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Diabetes may cause women to experience hearing loss as they age

Having diabetes may cause women to experience a greater degree of hearing loss as they age, especially if the metabolic disorder is not well controlled with medication, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

27 Jan 2012

Gates urges governments, wealthy donors not to cut aid to poor countries; Annual letter sets foundation's priorities

In a speech to the European Parliament on Tuesday, Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, "told European lawmakers in Brussels not to cut aid to poor countries despite the economic and budgetary problems facing" European Union (E.U.) countries, Agence France-Presse reports.

27 Jan 2012

In State of the Union speech, health law gets short shrift

President Barack Obama's State of the Union address was light on health policy references, but he did say he would not "go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny your coverage or charge women more than men." News outlets also reported on Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels Republican response and looked forward to what Obama is doing today to spin his speech.

25 Jan 2012

First Edition: January 25, 2012

Kaiser Health News listened to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address with an ear out for health policy references. He made just one explicit mention of the 2010 health law, and KHN has a transcript of the few parts of his speech that mentioned health care issues.

25 Jan 2012

Tonight's SOTU address could offer preview of Obama's re-election strategy

Politico Pro reports that the Tuesday night speech will be full of political challenges for President Obama - not the least of which is health policy.

25 Jan 2012

University of Hawaii's ORS to advance employment opportunities for people with disabilities

Kessler Foundation awarded a Signature Employment Grant in the amount of $425,000 to the Office of Research Services at the University of Hawaii, to advance employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The Signature Employment Grant supports the development of a virtual reality (VR) software application, EmployAble: A World Without Barriers, to help jobseekers with disabilities navigate the world of job hunting and adapt to the workplace.

25 Jan 2012

Mass. Gov. again seeks health insurance payment overhaul; Iowa lawmakers review denial of health coverage to residents with HIV

Articles detail the Massachusetts state of the state address, efforts in Iowa to probe denials in the high risk pool and other legislative news.

24 Jan 2012

What to look for in the SOTU address

President Obama, who offered to work with Republicans last year to revamp the health care reform law, is expected to adopt a much different tone in Tuesday's State of the Union address. Bruised from the huge GOP electoral gains in 2010, Obama said he wanted to work in a bipartisan fashion on health care in last year's speech. Republicans scoffed at what was called an olive branch, and worked to repeal the entire law. While the GOP-led House passed such a measure, the legislation was defeated in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

24 Jan 2012

Health law supporters brace for future attacks, wonder whether overhaul will be part of the SOTU address

Those who consider the health law one of President Barack Obama's leading domestic achievements look to see whether he will include it in his Tuesday night speech. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius predicts continued criticism and "misinformation" about the health law while House Republicans celebrated the one-year anniversary of their vote to repeal it.

21 Jan 2012

Defects in mitochondria lead to devastating neurodegenerative disease

A devastating neurodegenerative disease that first appears in toddlers just as they are beginning to walk has been traced to defects in mitochondria, the 'batteries' or energy-producing power plants of cells. This finding by a team of researchers, led by investigators from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro- at McGill University, was published in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA.

18 Jan 2012

WHO's Chan urges new approach to preventing, fighting diseases at Executive Board meeting

"Countries need to change their current mindset to successfully tackle non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the head of the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday, adding that governments will need to explore new approaches to prevent and treat these diseases, which have quickly become one of the most pressing issues in public health," the U.N. News Centre reports.

18 Jan 2012

Research aims to develop physiologically-inspired algorithms

New research is hoping to understand how the human brain hears sound to help develop improved hearing aids and automatic speech recognition systems.

18 Jan 2012

Nashville General Hospital at Meharry, Sectra announce multi-year agreement

Sectra announces its multi-year agreement with Nashville General Hospital at Meharry. Sectra's suite of web-based, integrated RIS/PACS solutions for radiology, breast imaging and orthopaedics will enable the hospital to automate workflow, speed image distribution and report turnaround to improve its service level to referring physicians and increase referring volume.

17 Jan 2012

Angioplasty improves quality of life in MS patients

Although using angioplasty to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) is highly controversial, sufferers often insist it helps - in some cases dramatically, such as allowing them to walk without a cane. Patients with less severe MS also reported additional quality of life improvements, such as being able to talk more clearly, after having treatment to open blocked blood vessels in the chest and neck, according to research being presented at the 24th annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy.

17 Jan 2012

S.C. GOP primary puts spotlight on Romney abortion stance

Nine days before the South Carolina primary, Mitt Romney has 'picked up his pro-life rhetoric' as Newt Gingrich goes on the attack.

13 Jan 2012

Governors' agendas include Medicaid but not much on state insurance exchanges

Meanwhile, a Colorado legislator seeks to force the governor to ask for a waiver to change the Medicaid program.

13 Jan 2012

Chamber president calls for entitlement reform

Tom Donohue, the president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, says Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security costs must be tamed.

13 Jan 2012

First Edition: January 13, 2012

"The much celebrated, and much maligned, public option may have died in Congress, but it's alive and well in California. Unique in the nation for having public health insurance plans that are run by counties, California has plans that stretch from San Francisco to the Mexican border and cover 2.5 million residents"

13 Jan 2012

BU, SUNY Upstate develop educational program on heart attack for women

Heart attacks in women go largely unrecognized 30 to 55 percent of the time and those who miss the warning signs and fail or delay getting help, run the risk of death or grave disability. But researchers at Binghamton University and SUNY Upstate Medical University have developed an educational program they believe will shorten the time to treatment and ultimately, save lives.

13 Jan 2012

Sign language helps deaf people to pick up on body language

Deaf people who use sign language are quicker at recognizing and interpreting body language than hearing non-signers, according to new research from investigators at UC Davis and UC Irvine.

12 Jan 2012