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Viewpoints: Van Hollen on Medicaid cuts; debate on rising Medicare age; women's health issues

Walking away from the federal commitment to Medicaid doesn't solve the problem; it just passes health care costs down to states. Because almost every state, including Maryland, is required by law to balance its budget every year, it means cuts in services and more financial strains for already suffering families, cuts in provider payments, lost jobs in the health care sector, and dampened business activity as the consequences of lost jobs and unmet health care needs ripple through the economy.

26 Jul 2011

Happiness index of the UK may influence policy makers

According to the latest figures from the UK’s Office of National Statistics, a range of factors have been identified to assist in the complex calculation of national well-being and happiness in general.

25 Jul 2011

Fragile X syndrome study to reveal more

Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability in the world. Medical experts, including the Mater Hospital's Dr Helen Heussler, are today launching a new push to uncover the secrets of a disorder that affects a child born in Australia every week. Fragile X is passed from parent carriers who often exhibit very few symptoms. Estimates suggest more than 100,000 Australians either carry the gene mutation that causes Fragile X or have the syndrome, yet the vast majority have not been diagnosed, according to the Fragile X Association of Australia.

25 Jul 2011

Promising drug for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a severely debilitating and lethal condition that affects 1 in 3,000. Females and males are affected, though females are rarely affected and are more often carriers. It is caused due to a defective gene that normally codes for the protein dystrophin, which helps provide a protective membrane around muscle fibers. Without this skin, muscle fibers become damaged and eventually die.

25 Jul 2011

Chicken pox vaccine reduced related deaths by 88%

The team of researchers found that although in 2006 a second dose was added to the vaccination roster, the decrease in deaths occurred largely during the time when just one shot was recommended. While chickenpox-related deaths are now relatively rare, the new two-dose regimen may eliminate them altogether, they said. The double dose will further reduce sick days and medical care associated with chickenpox and its complications, the study authors said.

25 Jul 2011

Health law changes present enrollment challenges

Meanwhile, news outlets report on a range of other implementation issues, including the decision of Ohio Gov. John Kasich to follow through on forming a state-based exchange despite his opposition to the overhaul, changes to FSAs and the measure's impact on farmers.

25 Jul 2011

Fluoride supplements neither safe or effective

Sodium fluoride supplements "have not been found by FDA to be safe or effective," according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine's website, reports the New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc..

25 Jul 2011

Safety tips to avoid backpack injuries

Backpacks are a common ingredient on back-to-school lists. Unfortunately, they are a leading cause of back and shoulder pain for millions of school children across the nation. As students gear up for back-to-school this fall, Minnesota chiropractors would like to offer parents ways to help children avoid backpack injuries.

25 Jul 2011

Some hospitals face hard times

Walter Reed Army Medical Center will close its doors after nearly a century. By month's end, the Shriners Hospitals will stop its tradition of providing free care to children. And, lastly, hospital bonds maybe vulnerable to downgrades because of potential reduction in Medicare reimbursements and Medicaid cuts.

25 Jul 2011

Baxter GAMMAGARD LIQUID for PI receives FDA approval for subcutaneous administration

Baxter International Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the subcutaneous administration of GAMMAGARD LIQUID 10% [Immune Globulin Infusion (Human)] for patients with primary immunodeficiency.

From Baxter International Inc. 25 Jul 2011

Three pediatric cardiac hospitals to perform live cases with Toshiba's Infinix CF-i system

Vascular interventions performed in pediatrics require imaging equipment specially designed for this setting. During the Pediatric and Adult Interventional Cardiac Symposium (PICS-AICS), July 24-27, 2011 in Boston, three leading pediatric cardiac hospitals will perform live cases with Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc.'s Infinix™ CF-i bi-plane cardiovascular systems.

25 Jul 2011

A Step Ahead Pediatric Therapy partners with The Eisen Agency

A Step Ahead Pediatric Therapy, a comprehensive pediatric rehabilitation practice based in Northern Kentucky, has partnered with premier Cincinnati public relations firm The Eisen Agency. The leading firm will create and implement a campaign designed to build awareness regarding the unique story of A Step Ahead and the importance and value of pediatric therapy.

25 Jul 2011

Study examines link between stereo 3D devices and visual discomfort

Several reports indicate that prolonged viewing of mobile devices and other stereo 3D devices leads to visual discomfort, fatigue and even headaches. According to a new Journal of Vision study, the root cause may be the demand on our eyes to focus on the screen and simultaneously adjust to the distance of the content.

25 Jul 2011

Intravenous fluids appear to lower severity of kidney failure in children with E. coli infection

Infection with E. coli bacteria can wreak havoc in children, leading to bloody diarrhea, fever and kidney failure. But giving children intravenous fluids early in the course of an E. coli O157:H7 infection appears to lower the odds of developing severe kidney failure, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and other institutions.

25 Jul 2011

New details about how dendritic cells regulate fate of naive T cells

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists show that the molecule serves as a bridge between the two arms of the immune system that provides a new mechanism guiding T cell differentiation.

25 Jul 2011

Two genetic variations can identify children at higher risk of radiation-induced second cancers

A genome-wide association study published in the August issue of Nature Medicine has found two tiny genetic variations that can predict which patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma are most likely to develop radiation-induced second cancers years after treatment.

25 Jul 2011

Children with ADHD may face increased risk of pedestrian injury

Children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk of being hit by a vehicle when crossing a street, according to new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

25 Jul 2011

First high-resolution genetic maps for African American populations

UCLA life scientists and colleagues have produced one of the first high-resolution genetic maps for African American populations. A genetic map reveals the precise locations across the genome where DNA from a person's father and mother have been stitched together through a biological process called "recombination." This process results in new genetic combinations that are then passed on to the person's children.

25 Jul 2011

Eating location, food source impact daily energy intake for children

As childhood obesity rises and the American diet shifts towards increasing consumption of foods eaten or prepared outside of the home, concerns about the nutritional quality and the total consumption of such foods are also increasing.

25 Jul 2011

Nearly 720,000 children are at risk of death across the Horn of Africa

With famine now declared in two regions of Southern Somalia and malnutrition rates at emergency levels in arid and semi-arid regions across the Horn of Africa, nearly 720,000 children are at risk of death without urgent assistance.

25 Jul 2011