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Blood-based gene expression test more effective in ruling out obstructive CAD

A blood-based gene expression test was found to be more effective for ruling out obstructive coronary artery disease in stable symptomatic patients than myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), a common test that uses a radioactive agent to evaluate the blood flow and function of the heart.

16 Nov 2011

High court to hear health care challenge as presidential campaign heats up

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a challenge to the 2010 health care overhaul law, President Obama's signature legislative achievement, setting the stage for oral arguments by March and a decision in late June as the 2012 presidential campaign enters its crucial final months.

16 Nov 2011

Poor communities, not just poor countries, affected by NTDs

In this Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases "End the Neglect" blog post, Alanna Shaikh, an expert in health consulting and writer for U.N. Dispatch, examines the burden of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in the developed world, highlighting findings from an article published in PLoS in July looking at Europe's NTD burden.

16 Nov 2011

International Diabetes Federation report estimates 1 in 10 adults will have diabetes by 2030

"One in 10 adults will have diabetes by 2030, posing a huge challenge to health care systems around the world, according to a report" released by the International Diabetes Federation to coincide with World Diabetes Day on Monday, Reuters reports.

16 Nov 2011

PEPFAR's commitment to eliminating gender-based violence

In anticipation of the Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, a campaign which starts on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25, Daniela Ligiero, senior adviser for gender at the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator, reports on PEPFAR's commitment to address gender-based violence in this post in the Department of State's "DipNote" blog.

16 Nov 2011

Health of millions of children in East Asia, Pacific at risk due to climate change, UNICEF report says

"Climate change is expected to worsen the plight of millions of children in East Asia and the Pacific who already lack food and clean water and are vulnerable to disease, ... UNICEF said Monday ... in its report 'Children's vulnerabilities to climate change and disaster impacts in East Asia and the Pacific,'" AlertNet reports.

16 Nov 2011

Romney assailed for Mass. effort to stop care for sick girl

The Miami Herald reports that a conservative website has raised questions about the former governor's role in a case in which a state agency sought to stop life support for a young girl who later came out of her coma.

16 Nov 2011

IAVI policy brief examines HIV vaccine funding

A new policy brief from the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) "summarizes data on HIV vaccine R&D funding trends originally published by the HIV Vaccines and Microbicides Resource Tracking Working Group in 2011," according to the IAVI website.

16 Nov 2011

Mayo Clinic receives $1.25M CDC grant for HIV eCurriculum project

The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded Mayo Clinic a $1.25 million grant to develop online medical education in Ethiopia.

16 Nov 2011

UI bioengineering professor to take part in OSA's congressional briefing

On November 17, 2011, Stephen Boppart from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will take part in a congressional briefing convened by the Optical Society of America (OSA). The briefing is being held under the auspices of the Advisory Committee for the Congressional Research and Development Caucus.

16 Nov 2011

Some public health experts raise concerns over plans to immunize Haitians against cholera, AP reports

The Associated Press/Washington Times reports on a pilot project plan by Partners In Health (PIH) and GHESKIO to vaccinate Haitians against cholera, which "has set off a debate among some public health experts who question the wisdom of the program that will inoculate only one percent of the population and could deplete the world's stock of available cholera vaccine, potentially putting people at risk in other vulnerable places."

16 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: Questions of partisanship and timing could complicate Supreme Court's decision on health law

The Supreme Court's decision to review the constitutionality of health care reform means it will be issuing a ruling in the middle of the 2012 presidential campaign. This can be a highly politicized court, and, for the public good and its own credibility, it must resist that impulse.

16 Nov 2011

New health institute to combat chronic diseases across Maryland

Jay A. Perman, MD, President of the University of Maryland, and Joshua M. Sharfstein, MD, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH), announced today the creation of the Institute for a Healthiest Maryland, a collaboration of support systems that will guide efforts to combat chronic diseases across Maryland.

16 Nov 2011

Implementation news: ACO ancillary service industry booms; New poll finds spike in support for mandate

Modern Healthcare reports on the many companies that are lining up to play a role in the services, marketing and other related ventures to support accountable care organizations. Meanwhile, Politico Pro reports on a poll released Monday that shows support for the health law's individual mandate is growing.

16 Nov 2011

State roundup: Calif. high deductibles spark lawsuit; New Ark. Medicaid Chief; Adult day care resolution soon?

For the second time in eight months, California health insurer Anthem Blue Cross is being sued over allegations that it has breached contracts with individual policyholders for hiking annual insurance deductibles in the middle of the year. The latest lawsuit, filed Monday by the group Consumer Watchdog, says that California's largest for-profit health insurance company used "bait and switch" tactics to raise deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs for some customers May 1.

16 Nov 2011

Changing priorities for major generic drug producers could lead to rising drug prices in developing countries

This is Africa reports on how changing priorities for major generic drug producing countries, such as Brazil, India and China -- countries that "redefined affordable drugs, making access to medicines possible for millions in low-income regions" -- and greater adoption of intellectual property rules could reshape the African pharmaceutical landscape, potentially leading to price increases, according to some experts.

16 Nov 2011

Clinton's speech prioritizing creation of 'Aids-free generation' may shape future of U.S. global health strategy, analysts say

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's November 8 speech at the NIH, in which she called for the creation of an "AIDS-free generation" through the use of combination prevention strategies, "could be more than just political lip-service: it may also shape the next several years of U.S. global health programming and funding, analysts say," PlusNews reports.

15 Nov 2011

Study identifies demographic and health related characteristics related to mobility limitation

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and featured in a 2011 issue of the Journal of Gerontology, has identified demographic and health related characteristics that were related to mobility limitation.

15 Nov 2011

Eliminating drug co-pays improves medication adherence in heart attack patients

The use of specific medications following a heart attack has been shown to reduce cardiovascular events and mortality, however; while highly effective, the rate of adherence to these medications is poor. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) evaluated whether eliminating co-payments for these medications would increase adherence and improve outcomes in patients who have had a heart attack.

15 Nov 2011

Supreme Court could announce today its plans for the health law

After a year and a half of legal skirmishing, President Obama's embattled health care law has arrived at the Supreme Court riding a surprising winning streak and carrying a constitutional stamp of approval from prominent conservative judges. … The Supreme Court is expected to announce as soon as Monday that it will hear the Florida case, the largest and broadest challenge to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

15 Nov 2011

Health Care News and Research

Blood-based gene expression test more effective in ruling out obstructive CAD

High court to hear health care challenge as presidential campaign heats up

Poor communities, not just poor countries, affected by NTDs

International Diabetes Federation report estimates 1 in 10 adults will have diabetes by 2030

PEPFAR's commitment to eliminating gender-based violence

Health of millions of children in East Asia, Pacific at risk due to climate change, UNICEF report says

Romney assailed for Mass. effort to stop care for sick girl

IAVI policy brief examines HIV vaccine funding

Mayo Clinic receives $1.25M CDC grant for HIV eCurriculum project

UI bioengineering professor to take part in OSA's congressional briefing

Some public health experts raise concerns over plans to immunize Haitians against cholera, AP reports

Viewpoints: Questions of partisanship and timing could complicate Supreme Court's decision on health law

New health institute to combat chronic diseases across Maryland

Implementation news: ACO ancillary service industry booms; New poll finds spike in support for mandate

State roundup: Calif. high deductibles spark lawsuit; New Ark. Medicaid Chief; Adult day care resolution soon?

Changing priorities for major generic drug producers could lead to rising drug prices in developing countries

Clinton's speech prioritizing creation of 'Aids-free generation' may shape future of U.S. global health strategy, analysts say

Study identifies demographic and health related characteristics related to mobility limitation

Eliminating drug co-pays improves medication adherence in heart attack patients

Supreme Court could announce today its plans for the health law

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