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Use of minimally invasive procedures for radical prostatectomy has advantages as well as complications

New research indicates that the use of minimally invasive procedures (including the use of robotic assistance) for radical prostatectomy, which have increased significantly in recent years, may shorten hospital stays and decrease respiratory and surgical complications, but may also result in an increased rate of certain complications, including incontinence and erectile dysfunction, according to a study in the October 14 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on surgical care.

14 Oct 2009

Increase in adiponectin hormone levels protects against sepsis-related mortality

A hormone naturally found in the fat that surrounds the abdominal organs for the first time has been linked to death related to sepsis, surgeons reported at the 2009 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons. A study exhibited at the conference showed that low levels of the hormone adiponectin placed animals at a profoundly high risk of death from a septic insult.

14 Oct 2009

House, Senate Democrats to face off over health taxes

The 'Cadillac tax' on employer-sponsored insurance will likely be the focal point of a "fierce clash" between Democrats in the House and Senate if it clears the Senate Finance Committee's vote today, the New York Times reports.

14 Oct 2009

National Vaccine Information Center to launch a research fundraising campaign

At the Oct. 2-4, 2009 Fourth International Public Conference on Vaccination sponsored by the non-profit National Vaccine Information Center in Reston, VA, 700 citizens from 44 states and 11 nations raised more than $100,000 to launch an international scientific research fundraising campaign to investigate health differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated children and identify those at risk for suffering vaccine injury.

14 Oct 2009

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal treads reform line between Dems and Republicans

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is moving between sides in the health care reform debate as he considers a role in national politics and seeks to appeal to his party's base.

14 Oct 2009

K Streeters must choose sides as health debate nears showdown

Health industry lobbying groups are positioning themselves for the final battles over health reform, and that will mean formally choosing sides - for, or against - on Democrats' health-care overhaul, The Hill reports.

14 Oct 2009

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to support research in numerous health areas

As part of the $5 billion in grants announced by President Obama, the National Institutes of Health has granted Kaiser Permanente more than $54 million over two years through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to conduct health research on a multitude of critical public and clinical health areas.

14 Oct 2009

H1N1 patients with ARDS survive illness when treated with ECMO

Despite the severity of disease and the intensity of treatment, most patients in Australia and New Zealand who experienced respiratory failure as a result of 2009 influenza A(H1N1) and were treated with a system that adds oxygen to the patient's blood survived the disease, according to a study to appear in the November 4 issue of JAMA.

14 Oct 2009

States have initiated tort reform experiments

President Barack Obama can look to a variety of models as he seeks to fulfill a pledge to fund state tort reform experiments, a longtime wish-list item for physicians, the New York Times reports. States have so far tried a few approaches, with mixed results, and considered more.

14 Oct 2009

Portico Healthnet to launch Minnesota Coalition for Kids Health Coverage

Portico Healthnet, a non-profit agency working to reduce the number of people without coverage for health care services, has been awarded more than $988,000 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to launch the Minnesota Coalition for Kids Health Coverage, a partnership of community agencies from around the state, to identify and enroll uninsured children into the Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare state health coverage safety net programs.

14 Oct 2009

CAHI releases statement on Senate health care reform proposal

Critics are up in arms over America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) daring to speak the truth about the Senate health care reform proposal, and we applaud the organization's efforts. If anything AHIP's analysis of health premium increases is too low. Supporters of the health bills are simply ignoring years of states' evidence of many of these proposed Senate and House health reforms.

14 Oct 2009

Finance Democrats approve overhaul measure with boost from Snowe

The Senate Finance Committee approved its long-anticipated version of the health-care overhaul legislation in a 14-9 vote Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reports. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, joined the panels 13 Democrats to support the bill.

14 Oct 2009

Senate Finance Committee to vote today on health care reform overhaul

After months of negotiation, haggling, posturing and talking, the Senate Finance Committee votes today on a health care reform bill.

14 Oct 2009

Mayo's decision to limit patients makes it a poor model, critics say

The Mayo Clinic has started limiting the number of Medicare and Medicaid patients it admits and critics argue that such restrictions have made Mayo too selective to serve as a model for health-care reform.

14 Oct 2009

Consumer Watchdog urges Congress should embrace "prior approval" regulation of health care rates

The White House and Congress should embrace "prior approval" regulation of health care rates in response to the health insurance industry's threat that costs will increase under a reform plan being considered by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee today.

14 Oct 2009

Children's dental care gets boost in health reform plans

Kaiser Health News reporter Jessica Marcy reports on on the prospects in pending health reform proposals for improving access pediatric dental care.

14 Oct 2009

Is universal coverage goal 'slipping away?'

"As a key Senate committee prepares today to pass its plan to overhaul the nation's healthcare system, senior Democrats are acknowledging that it may be impossible to provide coverage to all Americans -- a central goal of President Obama and his congressional allies," The Los Angeles Times reports.

14 Oct 2009

Unapproved codeine sulfate tablets: FDA warns four companies to stop marketing

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned four companies that they must stop marketing unapproved codeine sulfate tablets. These drugs are opioid analgesics, commonly called narcotics, that are widely used to treat pain.

14 Oct 2009

Committee nears vote, with boost from Snowe

As the Senate Finance Committee moved towards a vote on its health care bill - expected this afternoon - its chairman, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., implored lawmakers to "get the job done" and called the meeting a "historic moment," USA Today reports. "Passage would mark the biggest step forward yet for President Obama's top domestic priority," according to the report.

14 Oct 2009

Also in Global Health News: Ban addresses women's health; Afghanistan's health services; PMI Africa grants; Q&As

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Monday called for countries around the world to "renew their commitment to educate girls, end sexual violence, and provide access to modern birth control," the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.

14 Oct 2009