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Secretary-General opens U.N. summit on MDGS with appeal for world leaders to maintain target commitments

On the first of the three-day U.N. Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday appealed "to the assembled presidents, prime ministers and kings to use their power to meet U.N. goals to help the world's poorest by 2015," the Associated Press reports.

22 Sep 2010

USF receives grant for studying ways to protect fetal brain from maternal infection

University of South Florida (USF) neuroscientists have been awarded a $400,000 federal grant to study ways of protecting the developing fetal brain from the damaging effects of maternal infections, a suspected cause for certain types of autism.

15 Sep 2010

March of Dimes listed on 2010 Working Mother Media's 100 Best Companies

Although it's only been on Working Mother Media's 100 Best Companies for two years, the March of Dimes has a long history of influencing women's ability to balance work and life.

14 Sep 2010

LabCorp acquires Genzyme Genetics for $925 million

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement under which LabCorp will acquire Genzyme Genetics, a business unit of Genzyme Corp., in an all cash transaction valued at $925 million. Net of expected income tax benefits, less acquisition related expenses, the acquisition has a net cash cost to LabCorp of approximately $795 million.

13 Sep 2010

Accord reached on draft declaration for MDG summit

World powers have reached an accord, after weeks of tough talks, on a document to be adopted at a Millennium Development summit this month for which [U.N.] Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is seeking billions of dollars of new funding,Agence France-Presse reports in an article that describes how representatives from donor and developing nations debated how best to pay for a kick start to the ambitious development goals first set at the Millennium summit in 2000.

13 Sep 2010

Summit negotiators seek to get MDGs 'back on track'

"World powers are moving slowly toward an accord on the strategy to be embraced at a looming United Nations summit aiming to get the lofty Millennium Development Goals [MDGs] back on track," Agence France-Presse writes in an article examining the ongoing debates over how best to achieve the MDGs before the 2015 deadline.

10 Sep 2010

Endocrine Society releases new clinical practice guideline on congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Today, The Endocrine Society released a new clinical practice guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). The guideline features a series of evidence-based clinical recommendations developed by an expert task force.

7 Sep 2010

Three ways to de-program the 1950s obesity trinity underlying current obesity epidemic

In a first person paper published in the August 27, 2010 issue of Childhood Obesity, Dr. Melinda Sothern, Director of Health Promotion and Professor of Public Health at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, provides three ways to de-program the 1950s obesity trinity underlying the current obesity epidemic in the United States and protect future generations from its health consequences.

3 Sep 2010

Calif. allows safety-net coverage cost increase; Georgia illegal immigrant dialysis agreement reached

"As state leaders blast giant health insurers for raising rates, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration has quietly allowed hefty increases for thousands of sick or jobless Californians who must rely on expensive safety-net coverage -- if they want insurance at all.

2 Sep 2010

High-fat diet during puberty increases risk of breast cancer

Girls eating a high-fat diet during puberty, even those who do not become overweight or obese, may be at a greater risk of developing breast cancer later in life, according to Michigan State University researchers.

2 Sep 2010

Also in Global Health News: China's first HIV discrimination case; Congo mass rape; S. Sudan flooding; Kenya's population growth; Family planning in the Philippines

"A municipal court in central China has accepted the country's first lawsuit alleging work discrimination because of HIV status, state media reported Tuesday," the Associated Press reports (8/31). "The lawsuit alleges city officials denied the plaintiff, a recent college graduate, a teaching job after a medical screening revealed he had HIV, the virus that causes AIDS," Agence-France-Presse reports (8/31).

2 Sep 2010

Meda signs agreement to acquire Alaven

Meda has signed an agreement to acquire the US specialty pharmaceutical company Alaven. The acquisition will significantly enhance Meda's marketing capabilities in the US and expand the therapeutic focus to include both gastroenterology and women's health; areas that Meda already operates in outside of the US.

30 Aug 2010

Metabolites in meconium reveal gestational exposure to tobacco smoke: Research

Meconium, the dark and tarry stools passed by a baby during the first few days after birth, can be used to determine how much the mother smoked, or if she was exposed to tobacco smoke during pregnancy.

27 Aug 2010

Prenatal exposure to atrazine leads to prostate inflammation in male rats

A new study shows that male rats prenatally exposed to low doses of atrazine, a widely used herbicide, are more likely to develop prostate inflammation and to go through puberty later than non-exposed animals. The research adds to a growing body of literature on atrazine, an herbicide predominantly used to control weeds and grasses in crops such as corn and sugar cane. Atrazine and its byproducts are known to be relatively persistent in the environment, potentially finding their way into water supplies.

25 Aug 2010

New diagnostic tool proves cost-effective in identifying rare genetic disorders

Mutations in a single gene can cause several types of developmental brain abnormalities that experts have traditionally considered different disorders. With support from the National Institutes of Health, researchers found those mutations through whole exome sequencing - a new gene scanning technology that cuts the cost and time of searching for rare mutations.

23 Aug 2010

Educational intervention program encourages Latina women towards postpartum care

Latinas participating in an educational intervention program were two-and-a-half times more likely to seek postpartum care than were those who did not have access to a similar program, a new study finds.

20 Aug 2010

Humana announces 2010 finalists for Houston charitable grant

Today, health-benefits company Humana announced the three finalists for its 2010 $100,000 Humana Communities Benefit - Houston charitable grant.

19 Aug 2010

Prenatal pesticide exposure increases susceptibility to ADHD in children

Exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides before birth can increase susceptibility to attention disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to new research published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP). The new study is part of a growing body of research indicating that exposure to OP pesticides can adversely affect brain development.

19 Aug 2010

Also in Global Health News: Global Fund in El Salvador; World Bank investment in Nepal; Bed nets in Africa; Ukraine caps grain exports

Global Post examines how the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is impacting HIV/AIDS care and human rights in El Salvador. The article profiles Carla, a Salvadorian transvestite who tested positive for HIV in jail and was able to receive anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment through a program supported by the Global Fund, which the article calls a "revolutionary model."

18 Aug 2010

Recent research on schizophrenia published in journal Current Directions in Psychological Science

It has been nearly a century since the term "schizophrenia" was first used to describe what was then considered a hopeless and incurable disorder of thought and emotion. Schizophrenia is still baffling to both scientists and the general public, but it is no longer considered hopeless. Significant advances have been made on several fronts in fathoming and combating this debilitating mental illness-from genetics to neuroscience to the psychosocial aspects of the disorder.

16 Aug 2010

Prenatal News and Research

Secretary-General opens U.N. summit on MDGS with appeal for world leaders to maintain target commitments

USF receives grant for studying ways to protect fetal brain from maternal infection

March of Dimes listed on 2010 Working Mother Media's 100 Best Companies

LabCorp acquires Genzyme Genetics for $925 million

Accord reached on draft declaration for MDG summit

Summit negotiators seek to get MDGs 'back on track'

Endocrine Society releases new clinical practice guideline on congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Three ways to de-program the 1950s obesity trinity underlying current obesity epidemic

Calif. allows safety-net coverage cost increase; Georgia illegal immigrant dialysis agreement reached

High-fat diet during puberty increases risk of breast cancer

Also in Global Health News: China's first HIV discrimination case; Congo mass rape; S. Sudan flooding; Kenya's population growth; Family planning in the Philippines

Meda signs agreement to acquire Alaven

Metabolites in meconium reveal gestational exposure to tobacco smoke: Research

Prenatal exposure to atrazine leads to prostate inflammation in male rats

New diagnostic tool proves cost-effective in identifying rare genetic disorders

Educational intervention program encourages Latina women towards postpartum care

Humana announces 2010 finalists for Houston charitable grant

Prenatal pesticide exposure increases susceptibility to ADHD in children

Also in Global Health News: Global Fund in El Salvador; World Bank investment in Nepal; Bed nets in Africa; Ukraine caps grain exports

Recent research on schizophrenia published in journal Current Directions in Psychological Science

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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