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Observer examines calls for reworking health spending focus in Africa

The Observer examines the recent appeal by some health experts for an "overhaul of health spending in Africa," which, they say, focuses on HIV/AIDS and overlooks other deadly diseases, such as diarrhea.

26 Oct 2009

National Cancer Institute awards Johns Hopkins $14.8 million for cancer research

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology have been awarded $14.8 million from the National Cancer Institute to launch a research center aimed at unraveling the physical underpinnings of the growth and spread of cancer.

26 Oct 2009

Report finds hundreds of billions of dollars of waste in U.S. healthcare system

The U.S. health care system wastes between $505 billion and $850 billion every year, according to a new report from Thomson Reuters, the parent company of the Reuters news service.

26 Oct 2009

Also in Global Health News: Ghana, Nigeria Global Fund grants; CDC Director on global health role; African Peacekeepers and HIV/AIDS

Stabroek News reports on the recent news that Guyana received a $10 million grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The "six-year programme aims at strengthening critical areas in the system such as Mental Health; the Nursing Programme; Management and Development Programme; Surveillance and Monitoring Programme and Management and Information systems," the newspaper writes (10/23).

26 Oct 2009

Hospital gives Medicare patients cash back for surgery

In a story done by Kaiser Health News in collaboration with USA Today, KHN staff writer Phil Galewitz reports on a hospital in Tulsa, Okla. "An hour into knee replacement surgery — with U2's I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For playing in the background — Dr. Yogesh Mittal smiles as he raises the left leg of his patient, 76-year-old Frank Morrow.

26 Oct 2009

Health care legislation benefits insurers, but annual profits are not so hot

The health insurance industry is likely to benefit from a health care overhaul, but industry profits are not as high as many seem to believe.

26 Oct 2009

AP looks at USAID administrator vacancy

Although there's "increasing pressure" on President Obama "to fill his administration's vacant top foreign-assistance post ... no candidate is in sight nine months into his term," the Associated Press writes in an article exploring the absence of a leader for USAID. Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton have expressed a desire for "the agency to play a bigger role in U.S. foreign policy ... [with] more equal roles for diplomacy and development alongside defense," according to the AP.

26 Oct 2009

Athletes may face future health problems despite their rigorous exercise routines, says study

For today's athletes, size and strength can mean the difference between championships, scholarships and million-dollar paydays. But new research comparing the signs of metabolic syndrome in professional baseball and football players, presented at the American College of Gastroenterology's 74th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego, reveals that the larger professional athletes - specifically football linemen - may encounter future health problems despite their rigorous exercise routines.

26 Oct 2009

House Democratic leaders huddle on public insurance option

House Democratic leaders faced an impasse late last week as it became clear that a liberal version of the public option did not have enough support in the caucus.

26 Oct 2009

Health care bills could leave millions uninsured

The cost of health insurance could hinder President Obama's goal of achieving universal coverage.

26 Oct 2009

A selection of today's opinions and editorials

Aging in Place" is the popular rallying cry in the senior community. But living at home is not so easy, either for the frail elderly or younger people with disabilities. Interestingly enough, the reasons may have more to do with social issues than medical concerns (Howard Gleckman, 10/26).

26 Oct 2009

Lobbying to 'tweak' health reform bills heats up

"In Washington, there are two ways to wage legislative war: fight to kill and fight to tweak," the Washington Post reports. "With a growing sense that Democrats may have the votes to pass health-care reform, many participants are now attempting to shape the components of landmark legislation rather than to defeat it.

26 Oct 2009

In the House, Democrats opposed to abortion threaten reform bill

Some House Democrats opposed to abortion are threatening to thwart health care reform legislation if it does not clearly steer away from funding abortions. Congress Daily reports: "With Republicans likely to try to use the emotional issue to draw support and money for 2010 contests, Democrats tried to make the bill 'abortion neutral' -- maintaining existing federal policy without further restricting abortion rights.

26 Oct 2009

Major fundraising initiative launched for Rett syndrome research

Inspired by recent breakthroughs in research, today the International Rett Syndrome Foundation (IRSF) announced a major fundraising initiative entitled Research to Reality: Funding Progress. Funds raised by the campaign are earmarked to accelerate the progress of crucial research, and bring promise to reality. Country music sensation Clint Black, whose niece Courtney lost her battle with Rett syndrome in 2003 at age 16, will serve as Honorary Chair of the campaign.

26 Oct 2009

Study links abnormalities in the white matter of the brain with schizophrenia

A new study by researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP), King's College London has discovered abnormalities in the white matter of the brain that seem to be critical for the timing of schizophrenia. The study, led by Professor Phillip McGuire and Dr Sophia Frangou, has been published in this month's edition of the British Journal of Psychiatry.

26 Oct 2009

Moderates spotlighted in health debate, stir tension with liberal colleagues

Roll Call reports that the two longtime Connecticut Senators, Democrat Chris Dodd and Independent Joe Lieberman, are at "near-opposite ends of a health care debate that amounts to Congress' biggest undertaking in a generation." The relationship between to the two lawmakers was strained in 2008, when Dodd ran for president, but Lieberman supported Republican John McCain. In 2006, Lieberman left the Democratic Party after losing a primary race and Dodd endorsed his challenger.

26 Oct 2009

Integrated care's drawback: It could lead to health monopolies

President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders have repeatedly praised integrated health care for its ability to improve safety and quality while reducing costs, citing examples such as the Mayo Clinic. But health economists worry that such consolidation may actually increase costs and could lead to monopolies.

26 Oct 2009

Failure to fix Medicare doctor payments highlights perennial problem

NPR reports on Senate Democrats' failed attempt to fix Medicare's perennial problem of threatening to cut doctor pay. "Just about every year a formula glitch threatens to cut payments to doctors who treat seniors and the disabled," according to NPR. "And just about every year Congress cancels the cut. This year lawmakers are complaining about the bill because it's not paid for. But, despite what both Republicans and Democrats are claiming, that's nothing new."

26 Oct 2009

CIVET, RFID TagSource collaborate to launch Rutgers University RFID Research Center

The Rutgers Center for Innovative Ventures of Emerging Technologies (CIVET), together with RFID TagSource, announce the launch of the Rutgers University RFID Research Center located on the Busch Campus in Piscataway, New Jersey.

26 Oct 2009