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Prospect for passage of final health care IT bill uncertain

Negotiations to reconcile House and Senate versions of legislation that would promote the implementation of health care information technology have not progressed, and prospects for passage of a final bill prior to the midterm elections are uncertain, according to congressional aides, CongressDaily reports (Lee, CongressDaily, 9/12).

13 Sep 2006

MIT device to detect and prevent epileptic seizures

Epilepsy affects about 50 million people worldwide, and while anticonvulsant medications can reduce the frequency of seizures, the drugs are ineffective for as many as one in three patients.

12 Sep 2006

Johns Hopkins ACG team releases pharmacy-based predictive model

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed Johns Hopkins ACG Rx-PM - new predictive modeling software based on retail pharmacy claims information.

11 Sep 2006

'Plenty of time' to pass final health care IT Bill, Rep. Deal says

House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Chair Nathan Deal (R-Ga.) on Thursday said Congress has "plenty of time" prior to midterm elections to pass legislation that would promote the implementation of health care information technology, CQ HealthBeat reports (Reichard, CQ HealthBeat, 9/7).

11 Sep 2006

Genetic code for breast and colon cancers

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists have completed the first draft of the genetic code for breast and colon cancers.

7 Sep 2006

FDA releases draft guidelines regulating complex diagnostic tests

FDA on Tuesday released draft guidelines that assert the agency's authority for regulating gene- and protein-based diagnostic tests for conditions such as breast cancer and ovarian cancer, the Wall Street Journal reports.

6 Sep 2006

Mitochondrial DNA sequencing tool updated

High-tech laboratory tools, like computers, are often updated publicly as their analytical capabilities expand. In the September issue of the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, NIH grantees report they have developed a second generation "lab on a silicon chip" called the MitoChip v2.0 that for the first time rapidly and reliably sequences all mitochondrial DNA.

30 Aug 2006

Massachusetts ends plans to partner with not-for profit to simplify Medicaid application process

Massachusetts will not be working with RealBenefits, a not-for-profit subsidiary of Community Catalyst that sells computer software to not-for-profit groups to make data input faster, to simplify the Medicaid application process, the Boston Globe reports.

28 Aug 2006

Recalls and safety alerts affecting automated external defibrillators

Automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) are important medical devices. Numerous studies have shown that thousands of lives are saved each year using these devices to treat patients in sudden cardiac arrest.

10 Aug 2006

Automated external defibrillators, reliability and clinical benefits

The FDA frequently issues safety advisories for automated external defibrillators and accessories, although the number of actual device malfunctions appears to be relatively small.

8 Aug 2006

Computer-aided detection essential in preventing breast cancer

Computer-aided detection improves breast cancers in both screening and diagnostic patients according to a recent study done by a private practice radiologist in Santa Barbara, CA.

2 Aug 2006

Computers band against cancer

IBM is working with researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and The Cancer Institute of New Jersey to unleash supercomputer technology in the battle against cancer.

24 Jul 2006

Biometrics for secure mobile communications

As mobile devices become increasingly ubiquitous and play ever more significant roles in our lives, ensuring the trustworthiness and security of the information being exchanged has never been more important.

19 Jul 2006

Africa@home

While you are sending an email or surfing the web, your computer could be helping to tackle one of Africa's major humanitarian challenges, malaria.

17 Jul 2006

NIAID program aims to model immune responses and key infectious diseases

A new program at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) aims to better understand the complex biochemical networks that regulate the interactions between infectious organisms and the human or animal cells they infect.

12 Jul 2006

Practice builds brain connections for babies learning language, how to speak

Experience, as the old saying goes, is the best teacher. And experience seems to play an important early role in how infants learn to understand and produce language.

11 Jul 2006

Hi-tech initiative aims to help doctors treat brain tumours

Software that gives doctors much-needed help in the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours is being developed by an international consortium of scientists and medics.

10 Jul 2006

Exposing cancer more quickly

Previous methods for uncovering cancer are old and inaccurate. Now, data analysts at Norut IT Research in Norway are moving cancer treatment forward.

7 Jun 2006

MTV and Kaiser Family Foundation announce first-ever multi-media community to give American youth voice on HIV/AIDS

Since the first AIDS case was documented twenty-five years ago by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this June 5th, a generation of young people has grown up never knowing a time without the disease.

5 Jun 2006

Help for elderly people to spark new research ideas

New technologies and services can help elderly and disabled people live longer at home. The Ambient Assisted Living programme will focus on this vision but can only begin after agreement on how to combine national and European initiatives. Political accord is the key, notes a project preparing the groundwork.

10 May 2006