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Global food prices remain stable but high, World Bank reports

"Global food prices remained stable, though close to 2008 record levels, the World Bank said on Thursday, as it warned that a 'new norm' of costlier food was setting in and threatening to increase hunger and malnutrition in the world's poorer regions," Reuters reports.

1 Dec 2012

Researchers find association between neuroscience providers and stroke-related deaths in US

Researchers at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, have found an association in the United States between a higher density of neurologists and neurosurgeons and a decreased risk of death from stroke.

1 Dec 2012

Financial Times publishes special report on global AIDS response

The Financial Times on Friday published a special report titled, "FT Health: Combating AIDS 2012."

1 Dec 2012

New strains of HIV spreading in India, scientists warn

"While India has drastically reduced the spread of HIV over the past decade, new strains of the virus that cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are troubling medical scientists in this country," Inter Press Service reports (Devraj, 11/29).

1 Dec 2012

Students from ASU graduate programs visit Africa to study health care and building design

Students from four of Arizona State University's graduate programs traveled to a country known as the Land of 1,000 Hills to study health care and building design in one of Africa's most impoverished areas.

1 Dec 2012

New Weill Cornell campaign to improve hypertension prevention, detection and control

The Weill Cornell Physician Organization at Weill Cornell Medical College has joined more than 120 medical groups and health systems nationwide to launch the new health campaign Measure Up, Pressure Down aimed to improve high blood pressure prevention, detection and control.

1 Dec 2012

New national healthcare campaign aims at controlling high blood pressure

A majority of patients can't recall whether their physician mentioned their blood pressure numbers and among patients with high blood pressure, only 56 percent say they talked with their doctor about ways to reduce their high blood pressure, according to a new survey released today by the American Medical Group Foundation, the nonprofit education and research arm of the American Medical Group Association.

1 Dec 2012

Viewpoints: Fighting to a draw on Medicare; A coming era of austerity

Since Nov. 6, Republicans have, for perfectly understandable reasons, expressed their deep disappointment with the election results. But even in defeat something significant and positive occurred: Republicans fought Democrats to a draw on the issue of Medicare.

1 Dec 2012

GAO: Medicaid payment information late, inconsistent

The Government Accountability Office's report examined two Medicaid databases.

1 Dec 2012

Appeals court temporarily blocks contraception mandate for Missouri business owner

A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a preliminary injunction from the rule for Frank O'Brien and his company -- which is the fourth private business to secure such a temporary order.

1 Dec 2012

Tissue damage, disease severity in C. diff. infection associated with disruption of PPARγ pathway

Researchers in the Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory at Virginia Bioinformatics Institute have discovered how a common diarrhea-causing bacterium sends the body's natural defenses into overdrive, actually intensifying illness while fighting infection.

1 Dec 2012

Use resources efficiently to end AIDS epidemic

"[O]ne thing I've learned from working on HIV/AIDS my entire political career -- we are far better united than divided," Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) writes in a Politico opinion piece, noting examples of bipartisan legislation that "help to slow the rate of infections and reduce the number of deaths from AIDS."

1 Dec 2012

Traveling med tech indicted on new charges related to hepatitis C outbreak

The technician was indicated Wednesday in New Hampshire on 14 new charges. The outbreak involved more than 30 patients in New Hampshire while people in a number of other states were exposed.

1 Dec 2012

Study of hospital-acquired infection yields potential therapeutic target

30 Nov 2012

Mo. governor wants Medicaid expansion; Other states consider health exchanges

After mulling the controversial decision, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said Thursday he wants the state to expand Medicaid, a key part of the health law, but he faces substantial opposition from Republicans who control the legislature. Meanwhile, some states continue to wrestle with issues related to health exchanges.

30 Nov 2012

States, courts, employers contend with health law's requirements

News outlets follow developments on health insurance exchanges, requirements for mental health parity and employer coverage and assess still-pending lawsuits

30 Nov 2012

Delaying treatment affects mortality rates among women with breast cancer

Results from a new study conducted by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James) show women who wait more than 60 days to begin treatment for advanced breast cancer face significantly higher risks of dying than women who start therapy shortly after diagnosis.

30 Nov 2012

Journal article proposes framework to guide career development in health systems improvement

The sheer number of efforts aimed at improving the quality and efficiency of the U.S. health care system - ranging from portions of the national Affordable Care Act to local programs at individual hospitals and practices - reflects the urgency and importance of the task.

30 Nov 2012

Some people choose out-of-network care in emergency situations

Forty percent of people who received health care outside of their insurance network did so out of necessity, finds a new study in Health Services Research. About half of those patients did not know how much they would have to pay for their out-of-network care. Out-of- network care can occur during an emergency medical situation or when the network status of a physician or hospital is unknown or if an in-network doctor is unavailable.

30 Nov 2012

IPS examines PEPFAR guidance on family planning in light of new AIDS blueprint

Noting the U.S. government on Thursday "unveiled a major new strategy for pushing towards achieving an 'AIDS-free generation,'" Inter Press Service writes, "The far-reaching new blueprint for what's known as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is being widely lauded, yet little attention has been given to a document, published in October, that stipulates how new PEPFAR funding can be used."

30 Nov 2012