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MiR-122 plays a critical role in the life cycle of hepatitis C virus

Hepatitis C virus has evolved to invade and hijack the basic machinery of the human liver cell to ensure its survival and spread. Researchers at the University of North have discovered how hepatitis C binds with and repurposes a basic component of cellular metabolism known as a microRNA to help protect and replicate the virus.

19 Dec 2012

Making small changes in travel or diet choices may lead to comparable obesity reduction

Those considering how to maintain a healthy weight during holiday festivities, or looking ahead to New Year's resolutions, may want to think twice before reaching for traditional staples like cookies or candy - or the car keys.

19 Dec 2012

Viewpoints: Krugman says cuts in social security better than Medicare option; Governors refusing to set up exchanges are not 'federalist hypocrites'

All at once, a "fiscal cliff" deal seems to be coming together. ... On the spending side, the Democrats' headline concession will be accepting chained-CPI, which is to say, accepting a cut to Social Security benefits. Beyond that, the negotiators will agree to targets for spending cuts.

19 Dec 2012

Whiplash recovery no quicker with intensive therapy

More costly, intensive treatment works no better than usual care at speeding up recovery from whiplash injuries, according to new research published Online First in The Lancet.

18 Dec 2012

Blogs discuss conference on neglected diseases

Several blogs recently reported on issues discussed last week during a conference sponsored by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, titled "Lives in the Balance: Delivering Medical Innovations for Neglected Patients and Populations."

18 Dec 2012

Global Fund, Nigeria sign grants for HIV, TB initiatives

"On Thursday (Dec. 14), Nigeria signed five grant agreements with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria," with some of the money going "to provide for antiretroviral therapy treatment and prevention services, particularly on mother-to-child HIV transmission," Devex's "The Development Newswire" blog reports.

18 Dec 2012

Opinions differ on proposed HIV/AIDS levies in Uganda

Writing in DevelopmentEducation.ie, Jamie Hitchen of the Human Rights Centre Uganda explores a proposal in Uganda to create "a fund specifically designated to assist projects for HIV and AIDS prevention and protection" that would "generate cash through levies on bank transactions and interest, air tickets, beer, soft drinks and cigarettes, as well as taxes on goods and services traded within Uganda."

18 Dec 2012

Turning small errors into bigger ones: A problem for EHRs

As electronic health record systems become more interconnected, errors may propagate much farther than under old paper-based systems, a recent study suggested. According to a review by the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, mistakes and near misses involving electronic health records were analogous to those made with paper-based records with one caveat: those made with EHRs tend to be amplified and can affect a larger group of people.

18 Dec 2012

Legal settlement paves way for Medicare to cover more home care

For years, Medicare recipients with chronic conditions have had difficulty qualifying for home health services administered by nurses and therapists.

18 Dec 2012

Guardian examines challenges of eliminating river blindness in Africa

The Guardian's "Global Development Professionals Network" blog "reports on the challenges of eliminating river blindness from Africa by 2025."

18 Dec 2012

Gates Foundation interview examines Global Burden of Disease report

In a post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, blog editor Amie Newman interviews Trevor Mundel, president of the Global Health Program at the foundation, about the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 published in the Lancet last week.

18 Dec 2012

PSI Impact magazine reviews 2012 'top 10 milestones in global health'

The latest issue of PSI Impact magazine reviews "the top 10 milestones in global health in 2012" and includes exclusive authored pieces about each, Marshall Stowell, editor-in-chief of the magazine, writes in PSI's "Impact" blog.

18 Dec 2012

Poll: Cost of care causes 3 in 10 Americans to skip necessary medical treatment

A record number of Americans are skipping necessary medical care because of cost, according to a new Gallup poll.

18 Dec 2012

Pharmalink commences Nefecon Phase IIb study in primary IgA nephropathy

Pharmalink AB, a Swedish specialty pharma company, today announces it has initiated a Phase IIb study with Nefecon (Nefigan) in patients with primary IgA nephropathy at risk of developing end-stage renal disease.

18 Dec 2012

School shootings raise questions about adequacy, availability of mental health care

President Barack Obama said at a prayer service Sunday that he would engage in a dialogue with all Americans, including law enforcement and mental health professionals, about how to curb rising gun violence, but psychiatrists say it's difficult to identify who among the mentally ill is likely to be truly dangerous.

18 Dec 2012

International community must keep fighting to end mother-to-child HIV transmission

"Even with the knowledge and medicines to prevent transmission of HIV from mothers to children, there are still babies being born with HIV in the U.S. and around the world," Jake Glaser, Janice McCall, and Cristina Pena -- all persons living with HIV who contracted the virus through mother-to-child transmission and who work as ambassadors for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation -- write in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog.

18 Dec 2012

Marketplace changes: Hospitals work on insurance arms; Walgreen eyes hospice business

A growing number of hospital systems are moving to start their own insurance plans, aiming to broaden their roles and prepare for the changes coming under the federal health-care overhaul. Piedmont Healthcare and WellStar Health System, both in the Atlanta area, are set to announce a jointly owned insurance arm, with the goal of marketing coverage to employers and Medicare recipients in 2014.

18 Dec 2012

New AMGF healthcare campaign aims at preventing, detecting and controlling hypertension

A recent international survey on the global burden of disease identified hypertension (high blood pressure) as the leading "risk factor" for disease around the world.

18 Dec 2012

Viewpoints: Raising Medicare's entitlement age doesn't save money; New anti-fraud efforts

Looking for ways to slow the growth of entitlement programs, budget negotiators in Washington are considering making seniors wait two years longer to qualify for Medicare - from age 65 to 67. Many Republicans have endorsed the idea, noting that Medicare beneficiaries now live far longer on average than they did when Congress created the program in 1965.

18 Dec 2012

Researchers describe how medical and nursing schools could help prevent potentially deadly errors

More than a decade ago, an Institute of Medicine study revealed that preventable medical errors were a leading cause of death, accounting for more fatalities than breast cancer, traffic accidents or AIDS in the United States. Today, the problem of medical errors remains and might even have escalated.

18 Dec 2012

Health Care News and Research

MiR-122 plays a critical role in the life cycle of hepatitis C virus

Making small changes in travel or diet choices may lead to comparable obesity reduction

Viewpoints: Krugman says cuts in social security better than Medicare option; Governors refusing to set up exchanges are not 'federalist hypocrites'

Whiplash recovery no quicker with intensive therapy

Blogs discuss conference on neglected diseases

Global Fund, Nigeria sign grants for HIV, TB initiatives

Opinions differ on proposed HIV/AIDS levies in Uganda

Turning small errors into bigger ones: A problem for EHRs

Legal settlement paves way for Medicare to cover more home care

Guardian examines challenges of eliminating river blindness in Africa

Gates Foundation interview examines Global Burden of Disease report

PSI Impact magazine reviews 2012 'top 10 milestones in global health'

Poll: Cost of care causes 3 in 10 Americans to skip necessary medical treatment

Pharmalink commences Nefecon Phase IIb study in primary IgA nephropathy

School shootings raise questions about adequacy, availability of mental health care

International community must keep fighting to end mother-to-child HIV transmission

Marketplace changes: Hospitals work on insurance arms; Walgreen eyes hospice business

New AMGF healthcare campaign aims at preventing, detecting and controlling hypertension

Viewpoints: Raising Medicare's entitlement age doesn't save money; New anti-fraud efforts

Researchers describe how medical and nursing schools could help prevent potentially deadly errors

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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