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First Edition: November 29, 2010

Today's headlines include advance coverage of Congress' lame duck session, as well as news about strategies surrounding deficit-reduction efforts and how they might impact health care costs.

29 Nov 2010

Baylor Health Care System receives $20 million to benefit transplantation initiatives

Baylor Health Care System Foundation announces that Annette C. and Harold C. Simmons have pledged $20 million to benefit transplantation initiatives within Baylor Health Care System. In recognition of this transformational gift, Baylor will rename the institute the Annette C. and Harold C. Simmons Transplant Institute.

29 Nov 2010

Golden Valley acquires Digit-Pro and Cut Stop

Golden Valley Development, Inc. is pleased to announce that it has recently completed the acquisition of two new companies, each having a licensing agreement to manufacture and market a new patented technology.

29 Nov 2010

Study reports increased CT usage in emergency departments

A new study reports that the use of computed tomography (CT) in the nation's emergency departments is growing exponentially. If the growth trend continues, by 2011, nearly 20 percent of all emergency department (ED) visits may involve a CT exam. The results of this study were presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and published online and in the journal Radiology.

29 Nov 2010

SaneVax Team congratulates Senator for examining NCI ethical questions

In a letter addressed to U.S. Senator Charles Grassley, the SaneVax Team congratulated the senator on his recent efforts to examine ethical questions raised by National Cancer Institute (NCI) employees accepting extensive travel sponsored by private companies and identified two senior NCI scientists who knowingly promote unreliable human papillomavirus (HPV) tests for patient care, and the development/monitoring of genotype-specific HPV vaccines to promote an unproven virology-based cervical cancer prevention business agenda.

29 Nov 2010

Lame duck session to include votes on Medicare 'doc fix,' health law's 1099 tax provision

Lawmakers, after taking Thanksgiving week off, arrive in town Monday along with the Capitol Christmas tree for the final stretch of the postelection session. Facing a daunting agenda, they could have that tree in their sights well into Christmas week.

28 Nov 2010

Health reform law facing showdown in courts, Congress

As the Obama administration presses ahead with the health care law, officials are bracing for the possibility that a federal judge in Virginia will soon reject its central provision as unconstitutional and, in the worst case for the White House, halt its enforcement until higher courts can rule.

28 Nov 2010

Serono Symposium to review options available for optimizing Assisted Reproductive Technologies

Serono Symposia International Foundation will gather a team of leading international experts meeting on November 26th in Montreal in order to review the different options currently available to optimize ART (Assisted Reproductive Technologies) outcomes during the event "Treating the Ovary to Obtain Better Eggs".

26 Nov 2010

Study shows relationship between nasal symptoms and severe asthma

People with multi-symptom asthma more often have night-time awakenings due to asthma-symptoms, a sign of severe asthma. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Respiratory Research have shown that asthma with multiple symptoms is more highly prevalent than previously suggested, comprising 20- 25% of all asthmatics.

26 Nov 2010

Canadian Red Cross announces First Responder Initiative for disaster response

The Canadian Red Cross is pleased to announce the First Responder Initiative, which increases the Red Cross' capacity to prepare for and rapidly respond to disasters and includes the ability to quickly deploy tented field hospitals.

26 Nov 2010

Hospital errors in U.S. continue despite efforts: Study

A new study published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) showed that all the efforts to make American hospitals error free and safe are inadequate.

25 Nov 2010

New study finds no decrease in patient harm at hospitals

Despite concerted efforts, no decreases in patient harm were detected at 10 randomly selected North Carolina hospitals between 2002 and 2007, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

25 Nov 2010

UMDNJ researchers develop comprehensive strategy for recovery from smoking addiction

Researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), following 10 years of studying tobacco use among smokers with mental illness, have developed a comprehensive strategy for recovery from smoking addiction that could serve as a nationwide model.

25 Nov 2010

NAFC urges volunteers to register for free medical clinic in Charlotte

The National Association of Free Clinics (NAFC) is urging volunteers to give back to their community by registering now for the large one-day free medical clinic for uninsured Carolinians to be held in Charlotte next month.

25 Nov 2010

WHO/UN-HABITAT report documents health disparities facing women in developing country urban areas

Womens News Network/Guardian Development Network examines a WHO/United Nations Human Settlements Programme report released last week that highlighted the health disparities affecting populations living in urban areas.

25 Nov 2010

Haiti cholera death toll increases, U.N. boosts estimate for number of expected cases

"The cholera epidemic in Haiti is gathering pace and some violence is expected when the country holds elections this week, U.N. officials warned Tuesday," Agence France-Presse reports. The official death toll from cholera is now above 1,400, but "experts believe that the real toll is close to 2,000 dead and the number of cases is between 60,000 and 70,000 rather than the 50,000 given by the authorities, Nigel Fisher, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Haiti said," according to the news service (11/23).

25 Nov 2010

Media outlets continue to follow major HIV/AIDS developments this week

Media outlets continued to track the major developments in HIV/AIDS this week, including: prevention research using an antiretroviral; new UNAIDS estimates of HIV/AIDS around the world; and Pope Benedict XVI's stance on condoms for HIV prevention.

25 Nov 2010

Poor governance major cause of Africa’s water problems, AfDB report says

A report released by the African Development Bank (AfDB) at a meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during the 3rd Africa Water Week, points to poor governance as a major cause of the inadequate water supply that threatens the health of millions living in Africa, 234next.com reports

25 Nov 2010

Public health: Frequency of dialysis treatment questioned, chemotherapy drug shortages

A new study funded by the National Institutes of Health suggests that receiving dialysis six days a week results in better self-reported patient health than the conventional treatment of three times per week.

25 Nov 2010

Middle East meeting addresses global food security

At a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council to address global food security, ministers "pledged to a set of recommendations meant to improve co-operation and develop policies that could cope with a sudden interruption of food supplies" and vowed to "improve co-operation with international bodies such as the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on food security matters," The National reports (Detrie, 11/24).

25 Nov 2010