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Parents may chose predictive genetic tests for their children

Parents offered genetic testing to predict their risks of common, adult-onset health conditions say they would also test their children. That is the finding of a new study published in the May issue of Pediatrics.

18 Apr 2011

House passes GOP 2012 budget, calls for big changes to Medicare, Medicaid

News outlets covered today's presidential and Republican weekly addresses, which reflected a week of tough deficit talk and a vote in the House on the 2012 budget.

18 Apr 2011

Non-Hispanic black infants born with heart defects more likely to die within five years

Non-Hispanic black infants born with heart defects are more likely to die within the first five years of life than their non-Hispanic white and Hispanic peers. For certain types of congenital heart abnormalities, Hispanic children as well as non-Hispanic black children fare worse than non-Hispanic white children.

18 Apr 2011

Lawmakers tussle on Sunday news shows over budget options

Sen. Tom Coburn, a member of the Senate Gang of Six negotiations, and Rep. Chris Van Hollen, newly named to the Biden budget talks by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, disagreed starkly on whether the debt ceiling increase needs to be tied to a budget deal. Coburn said he supports the budget proposed by House Budget Commiteee Chairman Paul Ryan which turns Medicare into a type of voucher system, saying that consumer choice is needed to drive prices down.

18 Apr 2011

GOP Rep. Burgess says efforts to undo health law will continue

A key GOP lawmaker says Republicans will continue their assault on the health law. Meanwhile, . Gov. Deval Patrick says Massachusetts' pioneering health overhaul is working well.

18 Apr 2011

Scientist discovers new molecular mechanism underlying asthma, COPD

Michael Croft, Ph.D., a researcher at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, has discovered a molecule's previously unknown role as a major trigger for airway remodeling, which impairs lung function, making the molecule a promising therapeutic target for chronic asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and several other lung conditions.

18 Apr 2011

Governments struggling to tame health costs

News outlets are covering various ideas on how to control health care inflation.

18 Apr 2011

Health care continues to shine in the U.S. Real Estate Investment Trust world

Health care continues to be a shining star in the U.S. Real Estate Investment Trust world, and with recently announced or closed transactions, public companies' hold on the ever-growing market will continue to soar.

16 Apr 2011

WHO will assist Indian officials in exploring threat of NDM-1 in water supply

The WHO has said it will assist government officials evaluating whether the presence of bacteria containing the NDM-1 gene in the water supply in New Delhi poses health risks, Agence France-Presse reports. The announcement comes after the Lancet last week published a report that bacteria carrying NDM-1, a gene that enables resistance to a variety of antibiotics, "was found in 51 out of 171 New Delhi samples taken from water pools and two out of 50 tap water samples," the news service writes.

16 Apr 2011

CMS offers cash to aid states in care coordination for 'dual eligibles'

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services announced four initiatives Thursday that are designed to assist cash-strapped states with funding and flexibility issues.

16 Apr 2011

Cornerstone reports successful use of Humedica's MinedShareTM for its new patient care program

John Walker, M.D., C.P.E., Chief Medical Officer, Cornerstone Health Care, is presenting Cornerstone's successful use of Humedica MinedShareTM Ambulatory as a basis for its new Patient Care Advocate program.

16 Apr 2011

Former UNICEF head accepts Nestle board position, says she will examine compliance with WHO breast milk code

Ann Veneman, the former executive director of UNICEF, "took a seat on the board of Swiss food and drinks company Nestle SA on Thursday" and said she plans to look into whether the company has adopted a WHO code on breast milk, the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.

16 Apr 2011

Humedica launches novel clinical application for healthcare providers

Humedica, a next-generation clinical informatics company, announces Humedica Clinical Value Matrix, a new product module in its Humedica MinedShareTM product line.

16 Apr 2011

New book on women's health and diabetes care

"If there is anything that this disease has done to improve my life, it taught me at a young age how to take care of myself." - Nikki Peterson, 24 years old, diabetes for 14 years.

16 Apr 2011

Virus-sharing draft agreement very close; U.S. yet to formally approve, Reuters reports

A draft agreement that would ensure countries would share virus samples in exchange for access to affordable vaccines derived from such samples in the event of a pandemic is nearly complete, senior diplomats told Reuters on Thursday.

16 Apr 2011

Radiologists to develop quantitative research tool that produces reliable numbers

The idea of probing the body's interior with radiation stretches back to experiments with X rays in the 1800s, but more than a century later, images taken with radiological scans still are not considered reliable enough to, for example, serve as the sole indicator of the efficacy of a cancer treatment.

16 Apr 2011

Exercise improves outcomes in patients with heart attack

A new study by researchers at the University of Alberta shows that for best results in stable patients after a heart attack, early exercise as well as prolonged exercise is the key to the best outcomes.

16 Apr 2011

Health care continues to be top-rated concern for Canadians: Ipsos Reid poll

By a double-digit margin, health care is the most important election issue for Canadians living in the Prairie provinces, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, according to an Ipsos Reid public opinion poll conducted for the Canadian Medical Association.

16 Apr 2011

Study uses simulation model to assess cost-effective eye screenings for Americans with diabetes

Eye examinations every other year are more cost-effective than currently recommended annual eye exams for people with diabetes who are at low risk of diabetic retinopathy progression.

16 Apr 2011

Updated edition of humanitarian handbook includes section on protection principles

Aid groups on Thursday praised the release of an updated handbook to guide humanitarian response efforts, including a new chapter on protection principles, IRIN reports.

16 Apr 2011