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Personal genetic test results don't drive overuse of expensive medical care

People have more and more chances to participate in genetic testing that can indicate their range of risk for developing a disease. Receiving these results does not appreciably drive up- or diminish-test recipients' demand for potentially costly follow-up health services, according to a new study in the May 17, 2012 early online issue of Genetics in Medicine.

18 May 2012

Huffington Post series of opinion pieces examines NGO priorities for G8

The Huffington Post is running "a series of blogs by leading NGOs to call attention to a range of issues that should be raised at the G8 summit at Camp David in rural Maryland from May 18-19," according to the news service. The following summarizes some of the posts published this week.

18 May 2012

Breast cancer vaccine that elicits powerful immune response also improves recurrence rates

A breast cancer vaccine already shown to elicit a powerful immune response in women with varying levels of HER2 expression has the ability to improve recurrence rates and is well tolerated in an adjuvant setting, according to new research from a clinical trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

18 May 2012

Behavior-driven conditions are greatest contributors to health plan costs

Poor health choices add billions in cost to the companies, unions, health plans and government agencies that provide pharmacy benefits to Americans. In response, benefit providers are investing as never before to help people make better decisions to improve health outcomes, save money and maintain robust benefits, according to a report issued today by Express Scripts.

18 May 2012

First Edition: May 18, 2012

Today's headlines include a report that congressional conservatives are fighting amongst themselves over health law strategies.

18 May 2012

The truth about chocolate: does it really contain flavonoids?

There have been many news stories over the years about chocolate and whether it is good or bad for you. The stories often comment on a chemical constituent of chocolate: flavonoids. But what are flavonoids? Does chocolate even contain them? And why should we care if it does?

18 May 2012

Health Canada approves Osiris’ Prochymal to treat acute GvHD in children

Osiris Therapeutics Inc. announced today it has received market authorization from Health Canada to market its stem cell therapy Prochymal (remestemcel-L), for the treatment of acute graft-vs-host disease (GvHD) in children.

18 May 2012

State budgets aim at health programs, Medicaid to bridge shortfalls

Medicaid and other health program cuts are on the minds of state lawmakers around the nation. In Maine, the governor signed Medicaid cuts into law Wednesday, and California and Kansas are weighing similar cuts as they struggle to balance their budgets.

18 May 2012

WHO faces challenges in setting priorities

In this BMJ Groups Blog post, Amanda Glassman, director of Global Health Policy at the Center for Global Development, writes about the challenges the WHO faces in "setting priorities and fully funding those priorities."

18 May 2012

Medtronic announces new results from CoreValve ADVANCE Study

Medtronic, Inc. today announced new results from the Medtronic CoreValve ADVANCE Study, which found that women and men benefitted similarly from the Medtronic CoreValve System.

From Medtronic 18 May 2012

Longer looks: Music as a means of treatment for PTSD

On one of the many days Leo Dunson wanted to die, the Iraq veteran put a gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. The loaded weapon misfired. For the troubled former soldier, it was another inexplicable failure, like his divorce or inability to make friends after returning from the war. In a Las Vegas recording studio, Dunson rapped about his life: "What's wrong with me? Got PTSD. These pills ain't working, man, I still can't think."

18 May 2012

Ugandan AIDS activists concerned over proposed cuts in nation's health budget

AIDS activists in Uganda are worried about a proposed reduction in the country's health budget, as Parliament begins "a months-long budgeting process for the ... next fiscal year," VOA News reports.

18 May 2012

Legislatures push health care changes in disabled, immigrant care, medical boards

State lawmakers grapple with health care issues including establishing a new monitor for disabled care in New York, avoiding cuts for undocumented immigrant care in D.C. and a Massachusetts revamp of the state medical board.

18 May 2012

MSRG researchers develop ColoREctal Wellbeing study

Researchers from the Macmillan Survivorship Research Group (MSRG), at the University of Southampton, have developed the first study of its kind looking at the experiences and needs of people after primary treatment of colorectal cancer.

18 May 2012

A Senate panel contemplates innovations for the health care system

At a Wednesday hearing, members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee considered various strategies to make the health system more efficient.

18 May 2012

Effectiveness of 'quorum sensing' directly depends on density of bacterial populations

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have opened the way for more accurate research into new ways to fight dangerous bacterial infections by proving a long-held theory about how bacteria communicate with each other.

18 May 2012

Abbott announces inaugural funding for nutrition and cognition research

The Center for Nutrition, Learning, and Memory, a collaboration between Abbott’s nutrition businesses and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), announced today the inaugural funding recipients of the Center’s annual research challenge.

18 May 2012

A decision in N.Y. case on access to abortion pills could impact presidential politics

Politico looks at how a court decision to open Plan B prescriptions to women under the age of 17 could put both President Barack Obama and GOP candidate Mitt Romney on the spot.

18 May 2012

Northwestern University SCS now offers MSRC program

To help professionals succeed in the growing field of regulatory compliance, Northwestern University School of Continuing Studies now offers the Master of Science in Regulatory Compliance (MSRC) program.

18 May 2012

Obama administration announces Nov. 16 deadline for state proposals on health exchanges

The Department for Health and Human Services released guidelines detailing the requirements states must meet in their proposals if they want to gain federal approval to operate these insurance markets.

18 May 2012