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Health law revision suggestions pour in from lawmakers, groups

Kaiser Health News reports that vulnerable Democrats are looking for alternatives to the health law's mandate that nearly all Americans carry health insurance. "Under political pressure as a result of the new health law, Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., has asked the Government Accountability Office to study alternatives to the controversial mandate requiring most Americans to obtain coverage." Because Nelson is from a typically "red" state, Republicans have targeted him as one Democrat willing to play ball on scaling back the law (Vaida, 11/17).

19 Nov 2010

Berwick's big day: Senators will grill CMS administrator

Donald Berwick, administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is testifying today before the Senate Finance Committee, presenting an opportunity for Republicans on that panel to revisit their objections to the health law, CQ HealthBeat reports.

18 Nov 2010

Sangamo presents Phase 2 clinical data in ALS at Society for Neuroscience Meeting

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. announced today the presentation of Phase 2 clinical data from its ZFP Therapeutic program to develop SB-509, a zinc finger protein transcriptional activator (ZFP-TF) of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A gene as a treatment for ALS.

17 Nov 2010

New insights into communication problems like stuttering

New human and animal studies released today uncover the extensive brain wiring used in communication and provide new insights into how the brain processes and produces language, accents, and sounds. The research also explores the brain abnormalities in people with speech and language problems, such as stuttering, suggesting future treatment avenues. The new findings were presented at Neuroscience 2010, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news on brain science and health.

17 Nov 2010

New AAC devices can help patients with neurological conditions to communicate

Though many people suffering from neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy and Lou Gehrig's disease have lost their ability to speak, they can communicate using augmentative and alternative communications (AAC) devices such as keyboards, head sticks, and other hands-free options.

17 Nov 2010

Berwick to testify for the first time as Medicare/Medicaid chief

Medicare and Medicaid chief Donald Berwick will testify before a congressional committee Wednesday for the first time since President Barack Obama avoided the Senate confirmation process to Republican protest by using a recess appointment to install Berwick as the administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

17 Nov 2010

Lancet World Report details new U.S. Global Development Policy, Global Health community's reaction

Lancet World Report examines elements of President Barack Obama's U.S. Global Development Policy strategy that he unveiled during the U.N. summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in September.

16 Nov 2010

Researchers develop human cell-based model of Rett syndrome

A groundbreaking study published Friday in the leading scientific journal, Cell, revealed that a team of investigators had successfully generated nerve cells using skin cells from four individuals with Rett syndrome. The study, funded in part by IRSF, was led by Dr. Alysson Muotri at the University of California, San Diego--a leading researcher in the stem cell field.

16 Nov 2010

Researchers study Rett neurons in a Petri dish

A collaborative effort between researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of California, San Diego, successfully used human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from patients with Rett syndrome to replicate autism in the lab and study the molecular pathogenesis of the disease.

12 Nov 2010

FDA unveils graphic anti-smoking warnings for cigarette packages

The Washington Post: "Federal health officials Wednesday unveiled plans to replace the warnings cigarette packs began carrying 25 years ago with new versions using images that could include emaciated cancer patients, diseased organs and corpses. Public health authorities and anti-smoking advocates hailed the move as a milestone in the battle against tobacco in the United States that began in 1964 when the surgeon general first declared cigarettes a public health threat.

12 Nov 2010

Study on flavors of laughter

Most scientific research on laughter is based on recordings of people pretending to laugh. But for Michael Owren of Georgia State University in Atlanta, this false laughter -- the sound of a canned sit-com laugh track -- is a pale imitation of the real thing. He studies the full vocabulary of chortles, giggles, guffaws we all use in everyday situations.

12 Nov 2010

Research unveils epigenetic function of MECP2 gene tht cause neuropsychiatric disorders

The laboratory of Huda Zoghbi, where the discovery that mutations in the gene MECP2 cause the severe childhood neurological disorder Rett Syndrome was made, has taken yet another step toward unraveling the complex epigenetic functions of this gene, implicated also in cases of autism, bipolar disease and childhood onset schizophrenia. The November 11 issue of Nature reports that removing MECP2 from a small group of neurons that typically make the inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA, recapitulates many symptoms of Rett as well as numerous neuropsychiatric disorders.

12 Nov 2010

Researchers identify molecular cascade that drives sprouting in brain after stroke

A stroke wreaks havoc in the brain, destroying its cells and the connections between them. Depending on its severity and location, a stroke can impact someone's life forever, affecting motor activity, speech, memories, and more.

11 Nov 2010

Experts call for global agriculture reform to ensure food security as two rice conferences open

Experts attending the International Rice Congress in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Tuesday called for imminent action to change inefficient farming methods and expand the global rice supply in order to prevent rising poverty and hunger, Agence France-Presse reports.

11 Nov 2010

Pres. Obama discusses U.S.-Indonesia partnership that includes improving health, science

During a stop in Indonesia on Tuesday as part of his 10-day Asia-Pacific tour, President Barack Obama together with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced a U.S.-Indonesia partnership that will encompass a variety of key issues such as science, technology, health and trade.

11 Nov 2010

Stafford Hospital inquiry looks into “human rights” violations in care

A public inquiry into conditions and care at Stafford hospital in Stafford, England heard that the hospital was violating basic human rights of the patients. The counsel for Cure the NHS, a campaign group set up by relatives of some of the people who died at the hospital after receiving inadequate treatment established the fact that the standard of care constituted inhuman and degrading treatment at the facility.

10 Nov 2010

Researchers identify molecular cascade that drives process of reconnection in adult brain after stroke

10 Nov 2010

ICSI launches new initiative to save health care imaging costs, improve patient care

A new initiative launched by the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, a nonprofit, health care improvement organization, could save the Minnesota health care community more than $28 million annually, as well as improve patient care and provider groups' productivity.

10 Nov 2010

mHealth Alliance annual summit kicks off with $1M HP donation, discussion of improving maternal, child health

The mHealth Alliance on Monday at its summit in Washington, D.C., "announced a two-year $1 million aggregate donation from HP" aimed at furthering the alliance's goal of delivering quality health care "at the furthest reaches of wireless networks and mobile devices," mobihealthnews reports.

10 Nov 2010

Gentiva third quarter total net revenues increase 38% to $387.8 million

Gentiva Health Services, Inc., a leading provider of home health and hospice services, today reported third quarter 2010 results.

9 Nov 2010

Speech News and Research

Health law revision suggestions pour in from lawmakers, groups

Berwick's big day: Senators will grill CMS administrator

Sangamo presents Phase 2 clinical data in ALS at Society for Neuroscience Meeting

New insights into communication problems like stuttering

New AAC devices can help patients with neurological conditions to communicate

Berwick to testify for the first time as Medicare/Medicaid chief

Lancet World Report details new U.S. Global Development Policy, Global Health community's reaction

Researchers develop human cell-based model of Rett syndrome

Researchers study Rett neurons in a Petri dish

FDA unveils graphic anti-smoking warnings for cigarette packages

Study on flavors of laughter

Research unveils epigenetic function of MECP2 gene tht cause neuropsychiatric disorders

Researchers identify molecular cascade that drives sprouting in brain after stroke

Experts call for global agriculture reform to ensure food security as two rice conferences open

Pres. Obama discusses U.S.-Indonesia partnership that includes improving health, science

Stafford Hospital inquiry looks into “human rights” violations in care

Researchers identify molecular cascade that drives process of reconnection in adult brain after stroke

ICSI launches new initiative to save health care imaging costs, improve patient care

mHealth Alliance annual summit kicks off with $1M HP donation, discussion of improving maternal, child health

Gentiva third quarter total net revenues increase 38% to $387.8 million

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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