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Reprogrammed kidney cells could make transplants and dialysis things of the past

Approximately 60 million people across the globe have chronic kidney disease (CKD), and many will need dialysis or a transplant. Breakthrough research published in the Journal of the American Society Nephrology indicates that patients' own kidney cells can be gathered and reprogrammed.

28 Jul 2011

Boehner plan faces delay as debt deal continues to be elusive

The delay was caused both by a Congressional Budget Office analysis that found the proposal by House Speaker John Boehner didn't score the promised savings and by conservatives' skepticism about the plan.

28 Jul 2011

Consumers would pay more for insurance that caters to their needs

Almost half of insurance customers would be willing to pay more for health insurance that caters to their needs, according to a new report from the consulting firm Accenture.

28 Jul 2011

CIA's use of vaccine program to hunt Bin Laden hurt U.S. health diplomacy

The incoming C.I.A. director, David Petraeus, ought to impose clear restrictions and prohibitions on medically oriented spy tactics so that the integrity and humanitarian purpose of U.S. health aid are affirmed and that current and future health aid operations will not be misused," Jack Chow, a former U.S. global AIDS ambassador and assistant director-general of the WHO, writes in a New York Times opinion piece responding to reports that the U.S. used a vaccination campaign in Pakistan to help locate and kill Osama bin Laden.

28 Jul 2011

Study finds harmful haloacetic acids in the urine of pool workers, swimmers

The first scientific measurements in humans show that potentially harmful haloacetic acids (HAAs) appear in the urine of swimmers within 30 minutes after exposure to chlorinated water where HAAs form as a byproduct of that water disinfection method.

28 Jul 2011

India plans to establish central foreign aid agency to fight corruption, cut costs

India plans to establish a central foreign aid agency, "believed to be modeled on" USAID, "to prevent funds from being misused and delays in aid delivery," the Guardian reports. "The agency will reportedly be called the Indian Agency for Partnership in Development, overseeing $11.3bn over the next five to seven years," the newspaper writes.

28 Jul 2011

New report is setback for 9/11 responders and cancer costs

The report concluded that medical research does not prove that those working at the World Trade Center disaster site have an increased risk of developing certain forms of cancer.

28 Jul 2011

Chronic psychological stress linked to increased risk of Alzheimer's

Chronic psychological stress throughout a lifespan might increase an individual's risk for Alzheimer's and dementia later in life, according to research from the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services at Utah State University.

28 Jul 2011

As they age, some women face retirement nightmare

The percentage of adult children providing personal care or financial assistance to a parent has more than tripled since 1999, according to a 2011 study by MetLife Mature Market Institute.

28 Jul 2011

Control and elimination of neglected tropical diseases can help treat HIV/AIDS

There is a growing body of evidence revealing the connection between neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and HIV/AIDS, prompting experts to call for greater integration of national NTD treatment programs with HIV/AIDS initiatives.

28 Jul 2011

Conference to discuss new discoveries in cognitive neuroscience research

New discoveries in the field of cognitive neuroscience hold great promise for improving current teaching methods. Yet there is a significant gap between such scientific discoveries and the application of this knowledge in the classroom.

28 Jul 2011

Des Moines hospital faces review; $9 million hospital bill in Tampa

In state hospital news, federal regulators have ordered Iowa officials to study the Mercy Medical Center, and Florida officials say a Tampa hospital has filed a $9.2 million claim against the estate of a former patient. In other news, officials begin the process of closing Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

28 Jul 2011

UM researchers unravel genomic code of German E. coli bacteria

A team led by University of Maryland School of Medicine Institute for Genome Sciences researchers has unraveled the genomic code of the E. coli bacteria that caused the ongoing deadly outbreak in Germany that began in May 2011.

28 Jul 2011

Yoga reduces symptoms of chronic pain in women with fibromyalgia

A new study by York University researchers finds that practicing yoga reduces the physical and psychological symptoms of chronic pain in women with fibromyalgia.

28 Jul 2011

Medicare Part D ups patient compliance, reduces hospital costs

The findings, which were published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggested that for seniors, access to affordable prescription drugs would reduce their need for emergency and short-term nursing care.

28 Jul 2011

Smokers are misinformed about safety and efficacy of nicotine replacement therapy

Nearly half of all smokers in the United States attempt to quit at least once per year, yet the majority of these efforts fail. One factor contributing to the low annual rate of successful cessation is that the majority of quit attempts are made without evidence-based treatment such as nicotine replacement therapy.

28 Jul 2011

GlobalPost blog interviews Iranian doctor imprisoned after treating HIV/AIDS patients

GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog features an interview with Iranian physician Kamiar Alaei, who along with his brother, Arash Alaei, worked to treat patients with HIV/AIDS in Iran and were arrested and imprisoned by Iranian government authorities in June 2008.

28 Jul 2011

New research shows unique nature of human brain aging

Brains shrink in humans, potentially causing a number of health problems and mental illnesses as people age, but do they shrink to the same extent in the closest living relatives to humans--the chimpanzees? New research says no, making the extreme amount of brain shrinkage resulting from normal aging in humans unique.

28 Jul 2011

House committee releases foreign operations spending bill with state, USAID funding cuts

The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday released the FY12 Foreign Relations Authorization Act "that slashes State Department funding and foreign aid," The Hill's "On The Money" blog reports.

28 Jul 2011

Noninvasive brain computer interface could turn thoughts into motion

"Brain cap" technology being developed at the University of Maryland allows users to turn their thoughts into motion. Associate Professor of Kinesiology José 'Pepe' L. Contreras-Vidal and his team have created a non-invasive, sensor-lined cap with neural interface software that soon could be used to control computers, robotic prosthetic limbs, motorized wheelchairs and even digital avatars.

28 Jul 2011