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State highlights: Blue Cross Blue Shield dominant in Texas

A selection of health policy stories from Texas, New Jersey, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri and New Mexico.

13 Oct 2014

HIV-infected users of stimulants derive benefits from antiretroviral therapy

New clinical research from UC San Francisco shows that 341 HIV-infected men who reported using stimulants such as methamphetamine or cocaine derived life-saving benefits from being on antiretroviral therapy that were comparable to those of HIV-infected men who do not use stimulants.

13 Oct 2014

Obesity greatly accelerates aging of the liver

Using a recently developed biomarker of aging known as an epigenetic clock, UCLA researchers working closely with a German team of investigators have found for the first time that obesity greatly accelerates aging of the liver. This finding could explain the early onset of many age-related diseases, including liver cancer, in obese subjects

13 Oct 2014

Intensive parenting and education provided in homes reduces drug use in pregnant teens

Intensive parenting and health education provided in homes of pregnant American Indian teens reduced the mothers' illegal drug use, depression and behavior problems, and set their young children on track to meet behavioral and emotional milestones they may have otherwise missed.

13 Oct 2014

Social networking strategies encourage more at risk people to get tested for HIV

Old-school face-to-face social networking is a more effective way to identify people with HIV than the traditional referral method, suggests research being presented at IDWeek 2014.

12 Oct 2014

Maker of experimental Ebola drug scales up

The manufacturer of the experimental Ebola drug ZMapp says it has put other business on hold since August to boost production of the medication. Meanwhile, news outlets look at the government's authority to screen airline travelers, the House action to release additional funding for disease-fighting efforts and the Dallas hospital's defense of its treatment of the West African man who died of the disease this week.

12 Oct 2014

Quick, forceful implementation of control interventions necessary to control Ebola outbreaks

New Ebola research demonstrates that quick and forceful implementation of control interventions are necessary to control outbreaks and avoid far worse scenarios.

10 Oct 2014

Grand Challenges Canada announces 11 seed grants to improve mental health in developing countries

On the day the world is collectively raising awareness on mental health issues, Grand Challenges Canada, funded by the Government of Canada, announced new funding for 11 novel ideas to improve mental health in developing countries, one of the biggest unmet needs of our time. Seed grants of up to $270,000 are awarded to 11 innovators from Canada and low- and middle-income countries, totalling $2.9 million CAD.

10 Oct 2014

Viewpoints: Walmart and Obamacare; negative views continue of health law; Ebola preparedness

Walmart announced today that as of the beginning of next year it will be dropping health insurance for 30,000 employees who work less than 30 hours per week. Many liberals will react to the news by saying that it's just a profit-hungry corporation once again screwing over its employees. Conservatives are likely to say that this just shows what a mess Obamacare has created and why it should be repealed (Paul Waldman, 10/8).

10 Oct 2014

Columbia University's imaging software gets FDA 510k clearance

Columbia University's imaging software that facilitates 3-D lung tumor segmentation, licensed to Varian Medical Systems, has been incorporated into the Smart Segmentation module of Varian's Eclipse treatment planning system and has received FDA 510k clearance.

10 Oct 2014

Vancomycin drug still effective in treating Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections

A University of Nebraska Medical Center research team has determined that a longtime antibiotic, vancomycin, is still effective in treating Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections and that physicians should continue to use the drug even though several newer antibiotics are now available in the marketplace.

10 Oct 2014

CUMC researchers use innovative algorithm to find driving force behind aggressive form of glioblastoma

Using an innovative algorithm that analyzes gene regulatory and signaling networks, Columbia University Medical Center researchers have found that loss of a gene called KLHL9 is the driving force behind the most aggressive form of glioblastoma, the most common form of brain cancer.

10 Oct 2014

First study of promising Ebola vaccine commenced in West Africa

Professor Myron M. Levine, MD, Director of the Center for Vaccine Development at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and UM SOM Dean E. Albert Reece MD, PhD, MBA, announced today that the CVD, in conjunction with its sister institution, The Center for Vaccine Development of Mali and the Ministry of Health of Mali, have begun a clinical trial in health care workers (and other front-line workers) to evaluate a promising experimental Ebola vaccine.

10 Oct 2014

MSH mobilizes resources to strengthen Liberia’s health system, limit spread of Ebola

Management Sciences for Health (MSH), a Massachusetts-based global health nonprofit organization, today announced it is mobilizing its expertise and resources at the epicenter of the Ebola epidemic in Liberia to help the Ministry of Health develop community care centers for Ebola separate from the health facilities; restore essential health services for non-Ebola patients; and, improve the detection and containment of active Ebola cases in Liberian communities.

9 Oct 2014

RBX2660 drug candidate highly effective against recurrent Clostridium difficile infection

Rebiotix Inc. announced today that results of the Phase 2 PUNCH CD Study found that the overall efficacy of RBX2660 in the treatment of recurrent Clostridium difficile infection was 87.1%. The study also found that administration of RBX2660 was well-tolerated and demonstrated satisfactory safety in the 60-day interim analysis.

9 Oct 2014

VAL-083 drug compound shows promise against non-small cell lung cancer

DelMar Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage oncology company, today announced the presentation of promising new data supporting the activity of its lead drug compound, VAL-083, in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at the AACR's New Horizons in Cancer Research: Harnessing Breakthroughs – Targeting Cures. The conference takes place October 9th to 12th in Pudong, Shanghai.

9 Oct 2014

Conventional laparoscopy less complicated than robot-assisted surgery for benign gynecologic conditions

For benign gynecologic conditions, robot-assisted surgery involves more complications during surgery and may be significantly more expensive than conventional laparoscopic surgery, according to a study by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center.

9 Oct 2014

Social status can impact health, happiness even among egalitarian forager-farmers

In western society, where keeping up with the Joneses — or, better yet, surpassing them — is expected and even encouraged, status matters. So important is it that for many people, physical and emotional wellbeing are directly connected to their place in the social hierarchy.

9 Oct 2014

Temple researchers to create awareness about healthy diet among low-income Asian Americans

Although low-income Asian Americans are at a high risk for diabetes, hypertension, heart attack and stroke, they are under a misconception that their diet is healthy and not a risk factor for these chronic diseases.

9 Oct 2014

Discovery could lead to treatments for alcohol-related liver diseases

Researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine have identified epigenetic protein changes caused by binge drinking, a discovery that could lead to treatments for alcohol-related liver diseases.

9 Oct 2014

Public Health News and Research

State highlights: Blue Cross Blue Shield dominant in Texas

HIV-infected users of stimulants derive benefits from antiretroviral therapy

Obesity greatly accelerates aging of the liver

Intensive parenting and education provided in homes reduces drug use in pregnant teens

Social networking strategies encourage more at risk people to get tested for HIV

Maker of experimental Ebola drug scales up

Quick, forceful implementation of control interventions necessary to control Ebola outbreaks

Grand Challenges Canada announces 11 seed grants to improve mental health in developing countries

Viewpoints: Walmart and Obamacare; negative views continue of health law; Ebola preparedness

Columbia University's imaging software gets FDA 510k clearance

Vancomycin drug still effective in treating Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections

CUMC researchers use innovative algorithm to find driving force behind aggressive form of glioblastoma

First study of promising Ebola vaccine commenced in West Africa

MSH mobilizes resources to strengthen Liberia’s health system, limit spread of Ebola

RBX2660 drug candidate highly effective against recurrent Clostridium difficile infection

VAL-083 drug compound shows promise against non-small cell lung cancer

Conventional laparoscopy less complicated than robot-assisted surgery for benign gynecologic conditions

Social status can impact health, happiness even among egalitarian forager-farmers

Temple researchers to create awareness about healthy diet among low-income Asian Americans

Discovery could lead to treatments for alcohol-related liver diseases

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