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A counter to claims that extending Medicaid drug rebates would help reduce deficit

Rep. Henry Waxman and Sen. Jay Rockefeller have introduced legislation that would extend Medicaid rebates to "dual eligibles" and those who qualify for the low-income subsidy program — a plan they say could reduce the deficit by $112 billion over the next ten years.

22 Jul 2011

Humans' desire to kill rats has only made them stronger

Over millennia, mice have thrived despite humanity's efforts to keep them at bay. A Rice University scientist argues some mice have found two ways to achieve a single goal -- resistance to common poison.

22 Jul 2011

22nd Century receives FDA approval for X-22 IND to conduct Phase II-B smoking cessation trial

22nd Century Group, Inc., a company focused on smoking cessation and tobacco harm reduction products, today announced that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared an Investigational New Drug (IND) Application to conduct a Phase II-B clinical trial using X-22, a prescription smoking cessation aid in development.

22 Jul 2011

IDEXX Laboratories second quarter revenues increase 13% to $317.9 million

IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., today reported that revenues for the second quarter of 2011 increased 13% to $317.9 million, from $281.5 million for the second quarter of 2010. Organic revenue growth, as defined below, was 8%.

22 Jul 2011

U.S. must continue long-term investment in food security

In a post on USAID's "IMPACTblog," USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah describes the U.S. response to the drought in the Horn of Africa, as well as his visit on Wednesday to the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya.

22 Jul 2011

Scientists identify bacterial attack pathway

When competing for food and resources, bacteria employ elaborate strategies to keep rival cells at bay. Scientists have now identified a pathway that allows disease-causing bacteria to attack other bacterial cells by breaking down their cell wall.

22 Jul 2011

Sanitation pioneer earns Roll of Honour Award for lifetime service in Kigali, Rwanda

Professor Sandy Cairncross has received a unique honour from the governments of Africa in recognition of his major contribution to improving the health and well-being of Africans through his three decades of work to improve sanitation and hygiene across the continent.

22 Jul 2011

Medigap policy options could lead to program savings, increased costs for enrollees, report says

Savings estimates range from $1.5 billion to $4.6 billion — depending on the proposal. Policymakers are currently eyeing some of these options to reduce Medicare costs in the ongoing deficit-reduction talks.

22 Jul 2011

Regulation of association health plans triggers questions

News outlets report on this and other issues related to implementation of the health law, including patient-centered outcomes research and how the so-called death-panel discussions are now echoing in the debate surround the Independent Payment Advisory Board.

22 Jul 2011

DNA test reveals unlisted ingredients in herbal brews, teas

Take a second look at your iced or steaming tea. Guided by scientific experts, three New York City high school students using tabletop DNA technologies found several herbal brews and a few brands of tea contain ingredients unlisted on the manufacturers' package.

22 Jul 2011

IAS conference concludes with positive news on HIV prevention

"Scientists on Wednesday wrapped up their biggest forum in the 30-year history of AIDS, unveiling stunning weapons to prevent the spread of HIV," Agence France-Presse reports about the 6th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome.

22 Jul 2011

House Foreign Affairs Committee bill would cut U.S. aid, U.N. payments

"House Republicans sought to put their stamp on U.S. foreign policy Wednesday by advancing a bill that would slash federal payments to the United Nations and other international bodies and slap restrictions on aid to Pakistan, Egypt and others," the Washington Post reports.

22 Jul 2011

UCSF, Kaiser Permanente achieve first major milestone in genomics project

One of the nation's largest and most diverse genomics projects has reached its first major milestone in just 15 months. Scientists have genotyped the DNA and analyzed the length of chromosome tips in more than 100,000 Kaiser Permanente members who agreed to be part of the research.

22 Jul 2011

IRIN reports on challenges to fighting child malnutrition in Nepal

IRIN examines the "silent epidemic" of child malnutrition in Nepal, where nearly half of all children under five have stunted growth and 13 percent of children over six months and under five years old have moderate or severe acute malnutrition, a measurement known as global acute malnutrition.

22 Jul 2011

Scientists discover new bases of DNA

For decades, scientists have known that DNA consists of four basic units -- adenine, guanine, thymine and cytosine. Those four bases have been taught in science textbooks and have formed the basis of the growing knowledge regarding how genes code for life.

22 Jul 2011

Financial Times examines product development partnerships developing drugs for neglected diseases

The Financial Times examines the rise of product development partnerships (PDPs), which are "non-governmental organizations that generate their own funding and build partnerships with universities, businesses, government and patients in low-income countries to develop new drugs, vaccines, prevention techniques and diagnostics for diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, cholera and meningitis."

22 Jul 2011

The next round of mammogram advice

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued new recommendations that women should begin getting annual mammograms at age 40.

22 Jul 2011

Impaired immunological memory causes psoriasis, atopic eczema

Scientists from the Centre for Allergy and Environment in Munich (ZAUM), the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technische Universität München have reached a milestone in their specialist area with their discovery of the causes of atopic eczema and psoriasis.

22 Jul 2011

Medicare Part D prescription drug rebates would increase monthly premiums for seniors

Including Medicare Part D prescription drug rebates in the final debt ceiling package would increase monthly premiums by up to about 40 percent for more than 17 million seniors, according to a new analysis of government data.

22 Jul 2011

Scientists directly link lipid metabolism and cancer-associated cachexia

Scientists from Graz, Austria, have now directly linked lipid metabolism and cancer-associated cachexia. Science reports via its online channel Science Express that mice deficient in the lipid degrading enzyme Adipose Triglyceride Lipase (ATGL) are fully protected against cancer-associated cachexia.

22 Jul 2011