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Adversity in childhood can shape long-term health outcomes

Noting the "16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence," Neil Boothby, U.S. government special adviser and senior coordinator to the USAID administrator on children in adversity, writes in USAID's "IMPACTblog," "The science is clear -- childhood experiences shape adult outcomes, including long-term health, cognitive development, academic achievement, and one's ability to be gainfully and safely employed."

12 Dec 2012

Six states get an early greenlight on health exchanges from HHS

The Obama administration also gave conditional approval on Monday to six states -- all led by Democratic governors -- that were the first to meet the health law's rules for setting up health insurance marketplaces.

12 Dec 2012

Bipolar and borderline personality disorder associated with unemployment

Unemployment poses a significant burden on the public no matter what the cause. But for those who have been diagnosed with a psychiatric illness, chronic unemployment is often coupled with significant health care costs. A Rhode Island Hospital study compared unemployment rates among those with various psychiatric disorders, and found that borderline personality disorder is associated with as much unemployment as bipolar disorder.

12 Dec 2012

African scientists gather in Kenya to discuss global response to NTDs

"African scientists from key research institutions and universities have challenged governments to take serious the issues of neglected and tropical disease to curb millions of deaths among the poor," Xinhua reports.

12 Dec 2012

In 'fiscal cliff' talks, Medicare and Medicaid savings ideas draw scrutiny

The Wall Street Journal asks when cuts to these programs will start affecting beneficiaries and causing access issues. Other savings ideas face a burden of proof. Also, The Hill reports that the White House is cooling to the idea of $100 billion in Medicaid cuts floated earlier this year. In the background, news outlets offer reports about progress or lack thereof in averting the looming cliff.

12 Dec 2012

HHS to states: Partial Medicaid expansion won't get full federal funding

On Monday, the Department of Health and Human Services said it was all or nothing on the health care law's expansion of Medicaid eligibility, disappointing some Republican governors who were considering smaller growth in the state-federal program for the poor and elderly.

12 Dec 2012

Low-cost concierge care, social media among changes in practice of medicine

News outlets examine trends such as doctors' use of social media to explore medical information and the growth of relatively low-cost concierge medicine, where patients may pay $50 a month for unlimited doctors' visits and calls.

12 Dec 2012

Medicaid contractors, government employees doing the same work, GAO says

The Medicaid program has government employees and contractors doing some of the exact same work, which is wasting government time and money, according to a new Government Accountability Office report released Monday.

12 Dec 2012

Examining Americans' health: Longer, but sicker, lives; Childhood obesity drops

A new report finds Americans may be living longer thanks to medical advances, but they may also be sicker. Meanwhile, childhood obesity may be dropping in several cities around the nation.

12 Dec 2012

Uganda's proposed anti-homosexuality legislation would inhibit health care access

The Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog examines the potential impacts of a proposed anti-homosexuality bill in Uganda, writing that the bill "would stand as an obstacle to both access to health care and to the ability of health care providers to even offer services," making prevention of "the bill's passage a matter of life and death, as well as of rights and dignity."

12 Dec 2012

Innovation in immunization programs can mean better learning, sharing of information

In this Guardian "Global Development Professionals Network" blog post, Robert Steinglass, senior immunization adviser at John Snow, Inc., and immunization team leader for the USAID-funded Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program, writes about the importance of innovation to improving childhood immunization programs and health systems.

12 Dec 2012

New collaborative model for drug discovery can ensure antibiotics are not lost to resistance

Noting "multidrug-resistant organisms are showing up in top-flight hospitals" around the world, Carl Nathan, chair of the department of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College, writes in this New York Times opinion piece, "What makes the rapid loss of antibiotics to drug resistance particularly alarming is that we are failing to make new ones."

12 Dec 2012

Report highlights 80 programs aimed at improving maternal, child health in developing world

"I'm inspired when I see the growing number and quality of health market innovations now emerging in the developing world," Gina Lagomarsino, a principal and managing director at Results for Development Institute (R4D), writes in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog.

12 Dec 2012

Kaiser Permanente grant to help Children's Oakland rebuild and modernize 100-year-old hospital

Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland announced today a $5 million grant from Kaiser Permanente to benefit the 100-year-old, not-for-profit medical center's rebuild and modernization efforts. This contribution will make a profound impact in the community and the quality of care available to all children.

12 Dec 2012

Tiotropium benefits patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

In order to widen the narrowed airways in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), tiotropium bromide (tiotropium in brief) is one of the drugs available that can be prescribed for inhalation. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has examined whether tiotropium offers a perceptible advantage to patients compared to a dummy medication (placebo) and to other COPD drugs.

12 Dec 2012

U.N. officials call on Security Council, international community to tackle complex crisis in Sahel

"Top United Nations officials on Monday called on the Security Council and the wider international community to support efforts to develop an integrated strategy to tackle the complex and multifaceted crisis facing the Sahel region of West Africa," the U.N. News Centre reports.

12 Dec 2012

Capsules: A day of stark state differences on health exchanges; Eye experts: States should make vision care an exchange benefit

Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Colorado Public Radio's Eric Whitney and News Service of Florida's Jim Saunders, working in collaboration with KHN and NPR, offered updates regarding their respective state's action on health exchanges: "Friday is the deadline for states to decide if they want to build and operate their own exchanges or have the federal government do it.

12 Dec 2012

Viewpoints: Sen. Portman's Rx for deficit talks; Gerson says Obama needs to give Boehner political cover to make a deal

Washington needs to pursue structural reforms in the country's important but unsustainable entitlement programs and in an inefficient, outdated tax code. By doing so, lawmakers can responsibly avoid the immediate cliff while addressing the long-term fiscal crisis and spurring job creation.

12 Dec 2012

AC253 drug appears to restore memory in Alzheimer's brain cells

Medical researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a drug intended for diabetes appears to restore memory in Alzheimer's brain cells.

11 Dec 2012

Roundup: NH hospital at center of hepatitis outbreak details fixes; Report finds racial gap in Colo. dental coverage; Health cuts part of Conn. budget plan

Though Exeter Hospital has fixed problems discovered after a hepatitis C outbreak last spring, federal officials say the hospital initially failed to conduct an adequate investigation. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said last week it no longer plans to terminate the hospital's Medicare funding now that multiple issues raised by inspectors have been addressed.

11 Dec 2012

Health Care News and Research

Adversity in childhood can shape long-term health outcomes

Six states get an early greenlight on health exchanges from HHS

Bipolar and borderline personality disorder associated with unemployment

African scientists gather in Kenya to discuss global response to NTDs

In 'fiscal cliff' talks, Medicare and Medicaid savings ideas draw scrutiny

HHS to states: Partial Medicaid expansion won't get full federal funding

Low-cost concierge care, social media among changes in practice of medicine

Medicaid contractors, government employees doing the same work, GAO says

Examining Americans' health: Longer, but sicker, lives; Childhood obesity drops

Uganda's proposed anti-homosexuality legislation would inhibit health care access

Innovation in immunization programs can mean better learning, sharing of information

New collaborative model for drug discovery can ensure antibiotics are not lost to resistance

Report highlights 80 programs aimed at improving maternal, child health in developing world

Kaiser Permanente grant to help Children's Oakland rebuild and modernize 100-year-old hospital

Tiotropium benefits patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

U.N. officials call on Security Council, international community to tackle complex crisis in Sahel

Capsules: A day of stark state differences on health exchanges; Eye experts: States should make vision care an exchange benefit

Viewpoints: Sen. Portman's Rx for deficit talks; Gerson says Obama needs to give Boehner political cover to make a deal

AC253 drug appears to restore memory in Alzheimer's brain cells

Roundup: NH hospital at center of hepatitis outbreak details fixes; Report finds racial gap in Colo. dental coverage; Health cuts part of Conn. budget plan

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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