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Weekend reading: Seeking better health outcomes for homeless people; What becomes of the women denied abortions?

Even before President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, Republicans were vowing to repeal it. It's no wonder, because polls showed that the basic elements of the ACA were quite popular, and there was a real danger that it would become more so as people found out that the plan denounced as a "monstrosity" by the National Republican Senatorial Committee would not trample on their liberties so much as help protect their health. [More]
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, NHCMG partner under patient-centered care agreement

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, NHCMG partner under patient-centered care agreement

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and New Haven Community Medical Group announced today that the two organizations have partnered under a patient-centered care agreement that will create an accountable care model to help ensure Anthem members' access to quality health care that is focused on improved outcomes and lower costs. [More]
Rats born with low birth weights are more likely to develop age-related vision loss, say researchers

Rats born with low birth weights are more likely to develop age-related vision loss, say researchers

Medical researchers at the University of Alberta recently published their findings that rats with restricted growth in the womb, causing low birth weights when born, were most susceptible to developing age-related vision loss, compared to their normal weight counterparts. [More]
Sequenom CMM completes build-out, validation of additional lab facility in Raleigh-Durham, NC

Sequenom CMM completes build-out, validation of additional lab facility in Raleigh-Durham, NC

Sequenom, Inc., a life sciences company providing innovative genetic analysis solutions, today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, the Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine, has completed the build-out and validation of an additional laboratory location in Raleigh-Durham, NC, and is now processing patient samples commercially. [More]

Communication gap between moms and providers in low-income countries puts babies at risk

Mothers in low-income countries may not understand why their babies are hospitalized after delivery, putting sick newborns at higher risk of health problems and death after being released from the hospital, a new study shows. [More]

UCLA study shows progesterone can be used as therapy for endometrial cancer

Progesterone, a female hormone that can be used as a therapy for endometrial cancer, eliminates tumor cells indirectly by binding to its receptor in stromal or connective tissue cells residing in the tumor microenvironment, according to a study from the G.O. Discovery Lab team and collaborators at UCLA. [More]
Findings link antihistamine use to adverse pregnancy outcomes

Findings link antihistamine use to adverse pregnancy outcomes

Women with a severe form of morning sickness who take antihistamines to help them sleep through their debilitating nausea are significantly more likely to experience adverse pregnancy outcomes, including low birth weight babies and premature births, a UCLA study has found. [More]

Study: Non-invasive blood test could reshape standards in prenatal testing

New research has found that routine screening using a non-invasive test that analyzes fetal DNA in a pregnant woman's blood can accurately detect Down's syndrome and other genetic fetal abnormalities in the first trimester. Published early online in Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology, the results suggest that the test is superior to currently available screening strategies and could reshape standards in prenatal testing. [More]
Interval between pregnancies: A golden window for obese women to lose weight

Interval between pregnancies: A golden window for obese women to lose weight

The time between pregnancies is a golden window for obese women to lose weight, a Saint Louis University study finds. [More]
R-spondin2 hormone promotes follicle development, stimulates ovary growth

R-spondin2 hormone promotes follicle development, stimulates ovary growth

MD-A newly discovered hormone produced by the eggs of human females may improve the effectiveness of current fertility treatments for women and possibly lead to entirely new treatments altogether. [More]

Johns Hopkins gynecologic surgeons perform robotic hysterectomy using single, small incision

Two Johns Hopkins gynecologic surgeons are among the first in the nation to perform a robotic hysterectomy using a single, small incision. [More]
New Cedars-Sinai initiative aims at increasing women's representation in medical research

New Cedars-Sinai initiative aims at increasing women's representation in medical research

A new Cedars-Sinai initiative called research for her is aimed at increasing women's representation in medical research, which could help scientists better understand and more effectively treat cancers that predominantly affect women. [More]

Researchers codify age-specific probabilities of live birth after IVF with frozen eggs

Researchers from New York Medical College and the University of California Davis have for the first time codified age-specific probabilities of live birth after in vitro fertilization (IVF) with frozen eggs. [More]
New suppository developed for treatment of cervical pre-cancer

New suppository developed for treatment of cervical pre-cancer

Infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) can lead to cervical cancer via a preliminary stage - that of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). In Europe 205,000 women every year are affected by this condition, most of them are aged between 25 and 30 years. Since in many cases slight manifestations of the disease (CIN 1) heal spontaneously, mostly no treatment is given but self-healing monitored by means of rigorous and continuous check-ups. [More]

Leapfrog Group honors John Muir Health's medical centers with "A" for patient safety

The Leapfrog Group, an independent coalition of public and private purchasers of employee health benefits, has honored John Muir Health's Concord and Walnut Creek medical centers with an "A" Hospital Safety Score for the second year in a row. [More]
Study: 3/4 women experience constipation and other bowel disorders during their pregnancies

Study: 3/4 women experience constipation and other bowel disorders during their pregnancies

Nearly three out of four pregnant women experience constipation, diarrhea or other bowel disorders during their pregnancies, a Loyola University Medical Center study has found. [More]

Safety and efficacy evaluation methods for medical devices

Medical devices are any medical items that are neither a drug nor a biological product. In light of their different mechanisms, actions and regulatory requirements, medical device trail evaluations are much more complicated than drug trails due to their unique clinical practices. [More]

Long-term success rates of surgery to treat pelvic organ prolapse are lower than expected

Research conducted by the Pelvic Floor Disorders Network, an initiative funded by the National Institutes of Health, has revealed that the long-term success rates of a surgery to treat pelvic organ prolapse are lower than expected. Nearly one-third of women develop anatomic or symptomatic treatment failure within five years of undergoing sacrocolpopexy for pelvic organ prolapse, according to a study published in the May 15 issue of JAMA. [More]
Research breakthrough: Human skin cells becomes embryonic stem cells

Research breakthrough: Human skin cells becomes embryonic stem cells

Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon National Primate Research Center have successfully reprogrammed human skin cells to become embryonic stem cells capable of transforming into any other cell type in the body. [More]
Minority parents more receptive to vaccinating their daughters against HPV, finds new study

Minority parents more receptive to vaccinating their daughters against HPV, finds new study

A new Boston University School of Medicine study has found that low-income and minority parents may be more receptive to vaccinating their daughters against Human Papillomavirus, while white, middle-class parents are more likely to defer the vaccination. [More]