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USAID report questions Haitian quake death toll

The death toll from the January 2010 earthquake that struck Haiti was significantly lower than the toll claimed by Haitian leaders, according to the draft of a report prepared for USAID not yet publicly released, the Associated Press/Herald Sun reports.

1 Jun 2011

Administration seeks to stop Medicaid providers, recipients from suing states

Medicaid recipients and health care providers cannot sue state officials to challenge cuts in Medicaid payments, even if such cuts compromise access to health care for poor people, the Obama administration has told the Supreme Court.

1 Jun 2011

New online job sites for health care, life science and medical industries

Springer has launched a network of job sites designed to attract and showcase the unique talent and highly qualified audience that uses Springer tools which are some of the industry's most trusted, prestigious and trafficked sites for research.

1 Jun 2011

Mouse virus not responsible for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, new study finds

Two years ago, a widely publicized scientific report plucked an old mouse virus out of obscurity and held it up as a possible cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. According to a new study published today by a group of researchers in California, Wisconsin and Illinois, that report was wrong.

1 Jun 2011

UNAIDS Director says Pope's comments on condoms open dialogue for HIV prevention

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe on Saturday "told a Vatican conference [Pope Benedict XVI] had opened the door to greater dialogue with his groundbreaking comments on condoms and HIV prevention - even as Vatican officials stressed abstinence and marital fidelity as the best prevention," the Associated Press reports.

1 Jun 2011

Scans, hospital infections at heart of new quality issues

A new diagnostic imaging test that can detect plaque in the arteries of the heart is not an efficient tool for screening people not experiencing symptoms of heart disease, a recent study found.

1 Jun 2011

Plasma resuscitation restores damage to endothelial glycocalyx after hemorrhagic shock

Using plasma rather than standard resuscitation fluids seems to improve survival in trauma patients with massive blood loss. Now a new study in animals suggests that this benefit may result from plasma's ability to restore the "endothelial glycocalyx," a special layer lining the blood vessels, reports the June issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society.

1 Jun 2011

Experts to present latest information on paediatric infectious diseases at ESPID 2011

The Annual ESPID Meeting has become the world's largest meeting in the field of Paediatric Infectious Diseases (PID): it provides the latest information on the number one threat to global child health.

1 Jun 2011

New genetic test can predict clinical outcomes in glioblastoma patients

New research proves that a change in a particular gene can identify which patients with a specific kind of brain cancer will respond better to treatment. Testing for the gene can distinguish patients with a more- or less-aggressive form of glioblastoma, the most common and an often-fatal type of primary brain cancer, and help guide therapy, the researchers say.

1 Jun 2011

Natural killer cells promote induction of dry eye disease: New discovery

If you are one of the millions of people around the world who struggle with dry eye disease, good news is on the way. A new research discovery published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology offers hope for new drugs that treat the cellular cause of the disease rather than its symptoms.

1 Jun 2011

Lax tax rules in developing countries hinder aid, Clinton says

In a speech to the OECD last week, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that foreign aid is undermined by lax tax enforcement systems in developing countries and their wealthy citizens who avoid paying taxes, Agence France-Presse reports.

1 Jun 2011

Wireless near-infrared spectroscopy can effectively detect bladder disease in children

A cell phone-sized, wireless near-infrared device is as reliable as the current "gold standard" invasive tests in determining bladder disease, according to a study by researchers at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Coastal Health and the Child & Family Research Institute (CFRI).

1 Jun 2011

Nighttime heart and lung transplants do not affect patient survival

Despite concerns that surgeon fatigue is leading to dangerous complications for patients and data showing worse outcomes for many patients who undergo surgery at night, new Johns Hopkins research suggests that — in the case of heart and lung transplants — time of day has no affect on patient survival.

1 Jun 2011

Patients who undergo noisy operation more likely to suffer surgical site infections

Patients who undergo surgery are more likely to suffer surgical site infections if the operating theatre is noisy, according to research published in the July issue of the British Journal of Surgery.

1 Jun 2011

Health law implementation issues: Challenges with exchanges, doc-owned hospitals

A small but growing number of prominent, Republican governors — including Mitch Daniels and Haley Barbour — are taking the lead to shape a key component of the health care overhaul their party fought so hard to kill. It's a delicate balancing act for Republicans who, on the one hand, oppose federal health reform, even challenging its constitutionality in federal court, and, on the other hand, are pragmatically trying to control as much of the implementation process as they can.

1 Jun 2011

UNICEF publishes vaccine costs in an effort to promote price competition

UNICEF for the first time on Friday published the prices it pays pharmaceutical companies for vaccines, "as the world's biggest buyer of lifesaving immunizations aims to spark price competition in the face of rising costs," the Associated Press/Washington Post reports (5/28).

1 Jun 2011

Lymphoma vaccine extends disease-free survival by 14 months

A lymphoma vaccine uniquely tailored for each patient extends disease-free survival by 14 months, with signs of an even better response for patients with a specific biological marker, a team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported today in the online version of Journal of Clinical Oncology.

1 Jun 2011

Media examine funding for HIV/AIDS as disease turns 30

"As the war on AIDS heads into its fourth decade, the need for funds is spiralling relentlessly higher, prompting a quest for new resources from consumer levies to contributions from developing giants," Agence France-Presse/France 24 reports (5/30).

1 Jun 2011

Romney and other GOP leaders have complicated histories with health law

The former governor has faced a fusillade from the right for the plan they call RomneyCare. But a look back at the birth of the Mass. law shows why he can't, and won't, back away. It was an amazing political feat, and no one's role was bigger than his. ... Six years later, the decision to press ahead with an individual mandate has had far-reaching and still evolving consequences.

1 Jun 2011

ACLU and Planned Parenthood sue South Dakota

Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit in federal court charging that a South Dakota abortion law set to take effect July 1st violates both free speech rights and a woman's right to obtain an abortion.

1 Jun 2011