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Smoking during pregnancy does not cause ASD in children

A large population-based study in Sweden indicates that there is no link between smoking during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children.

13 Jan 2012

Clinical trial to compare Aria's prenatal test and standard first-trimester screening for T21

Aria Diagnostics, a molecular diagnostics company, announced that it is initiating a blinded, multicenter clinical trial that compares its non-invasive prenatal test with the standard first-trimester screening test (serum screening and nuchal translucency ultrasound alone and in combination) to detect Trisomy 21, which is associated with Down syndrome.

13 Jan 2012

Chlorophyll in green vegetables offers protection against cancer

A recent study at Oregon State University found that the chlorophyll in green vegetables offers protection against cancer when tested against the modest carcinogen exposure levels most likely to be found in the environment.

13 Jan 2012

NIH official discusses reaction to bird flu studies, development of publishing mechanism in Nature interview

Nature interviews Amy Patterson, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Science Policy, which administers the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB), about the board's decision in December to advise against full publication of "two papers on avian flu (H5N1) that could pose a biosecurity risk if published in their entirety."

13 Jan 2012

Tips to optimize your health care budget this year

You can help lower your out-of-pocket health care costs by understanding what your health plan covers, what it does not cover and how to make the most of every dollar spent on health care and health insurance.

13 Jan 2012

International health groups ally to fight cholera in Haiti; Officials emphasize need for sanitation infrastructure

"Unless steps are taken to eliminate cholera from Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic, the disease will likely resurge and could even spread to other parts of the Caribbean, international health officials said Wednesday," CQ HealthBeat reports.

13 Jan 2012

Research finds sex ratios influence financial decisions

The perception that women are scarce leads men to become impulsive, save less, and increase borrowing, according to new research from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management.

13 Jan 2012

Mass media information may turn out to be of help for health

It is time to leave apart the belief that mass media are always a source of bad habits. Television, newspaper and the Internet, when used to get information, may turn out to be of help for health.

13 Jan 2012

Processed meat consumption linked to pancreatic cancer

Eating too much processed meat may increases the risk of pancreatic cancer, new research published in the British Journal of Cancer finds today.

13 Jan 2012

Hospital lobbyists prepare push against doc-owned facilities; SGR 'dilemma' could play into efforts to pass a 'doc fix'

A provision to loosen restriction on physician-owned hospitals found its way into the December tax extension bill, making the national hospital lobby wary that it may be included in the House-Senate negotiations for a long-term compromise. Meanwhile, as always, efforts to repeal Medicare's SGR are complicated.

13 Jan 2012

Sign language helps deaf people to pick up on body language

Deaf people who use sign language are quicker at recognizing and interpreting body language than hearing non-signers, according to new research from investigators at UC Davis and UC Irvine.

12 Jan 2012

Racial discrimination may impact your health and wellness

Racial discrimination may be harmful to your health, according to new research from Rice University sociologists Jenifer Bratter and Bridget Gorman.

12 Jan 2012

Roundup: SEC pursuing managed care execs in Fla.; Minn. emergency medical assistance program ends; Ore. lawmakers consider reforming medical liability laws

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is going after some former WellCare Health Plans executives in federal civil court regarding their alleged actions concerning WellCare's managed-care contracts for behavioral health in the state of Florida. In 2010, WellCare agreed to pay about $334 million to settle legal actions with various entities related to an alleged $40 million, five-year pattern of fraud in those contracts without admitting or denying any wrongdoing.

12 Jan 2012

Ocular drug delivery: DSM awarded membership in PANOPTES EU Funded Consortium

DSM, a global leader in biomedical materials sciences, today announced that it is contributing proprietary knowledge in the preparation of tailored amino acid-based polymers and offering use of processing facilities that will produce an innovative step change in the sustained delivery of drug molecules. The PANOPTES consortium’s goal is to research and develop novel drug delivery technology for the posterior eye segment. This partnership further validates the innovative properties of DSM’s polyesteramide (PEA) biomaterials as a superior drug delivery technology.

12 Jan 2012

Female fish choose well fed males over undernourished ones: Study

At least in some species being well fed as a kid makes a male more attractive to the opposite sex. Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) have discovered female mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) prefer males with a strong nutritional upbringing. The preference is there even when the males are otherwise identical to previously undernourished fish. These mosquitofish were introduced to Australia in an attempt to control mosquitoes.

12 Jan 2012

U.N. poised to take on challenge of global health

"In just over two decades, global health has gained a political visibility and status that some authors have called a political revolution," Ilona Kickbusch, director of the Global Health Programme at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, writes in a U.N. Chronicle opinion analysis.

12 Jan 2012

Study shows how new electronic medication management system reduces drug administration errors

Errors in administration of medication are a serious problem in long-term residential care. New research completed by the University of Warwick and the University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE) shows how a new electronic medication management system developed in the UK specifically for use in residential and nursing homes, has been shown to significantly reduce drug administration errors.

12 Jan 2012

HRSA's Wakefield talks about ACOs and community health centers

Joining me today is Dr. Mary Wakefield, administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). An agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, HRSA is committed to improving access to healthcare services for some of our nation's most vulnerable citizens.

12 Jan 2012

Reaching WHO PMTCT goal in Zimbabwe

Researchers in this PLoS Medicine article examine the efforts necessary to reach the WHO goal of reducing mother-to-child HIV transmission (MTCT) risk to less than five percent in Zimbabwe.

12 Jan 2012

National Biosecurity Board to review state of bird flu research

Federal officials have asked the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) "to review the state of the science looking at human transmission of deadly bird flu, says panel chief Paul Keim of Northern Arizona University," USA Today reports.

12 Jan 2012