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WHO releases World Health Statistics 2012 with first-time data on blood pressure, diabetes

The WHO on Wednesday released its World Health Statistics 2012 report, which "for the first time includes a look at blood pressure and glucose levels, two of the risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease," according to the Associated Press/Washington Post.

17 May 2012

Haitian government, health workers show commitment to nationwide vaccination campaign

In this post in the Huffington Post Blog, Dagfinn Hoybraten, vice president of the Norwegian Parliament and chair of the GAVI Alliance Board, examines a nationwide vaccination campaign in Haiti, through which "health officials are targeting measles, rubella and polio and [are] also introducing pentavalent vaccine, one shot against five diseases."

17 May 2012

U.S. HIV assistance through PEPFAR prevented 740,000 deaths between 2004-2008, study shows

"The lives of more than 740,000 people in nine African countries were saved between 2004 and 2008 by the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief [PEPFAR]," according to a study conducted by Stanford University School of Medicine researchers and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on Wednesday, HealthDay News reports.

17 May 2012

HHS launches Health System Measurement Project

This new online tool will enable consumers to search a variety of federal healthcare data sets to monitor how the health system is performing.

17 May 2012

Viewpoints: Sen. Alexander proposes a Medicaid-school funding swap; Doctors' voices missing in abortion debates

When I was governor of Tennessee in the early 1980s, I traveled to meet with President Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office and offer that Grand Swap: Medicaid for K-12 education. The federal government would take over 100% of Medicaid, the federal health-care program mainly for low-income Americans, and states would assume all responsibility for the nation's 100,000 public schools. Reagan liked the idea, but it went nowhere.

17 May 2012

IMC to support government of Chad in polio eradication activities

International Medical Corps will immediately scale up its support to the government of Chad in polio eradication activities through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

17 May 2012

Project aims to find new diagnostic tools, drugs for triple negative breast cancer

Some types of breast cancer can be successfully treated with drugs such as tamoxifen, but treatment for a type of breast cancer more common in young and black women is still limited to radiation and general chemotherapy. Called triple negative breast cancer, this type of cancer is the focus of a 20-month, $8.6-million research project that aims to find new diagnostic tools and options for drugs.

17 May 2012

La. panel kills health exchange plan; Kansas enacts another abortion hurdle; Utah official resigns after medical records breach

With a decisive 8-1 vote late Tuesday evening, the Louisiana Senate Finance Committee buried a bill that would have set up a body of elected and appointed officials to craft the exchanges that are an anchor of President Barack Obama's health insurance overhaul. With the death of Senate Bill 744, Louisiana remains one of a handful of states that have refused to set up their own exchanges, with Gov. Bobby Jindal punting the job back to federal government that he accuses of taking over the American health care system

17 May 2012

Early drug and alcohol use associated with lower levels of educational attainment

Researchers have found evidence that early drug and alcohol use is associated with lower levels of educational attainment.

17 May 2012

U.N. appeals for more than $500M in emergency aid for South Sudan; WFP says $360M shortfall to address food insecurity in Sahel

The U.N. is calling for $505 million in emergency aid for the people of South Sudan, with the bulk of the funding going "toward providing food to tens of thousands of South Sudanese, many of whom are returning home from Sudan," VOA News reports.

17 May 2012

Racial disparities found in results of surgery to remove diseased prostates

Black prostate cancer patients may not be getting the same quality of care as white patients, according to a first-of-its-kind study by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital who found racial disparities in the results of surgery to remove diseased prostates.

16 May 2012

PN kidney cancer surgery not being used for older, sicker and poorer uninsured patients

An increasingly common and safer type of surgery for kidney cancer is not as likely to be used for older, sicker and poorer patients who are uninsured or rely on Medicare or Medicaid for their health care, according to a new study by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital.

16 May 2012

New insight into treatment patterns for people with stage two and three rectal cancer

Research from the University of Alberta provides new insight into treatment patterns for people with stage two and three rectal cancer-information that ultimately will help physicians improve care strategies for patients provincewide.

16 May 2012

Association between gender and surgical outcomes of kidney removal not well understood

Women do better than men after surgical removal of part or all of a cancerous kidney, with fewer post-operative complications, including dying in the hospital, although they are more likely to receive blood transfusions related to their surgery.

16 May 2012

First Edition: May 16, 2012

Today's headlines highlight the growing partisan faultlines regarding budget issues, including spending cuts and entitlement reforms.

16 May 2012

Mayo Clinic creates comprehensive mobile health application

Mayo Clinic has created a comprehensive mobile health application; combining a custom mobile experience with unparalleled expertise and access. Empowering patients with information at their fingertips, this app sets a new standard for health care apps.

16 May 2012

Reuters examines use of statistics in public health ahead of WHO report

"Above all else, analyzing the state of the world's health -- be it by looking at obesity rates, cancer cases, malaria deaths, or HIV-free births -- requires decent statistics," Reuters reports in an article examining the use of statistics in public health ahead of the release of the WHO's World Health Statistics report.

16 May 2012

To maintain growth, Africa needs to improve food security, UNDP report says

"Africa needs to boost agricultural productivity and address the debilitating hunger that affects 27 percent of its population if it is to sustain its economic boom, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said in a report on Tuesday," Reuters reports.

16 May 2012

Scientists identify and prioritize genes associated with schizophrenia

An Indiana University-led research team, along with a group of national and international collaborators, has identified and prioritized a comprehensive group of genes most associated with schizophrenia that together can generate a score indicating whether an individual is at higher or lower risk of developing the disease.

16 May 2012

Calif. Gov. Brown's revised budget includes substantial Medi-Cal cuts

The ballooning budget deficit in California might mean hospitals and nursing homes will get less state money.

16 May 2012

Health Care News and Research

WHO releases World Health Statistics 2012 with first-time data on blood pressure, diabetes

Haitian government, health workers show commitment to nationwide vaccination campaign

U.S. HIV assistance through PEPFAR prevented 740,000 deaths between 2004-2008, study shows

HHS launches Health System Measurement Project

Viewpoints: Sen. Alexander proposes a Medicaid-school funding swap; Doctors' voices missing in abortion debates

IMC to support government of Chad in polio eradication activities

Project aims to find new diagnostic tools, drugs for triple negative breast cancer

La. panel kills health exchange plan; Kansas enacts another abortion hurdle; Utah official resigns after medical records breach

Early drug and alcohol use associated with lower levels of educational attainment

U.N. appeals for more than $500M in emergency aid for South Sudan; WFP says $360M shortfall to address food insecurity in Sahel

Racial disparities found in results of surgery to remove diseased prostates

PN kidney cancer surgery not being used for older, sicker and poorer uninsured patients

New insight into treatment patterns for people with stage two and three rectal cancer

Association between gender and surgical outcomes of kidney removal not well understood

First Edition: May 16, 2012

Mayo Clinic creates comprehensive mobile health application

Reuters examines use of statistics in public health ahead of WHO report

To maintain growth, Africa needs to improve food security, UNDP report says

Scientists identify and prioritize genes associated with schizophrenia

Calif. Gov. Brown's revised budget includes substantial Medi-Cal cuts

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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