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Inadvertent reprogramming of genes in peripheral nervous system may cause chronic pain

Chronic pain severely limits patients' quality of life and is among the cost drivers in U.S. health care. Patients can suffer pain without an apparent cause and often fail to respond to available treatments. Mayo Clinic researchers and collaborators now report that chronic pain may be caused by the inadvertent reprogramming of more than 2,000 genes in the peripheral nervous system. The research findings appear in the current issue of the journal Genome Research.

7 May 2010

Georgia Tech Flatliners make big push into grand challenge of health IT

Key to the future efficiency of the United States' health care system is effective implementation of new technologies, such as electronic medical records, as well as dovetailing those technologies with the human care and decision-making that is so critical to good medicine.

7 May 2010

USAID head outlines 'core areas' for agency's reform, announces policy bureau launch

USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah outlined a "broad plan" for reforming the agency and discussed the "overarching themes that will guide USAID reform under his tenure" during a town-hall meeting on Wednesday, Foreign Policy's blog, "The Cable," reports.

7 May 2010

NIST, UM researchers detail operation of liposome manufacturing technique

Pop a bubble while washing the dishes and you're likely to release a few drops of water trapped when the soapy sphere formed. A few years ago, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology pioneered a method using a microscopic fluidic (microfluidic) device that exploits the same principle to create liquid-filled vesicles called liposomes from phospholipids, the fat complexes that are the building blocks for animal cell membranes

7 May 2010

Survey reveals low awareness of postherpetic neuralgia amongst Americans

The American Pain Foundation (APF) announced today at the American Pain Society (APS) Annual Meeting the results of a national survey that showed postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), also known as after-shingles pain, continues to be a condition with low awareness amongst Americans, demonstrating a need for health care provider (HCP) intervention.

7 May 2010

Judge's ruling gives 'wide latitude' to plaintiffs' in lawsuits against Omniscan imaging drug

ProPublica: In a key ruling, "a federal judge has given plaintiffs' lawyers wide latitude to present evidence and expert testimony that GE's Omniscan imaging drug caused a crippling disease in MRI patients."

7 May 2010

New documentary film reveals effective alternative therapies for health problems

Soft Touch Chiropractic and Acupuncture will be hosting the following free movie screenings at their wellness center located at 19474 Rinaldi St. Northridge, CA 91326.

7 May 2010

States continue to react to health reform's high-risk insurance pools, individual insurance requirement

"Gov. Jan. Brewer told the Obama administration that Arizona can't afford an insurance program that would extend health coverage to Arizonans unable to purchase insurance because of pre-existing medical conditions. Arizona is among 19 states that have rejected federal funds to administer a high-risk insurance pool. That means the federal government will create and run such a pool on behalf of Arizona and the other states that have declined participation" (Alltucker, 5/5).

7 May 2010

Natazia tablets receive FDA approval for prevention of pregnancy

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Natazia (estradiol valerate and estradiol valerate/dienogest) tablets for the prevention of pregnancy.

7 May 2010

The Forum calls upon pharma suppliers, distributors, pharmacies to stop distribution of unapproved drugs

Gary Puckrein, President and CEO of the National Minority Quality Forum (The Forum), recently sent a letter to the CEOs of eight major pharmaceutical suppliers, distributors and pharmacies to educate them on the potential threats posed by unapproved drugs in the United States and to ask that they do their part to protect consumers from the harms that can be caused by these unproven products.

7 May 2010

Senate Foreign Relations Committee introduces $3.5B 5-year bill to support Haiti reconstruction

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee introduced legislation Wednesday that "authorizes $3.5 billion over five years to support Haiti's rebuilding and reconstruction," Politico's Laura Rozen writes on her blog.

7 May 2010

Obama signs bill to expand health care access for veterans, provide more caregiver benefits

President Barack Obama signed a bill Wednesday that expands access to health care for veterans and provides a monthly stipend and health care for caregivers of American soldiers severely injured in Afghanistan or Iraq, The Associated Press reports. "Under the bill, caregivers of the estimated 2,000 severely wounded veterans from the recent conflicts are eligible for training, a monthly stipend and health care.

7 May 2010

WellPoint rate hikes face further scrutiny, says it will review rates more closely

WellPoint Inc., responding to criticism and close scrutiny from lawmakers and officials, will add "new layers of oversight to pricing practices," The Wall Street Journal reports. WellPoint CEO Angela Braly sent a memo to 40,000 employees saying that the company will "implement third-party reviews of its 2010 rate filings and investigate why its actuaries did not find miscalculations uncovered last week by the California Department of Insurance.

7 May 2010

Rising health costs straining public budgets in Massachusetts

The Boston Globe: The town budget in Framingham, Mass. is strained, leading to layoffs and other cuts. "Everyone here seems to agree that a major factor is the rising cost of health care insurance for employees and retirees, which has jumped by $20 million in 10 years." The town picks up 87 percent of the premiums for most public employees and retirees, as negotiated through collective bargaining.

7 May 2010

Florida health agency will use voice recognition to crack down on health fraud

The Associated Press/Miami Herald: Florida health officials announced they will "begin using voice recognition technology to verify whether patients in Miami-Dade County are actually receiving home health care services the state is being billed for."

7 May 2010

VA plans to limit surgeries at some of its facilities

The Department of Veterans Affairs will limit the kinds of surgeries at some hospitals after a review of surgical deaths at a hospital in southern Illinois, The Associated Press reports. "Under a new system, the VA has given each hospital a 'surgical complexity' level. Because of that, hospitals in at least five states — Louisiana, West Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois and Washington state — will now only perform less-complicated surgeries. The VA will pick up the tab for patients who have surgeries performed elsewhere" (Hefling, 5/6).

7 May 2010

The doctor pay fix: Medicare's Groundhog Day

NPR reports on the delayed fix for Medicare physician payments, "Medicare's version of Groundhog Day."

7 May 2010

Florida Gov. Crist weighs options on abortion bill

The Palm Beach Post: "Gov. Charlie Crist appears likely to veto a bill requiring women to see ultrasounds before they can get abortions, state Sen. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood, said today" (Bennett, 5/5).

7 May 2010

Genzyme to initiate $2 billion stock buyback

Genzyme Corp. today announced that its Board of Directors has voted to pursue several actions to increase shareholder value. The company will initiate a $2 billion stock buyback, under which $1 billion of stock will be repurchased in the near term and financed with debt. The additional $1 billion of stock will be repurchased during the next 12 months.

7 May 2010

House health panel ponders price transparency proposals

House lawmakers are considering several bills Thursday to make health care pricing more transparent, Modern Healthcare reports. The Energy and Commerce's health subcommittee "plans to take up a trio of bills aimed at increasing transparency and clarity in healthcare pricing, tackling an issue that has bedeviled the industry for decades and handcuffed efforts to turn everyday people into better purchasers of care."

7 May 2010

Health Care News and Research

Inadvertent reprogramming of genes in peripheral nervous system may cause chronic pain

Georgia Tech Flatliners make big push into grand challenge of health IT

USAID head outlines 'core areas' for agency's reform, announces policy bureau launch

NIST, UM researchers detail operation of liposome manufacturing technique

Survey reveals low awareness of postherpetic neuralgia amongst Americans

Judge's ruling gives 'wide latitude' to plaintiffs' in lawsuits against Omniscan imaging drug

New documentary film reveals effective alternative therapies for health problems

States continue to react to health reform's high-risk insurance pools, individual insurance requirement

Natazia tablets receive FDA approval for prevention of pregnancy

The Forum calls upon pharma suppliers, distributors, pharmacies to stop distribution of unapproved drugs

Senate Foreign Relations Committee introduces $3.5B 5-year bill to support Haiti reconstruction

Obama signs bill to expand health care access for veterans, provide more caregiver benefits

WellPoint rate hikes face further scrutiny, says it will review rates more closely

Rising health costs straining public budgets in Massachusetts

Florida health agency will use voice recognition to crack down on health fraud

VA plans to limit surgeries at some of its facilities

The doctor pay fix: Medicare's Groundhog Day

Florida Gov. Crist weighs options on abortion bill

Genzyme to initiate $2 billion stock buyback

House health panel ponders price transparency proposals

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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