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Increased distribution of neurosurgeons may reduce risk of motor vehicle accident-related deaths

Researchers at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire have found an association between increasing the distribution of neurosurgeons throughout the United States and decreasing the risk of death from motor vehicle accidents (MVAs).

25 Jul 2012

Malaria misdiagnosis in parts of Asia

Substantial overdiagnosis and mistreatment of malaria is evident in south and central Asia, warns a study published on bmj.com today.

25 Jul 2012

International AIDS conference kicks off in Washington, D.C.

The XIX International AIDS Conference opened in Washington, D.C., on Sunday and "is expected to draw 25,000 people, including politicians, scientists and activists, as well as some of the estimated 34 million people living with HIV who will tell their stories," Agence France-Presse reports.

24 Jul 2012

Study shows disturbing rates of new HIV infections among U.S. black MSM

Study results released today by the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) show disturbing rates of new HIV infections occurring among black gay and bisexual men in the U.S. (also known as men who have sex with men, or MSM), particularly young black MSM.

24 Jul 2012

Working poor at heart of Medicaid expansion debate as governors draw line in the sand

Even as state executives such as Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Florida Gov. Rick Scott remain firm in their opposition to the health law's Medicaid expansion, health providers such as Cleveland Clinic CEO and President Tony Cosgrove express their support for it.

23 Jul 2012

Noted philanthropist to launch mobile eye clinic in North India

Noted entrepreneur and philanthropist, Tej Kohli is all set to launch Drishti Rath, a complete eye clinic on wheels. After the successful launch of the corneal blindness eradication programme in 2010, which enabled hundreds of poverty stricken corneal blind to get vision and which is still running successfully across NCR and neighbouring rural areas, Tej is set to launch this first-of-its-kind initiative in North India.

23 Jul 2012

Anxiety in poor mothers not a psychiatric problem but a reaction to severe environmental deficits

Poor mothers are more likely to be classified as having the mental illness known as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) because they live in poverty - not because they are suffering from a psychiatric disorder, according to Rutgers researchers.

21 Jul 2012

Viewpoints: Creating an HIV-free generation; Postal Service's struggle over retiree health benefits

HIV forces us to deal with so much: sex, drugs, poverty, racism, homelessness, homophobia, sexism, illness and death. While our nation's response has been imperfect, we have gotten a lot right. And we are now at a pivotal moment where science has led us to imagine the possibility of an HIV-free generation.

21 Jul 2012

Peace Corps Volunteers provide HIV/AIDS prevention, awareness

Carrie Hessler-Radelet, deputy director of the Peace Corps, discusses the agency's work in HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and support in an AIDS.gov blog post. "Last year alone, 52 percent of all Peace Corps Volunteers engaged in such work in communities overseas," she writes, noting, "In 2013, through the Global Health Service Partnership, we look forward to placing doctors and nurses as adjunct faculty in training institutions in Africa."

20 Jul 2012

States opting-out of health law's Medicaid expansion likely to see downside

After several state officials announced their intention to reject the expansion -- and the federal funds that come with it -- news outlets report on possible implications, including costs to county taxpayers, businesses and people who would go without health benefits.

19 Jul 2012

People with schizophrenia more likely to develop cancer

People with serious mental illness —schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and disabling depression — are 2.6 times more likely to develop cancer than the general population, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.

19 Jul 2012

Cancer more likely in people with serious mental illnesses

18 Jul 2012

First Edition: July 18, 2012

Today's headlines include coverage of a new report that offers a gloomy fiscal forecast for states as they confront rising health care costs, underfunded pensions and a range of other economic challenges.

18 Jul 2012

Trans fat ban in NYC can improve quality of meals purchased outside the home

By requiring commercial food establishments to replace trans fats with oils and spreads that are low in trans and saturated fats, New York City provides a good template for initiating public health measures to improve the quality of meals purchased outside the home, Tufts University Nutrition Scientist Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, writes in an editorial published July 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

17 Jul 2012

Gates Foundation's efforts to improve access to contraceptives will improve health, lives of women, children

"Supporters of women's health ought to cheer the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's plan" to provide $1 billion over eight years to increasing women's access to contraceptives and family planning services because the "effort underscores the critical role of family planning in the international battle to reduce poverty and improve maternal health," a Seattle Times editorial states.

17 Jul 2012

IBMP delivers 11,000 ounces of donor breast milk to South African infants

The US-based International Breast Milk Project (IBMP), Prolacta Bioscience and Quick International Courier in a joint humanitarian effort delivered 11,000 ounces (2,375 bottles) of donor breast milk to South Africa, this week.

17 Jul 2012

Governors' concerns continue to surface about health law's Medicaid expansion

Though much of the dust-up following the Supreme Court's Medicaid decision has come from Republican governors vowing to opt out of the expansion, news outlets report that some Democratic governors also have concerns. Meanwhile, Kentucky became the 13th state to say it would set up its own online insurance exchange where individuals and small businesses could shop for coverage beginning in 2014.

14 Jul 2012

New inexpensive paper-based device for diabetes testing in developing countries

The latest episode in the American Chemical Society's award-winning Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions podcast series describes a new, inexpensive paper-based device designed for diabetes testing in rural areas of developing countries.

14 Jul 2012

Viewpoints: Wis. Gov. calls Obamacare 'bad policy;' 'Do the math' before deciding on Medicaid expansion

Since the Supreme Court upheld President Obama's health-care mandate, there has been exhaustive discussion about the philosophical basis of this federal law. As Election Day approaches, debate will surely grow about the proper role of our federal government. But while much attention has focused on Congress's intention to repeal or replace the Affordable Care Act, too few are studying the law's practical impact.

14 Jul 2012

Governors continue to mull, question Medicaid expansion

In the weeks since the Supreme Court ruling, several Republican governors opposed to the law have declared that they will opt out of its Medicaid expansion, which is set to take effect in 2014 and would cover those earning 133 percent or less of the federal poverty level.

13 Jul 2012