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Daily Monitor analysis examines history of male circumcision debate

In this Daily Monitor analysis, Joseph Matovu, Rhoda Wanyenze and David Serwadda, all lecturers at Makerere University School of Public Health in Kampala, Uganda, respond to two articles related to male circumcision that were published in the Daily Monitor in March.

16 Apr 2012

Congressional leaders' budget dispute is a preview to fall elections

Democrats and Republicans in Congress can't agree on a budget, but there's no disagreement about using (Rep. Paul) Ryan's to highlight an election-year divide. ... The debate underscores the broader dispute between the two parties about the role and size of government. From town halls to job fairs to meet-and-greets with voters during Congress' two-week recess, Democrats and Republicans focused on the budget in a preview of the seven-month campaign to November.

16 Apr 2012

Grants flow from Komen to Planned Parenthood

Grants from the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure are flowing to Planned Parenthood, as the women's health organizations seek to rebuild their relationship after the controversy in February over the breast cancer charity's unsuccessful attempt to defund Planned Parenthood.

16 Apr 2012

UAB receives NIDCR grant to create national dental practice-based research network

Oral health has been called the window to one's overall health, and a new national research effort led by the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry aims to provide people on the frontline of oral health care - community dentists in private practice - the opportunity to be on the forefront of research that addresses day-to-day issues they face with patients. The effort not only could improve the nation's dental health but its overall health as well.

16 Apr 2012

U.S. halts North Korean food aid after country launches long-range missile

"The U.S. will halt planned shipments of thousands of tons in food aid to North Korea after the reclusive Asian nation's launch of a long-range rocket, two Obama administration officials said," Bloomberg News reports.

16 Apr 2012

Cholera vaccination pilot project begins in Haiti

"A year and a half after cholera first struck Haiti, a tiny portion of the population on Thursday began getting vaccinated against the waterborne disease that has infected more than 530,000 Haitians and killed more than 7,040," the New York Times reports.

16 Apr 2012

Next five years important for S. Africa to show it can effectively respond to HIV, TB

South Africa's recently released "National Strategic Plan on HIV, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and Tuberculosis (TB) 2012-2016" "marked an important milestone" in the nation's fight against infectious diseases, a Lancet editorial states.

16 Apr 2012

Obama, Romney advisers trade barbs on priorities

Campaign advisers to President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney say the general election will offer competing visions of how to help the middle class. Romney adviser Ed Gillespie says the most important thing to do is to foster job creation, and the best way to do that is through policies that promote free enterprise. ... Obama adviser David Axelrod says Romney essentially is calling for more tax cuts for the wealthy while making reductions to safety net programs such as Medicaid.

16 Apr 2012

Presidential campaign veers back to women's issues, anniversary of Mass. health law

Obama and Romney campaigns are getting tangled in questions about women's life choices. But at the same time, Democrats are seeking to use the sixth anniversary of Romney's Massachusetts health law signing to remind voters about its similarities to the federal health overhaul.

16 Apr 2012

As world's first polio vaccine turns 57, scientists working to develop better alternatives

In this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Oshinsky examines the development of the world's first polio vaccine, noting that the vaccine, developed by Jonas Salk of the University of Pittsburgh, turned 57 on Thursday.

16 Apr 2012

Politico Pro examines reaction to Melinda Gates's TEDxChange speech on family planning

Politico Pro examines the reaction to a speech delivered by Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, at a TEDxChange conference in Berlin on April 5.

16 Apr 2012

Research roundup: Obesity treatment for low-income patients; Medicare vs. private plans

Low-income patients are underrepresented in clinical trials and are disproportionately prone to obesity and the related problems of high blood pressure and heart disease. Researchers conducted a 24-month trial of more than 300 low-income, obese patients from various Boston community health centers, randomizing participants "to usual care or a behavioral intervention that promoted weight loss and hypertension self-management using eHealth components. The intervention included tailored behavior change goals, self-monitoring, and skills training, available via a website or interactive voice response."

16 Apr 2012

Abortion-restricting bills proceed in Ariz. and Iowa as new Miss. law targets only abortion clinic

A pair of bills passed the Arizona Senate Thursday to prohibit public money for family-planning from going to organizations that give abortions and to allow some businesses to avoid paying for contraception for employees. Ariz. Gov. Jan Brewer also signed a bill banning most late-term abortions.

16 Apr 2012

Private funding for international humanitarian response continues in face of recession, report says

"Individuals, businesses and foundations have continued to give money to humanitarian and development organizations despite harsh economic times, providing a crucial source of funding in the face of declining official aid," according to a report on private aid funding by the monitoring group Global Humanitarian Assistance (GHA), the Guardian reports.

16 Apr 2012

Catholic Bishops's 'religious freedom' campaign includes action against contraception coverage mandate

All Americans should be "on guard" as the Obama administration threatens religious liberty, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops declared Thursday. The call to action is spelled out in a document, "Our First, Most Cherished Liberty," developed by the conference's Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty.

16 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Politics distorting views of the health system; US is more efficient than most people think

If health insurers can keep denying coverage to anyone, millions of Americans could be left to fend for themselves in a system that openly discriminates against the sick and leaves many destitute.

16 Apr 2012

Coordinated response needed to capitalize on momentum of WHO's adoption of mental health resolution

"We commend the 130th session of the WHO Executive Board for adopting a resolution calling for a comprehensive response to the global burden of mental illnesses," Rebecca Hock of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Department of Mental Health, and colleagues, write in this Lancet opinion piece.

16 Apr 2012

Roundup: Texas considers relaxing rules for stem cell treatments; States weigh bills to protect consumers against high drug costs

A Texas agency will vote Friday on whether to enact new rules that would make it easier for doctors to offer experimental treatments using adult stem cells without federal approval. The Texas Medical Board, which licenses and disciplines doctors in the state, recently drafted stem-cell rules at the behest of Dr. Stanley Jones of Houston, who in July injected Gov. Rick Perry with the governor's own stem cells to try to aid his recovery from a back injury.

16 Apr 2012

Huntington’s disease may protect against cancer: Study

Dr Jianguang Ji, Lund University, and Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden, and colleagues investigated data from the Swedish Cancer Registry. Researchers analyzed Swedish hospital data from 1969 to 2008. They found 1,510 patients with Huntington's disease. During the study period, 91 of those patients subsequently developed cancer. The authors said that was 53% lower than the levels expected for the general population.

15 Apr 2012

Indomethacin given after digestive diagnostic procedure may prevent pancreatitis: Study

There is a high risk of pancreatitis after a diagnostic procedure - ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography). ERCP is a procedure that is commonly utilized to treat or diagnose problems of the bile and pancreatic ducts. During an ERCP procedure, a lighted scope is inserted through the mouth while X-ray pictures are taken to check the tubes that drain the liver, pancreas and gallbladder.

15 Apr 2012

Health Care News and Research

Daily Monitor analysis examines history of male circumcision debate

Congressional leaders' budget dispute is a preview to fall elections

Grants flow from Komen to Planned Parenthood

UAB receives NIDCR grant to create national dental practice-based research network

U.S. halts North Korean food aid after country launches long-range missile

Cholera vaccination pilot project begins in Haiti

Next five years important for S. Africa to show it can effectively respond to HIV, TB

Obama, Romney advisers trade barbs on priorities

Presidential campaign veers back to women's issues, anniversary of Mass. health law

As world's first polio vaccine turns 57, scientists working to develop better alternatives

Politico Pro examines reaction to Melinda Gates's TEDxChange speech on family planning

Research roundup: Obesity treatment for low-income patients; Medicare vs. private plans

Abortion-restricting bills proceed in Ariz. and Iowa as new Miss. law targets only abortion clinic

Private funding for international humanitarian response continues in face of recession, report says

Catholic Bishops's 'religious freedom' campaign includes action against contraception coverage mandate

Viewpoints: Politics distorting views of the health system; US is more efficient than most people think

Coordinated response needed to capitalize on momentum of WHO's adoption of mental health resolution

Roundup: Texas considers relaxing rules for stem cell treatments; States weigh bills to protect consumers against high drug costs

Huntington’s disease may protect against cancer: Study

Indomethacin given after digestive diagnostic procedure may prevent pancreatitis: Study

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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