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Disabilities account for a quarter of U.S. adult health care costs

"Just over one-quarter of U.S. adult health care spending was associated with disability in 2006, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention," Insurance Journal reports.

11 Dec 2009

Pfizer's Prevenar 13 granted European marketing authorization

The European Commission has granted Pfizer Inc. a European marketing authorization for its pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Prevenar 13 (Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccine [13-valent, adsorbed]). Prevenar 13 is indicated for active immunization for the prevention of invasive disease, pneumonia, and acute otitis media caused by 13 Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes in infants and children from 6 weeks to 5 years of age. Invasive pneumococcal disease includes sepsis, meningitis, bacteremia, bacteremic pneumonia, and empyema.

11 Dec 2009

Road traffic injuries, a leading cause of death and disability worldwide

20 mph traffic speed zones reduce casualties by 41.9% with the greatest reduction in child casualties, according to research published today in the British Medical Journal.

11 Dec 2009

University of Maryland School of Nursing to spearhead new Center for Pain Studies

The University of Maryland School of Nursing in Baltimore is "uniquely poised" to spearhead a new collaborative Center for Pain Studies funded by a $2.4 million, five-year federal grant, said Susan Dorsey, PhD, RN, director of the center.

11 Dec 2009

African-American women in South Carolina more likely to have cervical cancer than white women

African-American women in South Carolina are 37 percent more likely to have cervical cancer than white women and have a death rate that is about 61 percent higher, according to a study by researchers at the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health.

11 Dec 2009

Speaker Pelosi lauds lift of ban on federal funding for syringe exchange initiatives

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today applauding the inclusion of language in the fiscal year 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act lifting the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange initiatives to prevent the spread of HIV. The omnibus bill passed the House this afternoon by a vote of 221 to 202.

11 Dec 2009

Humidifiers may help in reducing flu virus

A newly-released scientific white paper suggests humidifiers may play an important role in reducing the survival of the flu virus on both surfaces and in the air.

11 Dec 2009

California's EWC program: Cuts alarm breast cancer survivors and advocates

Breast cancer survivors and advocates from all seven California Affiliates of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® signaled their alarm today at the recently announced cuts to California's Every Woman Counts program, which would effectively shut the doors to breast cancer screening services for 1.2 million low-income and uninsured women for the first six months of 2010.

11 Dec 2009

Senior research scientist to receive 2009 Astellas USA Foundation Award

Fredrick Khachik, Ph.D., a senior research scientist in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Maryland, College Park, has been chosen to receive a 2009 Astellas USA Foundation Award.

11 Dec 2009

Italy's economically disadvantaged people have higher rates of hospitalization for ACSC disorders

Despite free public healthcare, Italy's poor are more likely to end up in hospital with avoidable conditions, new research shows. This pattern, reported today in the online open access journal BMC Public Health, mirrors findings from a number of different healthcare systems around the world, although to date fewer studies have been completed in Europe.

11 Dec 2009

NIH launches a $37 million program to reduce obesity

The National Institutes of Health is launching a $37 million program that will use findings from basic research on human behavior to develop more effective interventions to reduce obesity.

11 Dec 2009

FY2010 State and Foreign Ops bill expected to move on the Hill this month

The fiscal year 2010 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, which includes funding for global health-related measures, "is moving on the Hill as part of a mammoth catch-all spending bill that's expected to move through both chambers this month," Foreign Policy's blog, "The Cable," reports. "

10 Dec 2009

Flu vaccine shortages in developing countries could destabilize global security, says former WHO deputy head

"Flu vaccine shortages in developing nations may destabilize global security should the H1N1 [swine flu] virus become more deadly … David Heymann, a former deputy head of the World Health Organization" said Monday, Bloomberg reports.

10 Dec 2009

Pelosi: Depending on Senate, House could work part of Christmas week

CQ Politics: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she wouldn't rule out keeping the House in session for part of Christmas week, if that could lead to final action this year on a health care overhaul. Right now, however, such a scenario appears unlikely." In the Senate, Democratic leaders are waiting for an updated Congressional Budget Office analysis -- a report not expected before next week -- that includes the most recent round of proposals to the bill they are considering.

10 Dec 2009

Fewer Massachusetts taxpayers penalized for lacking health insurance

The Boston Globe: "Fewer Massachusetts taxpayers were penalized for lacking required health insurance last year than were fined in 2007, the state said yesterday in a report reflecting the second year that residents had to report on their tax returns whether they were covered under the state's near-universal-coverage mandate.

10 Dec 2009

Key Democratic Senators aren't yet committing to health bill

Some of the key players in the health care debate are featured in news articles today.

10 Dec 2009

UnitedHealth Group invests $5.4M in The Help Group’s tax-exempt revenue bonds

The Help Group received $5,395,000 in capital that will support development of its newest campus serving Los Angeles-area children, adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders.

10 Dec 2009

Differences between Senate and House health bills increase

CNN reports that the Senate's public option "compromise appears to be a far cry from the government-backed public health care option offered in the House bill. The Senate's original health care bill included a public option similar to that of the House version.

10 Dec 2009

Public health information website to provide information about advanced disinfectants launched

TouchSurfaces.Org launches a public health information website alerting visitors on how the hard surfaces in the home, the work place, and in public venues can act as host to a multitude of infectious viruses and bacteria including H1N1, MRSA, HIV, and others.

10 Dec 2009

Despite worldwide outbreak of H1N1 virus, American adults not eager to get vaccinated

American adults are not being vaccinated against the seasonal flu any more often than they were last year, despite increased public discussion of the importance of influenza vaccines resulting from the worldwide outbreak of the H1N1 virus, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

10 Dec 2009

Public Health News and Research

Disabilities account for a quarter of U.S. adult health care costs

Pfizer's Prevenar 13 granted European marketing authorization

Road traffic injuries, a leading cause of death and disability worldwide

University of Maryland School of Nursing to spearhead new Center for Pain Studies

African-American women in South Carolina more likely to have cervical cancer than white women

Speaker Pelosi lauds lift of ban on federal funding for syringe exchange initiatives

Humidifiers may help in reducing flu virus

California's EWC program: Cuts alarm breast cancer survivors and advocates

Senior research scientist to receive 2009 Astellas USA Foundation Award

Italy's economically disadvantaged people have higher rates of hospitalization for ACSC disorders

NIH launches a $37 million program to reduce obesity

FY2010 State and Foreign Ops bill expected to move on the Hill this month

Flu vaccine shortages in developing countries could destabilize global security, says former WHO deputy head

Pelosi: Depending on Senate, House could work part of Christmas week

Fewer Massachusetts taxpayers penalized for lacking health insurance

Key Democratic Senators aren't yet committing to health bill

UnitedHealth Group invests $5.4M in The Help Group’s tax-exempt revenue bonds

Differences between Senate and House health bills increase

Public health information website to provide information about advanced disinfectants launched

Despite worldwide outbreak of H1N1 virus, American adults not eager to get vaccinated

News Medical 2025: Healthcare Shifts That Mattered Most eBook

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

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