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New CDC data shows increase in prevalence of autism in U.S. children

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today that the prevalence of children in the United States with autism has increased. The newly-released statistics suggest one in 88 children have an Autism Spectrum Disorder, up from one in 110 released in 2009.

30 Mar 2012

Roundup: N.H., Kansas move towards health care 'compacts'; Mass. payment reform 'not enough'?

The N.H. House has voted to form an interstate health care compact, rejecting an effort to instead study the cost implications for New Hampshire if the state assumed control for health care within its boundaries. Under the bill, the states would receive block grants from the federal government and would take over Medicare and Medicaid.

30 Mar 2012

Autism Speaks calls for the development of national action plan

Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, today called on the nation's elected and appointed leaders to immediately develop a new, coordinated strategy to take on a national public health emergency - the autism epidemic - in the wake of a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) finding that autism is now diagnosed in a staggering 1 in every 88 American children.

30 Mar 2012

Calif. readies Medicaid changes for dual-eligibles, adult day care program; Other Medicaid news from the states

California is revamping its adult day health care program as well as its program for people who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. In Florida, a judge orders the Medicaid program there to cover autism therapy, and Georgia prepares to restructure its program.

30 Mar 2012

Study: 1 in 88 U.S. children have an autism spectrum disorder

A new study estimates that 1 in 88 children in the United States has an autism spectrum disorder.

30 Mar 2012

Bilingualism can offer protection from symptoms of dementia

New research explains how speaking more than one language may translate to better mental health. A paper published by Cell Press in the March 29th issue of the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences examines how being bilingual can offer protection from the symptoms of dementia, and also suggests that the increasing diversity in our world populations may have an unexpected positive impact on the resiliency of the adult brain.

30 Mar 2012

Cancer death rates declining but obesity still needs to be tackled

According to a new report from four major national cancer tracking groups there has been a steady decline in cancer death rates for men, women and children from 2004 to 2008. The declines in death and new cases of cancer reflect progress against the disease in terms of prevention, diagnosis and treatment, but experts say rising obesity may present a new challenge in the fight against cancer.

29 Mar 2012

First Edition: March 29, 2012

Today's health policy headlines include reports detailing Wednesday's Supreme Court oral arguments on severability as well as the Medicaid expansion. News coverage also sums up the week's high court activity and looks forward to what might happen next.

29 Mar 2012

State roundup: Georgia's child-only insurance policies; N.Y. exchange impasse

The Senate's Republican majority refused to agree to create a "health exchange," or state-based health insurance market required under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, for individuals and small businesses to insure more Americans.

29 Mar 2012

New technique could restore fertility of boys undergoing cancer treatment

Treatments for childhood cancers are increasingly successful with cure rates approaching 80%, but success often comes with a downside for the surviving men: the cancer treatments they received as boys can leave them sterile as adults. Now, a research team led by Ralph Brinster of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine has completed a 14-year experiment that gives hope for a technique that could restore their fertility.

29 Mar 2012

AP examines whether health law debate is muted if Romney is GOP nominee

In other campaign news, James Carville says a loss at the Supreme Court will help Democrats politically.

29 Mar 2012

UNAIDS, NEPAD sign MoU to collaborate in efforts to fight HIV

UNAIDS and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) Agency on Tuesday "signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) calling for strategic collaboration to advance sustainable responses to HIV, health and development across the African continent," according to a UNAIDS press release. "

29 Mar 2012

Hawthorn and Cypress settle Medicaid fraud lawsuit

Hawthorn Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its parent company, Cypress Pharmaceutical Inc., have paid the federal government and certain states a total of $2.8 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit filed by Phillips & Cohen LLP that alleged Hawthorn falsely marketed unapproved prescription drugs as being eligible for reimbursement by Medicaid and other government health care programs.

29 Mar 2012

Sun damage revealed by UV photographs show skin cancer risk

Look at a middle school assembly - during their lifetime one in 50 of these kids will develop melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer that kills 48,000 people every year, worldwide. Now look at these kids again - which are at highest risk? You can't tell, but a study recently published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology shows that UV photography might provide important information about risk, not visible to the naked eye.

29 Mar 2012

Ember, Joslin aims to utilize brown fat for treatment of obesity and diabetes

Joslin Diabetes Center and Ember Therapeutics, Inc. today announced an agreement aimed at utilizing "brown fat," a type of fat that helps increase energy expenditure within the body, as a novel technique for managing obesity and diabetes. Joslin's Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Ronald Kahn and other Joslin faculty, Drs. Yu-Hua Tseng and Aaron Cypess, have performed pioneering work in this field over the past several years, and were the first to show that a natural protein called BMP7 can help modulate the levels of brown fat.

29 Mar 2012

Increasing incidences of brain tumours calls for more spend on vital research

With more children and people under the age of 40 dying of a brain tumour than any other cancer in the United Kingdom, a leading researcher at Queen's University Belfast is calling for an increase in spending on vital research.

29 Mar 2012

Study explores relationship between traumatic early life events and gynecological cancer

An investigation that is published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics explores the relationship between early life events and gynecological cancer.

29 Mar 2012

AFB announces Access Award recipients for 2012

What do the leaders of "America's pastime," a free open-source screen-reading software company, an orientation and mobility (O&M) program, and the founder of Camp Abilities have in common? All have taken successful strides toward creating a better quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired, which is why they were named the recipients of the 2012 Access Awards, announced today by the American Foundation for the Blind.

29 Mar 2012

Researchers profile genetic changes in cancer with drug sensitivity

In the largest study of its kind, researchers have profiled genetic changes in cancer with drug sensitivity in order to develop a personalised approach to cancer treatments. The study is published in Nature on Thursday 29 March 2012.

29 Mar 2012

Scientists explore number of strategies to prevent anesthesia-induced injury in infants

Recent clinical studies have shown that general anesthesia can be harmful to infants, presenting a dilemma for both doctors and parents. But new research at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center may point the way to treatment options that protect very young children against the adverse effects of anesthesia.

29 Mar 2012