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State-based health policies grab attention

With the federal law's fate uncertain, action taken so far by the states -- either to implement the national overhaul or to advance reforms of their own -- have claimed more significance and headlines.

2 Apr 2012

IPT has an ongoing protective effect against malaria in infants

Malaria infections among infants can be cut by up to 30 per cent when antimalarial drugs are given intermittently over a 12 month period, a three-year clinical trial in Papua New Guinea has shown.

2 Apr 2012

Eisai, University of Kansas grant water-soluble pro-drug technology patent to OneWorld Health

OneWorld Health (OWH), a nonprofit that develops lifesaving medicines for neglected diseases, announced that it has signed a nonexclusive patent agreement with Eisai Co., Ltd., for a water-soluble pro-drug technology patent. OWH will use the pro-drug technology to advance development of iOWH032, its new drug to treat acute secretory diarrhea.

2 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 2, 2012

Today's headlines offer more analysis of what could become of the Supreme Courts consideration of the health law.

2 Apr 2012

Vaccines for measles may not increase risk of febrile seizures in 4-6 year olds

Vaccines for measles were not associated with an increased risk of febrile seizures among 4-6 year olds during the six weeks after vaccination, according to a study by the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center that appears in the current issue of Pediatrics.

2 Apr 2012

Study provides new information on why A-T disease attacks the brain

Rutgers scientists think they have found a way to prevent and possibly reverse the most debilitating symptoms of a rare, progressive childhood degenerative disease that leaves children with slurred speech, unable to walk, and in a wheelchair before they reach adolescence.

2 Apr 2012

FDA won’t ban bisphenol A from food packaging

In a long drawn decision the U.S. government announced Friday that it will not ban bisphenol A, an industrial chemical believed to disrupt the reproductive and nervous systems, from food and drink packaging.

1 Apr 2012

Autism more common than previously thought

Just last week, U.S. health authorities announced that autism is more common than previously thought. About 1 in 88 children in the United States have an autism spectrum disorder, according to the report. Autism spectrum disorders are developmental conditions associated with impaired social communication and repetitive behaviors or fixated interests. Diagnoses have risen 78% since 2000, partly because of greater awareness, and partly for reasons entirely unknown. Most medications don't help, and while some find improvements with intense (and expensive) behavioral therapy, there is no cure.

1 Apr 2012

New drive to prevent youngsters from inhaling second-hand smoke at home

There has a rise in the number of smokers despite the fewer public places at which to light up and one of the world's highest cigarette prices. Sales have hit a four-year high in 2009: 2.44 billion cigarettes, or 6.7 million a day. This was a 12-per-cent rise over 2008's figure of 2.17 billion sold; in 2005, it was 2.09 billion.

1 Apr 2012

Long delays for persistent pain management

An article in the Australian Medical Journal reveals that taxpayers are paying $34 billion a year to treat persistent pain. Pain specialist Dr Timothy Semple, and president of the Australian Pain Society, told the Herald Sun chronic back pain, arthritis, nerve injuries and people who needed care after surviving cancer made up significant numbers.

1 Apr 2012

Autism cases rise by 23% from ’06 to ’08: CDC report

According to latest figures, nearly one in 88 U.S. children have autism spectrum disorders. The report further urges national attention on the need for earlier diagnosis and treatment, especially in rural and minority communities.

1 Apr 2012

Autism rate soars to 1 in 88 children

The number of children with autism in America has climbed 23 percent in the last two years, but the increase could be partially attributable to better diagnoses, officials say.

31 Mar 2012

U.S. suspends resumed food aid to North Korea

"The United States has suspended planned food aid to North Korea as Pyongyang vows to push ahead with a plan to launch a long-range missile in defiance of international warnings, U.S. military officials said on Wednesday," Reuters reports.

31 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: Ryan's budget called 'cruel' or 'sophisticated'

In February, after embarrassing himself by saying he was "not concerned about the very poor," Mitt Romney explained that the government's safety net would take care of them, and he promised to repair any holes in the net. That promise didn't last very long. On Thursday, House Republicans approved, on a party-line vote, a disastrous new budget that would leave millions of struggling families desperate for food, shelter and health care - and Mr. Romney has embraced it.

31 Mar 2012

Johns Hopkins Hospital's new home to open on May 1

The Johns Hopkins Hospital's new home, set to open on May 1, will redefine the very essence of the hospital experience, and cutting-edge technology designed to improve care, streamline workflow and encourage efficiencies will play a central role.

31 Mar 2012

FDA releases two draft guidance documents to help fight tobacco epidemic

Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released two separate draft guidance documents to help fight the tobacco epidemic and stop children from using tobacco. The draft guidance documents implement provisions of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act that will ultimately provide the public with previously unknown information about the chemicals in tobacco products and help prevent misleading marketing about the risks associated with tobacco products.

31 Mar 2012

India's success against polio is promising step in defeating disease worldwide

"That India is free of wild polio today is a testament to the commitment of the Indian government," which "invested more than $1 billion over the last decade and collaborated with community leaders, health workers, businesses, and parents," as well as governments, non-governmental organizations, and multilateral agencies, to fight the disease, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius writes in a Foreign Affairs opinion piece.

31 Mar 2012

Epilepsy community welcomes IOM's new landmark study report

Responding to today's release of the Institute of Medicine 's (IOM) new report on the public health dimensions of the epilepsies, a cooperative group of professional and consumer organizations with special interest in epilepsy has issued the following joint statement.

31 Mar 2012

Perspectives: All this fuss about the word 'tax'; Civic lessons from the Supreme Court

It is now clear that the law will impose heavy burdens on state and family budgets and increasingly possible that its mandate that all Americans purchase health insurance or face penalties will be ruled unconstitutional. ... We and our Republican colleagues voted against the law two years ago and will continue to work toward a smarter, step-by-step solution that will make health care available to more Americans at a lower cost to the federal government, the states, and individuals seeking care.

31 Mar 2012

State roundup: Texas, Minn. scrutinize psychiatric care

U.S. Justice Department officials in Washington are weighing whether to investigate potential civil rights violations of psychiatric patients at Parkland Memorial Hospital. Sarah Saldaña, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said the review stems from news stories in The Dallas Morning News exposing cases of neglect, violence and questionable deaths.

31 Mar 2012