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Tenofovir associated with significant risk of kidney damage and chronic kidney disease

Tenofovir, one of the most effective and commonly prescribed antiretroviral medications for HIV/AIDS, is associated with a significant risk of kidney damage and chronic kidney disease that increases over time, according to a study of more than 10,000 patients led by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

13 Feb 2012

Forbes examines how mobile phones are improving access to care in developing world

Mobile phones are improving access to health care in the developing world, according to the series "The Future of mHealth" by Mobiledia, a Forbes contributor.

13 Feb 2012

Lawmakers facing showdown on payroll tax, Medicare bill

A weekend of talks between the two top tax writers in Congress failed to bridge gaping partisan differences over the payroll tax cut package, increasing the odds of another Washington showdown ahead of an end-of-the-month deadline.

13 Feb 2012

Intervention programs can help teen girls achieve long-term success in managing weight

Teenage girls gained less weight, improved their body image, ate less fast food, and had more family meals after participating in a 6- month program that involved weekly peer meetings, consultations with primary care providers and separate meetings for parents. Those results from a study published online today in the journal Pediatrics.

13 Feb 2012

Some Senate Democrats split from White House on contraception rule

The White House on Thursday faced mounting pressure from Senate Democrats to amend its requirements that religious employers include contraceptives in their health insurance plans, as Republicans tried to force votes on the issue.

13 Feb 2012

New contraceptive rule has precedents in federal, state law

NPR reports that not much has changed in the new regulation other than requiring coverage for contraceptives at no cost, while CNN reports on the escalating "rhetorical war" in Washington.

13 Feb 2012

Aid for water, sanitation programs must benefit the poor

In this post in the ONE blog, Brooks Keene, policy adviser for CARE's water team, "makes the argument that foreign aid should benefit the poor first and foremost," noting, "As we approach World Water Day on March 22, CARE, [the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)] and WaterAid have published a report card on how well" the Water for the Poor Act, passed by Congress in 2005, "has been implemented seven years down the line."

13 Feb 2012

President's budget to call for Medicare, Medicaid cuts - but no major changes

News organizations got a preview of the multi-trillion-dollar federal budget President Barack Obama is expected to propose on Monday.

13 Feb 2012

Permitting children to stay on parents' health insurance improves access to care

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that laws permitting children to stay on their parents' health insurance through age 26 result in improved access to health care compared to states without those laws.

13 Feb 2012

Even in dramatic times of crisis it is possible to assure public health

Even in dramatic times of crisis, when the Gross National Product collapses, it is still possible to assure a good level of public health. If one is prepared to strengthen the public system of healthcare. "Look for instance to Cuba in the nineties", say scientists from the Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine.

13 Feb 2012

Evaluation in addition to screenings increases diagnosis rate of cognitive impairment

A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reveals that brief cognitive screenings combined with offering further evaluation increased new diagnoses of cognitive impairment in older veterans two to three fold.

13 Feb 2012

Birth control mandate is a rallying cry in presidential campaigns

Rick Santorum said Thursday that arguments against a recent federal law requiring health insurance coverage for contraception were not ignoring the rights of women. "It's the churches' money, and forcing them to do something that they think is a grievous moral wrong, how can that be the right of a woman?" Santorum asked in an interview on CNN's "John King USA".

13 Feb 2012

First Edition: February 13, 2012

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations preview President Barack Obama's budget, which will be released today, and examine the lingering controversy over mandates on contraceptive coverage.

13 Feb 2012

NYU Langone's Department of Orthopaedic Surgery publishes 2012 Quality and Outcomes Report

At NYU Langone Medical Center the focus on quality, patient safety and patient experience are not just broad stroke initiatives - but measurable, quantifiable and concrete. Patients and health care professionals can learn about this commitment to world-class care and operational transparency in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery's recently published "2012 Quality and Outcomes Report," which is now available online as well as in hard copy at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) meeting taking place this week in San Francisco.

13 Feb 2012

'The Elders' promote 'Girls Not Brides' initiative in India

"A group of prominent activists from around the world known as 'The Elders' arrived in India Thursday to take a stand against the practice of child marriage" and promote its global "Girls Not Brides" movement, VOA's "Breaking News" blog reports.

13 Feb 2012

Coakley and Cuccinelli debate the health law

Two prominent state attorneys general examined the health law case before the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that some senators are pushing to get television cameras in the Supreme Court.

13 Feb 2012

Health insurance exchanges stall in Kansas and Georgia

The House Appropriations Committee has voted to block Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger from spending any more federal grant dollars to plan for the implementation of the federal health reform law. ... The grants, which totaled about $2.3 million, were intended to help Kansas plan and develop a health insurance purchasing exchange and to educate consumers about the exchange.

13 Feb 2012

Bishops, GOP candidates push back against Obama's contraception compromise

News outlets reported on the buzz generated by President Barack Obama's announcement yesterday of a compromise on the administration's requirement that most health plans provide birth control access for free.

13 Feb 2012

Examining malaria data methodologies

In this post in the Center for Global Development's (CGD) "Global Health Policy" blog, Victoria Fan, a research fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD), and Felix Lam, a malaria research analyst, examine the discrepancies between the WHO's estimated number of malaria deaths worldwide and the data recently released by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

13 Feb 2012

Health plans must provide consumer-friendly health plan summaries by this fall

Moving to implement one of the new consumer protections in the health law, the Obama administration issued regulations Thursday requiring insurers to describe costs and benefits in clear, standardized language.

13 Feb 2012