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Clinton calls for immediate action on global food shortage, food price spikes

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at a meeting of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome said that without immediate action, food shortages and volatile prices could spark global destabilization, the Associated Press reports.

7 May 2011

FDA approves expanded access to RX Acculink stent for clogged neck artery treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved an expanded indication that will allow a new group of patients at risk of stroke due to clogged neck arteries to be treated with the RX Acculink carotid stent.

7 May 2011

Study finds 4.5 million outpatient visits yearly due to adverse drug effects

Harmful effects of medication bring an estimated 4.5 million patients to doctors' offices and emergency rooms yearly, according to a new study, and people who take multiple medications are particularly vulnerable to unpleasant or dangerous side effects, allergic reactions and toxicity.

7 May 2011

House Energy and Commerce Committee takes on Medicare payment reform issues

During a Thursday hearing, medical societies weighed in on efforts to fix Medicare reimbursement and Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., said a repeal of the current physician payment formula is on the "short list" of things to get done this summer.

7 May 2011

In effort to find common ground on budget talks, GOP Medicare message becomes mixed

With the debt-ceiling looming and other divisive budget issues on the table, some Republican lawmakers appeared to back away from their plan to "voucherize" Medicare.

7 May 2011

Regenstrief Institute, Indiana University partner to enhance health IT workforce

Specialized one- and two-year Indiana University graduate certificate and master's programs designed to increase the number of health information technology specialists in Indiana and nationwide will expand enrollment by 50 percent, thanks in part to Recovery Act funding.

7 May 2011

Abortion bills move to governors in Texas and Florida

House lawmakers have sent the controversial abortion sonogram bill to the governor's desk — after a last-ditch effort by disability rights advocates to change language they called highly offensive.

7 May 2011

African Progress Panel report highlights status of African economies at World Economic Forum on Africa

Africa's economies are expanding, but the continent is still too dependent on the export of raw materials and trade between African nations needs to be increased, the African Progress Panel said in a report released Thursday at the World Economic Forum on Africa, which is taking place this week in Cape Town, the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.

7 May 2011

Study: 73% of Los Angeles children need dental care

In 2007, the death of 12-year-old Deamonte Driver from untreated tooth decay exposed the need for better dental care in Maryland families with limited resources. However, the problem ranges beyond a single state, researchers found when they examined poor, migrant and minority children in Los Angeles.

7 May 2011

MicroPhage receives FDA clearance for KeyPath MRSA/MSSA Blood Culture Test

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today cleared the first test for Staphylococcus aureus infections that is able to quickly identify whether the bacteria are methicillin resistant or methicillin susceptible.

7 May 2011

Research roundup: Racial disparities in cancer screening and VA treatment

Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Colorectal Cancer Screening Persisted Despite Expansion Of Medicare's Screening Reimbursement. This study looked at the effect in minority groups of expanded reimbursements by Medicare for colorectal cancer screenings.

7 May 2011

Roundup: Fla. lawmakers to vote today on Medicaid changes; Calif. court expands deadline for tobacco suits

With a sponsor calling it the "most significant transformational change" since Florida's Medicaid program started, lawmakers will vote Friday on a long-awaited proposal to shift almost all beneficiaries into managed-care plans.

7 May 2011

Viewpoints: Will GOP back away from Medicaid plan too?; exchanges geared to politics, not health

All but seven House Republicans voted for a budget plan last month that would eliminate Medicare's guarantee to the elderly. It was always bad policy. But now that the vote has proved to be wildly unpopular, the party is suddenly running in the opposite direction.

7 May 2011

Ryan blames politics for preventing overarching agreement to reduce the debt

Examples of how the politics of Medicare have picked up momentum since Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., advanced his proposal to revamp the proposal can be seen in a range of developments — including a letter from Democratic lawmakers to President Barack Obama, comments for Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and even a tightening special election for a New York congressional seat.

7 May 2011

VA and DoD produce new collaboration guidebook on clinical health research

Researchers from the Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense have produced a new 56-page guidebook to spur more collaboration between the agencies on clinical health research.

7 May 2011

CCF awards $500,000 grant to Cedars-Sinai for new kids program

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has received a $500,000 grant from the California Community Foundation that will help support the hospital's COACH for Kids and Their Families- program.

7 May 2011

New cardiac genetic testing guidelines for health care professionals

An international panel of experts from The Heart Rhythm Society and the European Heart Rhythm Association issued new guideline recommendations for all health care professionals about cardiovascular genetic testing at the Heart Rhythm Society's 32nd Annual Scientific Sessions.

7 May 2011

Also in Global Health News: WHO highlights health care-associated infections; Niger food shortages, health care workers; Latin American food security

The WHO on Thursday highlighted the importance of hand washing and other efforts to prevent health care-associated infections (HAIs), which affect millions of people annually, with developing countries carrying the greatest burden of such infections, CIDRAP News reports.

7 May 2011

Recent releases in Global Health

"In 25 countries across Asia, from Kazakhstan to Papua New Guinea, we work to support the success of emerging economies and help address the challenges of hunger and poverty. We do this not just by extending a helping hand, but sharing the hope of the American Dream to people around the world - the mother who eats less so her children can eat more, the girl who risks her life to get an education, the entrepreneur who beats the odds to create a small business that employs his neighbors," Rajiv Shah, USAID administrator, writes in a post on the agency's "Impact blog".

7 May 2011

First Edition: May 6, 2011

Today's headlines indicate that the GOP may be rethinking its plans to revamp Medicare -- especially as a new round of debt accord talks begin between Vice President Joe Biden and congressional leaders.

6 May 2011