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Judge halts enforcement of S.D. abortion law; hearing on Kansas law today

A federal judge on Thursday barred a tough new South Dakota abortion law from taking effect while it's being challenged in court. The law, which would have taken effect Friday, requires women seeking abortions to face a three-day waiting period and undergo counseling at pregnancy help centers that discourage abortion.

2 Jul 2011

WFP funding shortfall forcing cutbacks in Afghanistan

"The U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) is being forced by a funding shortfall to cut its recovery programmes in nearly half of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, a spokesperson said," just as the country prepares for expected food shortages over the coming months, IRIN reports.

2 Jul 2011

IPS looks at U.N. Women funding levels

Inter Press Service looks at funding for U.N. Women six months after the organization launched. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "set an initial target of 500 million dollars as the proposed annual budget for the new gender-empowered body. But nearly six months later, the voluntary funding for U.N. Women (UNW) from the 192 member states has remained painfully slow," IPS writes.

2 Jul 2011

Self-referral physicians may contribute to diagnostic imaging growth

A recent study in the Journal of the American College of Radiology suggests that self-referral in medical imaging may be a significant contributing factor in diagnostic imaging growth.

2 Jul 2011

Japan's coastal health systems facing long rebuilding process following tsunami

The Lancet reports on Japan's "daunting task of rebuilding hundreds of damaged health facilities" four months after an earthquake and tsunami hit the country.

2 Jul 2011

Obama administration turns bright spotlight on prescription painkiller abuse

The Obama administration turned a bright spotlight on prescription painkiller abuse in April when the Office of National Drug Control Policy released a national action plan and a statement from Vice President Joe Biden.

2 Jul 2011

Poll finds some support for minor Medicare cuts

Americans approve of minor cuts to help trim the federal deficit, but are much less likely to favor major cuts, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation tracking survey.

2 Jul 2011

States must make do without stimulus dollars for Medicaid; judge freezes Ariz. cuts

As healthcare costs for the poor soar across the United States, perhaps no state will feel the loss of federal stimulus money more than Florida. America's fourth-most-populous state, Florida is second only to Texas in the percentage of residents without health insurance and its struggles are emblematic of problems afflicting many states.

2 Jul 2011

Aflatoxin treatment project in Kenya faces challenge in marketing product to poor farmers

IRIN examines an 18-month project in Kenya testing a maize treatment aimed at controlling "a deadly fungus, aflatoxin," which has the potential to cause cancer, immune system suppression, growth retardation, liver disease and death among the "literally billions of people in the developing world" who are chronically exposed to the fungus.

2 Jul 2011

Lancet seminar on tuberculosis

The current issue of the Lancet features a seminar on tuberculosis that "presents current perspectives on the scale of the epidemic, the pathogen and the host response, present and emerging methods for disease control, and the ongoing challenge of tuberculosis control in adults in the 21st century".

2 Jul 2011

Research roundup: Hospital care in U.S. territories lags; health spending unevenly distributed

This study examines the quality of hospital care in the U.S. territories -- Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Island, and the U.S. Virgin Islands -- and compares it to care in the states.

2 Jul 2011

D.C. study probes disparities in stroke treatment

Blacks hospitalized for strokes in the District are one-third as likely as whites to receive lifesaving treatment, according to a study that seeks to understand racial disparities in treatment.

2 Jul 2011

Medical debt, lack of insurance coverage lead to reduced health care access

In 2010, about 40 percent of Americans—or 73 million people—had trouble paying medical bills, up from 34 percent in 2005. Now, a new study confirms that having health insurance coverage is no guarantee against accumulating medical debt for working-age adults. Not surprisingly, the study likewise finds that both medical debt and lack of insurance coverage lead to reduced access to health care.

2 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: Medical docs begin residency, best practices, Kansas abortions

Today, after four arduous years of examinations, graduating medical doctors will report to their residency programs. Armed with stethoscopes and scalpels, they're preparing to lead the charge against disease in its ravaging, chimerical forms. They carry with them the classic tomes: Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine and Gray's Anatomy. But I have an unlikely addition for their mental rucksacks: "Grimm's Fairy Tales".

2 Jul 2011

New sleep rules for medical residents

Dr. Emil Oweis is ready for anything Washington Hospital Center throws at him. One year out of medical school, the tall 26-year-old internal-medicine resident often works up to 30 hours at a time. He sees it as a necessary part of his training. ... Patient safety advocates aren't so sure. On Friday, a new set of rules goes into effect, limiting first-year residents, also called interns, to 16-hour shifts.

2 Jul 2011

Medicare to cover 2 expensive cancer drugs

Medicare confirmed on Thursday that it would continue to pay for two expensive cancer drugs that had been at the center of debate — Avastin from Genentech for breast cancer and Provenge from Dendreon for prostate cancer.

2 Jul 2011

Only half of obese Mexican-American adults receive diet, exercise advice from physicians

Only half of obese Mexican-American adults receive diet and exercise advice from their physicians, a new study finds, although obesity is on the rise for this group.

2 Jul 2011

LUHS and Trinity Health join to bring increased resources, greater efficiencies for patients

Loyola University Chicago (LUC) and Trinity Health, based in Novi, Mich., have announced that Loyola University Health System (LUHS), located in Maywood, Ill., has become a part of Trinity Health, effective today. LUHS was formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of the University.

2 Jul 2011

Roundup: Mass. doctors eye care management funds; Fla. groups fear Scott will block federal grants

It's clear from the data that hospitals and doctors can do a lot better at coordinating care for their patients. On the final day of hearings on controlling health care costs today, state officials estimated that at least $2 billion was spent in Massachusetts in 2009 on potentially avoidable emergency room visits, hospitalizations and readmissions.

2 Jul 2011

First Edition: July 1, 2011

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about sleep deprived medical residents, decisions by Medicare officials on covering two expensive drugs and states struggling with budget cuts.

1 Jul 2011