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Obama Administration urges Florida Judge to clear up health law confusion

In its arguments for clarification from Federal District Court Judge Roger Vinson, the administration said this step is necessary so that they know how to proceed in defending the law and implementing its provisions.

2 Mar 2011

Scientists at retrovirus conference present findings on microbicide gel, Truvada, male circumcision, ART care by nurses

At the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Boston on Monday, researchers "suggested the potential" of a gel containing the antiretroviral drug tenofovir to reduce the risk of anal HIV transmission, TIME's "Healthland" blog reports.

2 Mar 2011

Viewpoints: GOP Govs. on Medicaid 'flexibility'; 'attack' on planned parenthood; following doctors' orders not so easy

Medicaid is bureaucratic and costly, and the stimulus and new federal health care law have made a bad problem even worse, shackling states with unrealistic mandates.

2 Mar 2011

Nations meet to negotiate international food aid terms

A group of nations are meeting in London this week to negotiate the Food Aid Convention (FAC), an "international agreement that governs food-aid commitments to hungry countries," the Globe and Mail reports. Argentina, Australia, Canada, the European Union and its member states, Japan, Norway, Switzerland and the U.S. currently are included in the convention, which was last updated in 1999.

2 Mar 2011

Researchers discover three genes that contribute to abnormal growth

By working with Canadians of French ancestry who suffer a rare genetic disease, researchers have discovered how three genes contribute to abnormal growth, making a breakthrough that will improve our understanding of many disorders such as foetal and childhood growth retardation, abnormal development of body parts and cancer.

2 Mar 2011

Market demands shape health sector growth

The Wall Street Journal reports on how a string of recent acquisitions are being spurred by an increased demand for outpatient facilities and senior care. However, The Washington Post reports that some specific facilities — those that are doctor-owned, for instance — are sparking criticism.

1 Mar 2011

LA Times: Blue Shield terms proposed hikes 'reasonable'

Blue Shield of California, assailed by consumers and state regulators for seeking to hike insurance rates as much as 59 percent in recent months, declared after a review that its proposed rates are reasonable (Helfand, 3/1).

1 Mar 2011

Supporters of open letter say 'Patent Amendment Bill' misses the point

An open letter with signatories including AusBiotech, Medicines Australia, Research Australia, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and Foursight has been addressed to members of the Australian Parliament, urging them to reject the ‘Patent Amendment (Human Genes and Biological Materials) Bill 2010’ as it misses the point on patient access and research exemption.

1 Mar 2011

International conference to address pediatric congenital cataract treatment in New York City

An international conference addressing the treatment of children born with a cataract will take place in New York City on Friday, March 11, 2011.

1 Mar 2011

AHRQ: High levels of disparities prevail, despite improvements in health care quality

Improvements in health care quality continue to progress at a slow rate - about 2.3 percent a year; however, disparities based on race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status and other factors persist at unacceptably high levels, according to the 2010 National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report issued today by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

1 Mar 2011

Routine blood test can reduce hospital readmissions in patients with heart failure

An inexpensive, routine blood test could hold the key to why some patients with congestive heart failure do well after being discharged from the hospital and why others risk relapse, costly readmission or death within a year, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.

1 Mar 2011

Star-Ledger examines Tibotec's agreement with generic drug makers on experimental HIV/AIDS treatment

In a piece on the move by drug manufacturer Tibotec Pharmaceuticals to grant licenses to generic manufacturers in India and South Africa to create copies of its experimental HIV/AIDS drug, the New Jersey Star-Ledger examines why drug companies are particularly focused on expanding their reach in sub-Saharan Africa.

1 Mar 2011

ACP praises Obama for 'Empowering States to Innovate Act' on health insurance coverage

The American College of Physicians today applauded President Obama for advocating that states have an earlier option to design their own approaches to provide coverage to their residents, as long as it is comparable to those offered through the health exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act.

1 Mar 2011

U.K.'s DFID might reduce funding for FAO in light of 'patchy' performance

The U.K.'s Department for International Development on Saturday said it might reduce its contribution to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization if the agency does not improve its performance, Reuters reports.

1 Mar 2011

Study: Worksite wellness program can help control overall health care costs

A Highmark Inc. study published in the March/April edition of the American Journal of Health Promotion found that health care costs rose at a 15 percent slower rate among wellness participants than a comparison group when employers consistently offered a wellness program to their employees.

1 Mar 2011

Opinions: Foreign aid budget cuts would negatively affect food, global health

The "hard truth is that if the United States doesn't keep its word" on a pledge to deliver $3.5 billion to the G20's $22 billion food security initiative for "vulnerable" developing countries, "no one else will," a New York Times editorial states.

1 Mar 2011

House Republicans release two-week CR with $4B in proposed cuts

"House Republicans late Friday afternoon released a two-week continuing resolution [CR] that cuts more than $4 billion in federal spending," Roll Call reports (Stanton, 2/25). "Under the proposal, the law now keeping the government open would be extended two more weeks, until March 18 ... In the interim, House and Senate leaders would try to negotiate a broader plan to finance the government at reduced levels through Sept. 30," the New York Times reports.

1 Mar 2011

New AARP survey shows measurable gap between health and financial security of older Marylanders

A new AARP survey of Marylanders age 50 and older shows a measurable gap between the importance they place on health and financial security and older Marylanders' confidence in their ability to meet these needs.

1 Mar 2011

Uterine fibroid treatments greatly improve quality of life in women

Women who received one of three treatments for uterine fibroids at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston said their symptoms diminished and their quality of life significantly increased, according to a new study published in the May issue of Radiology.

1 Mar 2011

Researchers report 'surprisingly little' evidence that economic downturns are associated with deep development aid cuts

Despite concerns expressed by the World Bank and the WHO that the current economic climate would lead donor countries to scale back development assistance, a study published online Friday in the WHO Bulletin finds what the authors "described as 'surprisingly little' evidence that economic downturns are associated with deep cuts in aid, at least in the first few years of a financial crisis," Reuters reports.

1 Mar 2011

Health Care News and Research

Obama Administration urges Florida Judge to clear up health law confusion

Scientists at retrovirus conference present findings on microbicide gel, Truvada, male circumcision, ART care by nurses

Viewpoints: GOP Govs. on Medicaid 'flexibility'; 'attack' on planned parenthood; following doctors' orders not so easy

Nations meet to negotiate international food aid terms

Researchers discover three genes that contribute to abnormal growth

Market demands shape health sector growth

LA Times: Blue Shield terms proposed hikes 'reasonable'

Supporters of open letter say 'Patent Amendment Bill' misses the point

International conference to address pediatric congenital cataract treatment in New York City

AHRQ: High levels of disparities prevail, despite improvements in health care quality

Routine blood test can reduce hospital readmissions in patients with heart failure

Star-Ledger examines Tibotec's agreement with generic drug makers on experimental HIV/AIDS treatment

ACP praises Obama for 'Empowering States to Innovate Act' on health insurance coverage

U.K.'s DFID might reduce funding for FAO in light of 'patchy' performance

Study: Worksite wellness program can help control overall health care costs

Opinions: Foreign aid budget cuts would negatively affect food, global health

House Republicans release two-week CR with $4B in proposed cuts

New AARP survey shows measurable gap between health and financial security of older Marylanders

Uterine fibroid treatments greatly improve quality of life in women

Researchers report 'surprisingly little' evidence that economic downturns are associated with deep development aid cuts

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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