different chinks in our brain circuitry that explain why some of us are more prone to anxiety. more »

A recent article available through the National Institutes of Health's weekly newsletter, Research Matters, is only one that are of interest: Scientists used a brain-computer interface to show how the activity of just a few brain cells can control the display of pictures on a computer screen. The finding sheds light on how single brain cells contribute to attention and conscious thought. more »