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GeoVax Labs to launch phase II trials of HIV vaccine candidate

The Atlanta-based biotechnology firm GeoVax Labs plans to launch Phase II clinical trials of its experimental HIV vaccine this summer, company officials recently announced, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Hendrick, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/8).

8 May 2008

Rapid HIV tests highly effective in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission in India

Rapid HIV tests have been found to be highly effective in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission in clinical trials in India, according to a study published online Tuesday in PLoS Medicine, the Times of India reports (Sinha, Times of India, 5/7). For the study, the researchers used OraSure Technologies' OraQuick Advance Rapid HIV 1/2 Antibody Test (Derfel, Montreal Gazette, 5/6

8 May 2008

Illinois Gov. Blagojevich to stop enrolling people in expanded FamilyCare program

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) will follow a judge's orders to stop enrolling uninsured residents in his expanded version of FamilyCare, a state program that subsidizes health care for families, the AP/Chicago Tribune reports (AP/Chicago Tribune, 5/6).

8 May 2008

Shift in HIV prevention priorities needed - reducing multiple sexual partnerships and providing male circumcision services should be emphasized

According to a new policy analysis led by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the University of California, Berkeley, the most common HIV prevention strategies-condom promotion, HIV testing, treatment of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), vaccine and microbicide research, and abstinence-are having a limited impact on the predominantly heterosexual epidemics found in Africa.

8 May 2008

Medicare fee cuts could devastate rehabilitation services

Pending cuts to the Medicare physician fee schedule could severely hamper the ability of physical therapists to serve the rehabilitation needs of seniors and people with disabilities -- driving up overall costs while decreasing quality of care, according to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and its Private Practice Section.

8 May 2008

Mothers' high normal blood sugar levels place infants at risk for birth problems

Pregnant women with blood sugar levels in the higher range of normal - but not high enough to be considered diabetes - are more likely than women with lower blood sugar levels to give birth to babies at risk for many of the same problems seen in babies born to women with diabetes during pregnancy, according to a study funded in large part by the National Institutes of Health.

8 May 2008

U.S. manufacturers spend twice as much as foreign competitors on health care, report finds

U.S. manufacturers that offer health insurance to employees spend an average of $2.38 per worker per hour on health care, substantially more than the amount spent by foreign competitors, according to a report released on Tuesday by the New America Foundation, the Los Angeles Times reports.

7 May 2008

Senate Finance Committee holds first in series of Congressional hearings on U.S. health system overhaul

The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday hold the first of at least eight congressional hearings focusing on strategies to reform the U.S. health care system, featuring testimony by former HHS secretaries Tommy Thompson and Donna Shalala, CQ HealthBeat reports.

7 May 2008

New legislation would require mandatory Federal standards for physical, mental health care for detained immigrants

House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law Chair Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) on Tuesday announced that she has introduced a bill (HR 5950) to establish mandatory standards for medical care for immigrants in detention centers, the New York Times reports.

7 May 2008

Economic downturn prompts many nurses to work more shifts, helps address nursing shortage

The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday examined how the "ailing economy" has prompted many nurses to work additional shifts, delay retirement or return to the work force from retirement -- all of which have helped "ease the nursing shortage."

7 May 2008

Theft of medical information becoming more common, USA Today reports

Hospitals and other medical settings are becoming a "hunting ground for identity thieves" who "use medical information to get credit card numbers, drain bank accounts or falsely bill Medicare and other insurers," according to some experts, USA Today reports.

7 May 2008

Lawmakers, industry reps, officials discuss Medicare competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment

During a House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearing Tuesday, lawmakers, officials and representatives of the durable medical equipment industry discussed a Medicare competitive bidding program, including the application process and possible alternatives to the program, CQ HealthBeat reports (Carey, CQ HealthBeat, 5/6).

7 May 2008

Urgent action needed to address HIV/AIDS among U.S. minority communities as cases 'skyrocket,' expert says

HIV/AIDS rates among blacks and Hispanics in the U.S. have reached alarming levels, and the U.S. urgently needs to establish new initiatives to address the spread of the disease among the groups, Beny Primm, executive director of Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Addiction Research and Treatment, said at an event in Connecticut on Sunday, the Hartford Courant reports.

7 May 2008

Government, businesses should cooperate to mitigate effects of HIV/AIDS in Papua New Guinea, conference delegate says

The government and businesses in Papua New Guinea should work together to alleviate the effects of HIV/AIDS and avoid a "catastrophic health burden," Australian Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs Duncan Kerr said Monday at the start of the 24th Papua New Guinea-Australia Business Forum, Papua New Guinea's Post-Courier reports.

7 May 2008

Utah law requiring HIV tests for convicted sex workers, solicitors fails to slow spread of HIV because it is not enforced, editorial says

A Utah state law that requires convicted commercial sex workers and solicitors of commercial sex to be tested for HIV and makes sex work and solicitation a "felony offense for repeat offenders who were aware they had tested positive for HIV" could "deter" sex work, but it is "not happening" because the law is not enforced, a Salt Lake Tribune editorial says (Salt Lake Tribune, 5/5).

7 May 2008

Gordon Brown holds conference on role of businesses in efforts to meet MDGs

Multinational companies need to increase their efforts to address development issues worldwide, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Tuesday ahead of a conference on global businesses and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, AFP/Google.com reports.

7 May 2008

U.N. launches workplace HIV program

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday launched U.N. Cares, a new workplace HIV program that will provide such services as training, counseling and testing for U.N. staff and their families, Xinhua/China View reports.

7 May 2008

Color Doppler ultrasound should be first imaging technique for diagnosing suspected acute appendicitis

Color Doppler ultrasound, not CT, should be the first imaging examination for adult patients with suspected acute appendicitis, a new study emphasizes.

7 May 2008

A new search for causes of autism

Dr. Eric Fombonne, from the Research Institute of the MUHC at the Montreal Children's Hospital, is involved in a multi-site consortium to gather DNA samples from 2,000 autism patients and their families over the next three years.

7 May 2008

Medical research is essential to improving the economy and bettering lives

Health care in the United States is expensive, but its funding is crucial because it also is a major contributor to the economy and can better lives, according to an essay appearing in the June 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). Because of the cost of health care, this is not time to shrink the budget at the National Institutes of Health, which funds medical research that leads to potentially curative therapy.

7 May 2008

Health Care News and Research

GeoVax Labs to launch phase II trials of HIV vaccine candidate

Rapid HIV tests highly effective in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission in India

Illinois Gov. Blagojevich to stop enrolling people in expanded FamilyCare program

Shift in HIV prevention priorities needed - reducing multiple sexual partnerships and providing male circumcision services should be emphasized

Medicare fee cuts could devastate rehabilitation services

Mothers' high normal blood sugar levels place infants at risk for birth problems

U.S. manufacturers spend twice as much as foreign competitors on health care, report finds

Senate Finance Committee holds first in series of Congressional hearings on U.S. health system overhaul

New legislation would require mandatory Federal standards for physical, mental health care for detained immigrants

Economic downturn prompts many nurses to work more shifts, helps address nursing shortage

Theft of medical information becoming more common, USA Today reports

Lawmakers, industry reps, officials discuss Medicare competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment

Urgent action needed to address HIV/AIDS among U.S. minority communities as cases 'skyrocket,' expert says

Government, businesses should cooperate to mitigate effects of HIV/AIDS in Papua New Guinea, conference delegate says

Utah law requiring HIV tests for convicted sex workers, solicitors fails to slow spread of HIV because it is not enforced, editorial says

Gordon Brown holds conference on role of businesses in efforts to meet MDGs

U.N. launches workplace HIV program

Color Doppler ultrasound should be first imaging technique for diagnosing suspected acute appendicitis

A new search for causes of autism

Medical research is essential to improving the economy and bettering lives

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