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HIV/AIDS efforts among women, girls gaining momentum, but journey 'far from over'

"Global efforts to reach the 'three zeros' for women and girls -- zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths -- are gaining momentum," Michelle Bachelet, executive director of U.N. Women, Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, and Jennifer Gatsi Mallet, executive director of the Namibia Women's Health Network, write in an Inter Press Service opinion piece.

13 Dec 2012

Liberal Democrats pledge to protect Medicaid

Some Democrats argue that cuts to Medicaid, which provides health insurance coverage to low-income Americans, should not be part of the fiscal negotiations.

13 Dec 2012

Feds seek dismissal of contraception mandate challenge filed by Archdiocese of Atlanta

In related coverage, religious colleges involved in a separate challenge to birth control mandate will go to court this week to argue their standing to bring a lawsuit.

13 Dec 2012

Ceramic cookstoves may not reduce risk of pneumonia in young rural Kenyan children

Inexpensive, locally-produced ceramic cookstoves may produce less smoke than traditional indoor 3-stone firepits, but they don't significantly reduce indoor air pollution or the risk of pneumonia in young children, according to results from a small, year-long observational study by researchers working in rural Kenya.

13 Dec 2012

Canada's foreign aid agency, Grand Challenges Canada announce global health partnership

"Canada's foreign aid agency will work with Grand Challenges Canada in a bid to bring ideas for health innovation to the developing world, International Co-operation Minister Julian Fantino says," the Globe and Mail reports.

13 Dec 2012

ACS announces creation of Georgia Surgical Quality Collaborative

Today, the American College of Surgeons (ACS), in association with the American Cancer Society, hosted the ACS Surgical Health Care Quality Forum Georgia, the 11th program in a series of events to drive national discussions on effective quality improvement methods that surgeons, physicians and hospitals are using to improve patient safety and reduce costs.

13 Dec 2012

U.N. report calls on Afghanistan to better enforce law criminalizing violence against women

"Afghan women are frequent victims of abuse, despite some success by authorities in prosecuting rape cases, forced marriages and domestic violence under a three-year-old law, according to a report issued Tuesday by the United Nations," the Associated Press reports.

13 Dec 2012

International health, development groups meet to discuss London Summit on Family Planning

In the Management Sciences for Health's (MSH) "Global Health Impact" blog, Barbara Ayotte, director of strategic communications at MSH, reports on a luncheon discussion on the London Summit on Family Planning, held in Boston in November.

13 Dec 2012

ACOEM initiative provides tools and resources to help employers address obesity

As part of its year-long campaign addressing chronic disease in the workplace, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) is providing tools and resources to help employers identify and respond to the impact of obesity on worker health and productivity. Such resources and tools are of special relevance at this time of the year.

13 Dec 2012

U.N. launches $2.2B appeal for new initiative to eliminate cholera in Haiti, Dominican Republic

"The United Nations on Tuesday announced a new initiative to help eliminate cholera in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the two nations that make up the Caribbean island of Hispaniola," the U.N. News Centre reports.

13 Dec 2012

Average premiums for employer health insurance plans increased 62% between 2003 and 2011

Average premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance plans rose 62 percent between 2003 and 2011, from $9,249 to $15,022 per year, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report.

13 Dec 2012

U.N. emergency fund receives $384M in pledges to respond to natural disasters, crises in 2013

"United Nations member states pledged $384 million on Tuesday to an emergency fund that will allow the world body to respond quickly to natural disasters and other crises in 2013, U.N. aid chief Valerie Amos said," Reuters reports.

13 Dec 2012

Roundup: Health centers moving into contaminated tracts; Mass. budget cuts worry health advocates

The community health center rising on a derelict corner here in West Philadelphia never would have broken ground if not for the asbestos inside the building that was demolished to make way for it. Because of the contamination, Spectrum Health Services received a $2 million federal cleanup grant, the first piece of a $14 million construction financing puzzle.

13 Dec 2012

Viewpoints: Pelosi says higher Medicare age 'doesn't work;' Marketplace's clout could lower seniors' drug costs

In the talks to avert the fiscal cliff, the idea of raising the Medicare age is central to the Republican proposal. There's just one critical problem: It doesn't work. It doesn't have public support. It's unfair. And it doesn't lower health expenditures. Such a proposal is a reflection of the broader Republican plan: an assault on the middle class, seniors -- and our future.

12 Dec 2012

The argument for vision insurance

Individuals with vision insurance are more likely than those without it to have had recent eye care visits, and to have no difficulty reading printed matter or recognizing their friends from across the street, report US researchers.

12 Dec 2012

$Study finds increase in prevalence of nonrefractive visual impairment in the U.S.$

Study finds increase in prevalence of nonrefractive visual impairment in the U.S.

The prevalence of nonrefractive visual impairment (not due to need for glasses) in the U.S. has increased significantly in recent years, which may be partly related to a higher prevalence of diabetes, an associated risk factor, according to a study in the December 12 issue of JAMA.

12 Dec 2012

BBC News examines HIV microbicide research

BBC News examines ongoing efforts to develop a female-controlled microbicide to prevent HIV infection. But so far, "efforts ... have presented a great deal of frustration in the fight against this global epidemic," the news service writes, detailing the history of some failed experiments.

12 Dec 2012

Remove special interests from food aid equation

"Each year, the United States spends more than $1.5 billion feeding starving people overseas," columnist Farah Stockman writes in a Boston Globe opinion piece. "But our charity comes with a catch: The food has to be bought in America, and much of it must be shipped on American ships," she continues, adding, "Researchers estimate that buying food closer to where needy people are costs about half as much."

12 Dec 2012

Employers complain about health law's costly 'sleeper fee'

The Associated Press reports on a new, $63-per-person charge, which will be levied for three years beginning in 2014 to "cushion" the cost of covering people with pre-existing conditions and to stabilize the insurance market. Large employers say it works out to tens of millions in added costs which are likely to be passed onto workers.

12 Dec 2012

Syrian conflict destroying country's health care system

"The nearly two-year conflict in Syria has taken tens of thousands of lives, destroyed entire neighborhoods and sent hundreds of thousands of people fleeing. But more quietly, it has also eaten away at the country's health care system," IRIN reports.

12 Dec 2012

Health Care News and Research

HIV/AIDS efforts among women, girls gaining momentum, but journey 'far from over'

Liberal Democrats pledge to protect Medicaid

Feds seek dismissal of contraception mandate challenge filed by Archdiocese of Atlanta

Ceramic cookstoves may not reduce risk of pneumonia in young rural Kenyan children

Canada's foreign aid agency, Grand Challenges Canada announce global health partnership

ACS announces creation of Georgia Surgical Quality Collaborative

U.N. report calls on Afghanistan to better enforce law criminalizing violence against women

International health, development groups meet to discuss London Summit on Family Planning

ACOEM initiative provides tools and resources to help employers address obesity

U.N. launches $2.2B appeal for new initiative to eliminate cholera in Haiti, Dominican Republic

Average premiums for employer health insurance plans increased 62% between 2003 and 2011

U.N. emergency fund receives $384M in pledges to respond to natural disasters, crises in 2013

Roundup: Health centers moving into contaminated tracts; Mass. budget cuts worry health advocates

Viewpoints: Pelosi says higher Medicare age 'doesn't work;' Marketplace's clout could lower seniors' drug costs

The argument for vision insurance

Study finds increase in prevalence of nonrefractive visual impairment in the U.S.

BBC News examines HIV microbicide research

Remove special interests from food aid equation

Employers complain about health law's costly 'sleeper fee'

Syrian conflict destroying country's health care system

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

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Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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