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Mental health needs of Iraq veterans increase with time

Compared to initial screening upon returning from the Iraq war, U.S. soldiers report increased mental health concerns and needs several months after their return for problems such as posttraumatic stress disorder and depression, according to a study in the November 14 issue of JAMA.

14 Nov 2007

Telemedicine may play in the diagnosis of eye diseases

Two studies being presented at the American Academy of Ophthalmology's 2007 Annual Meeting suggest that telemedicine may have a significant role to play in the diagnosis of eye diseases, increased patient compliance and patient access to quality care.

13 Nov 2007

FDA strengthens warnings for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved revised boxed warnings and other safety-related product labeling changes for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), which treat certain types of anemia.

13 Nov 2007

Collaboration between Eastern and Western healthcare practitioners is needed

Recent study findings from The Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Journal stress the importance of culturally sensitive rehabilitative practices, collaboration, referrals and information sharing between Eastern and Western health care practitioners.

13 Nov 2007

Managing asthma

The great majority of the nearly 23 million people with asthma, including 6.5 million children, can avoid serious symptoms and disability if they follow the latest guidelines to keep their disease under control.

13 Nov 2007

75% of Medicare beneficiaries with stand-alone prescription drug plans could face premium increases in 2008

The open enrollment period for the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit begins Thursday and continues through the end of the year, and beneficiaries should "look closely" at their plans because many of them are increasing premiums, copayments and deductibles, the Baltimore Sun reports.

12 Nov 2007

Bush asks Democrats to send military construction-VA appropriations B

President Bush on Saturday in his weekly radio address asked congressional Democrats to send him the fiscal year 2008 Military Construction-Veterans Affairs appropriations bill (HR 2642) in honor of Veterans Day, the AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Riechmann, AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11/11).

12 Nov 2007

Paid medical leave legislation gains momentum

USA Today on Monday examined the growing debate in Congress and across the U.S. on legislation that would provide paid medical leave to all workers.

12 Nov 2007

MedPAC finds uneven quality in newer Medicare Advantage plans

Medicare Payment Advisory Commission officials at a meeting on Friday expressed concern over data showing differences in quality among newer Medicare Advantage plans and increasing enrollment in private fee-for-service MA plans, CQ HealthBeat reports.

12 Nov 2007

Health officials to discuss links between commercial sex work, HIV transmission in Baltimore

Health officials from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Baltimore Health Department plan to hold the first in a series of meetings this month to discuss the links between commercial sex work and HIV transmission in an effort to curb the spread of the disease in the Baltimore area, the Baltimore Sun reports (Bor, Baltimore Sun, 11/9).

12 Nov 2007

Members of European Parliament launch Facebook campaign to reduce tax rate on condoms to curb HIV/AIDS in E.U.

Members of the European Parliament from the Socialist Group on Thursday in Brussels launched a campaign on the social networking Web site Facebook to cut tax rates on condoms in an effort to curb increasing HIV/AIDS rates in Europe, the Irish Examiner reports.

12 Nov 2007

Former Chair of Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS Hitt passes away

R. Scott Hitt -- a former HIV/AIDS physician and former chair of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS during the Clinton administration -- died Thursday of colon cancer at his home in West Hollywood, Calif., according to Hitt's friend and West Hollywood Mayor John Duran, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports.

12 Nov 2007

Seattle Post-Intelligencer examines reactions of people who participated in Merck's canceled HIV vaccine

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer on Friday examined the reaction of volunteers in the Seattle arm of Merck's recently halted HIV vaccine trial. According to the Post-Intelligencer, participants who were interviewed on the condition of anonymity have voiced "decidedly mixed feelings" about participating in the trial because of safety concerns (Paulson, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 11/9).

12 Nov 2007

Gyms do little in the battle against obesity

Research from the University of Leicester in England has found that the booming fitness industry has had very little effect on the obesity epidemic.

7 Nov 2007

Risk of disability increasing in older obese population in the U.S.

The older obese population in the U.S. appear to be experiencing more impairments in functional abilities related to movement, although there have been improvements in the cardiovascular health of this population, according to a study in the November 7 issue of JAMA.

6 Nov 2007

New study looks at effects of obesity on disability over time

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine report that older adults today are much more likely to suffer from disability than those 10 years ago.

6 Nov 2007

Improving hospital safety rating tools

In a bid to clean up misleading institutional safety comparisons and go further to fix safety problems, Johns Hopkins experts are proposing standard guidelines to be used as hospital safety rating tools.

6 Nov 2007

Baltimore Sun series examines link between commercial sex work, HIV transmission in Baltimore

The Baltimore Sun this week published a two-part series examining the link between commercial sex work and HIV transmission in Baltimore.

6 Nov 2007

Zambia Medical Association calls for collaboration on HIV/AIDS research between doctors, herbalists

Conventional doctors and traditional herbalists in Zambia must collaborate on quality research for potential HIV/AIDS treatments to help reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country, Zambia Medical Association President Swebby Macha said recently, Xinhua News Agency reports.

6 Nov 2007

BCG vaccine causing illness, death among HIV-positive infants, report says

The BCG vaccine, which aims to prevent tuberculosis among children in developing countries, might be causing illness and death among some HIV-positive infants, researchers said on Friday, the Los Angeles Times reports.

6 Nov 2007