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McClatchy series examines Africa's population

"Although it's frequently portrayed as a continent decimated by epidemics, starvation and war, Africa is gripped by one of the greatest population explosions ever recorded.

14 Dec 2009

FDA grants EUA for DxNA’s 2009 H1N1 influenza virus diagnostic test

DxNA announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for its 2009 H1N1 influenza virus diagnostic test for use in DxNA's GeneSTAT(TM) detection platform.

14 Dec 2009

Pulse EHR receives 2011 CCHIT Comprehensive certification

To receive the 2011 CCHIT Comprehensive certification, the Pulse EHR had to undergo a rigorous inspection of integrated functionality, interoperability and security, in addition to achieving full compliance with proposed federal standards tied to ARRA “meaningful use” financial incentives.

14 Dec 2009

Michigan Legislature passes new legislation for smoke-free workplaces

The Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS) today applauded the wisdom of the Michigan legislature to enact legislation to make workplaces in our state smoke-free.

14 Dec 2009

International experts prepare check-list for identifying insulin and cancer risk

Epidemiological studies are difficult to do well, pharmacoepidemiological studies are particularly complicated and studies of insulin and cancer risk are even more difficult to do well. "Well" in the sense that any association found can be interpreted in an unambiguous manner.

14 Dec 2009

Myrrh resin may have cholesterol-lowering properties

Laboratory experiments suggest that the resin of certain trees of the Middle East, known commonly as the "myrrh" of the Christmas story, may have cholesterol-lowering properties.

14 Dec 2009

National Vaccine Plan aims to protect Americans from vaccine-preventable illnesses

While vaccines help prevent many diseases in the United States, we lack immunization protection against several serious illnesses, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine that identifies priority areas for updating the National Vaccine Plan.

14 Dec 2009

Innovative approaches to develop more effective interventions to reduce obesity

The National Institutes of Health is launching a $37 million program that will use findings from basic research on human behavior to develop more effective interventions to reduce obesity.

13 Dec 2009

PURE Bioscience reports revenues for fiscal quarter ended October 31, 2009

PURE Bioscience, creator of the patented silver dihydrogen citrate (SDC) antimicrobial, today reported revenues for the fiscal quarter ended October 31, 2009 of $221,900 compared with revenues of $110,600 in the same quarter of the prior fiscal year.

12 Dec 2009

Disabilities account for a quarter of U.S. adult health care costs

"Just over one-quarter of U.S. adult health care spending was associated with disability in 2006, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention," Insurance Journal reports.

11 Dec 2009

Pfizer's Prevenar 13 granted European marketing authorization

The European Commission has granted Pfizer Inc. a European marketing authorization for its pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Prevenar 13 (Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccine [13-valent, adsorbed]). Prevenar 13 is indicated for active immunization for the prevention of invasive disease, pneumonia, and acute otitis media caused by 13 Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes in infants and children from 6 weeks to 5 years of age. Invasive pneumococcal disease includes sepsis, meningitis, bacteremia, bacteremic pneumonia, and empyema.

11 Dec 2009

Road traffic injuries, a leading cause of death and disability worldwide

20 mph traffic speed zones reduce casualties by 41.9% with the greatest reduction in child casualties, according to research published today in the British Medical Journal.

11 Dec 2009

University of Maryland School of Nursing to spearhead new Center for Pain Studies

The University of Maryland School of Nursing in Baltimore is "uniquely poised" to spearhead a new collaborative Center for Pain Studies funded by a $2.4 million, five-year federal grant, said Susan Dorsey, PhD, RN, director of the center.

11 Dec 2009

African-American women in South Carolina more likely to have cervical cancer than white women

African-American women in South Carolina are 37 percent more likely to have cervical cancer than white women and have a death rate that is about 61 percent higher, according to a study by researchers at the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health.

11 Dec 2009

Speaker Pelosi lauds lift of ban on federal funding for syringe exchange initiatives

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today applauding the inclusion of language in the fiscal year 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act lifting the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange initiatives to prevent the spread of HIV. The omnibus bill passed the House this afternoon by a vote of 221 to 202.

11 Dec 2009

Humidifiers may help in reducing flu virus

A newly-released scientific white paper suggests humidifiers may play an important role in reducing the survival of the flu virus on both surfaces and in the air.

11 Dec 2009

California's EWC program: Cuts alarm breast cancer survivors and advocates

Breast cancer survivors and advocates from all seven California Affiliates of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® signaled their alarm today at the recently announced cuts to California's Every Woman Counts program, which would effectively shut the doors to breast cancer screening services for 1.2 million low-income and uninsured women for the first six months of 2010.

11 Dec 2009

Senior research scientist to receive 2009 Astellas USA Foundation Award

Fredrick Khachik, Ph.D., a senior research scientist in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Maryland, College Park, has been chosen to receive a 2009 Astellas USA Foundation Award.

11 Dec 2009

Italy's economically disadvantaged people have higher rates of hospitalization for ACSC disorders

Despite free public healthcare, Italy's poor are more likely to end up in hospital with avoidable conditions, new research shows. This pattern, reported today in the online open access journal BMC Public Health, mirrors findings from a number of different healthcare systems around the world, although to date fewer studies have been completed in Europe.

11 Dec 2009

NIH launches a $37 million program to reduce obesity

The National Institutes of Health is launching a $37 million program that will use findings from basic research on human behavior to develop more effective interventions to reduce obesity.

11 Dec 2009