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Calif. budget cuts would end aid to new legal immigrants; Minn. Dems criticize Pawlenty for relying on federal funds

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's latest proposals to close California's budget shortfall would end public assistance for most new legal immigrants, eliminating emergency cash, food and medical aid for those who don't yet qualify for federal welfare. The proposal would represent an about-face for the state.

17 Feb 2010

Former Senate parliamentarian questions reconciliation, Senators want public option back

A former Senate parliamentarian said Tuesday that using reconciliation to pass health care reform will be difficult because the procedure wasn't meant to make policy, Politico's Live Pulse blog reports. The former parliamentarian, Robert Dove, who now teaches at George Washington University, said there are many things that cannot be put into the reconciliation bill. "Dove would know. In 1974, in the midst of his 36-year Senate career, he helped design the Congressional Budget Act, which first created the rules for reconciliation.

17 Feb 2010

Deficit panel to tackle worries of federal debt, including health spending

The New York Times reports that President Obama's appointment of a special panel to study the nation's debt will come "(a)fter decades of warnings that budgetary profligacy, escalating health care costs and an aging population would lead to a day of fiscal reckoning."

17 Feb 2010

Domino's Pizza raises $2M during 2009 Thanks and Giving campaign for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Domino's Pizza, the recognized world leader in pizza delivery, raised $2 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® during the 2009 Thanks and Giving® campaign. This marks the largest single charitable donation in the history of Domino's Pizza.

17 Feb 2010

Flexible working beneficial for employees' health

There is evidence to suggest that flexible working might be beneficial for employees' health if they are allowed to have input into their own working patterns, a review by Cochrane Researchers suggests. The study may throw some light on potential health benefits associated with current trends towards more flexible working in the UK and Europe.

17 Feb 2010

Infants and toddlers face increase risk from 'third-hand smoke'

Nicotine that accumulates on indoor surfaces long after a person has put out their cigarette is converted into cancer-causing chemicals, US scientists have warned.

17 Feb 2010

Purdue officials report double-digit increases in research funding

Richard O. Buckius, Purdue's vice president for research, reported a record $342.2 million in sponsored research programs for fiscal year 2008-09. That represents an 18 percent increase in federal support and a 2.2 percent increase in industry research support from the previous year.

17 Feb 2010

Rate of chronic health conditions among children in the U.S. increased from 12.8% to 26.6%

The rate of chronic health conditions among children in the U.S. increased from 12.8 percent in 1994 to 26.6 percent in 2006, for conditions such as obesity, asthma and behavior/learning problems, according to a study in the February 17 issue of JAMA.

17 Feb 2010

RWJF awards nearly $2M in grants to address childhood obesity epidemic

Seven organizations representing policy-makers from across the country have received a total of nearly $2 million in grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to help communities increase children's access to affordable healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity.

17 Feb 2010

Idaho Health Freedom Act: Unproven, untried and vague, says AARP and urges Senate committee to reject bill

As Idaho families, businesses and retirees struggle with soaring health care costs, a vague bill aimed at tackling an issue in a non-existent federal health care law could make the crisis worse for many of the state's residents. The Idaho Health Freedom Act (HB 391) is set to be heard by Idaho Senate State Affairs Committee tomorrow morning, and AARP says the legislation is unproven, untried and vague and is urging them to reject the bill.

17 Feb 2010

NASBE selects four states to receive grants to fight childhood obesity in their public schools

The National Association of State Boards of Education, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as part of its Leadership for Healthy Communities (LHC) national program, will select four states to receive grants this spring to help them develop policies to fight childhood obesity in their public schools.

17 Feb 2010

4 Senate Democrats ask Reid to go back to public option

Four Senate Democrats are asking Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to revisit a plan for a government run health plan, or public option, in the health care overhaul legislation.

17 Feb 2010

ACHF receives $2.5M as gift from KCCFA in support of childhood cancer research

The Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation received a gift of $2.5 million today from the Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta in support of childhood cancer research at the Alberta Children's Hospital, as well as the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute for Child and Maternal Health and the Southern Alberta Cancer Research Institute - both at the University of Calgary.

17 Feb 2010

High-fat ketogenic diet safe and effective for controlling childhood seizures

Current and former patients treated with the high-fat ketogenic diet to control multiple, daily and severe seizures can be reassured by the news that not only is the diet effective, but it also appears to have no long-lasting side effects, say scientists at Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

17 Feb 2010

TKS4 protein plays significant role in Frank-Ter Haar syndrome

An international team of investigators at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham, formerly Burnham Institute for Medical Research), Nijmegen Centre for Molecular Life Sciences and other organizations have discovered that TKS4, a protein implicated in cancer metastasis, also plays a significant role in Frank-Ter Haar syndrome (FTHS), a rare fatal disorder.

17 Feb 2010

Certain patients with IBD at increased risk of developing colorectal cancer: AGA's new guidelines

Certain patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease of the colon, have an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer compared to individuals without IBD. A number of factors contribute to the increase in risk, which necessitates an individualized and sensible approach to surveillance in patients, according to a new medical position statement and technical review published by the American Gastroenterological Association in its official journal, Gastroenterology.

17 Feb 2010

Delayed introduction of complementary baby foods may influence weight: Study

Benjamin Franklin's advice that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" can easily be applied to today's most pressing health issue: obesity. Because taking off extra weight is an almost insurmountable challenge, preventing the progression of weight gain throughout life, especially childhood, is crucial to realizing optimal long-term health.

17 Feb 2010

Even with new medical schools opening, shortages mar workforce

Nearly two dozen medical schools have recently opened or may open across America, "the most at any time since the 1960s and '70s," The New York Times reports. These new institutions "are seeking to address an imbalance in American medicine that has been growing for a quarter century. Many bright students were fleeing to offshore medical schools, or giving up hope entirely, when they could not get into domestic schools. Meanwhile, American hospitals were using foreign-trained and foreign-born physicians to fill medical residencies. During the 1980s and '90s only one new medical school was established."

17 Feb 2010

Special issue reviews current state of science in fetal therapy

Repairing birth defects in the womb. Inserting a tiny laser into the mother's uterus to seal off an abnormal blood flow and save fetal twins. Advancing the science that may allow doctors to deliver cells or DNA to treat sickle cell anemia and other genetic diseases before birth.

17 Feb 2010

National symposium aims to attract more women for a rewarding career in surgery

While interviewing for postgraduate residency positions soon after giving birth to her third child, Dr. Sharona Ross recalls, she was very hesitant to bring up her infant and two small children at home. She thought it would hurt her chances for a career in surgery.

17 Feb 2010