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Ohio law prohibits abortion coverage by insurers in state exchanges; Pa. measure would step up abortion clinic regulation

Ohio Governor John Kasich on Wednesday signed a law that would prohibit abortion coverage from the state insurance exchange Ohio must create under the federal health care law. ... The law bans Ohio citizens from being able to purchase insurance through the exchange that includes abortion coverage, even if they pay for it with their own money, said Kellie Copeland, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, who criticized the bill.

23 Dec 2011

Consistent evidence that HRT use associated with breast cancer

McMaster University researchers have found consistent evidence that use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is associated with breast cancer globally.

22 Dec 2011

Fetal heart rate monitor may improve infant's health

Despite the numerous medical advances that happen every day, the infant mortality rate in the United States is still higher than most European countries. While experts believe this is closely linked to the growing rate of pre-term births, researchers are committed to finding ways to make labor and delivery safer. Northwestern Medicine- researchers are examining a new device that may support improved newborn health at delivery through closer monitoring of infant oxygen use during labor.

22 Dec 2011

First Edition: December 22, 2011

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including articles on the Capitol Hill stalemate that threatens to cut Medicare payments to doctors and government efforts to keep details of a research experiment on bird flu secret.

22 Dec 2011

Azithromycin shows promise against trachoma-related blindness

A UCSF study shows a popular treatment for a potentially blinding eye infection is just as effective if given every six months versus annually. This randomized study on trachoma, the leading cause of infection-caused blindness in the world, could potentially treat twice the number of patients using the same amount of medication.

22 Dec 2011

New way to awaken paternal Ube3a allele linked with Angelman syndrome

Results of a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill may help pave the way to a treatment for a neurogenetic disorder often misdiagnosed as cerebral palsy or autism.

22 Dec 2011

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center joins The Robertson Foundation

As an enduring tribute to a valued Board member and woman of incomparable grace, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has joined with The Robertson Foundation to undertake two high-profile initiatives in honor of Josephine "Josie" Robertson: the Josie Robertson Surgery Center and the Josie Robertson Investigators Program.

22 Dec 2011

Lean beef can contribute to heart-healthy diet

Lean beef can contribute to a heart-healthy diet in the same way lean white meats can, according to nutritional scientists.

22 Dec 2011

Large-intestine bacteria may help prevent obesity

Bacteria living in people's large intestine may slow down the activity of the "good" kind of fat tissue, a special fat that quickly burns calories and may help prevent obesity, scientists are reporting in a new study.

22 Dec 2011

Low-gluten beers can cause symptoms in patients with celiac disease

Beer tested in a new study, including some brands labeled "low-gluten," contains levels of hordein, the form of gluten present in barley, that could cause symptoms in patients with celiac disease (CD), the autoimmune condition treated with a life-long gluten-free diet, scientists are reporting.

22 Dec 2011

U.S. Science Advisory Board asks Science, Nature to omit data from bird flu studies amid security concerns

The U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity on "Tuesday asked two scientific journals to leave out data from research studies on a lab-made version of bird flu that could spread more easily to humans, fearing it could be used as a potential weapon," Reuters reports.

22 Dec 2011

U.N. 'must face up' to Haiti cholera outbreak

In this Guardian opinion piece, Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C., writes that the U.N. "must face up" to a cholera outbreak allegedly brought to Haiti by peacekeeping troops in the aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake. "More than 500,000 have been infected, and the disease -- which Haiti has not had in more than a century -- is now endemic to the country and will be killing people there for many years to come," he writes.

22 Dec 2011

A gradual approach? The health law in the states

The Obama administration's surprise announcement Friday that it planned to give states broad leeway to pick the benefits offered under the federal health care law offers yet another example of a gradualist approach to carrying out its signal domestic policy achievement.

22 Dec 2011

Federal officials extend Medicaid waiver for Mass.

The federal government on Tuesday extended a Medicaid waiver in Massachusetts, which was first implemented as part of then-Gov. Mitt Romney's healthcare overhaul. The waiver will now run through 2014. It is focused primarily on efforts to improve the cost and quality of the Medicaid program and better coordinate care. The waiver provides incentives for hospitals to improve their efforts to integrate their services.

22 Dec 2011

Drugmaker Merck to pay $24M to settle Medicaid case

Drugmaker Merck & Co. will pay Massachusetts $24 million to settle a civil lawsuit accusing a former subsidiary of causing the state to overpay pharmacists for a widely used asthma medication. Attorney General Martha Coakley said Tuesday that the deal with Merck and 12 other drugmakers who settled previously enables the state to recover more than $47 million for its Medicaid program.

22 Dec 2011

Study analyzes how often patients receive preoperative medical consultation

Researchers in Toronto, Canada found that whether a patient received a preoperative medical consultation was not tied to his/her health or the risk of the operation, rather which hospital he/she was having surgery was a large determining factor.

22 Dec 2011

HPV vaccine support by GAVI example of 'equity in health'

Noting that human papillomavirus (HPV) causes 70 percent of cervical cancer cases worldwide, Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and former GAVI Alliance Board chair, writes in this BMJ Group Blogs post that the GAVI Alliance's decision to support the introduction of HPV vaccine among women in developing countries "is an important example of how we must continue to strive for equity in health. And it will help ensure that the world's less-privileged women remain the strength behind their children, their families, and their communities."

22 Dec 2011

Study identifies six risk factors associated with blindness after spine surgery

A study published in the January 2012 issue of Anesthesiology identified six risk factors associated with blindness or partial blindness that can occur after major spine surgery: 1) male sex, 2) obesity, 3) use of a surgical frame that places the head lower than the heart, 4) length of the surgery, 5) amount of blood loss and 6) use of certain fluids that replace lost blood.

22 Dec 2011

'Global Pulse' blog examines declining TB incidence in Estonia

In this post in GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog, journalist John Donnelly reports on tuberculosis (TB) in Estonia and how the country has significantly reduced the proportion of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) cases since 1998. He writes, "The numbers of new TB cases in Estonia were five times that of the Nordic countries in 1998, but the numbers have tumbled since then and last year Estonia had cut that in half, to 2.5 times the number."

22 Dec 2011

Asynchronous telemedicine can improve healthcare delivery in rural areas

A lack of infrastructure in developing countries, and particularly in rural areas, often ensures that healthcare provision is absent. Research published in the International Journal of Services, Economics and Management by a team at Howard University in Washington DC suggests a solution to this insidious problem involving the development of telemedicine.

22 Dec 2011