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Norwegian government task force suggests formation of single company to commercialise biomaterial assets

Having studied the ethical, judicial and political arguments, the Norwegian government task force has suggested that a single nationwide company should be formed to commercialise biomaterials assets from the country’s various sources. The task force has also recommended HUNT Biosciences be a model for the national company.

18 Feb 2010

Training in newborn care and resuscitation to birth attendants increases likelihood of baby's survival

In developing countries, where millions of babies die in the womb or soon after birth, research has shown that providing training in newborn care and resuscitation to birth attendants significantly increases the likelihood of a baby's survival.

18 Feb 2010

Upp Technology adds Vaccine Provider Registration System to irms software suite

Upp Technology, a leader in public health software solutions, announced today at the Public Health Preparedness Summit, that it has enhanced its suite of irms software with the addition of the irms Vaccine Provider Registration System. The new provider management solution is already running in multiple states and the company expects to announce the deployment of this system in another four states within the first quarter of 2010.

18 Feb 2010

HPV DNA testing vital in identification of cervical cancer

Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. announced today that preliminary data from its ATHENA (Addressing THE Need for Advanced HPV Diagnostics) trial support the importance of screening for human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes that put women at highest risk for developing cervical cancer. ATHENA is a prospective, double-blind, multi-centered, 47,000-patient, U.S.-registration trial designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of HPV detection as part of a cervical cancer screening program.

18 Feb 2010

Results indicate deficiencies in end-of-life care across U.S.

Approximately 66 percent of respondents to a Maryland telephone survey do not have advance medical directives, according to a new report by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Department of Health Policy and Management.

18 Feb 2010

FDA warns about drug mix-ups; drug maker agrees to name change to avoid confusion

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned consumers about the potential for serious side effects from mistakenly using Maalox Total Relief instead of other Maalox products. The two products are intended for the relief of different symptoms and contain different active ingredients.

18 Feb 2010

New database answers question: How healthy is your county?

A new database compares the health of the more than 3,000 counties in the U.S.

18 Feb 2010

Northern California Cancer Center becomes Cancer Prevention Institute of California

As the only organization in the country dedicated solely to cancer prevention research, the Northern California Cancer Center has changed its name to the Cancer Prevention Institute of California. The new name immediately communicates the organization's critical mission to prevent cancer and reflects its service to the entire state of California.

18 Feb 2010

Ibuprofen may reduce risk of Parkinson's disease, says study

New research shows people who regularly take ibuprofen may reduce their risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010.

18 Feb 2010

Media examine fight against counterfeit drugs

The Wall Street Journal reports on the recent shutdown of a counterfeit drug ring in Syria, while highlighting a broader problem with counterfeit medicines in the Middle East. Authorities intercepted "millions of dollars worth of breast cancer, leukemia and other medicines … At least 65 people were detained; it couldn't be learned if they were charged. A trial date hasn't yet been set," according to the newspaper, which notes that the drug ring distributor's activities had also penetrated into some public health systems, "particularly in Iraq."

18 Feb 2010

Former Senate parliamentarian questions reconciliation, Senators want public option back

A former Senate parliamentarian said Tuesday that using reconciliation to pass health care reform will be difficult because the procedure wasn't meant to make policy, Politico's Live Pulse blog reports. The former parliamentarian, Robert Dove, who now teaches at George Washington University, said there are many things that cannot be put into the reconciliation bill. "Dove would know. In 1974, in the midst of his 36-year Senate career, he helped design the Congressional Budget Act, which first created the rules for reconciliation.

17 Feb 2010

Low-income nations lack advanced e-health tools that can help them achieve better health outcomes

In an essay in the February 2010 issue of Health Affairs, a special issue of the journal devoted to global e-health, William Tierney, M.D., of Indiana University School of Medicine and the Regenstrief Institute, and colleagues, who like Dr. Tierney have significant experience in the development of workable health information technology systems in low-income countries, identify critical steps toward allowing developing countries to cross the "digital divide" to realize the full potential of e-health to improve the quality and efficiency of their health care systems.

17 Feb 2010

New book by 12 world-leading scientists calls for renewed approach to drug policy

Drug policy - or really, the way our society controls and provides interventions for both legal and illegal psychoactive substances - is one of those things that seems inherently controversial.

17 Feb 2010

Study demonstrates usefulness of salivary diagnostics in finding pancreatic cancer

The good news is that there may soon be a new weapon in the battle against the so-called "worst" cancer - cancer of the pancreas. A multidisciplinary group of investigators from the UCLA School of Dentistry, the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, the UCLA School of Public Health and UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has demonstrated the usefulness of salivary diagnostics in the effort to find and fight the disease.

17 Feb 2010

Iowa State University researchers awarded 30 ARRA grants worth $16.38M

Iowa State University researchers have so far won 30 grants worth a total $16.38 million from federal agencies awarding money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

17 Feb 2010

New report focuses on how to reduce and control hypertension

High blood pressure is the second leading cause of death in the United States, triggering more than one-third of heart attacks and almost half of heart failures each year even though it is relatively easy to prevent and inexpensive to treat.

17 Feb 2010

Study: Earlier detection of lung cancer can reduce number of late stage lung cancer deaths

The first ever actuarial analysis of lung cancer mortality, published today in Population Health Management Journal, provides strong evidence that earlier detection could reduce the number of late stage lung cancer deaths by over 70,000 people each year in the US.

17 Feb 2010

Postmenopausal women undergoing combination hormone therapy at increased risk of heart disease: WHI confirms

New analyses from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) confirm that combination hormone therapy increases the risk of heart disease in healthy postmenopausal women. Researchers report a trend toward an increased risk of heart disease during the first two years of hormone therapy among women who began therapy within 10 years of menopause, and a more marked elevation of risk among women who began hormone therapy more than 10 years after menopause. Analyses indicate that overall a woman's risk of heart disease more than doubles within the first two years of taking combination HT.

17 Feb 2010

Budget cuts hit health care services in Minnesota, Oklahoma and California

Gov. Tim Pawlenty's proposal to cut a net of $347 million from programs for sick, aged, disabled and jobless people is akin to the advice an ailing George Washington got from his doctors 210 years ago, one critic said Monday: Bleed him, in hope of a cure. Pawlenty would eliminate the General Assistance program in which about 20,000 disabled and very-low-income people receive an average of $175 a month.

16 Feb 2010

NACHC: ARRA investment is making a difference in community health centers

People and communities are healthier thanks to the investment in America’s Health Centers from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), or the “economic stimulus.” The law, enacted one year ago this week, provided funds that helped health centers expand care to the growing numbers of jobless and uninsured people who were quickly filling up their waiting rooms.

16 Feb 2010

Public Health News and Research

Norwegian government task force suggests formation of single company to commercialise biomaterial assets

Training in newborn care and resuscitation to birth attendants increases likelihood of baby's survival

Upp Technology adds Vaccine Provider Registration System to irms software suite

HPV DNA testing vital in identification of cervical cancer

Results indicate deficiencies in end-of-life care across U.S.

FDA warns about drug mix-ups; drug maker agrees to name change to avoid confusion

New database answers question: How healthy is your county?

Northern California Cancer Center becomes Cancer Prevention Institute of California

Ibuprofen may reduce risk of Parkinson's disease, says study

Media examine fight against counterfeit drugs

Former Senate parliamentarian questions reconciliation, Senators want public option back

Low-income nations lack advanced e-health tools that can help them achieve better health outcomes

New book by 12 world-leading scientists calls for renewed approach to drug policy

Study demonstrates usefulness of salivary diagnostics in finding pancreatic cancer

Iowa State University researchers awarded 30 ARRA grants worth $16.38M

New report focuses on how to reduce and control hypertension

Study: Earlier detection of lung cancer can reduce number of late stage lung cancer deaths

Postmenopausal women undergoing combination hormone therapy at increased risk of heart disease: WHI confirms

Budget cuts hit health care services in Minnesota, Oklahoma and California

NACHC: ARRA investment is making a difference in community health centers

Revolutionizing Life Science: An Interview with SCIEX on ASMS, the SCIEX 7500+ System, and AI-Driven Quantitation

From Discovery Biology to ELRIG Chair

Breathing New Life into Diagnostics: Plasmion's SICRIT Technology

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