In a second human case, a Yale-led research team has found that a melanoma cell and a white blood cell can fuse to form a hybrid with the ability to metastasize. The finding provides further insight into how melanoma and other cancers spread from solid tumours with implications for future treatment. [ + ]

Made possible through a Victorian Government investment of $630 million, the new Bendigo Hospital is the largest regional hospital development in Victoria's history and one of the largest hospital projects across Australia. [ + ]

Ongoing education is important for ensuring emergency department nurses play a vital role in the speedy delivery of patient pain relief, according to a new Australian study. [ + ]

About this time last year, Australia’s National Health Performance Authority (NHPA) decided not to release data on death rates across Australia's hospitals. This is the type of scandal we should be concerned about, rather than spending too much time on the travel expenses of our pollies. [ + ]

Emergency body cooling does not improve survival or functional outcomes in children who experience in-hospital cardiac arrest any more than normal temperature control, according to a multicentre study led by the University of Michigan and University of Utah. [ + ]

The country's largest health union, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF), said new Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt must listen to nurses and midwives if the government has any chance of addressing the many issues impacting the health and aged-care sectors and the delivery of quality care. [ + ]

An in-depth genomic and molecular analysis of cervical cancer, reported in Nature this week, reveals potential new therapeutic targets for the disease, which remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths globally. [ + ]

A new high-tech medical device to make brain surgery safer has been developed by researchers at the University of Adelaide. [ + ]

Diabetes Expo will take place on Saturday, 25 February at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, featuring high-profile speakers and showcasing the latest products and services for people with diabetes. [ + ]

The Commonwealth Senate enquiry report into tick-borne diseases has been released, highlighting the importance of awareness of tick-related illnesses in Australia. Worryingly, the committee heard that there could be as many as 50,000 people bitten by ticks in Australia each year. [ + ]

St Vincent's Health Australia (SVHA) has committed $450,000 to bring culturally appropriate palliative care services to five Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) of Cape York as part of an MOU with Northern Peninsula Area Family and Community Services (NPAFACS) and Apunipima Cape York Health Council (Apunipima). [ + ]

A new tool — a type of ultraviolet light called UVC — could aid hospitals in the ongoing battle to keep drug-resistant bacteria from lingering in patient rooms and causing new infections. [ + ]

Using large patient databases for healthcare decision-making in cancer could improve quality of life and decrease healthcare costs, according to a paper published online this week in Nature Genetics. [ + ]

When it comes to the tiny scaffold-like stents inserted to unblock the clogged arteries of heart disease patients, the stakes couldn't be higher. [ + ]

Western Australia's Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) is enabling mothers and newborns to experience the benefits of skin-to-skin care immediately after birth while keeping babies safe from suffocation. [ + ]