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Highlights: Calif. retiree health costs rise; more abortion clinic closings in Texas; Wash. insurance bills roadblock

A selection of health policy stories from California, Texas, Washington state, Illinois, Virginia and Georgia.

10 Mar 2014

Research roundup: Health care and prisoners; hospitalized patients' surrogates; suicides in the army

As a group, jail-involved individuals, which we define here as people with a history of arrest and jail admission in the recent past, carry a heavy illness burden, with high rates of infectious and chronic disease as well as mental illness and substance use.

10 Mar 2014

Longer looks: Health care in jail; preventing Medicare drug fraud; new medical codes

"Sheriff Ashe," [the waitress] began. "My daughter is in your jail." She then told me her daughter's story. "Laura," as I'll call her here, was a bright and sociable girl who, after graduating from high school, went on to community college.

10 Mar 2014

Decision-making accuracy can be improved by postponing onset of decision

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have found that decision-making accuracy can be improved by postponing the onset of a decision by a mere fraction of a second.

10 Mar 2014

Inconsistent definition and management of deadly pathogens could contribute to spread of infections

Infection control practices for detecting and treating patients infected with emerging multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) vary significantly between hospitals.

10 Mar 2014

Eye health experts across Commonwealth join forces to combat avoidable blindness

A new -7.1 million grant will enable experts from a range of institutions to come together for the first time as the Commonwealth Eye Health Consortium, coordinated by the International Centre for Eye Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

10 Mar 2014

Erlotinib has promising potential to improve treatment for cervical cancer

A new clinical study has found that erlotinib, a targeted antitumor agent, has promising potential to improve treatment for cervical cancer. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the results indicate that larger trials are warranted to determine whether the drug should become part of standard therapy for women with the disease.

10 Mar 2014

Study looks at relationships between obesity, education and wealth in low- and middle-income countries

Obesity levels among women in low- and middle-income countries tend to rise in line with wealth as they purchase more energy-dense foods, but a new UCL study suggests that more educated consumers make better food choices that mitigate this effect.

9 Mar 2014

Preterm birth may increase risk of asthma and wheezing disorders during childhood

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, in collaboration with investigators at the Maastricht University Medical Centre and Maastricht University School of Public Health in the Netherlands and The University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom, have published findings strongly suggesting that preterm birth (prior to 37 weeks gestation) increases the risk of asthma and wheezing disorders during childhood and that the risk of developing these conditions increases as the degree of prematurity increases.

9 Mar 2014

First Edition: March 7, 2014

Today's headlines include stories about new studies that attempt to measure the health law's headway in signing up uninsured Americans for health coverage.

7 Mar 2014

Simple online tool helps predict patient's risk of complications following surgery

The presence - or absence - of complications following surgery is a strong indicator of which patients are likely to be readmitted to the hospital in the 30 days following their procedure, according to a study published today in JAMA Surgery.

7 Mar 2014

TAZ gene represents potential target for drug therapies to treat aggressive types of breast cancer

Significance: Understanding more about how the different types of cells in breast tissue develop improves our knowledge of breast cancer. TAZ represents a potential new target for drug therapies to treat aggressive types of breast cancer.

7 Mar 2014

Doctors' unconscious biases does not affect high BP treatment for minority patients, says study

Doctors' unconscious biases favor whites but do not affect high blood pressure treatment for their minority patients, according to a University of Colorado Boulder study, even though a previous study by the same research group found that doctors' biases are reflected in lower ratings by African-American patients.

7 Mar 2014

Highlights: Va. mental health budget; Calif. nursing home Bankruptcy; nurses' practice in Minn.

Lawmakers in Richmond are deep in budget negotiations and will soon decide which parts of the mental health-care system will receive a funding boost. The House and Senate proposals have a number of differences, and what emerges will likely be a mash-up of the two (Shin, 3/5).

7 Mar 2014

LSUHSC model of care provides mental health services in areas after by Gulf Oil Spill

A model of care developed by the Department of Psychiatry at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Medicine to provide mental health services after the Deepwater Horizon Gulf Oil Spill reduced both mental health and general medical symptoms.

7 Mar 2014

Molecular subtyping determines breast cancer patients at high risk of disease recurrence

A method called molecular subtyping can help doctors better determine which of their breast cancer patients are at high risk of getting breast cancer again, a new study led by the University of South Florida reports.

7 Mar 2014

Study links association between eating red, processed meat and risk of developing cancer in gut

Recent reports warn about a link between eating red and processed meat and the risk of developing cancer in the gut. These reports have resulted in new nutritional recommendations that advise people to limit their intake of red and processed meats.

6 Mar 2014

Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals reports net loss of $11.3 million for Q4 2013

Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported financial results for the quarter and full year ended December 31, 2013.

6 Mar 2014

Reports warn about link between eating red and processed meat

6 Mar 2014

Researchers awarded $26M NIH grant to advance treatments for Ebola and Marburg

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Profectus Biosciences, Tekmira Pharmaceuticals and the Vanderbilt University Medical Center have been awarded up to $26 million to advance treatments of the highly lethal hemorrhagic fever viruses Ebola and Marburg.

6 Mar 2014

Public Health News and Research

Highlights: Calif. retiree health costs rise; more abortion clinic closings in Texas; Wash. insurance bills roadblock

Research roundup: Health care and prisoners; hospitalized patients' surrogates; suicides in the army

Longer looks: Health care in jail; preventing Medicare drug fraud; new medical codes

Decision-making accuracy can be improved by postponing onset of decision

Inconsistent definition and management of deadly pathogens could contribute to spread of infections

Eye health experts across Commonwealth join forces to combat avoidable blindness

Erlotinib has promising potential to improve treatment for cervical cancer

Study looks at relationships between obesity, education and wealth in low- and middle-income countries

Preterm birth may increase risk of asthma and wheezing disorders during childhood

First Edition: March 7, 2014

Simple online tool helps predict patient's risk of complications following surgery

TAZ gene represents potential target for drug therapies to treat aggressive types of breast cancer

Doctors' unconscious biases does not affect high BP treatment for minority patients, says study

Highlights: Va. mental health budget; Calif. nursing home Bankruptcy; nurses' practice in Minn.

LSUHSC model of care provides mental health services in areas after by Gulf Oil Spill

Molecular subtyping determines breast cancer patients at high risk of disease recurrence

Study links association between eating red, processed meat and risk of developing cancer in gut

Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals reports net loss of $11.3 million for Q4 2013

Reports warn about link between eating red and processed meat

Researchers awarded $26M NIH grant to advance treatments for Ebola and Marburg

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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