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Health law opponents sharpen fight focus on insurance tax credit

According to news reports, critics have pinpointed this part of the health law in their effort to undo the sweeping overhaul. Meanwhile, USA Today reports that very few middle-income taxpayers will pay more as a result of the measure's taxes, fees and penalties.

18 Jul 2012

Three outstanding young scientists named July 2012 Damon Runyon-Sohn Fellows

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and the Sohn Conference Foundation have named three outstanding young scientists as the first-ever Damon Runyon-Sohn Pediatric Cancer Research Fellows, committing more than half a million dollars to help address a critical shortage of funding for pediatric cancer research.

18 Jul 2012

New drug combination could offer hope to children with neuroblastoma

A new drug combination could offer hope to children with neuroblastoma - one of the deadliest forms of childhood cancer - by boosting the effectiveness of a promising new gene-targeted treatment.

12 Jul 2012

New CBO numbers on health law expected soon, a GOP-led Senate would focus on cost control

This Capitol Hill news roundup includes reports about new health law budget numbers, and about how the GOP -- if it gained control of the Senate -- would focus on health care cost control rather than coverage expansion. Also in the news, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, is proceeding with his questions about nonprofit hospitals and charity care. Finally, an ethics panel inquiry regarding a Nevada lawmaker moves forward.

11 Jul 2012

Proposed rules would bar aggressive medical debt collection tactics from nonprofit hospitals

New proposed rules from the IRS would require nonprofit hospitals to use the most aggressive debt collection methods against lower-income patients.

7 Jul 2012

State roundup: Mass. health law success; Penn. Medicaid cut reversed

Massachusetts has the nation's highest rate of residents with health insurance. Visits to emergency rooms are beginning to ease. More residents are getting cancer screenings and more women are making prenatal doctors' visits. Still, one of the biggest challenges for the state lies ahead: reining in spiraling costs.

4 Jul 2012

Scientists reprogram amniotic fluid cells without introduction of extra genes

Stem cells found in amniotic fluid can be transformed into a more versatile state similar to embryonic stem cells, according to a study published today in the journal Molecular Therapy. Scientists from Imperial College London and the UCL Institute of Child Health succeeded in reprogramming amniotic fluid cells without having to introduce extra genes.

4 Jul 2012

Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center receives $3M donation from Celebrity Fight Night

The Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix has received a $3 million donation from Celebrity Fight Night that will be used to help dramatically expand the renowned facility and its programs.

3 Jul 2012

Mothers, children in northern Mali most affected by food insecurity due to conflict, drought

"Tens of thousands of people uprooted or trapped by conflict in northern Mali are going without enough food, leading to a spike in cases of children suffering from malnutrition, medical aid groups say," AlertNet reports.

29 Jun 2012

Pregnancy complications are leading killer of teenage girls worldwide, Save the Children report says

Pregnancy is the biggest killer of teenage girls worldwide, with one million girls annually dying, being injured, or contracting a disease because of pregnancy or childbirth, according to a report (.pdf) released Tuesday by Save the Children, the Daily Mail reports.

28 Jun 2012

Study focuses on intergenerational dilemma

When we turn on the A/C in the summer, our first thought is probably one of relief. If it's 100 degrees in the shade, we're probably not thinking about how our decision might influence the environmental legacy we leave for future generations. It's not that we don't care, it's just that we typically don't think about our behavior in terms of long-term, inter-generational tradeoffs. But new research suggests that reminders of our own mortality may encourage us to keep future generations in mind as we make decisions.

28 Jun 2012

MAARA invests £340,000 into vital asthma and allergy research

A charity operating Britain's longest-running pollen database is investing over £340,000 into vital asthma and allergy research at the University of Leicester.

27 Jun 2012

New Alzheimer's Society funded project to investigate role of chronic stress in dementia

Chronic stress is being investigated in a new Alzheimer's Society funded research project as a risk factor for developing dementia.

26 Jun 2012

Researchers identify three sets of genetic markers linked with CNS PNET

Researchers at The University of Nottingham have identified three sets of genetic markers that could potentially pave the way for new diagnostic tools for a deadly type of brain tumour that mainly targets children.

16 Jun 2012

Roundup: Calif. cigarette tax hike too close to call; Mass. insurance mandate not as contentious; Sept. 11 health fund cancer coverage ruling delayed

Tobacco companies poured nearly $47 million into defeating Proposition 29, a $1-a-pack tax hike on cigarettes, but the measure was narrowly leading in early returns Tuesday despite the hard-fought campaign. The tax increase would raise $810 million a year for cancer research and smoking cessation programs, and it would give California -- which currently has a lower tobacco tax than 32 other states -- the 16th-highest cigarette tax in the nation. … The vote would be a huge win for the public health groups that sponsored the measure, including the American Cancer Society.

6 Jun 2012

Innovative strategy for regenerating skeletal muscle tissue

An innovative strategy for regenerating skeletal muscle tissue using cells derived from the amniotic fluid is outlined in new research published by scientists at the UCL Institute of Child Health.

2 Jun 2012

Biogen Idec, MS community partner to celebrate Fourth Annual World MS Day

Today, Biogen Idec will join with the multiple sclerosis (MS) community around the world to celebrate the Fourth Annual World MS Day by hosting diverse educational activities across the globe.

30 May 2012

Brains that maintain healthy nerve connections as we age help keep us sharp in later life

Brains that maintain healthy nerve connections as we age help keep us sharp in later life, new research funded by the charity Age UK has found.

24 May 2012

Accretive seeks advice on collection standards from top health care policymakers

Accretive Health, subject of a recent report critical of its billing practices, will convene a panel of top policymakers on collection standards in the industry, it said Tuesday.

17 May 2012

This Mother's Day, ensure babies everywhere are born free of HIV

Ahead of Mother's Day on May 13, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe writes in this post in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog, "Together we can go from 390,000 children becoming infected with HIV each year to zero," and he highlights "three simple things we can all do to ensure babies everywhere can be born free from HIV."

11 May 2012