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Democratic leaders still pondering reconciliation pros and cons for health bill

Congressional Democrats are facing a critical decision about whether to use the procedural maneuver known as budget reconciliation to pass a health care reform bill, The New York Times reports.

27 Jan 2010

First Edition: January 25, 2010

Today's news begins to set the scene for the President's upcoming State of the Union address, and provides continuing coverage of Democrats' efforts to regroup on health reform.

25 Jan 2010

First U.S. facial transplantation procedure: Functional, psychological, and social outcome excellent

Detailed information on the first facial transplantation procedure performed in the United States is presented in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

23 Jan 2010

Driving impairs language skills, says new study

It is well known that having a conversation (for example on a cell phone) impairs one's driving. A new study indicates the reverse is also true: Driving reduces one's ability to comprehend and use language.

23 Jan 2010

Obama: Not going to walk away from health reform

New York Times' The Caucus blog: "Conceding his health care overhaul had 'run into a bit of a buzz saw,' President Obama vowed on Friday to keep fighting for legislation that will 'hold the insurance industry accountable and bring more stability and security to folks in our health care system'" (Stolberg, 1/22).

23 Jan 2010

FDA approves fampridine-SR drug for treatment of multiple sclerosis

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the drug fampridine-SR for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) have been evaluating the effects of the drug in MS for more than 10 years- it is the first medication shown to enhance some neurological functions in people with the disease - and their efforts helped pave the way for today's action by the FDA.

23 Jan 2010

GSK announces new initiatives for addressing healthcare challenges in the world's poorest countries

Andrew Witty, Chief Executive of GlaxoSmithKline, today announced a series of new initiatives targeted at further transforming the company's approach to diseases that disproportionately affect the world's poorest countries. His announcements build on commitments made in 2009 to work in partnership, expand access to medicines and encourage new research into neglected tropical diseases.

22 Jan 2010

Loud music can increase risk for hearing loss

Listening to an iPod while working out feels like second nature to many people, but University of Alberta researcher Bill Hodgetts says we need to consider the volume levels in our earphones while working up a sweat.

21 Jan 2010

GSK to offer scientists access to compounds, lab space to fight malaria

Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)'s Chief Executive Officer Andrew Witty on Tuesday unveiled the company's plans to allow "free access to its library of 13,500 potential malaria treatments and devote the profits from its experimental [RTS,S] vaccine to battling tropical illnesses that beset poor countries," Bloomberg reports (Randall, 1/20).

21 Jan 2010

BrainTrust Canada and CSPS partner to distribute Concussion Cards to all CSPS ski patrollers

During this week - National Learn to Ski & Snowboard Week - BrainTrust Canada and the Canadian Ski Patrol System (CSPS) have launched a partnership which includes the distribution of Concussion Cards as a prevention and management tool to all 5,000 CSPS ski patrollers across the country.

20 Jan 2010

Obama seeks elusive health care victory by months' end

President Barack Obama has plenty of reasons to hope Congress has completed its health overhaul debate by the end of the month, including: the just-scheduled State of the Union address on Jan. 27, a Feb. 1 deadline for submitting the 2011 federal budget to Congress, and flagging poll numbers.

20 Jan 2010

Voice abnormalities in cochlear implants will improve over time, says study

Children with cochlear implants in both ears appear to have difficulty controlling the loudness and pitch of their voices, but these measures improve over time, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

19 Jan 2010

Medical innovation needed despite current economic problems, says Eli Lilly CEO

In the keynote address at a Town Hall Los Angeles luncheon event today, John C. Lechleiter, Ph.D., chairman and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company, said that in the current challenging economic times, sustaining our nation's edge in innovation and improving our focus on medical innovation's richest resource – people – is imperative to achieving prosperity and health in the coming decade. His speech focused on bioscience innovation, a sector in which Los Angeles boasts one of the largest concentrations of jobs in the country.

18 Jan 2010

Auditory feedback pathway in the brain linked to learned vocal control identified

Scientists at Duke University Medical Center have identified neurons in the songbird brain that convey the auditory feedback needed to learn a song.

18 Jan 2010

Findings could pave way for new therapeutic approaches for Friedreich's ataxia

Elevated levels of DNA damage have for the first time been found in the cellular mitochondria and nuclei of patients with the inherited, progressive nervous system disease called Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA), says a multicenter research team led by an expert from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI).

18 Jan 2010

Democrats reportedly settle key issues on health bill but no final accord yet

Politico reports: "President Barack Obama and senior Democratic lawmakers closed in Friday on a final health care reform package, finishing a week of intensive negotiations on tax and coverage issues that had once threatened to derail the bill.

18 Jan 2010

FRC to discuss how House and Senate healthcare bills violate America's guiding document

On Thursday at 11 a.m. ET, Family Research Council will host a lecture featuring Family Research Council Senior Fellow Ken Blackwell and George Mason Law Professor Nelson Lund to discuss how both House and Senate health care bills violate America's guiding document.

13 Jan 2010

Budget and cost issues continue to plague states

The (San Luis Obispo) Tribune News: In California, local programs will be hit hard under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed cuts to plug a $20 billion budget gap. "In-Home Supportive Services would be cut entirely. Medi-Cal would be limited and participants would be called upon to share more of the costs"

13 Jan 2010

Reducing DA dosage causes acute withdrawal symptoms in Parkinson's patients

New research has shown that reducing the dosage of dopamine agonist (DA) drugs, a mainstay treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD), sometimes causes acute withdrawal symptoms similar to those reported by cocaine addicts -- including anxiety, panic attacks, depression, sweating, nausea, generalized pain, fatigue, dizziness and drug cravings. These symptoms can be severe, and are not alleviated by other PD medications.

12 Jan 2010

Cardene I.V. more effective than intravenous labetalol for BP management in acute stroke patients

EKR Therapeutics, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company commercializing acute-care hospital products, today said that interim study data1 demonstrate that Cardene® I.V. (nicardipine hydrochloride) is significantly more effective than intravenous labetalol for the management of blood pressure (BP) in stroke patients.

12 Jan 2010