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State roundup: Wash. state exchange bill now law

Gov. Chris Gregoire on Friday signed into law a bill setting rules for insurers preparing for the state's online-insurance exchange. ... The state exchanges for individual and small-group plans are set to go live on Jan. 1, 2014. ... State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler said that his office is committed to getting the exchange in place on schedule. "If we slowed down to be anxious, we'd be in trouble," Kreidler said. "It's the health law, and we're proceeding as quickly and as prudently as we can."

27 Mar 2012

Promotion and education of female condom prevent HIV and save medical care costs

A new economic analysis, conducted by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and featured in the current issue of Springer's journal AIDS and Behavior, showed that the DC Female Condom program, a public-private partnership to provide and promote female condoms, prevented enough HIV infections in the first year alone to save over $8 million in future medical care costs.

27 Mar 2012

Opinion pieces, editorials, blog posts recognize World TB Day

Saturday, March 24, was World Tuberculosis (TB) Day. The following is a summary of several editorials, opinion pieces, and blog posts published in recognition of the day.

27 Mar 2012

Almost half of women on parole or probation experience mental illness

A new report released at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Advisory Committee for Women's Services meeting shows that women aged 18 to 49 on probation or parole are nearly twice as likely to experience mental illness as other women.

27 Mar 2012

Protein precursors destined for spiny extensions of neurons travel single file

Protein precursors destined for the spiny extensions of neurons travel single file, according to a study by Sanjay Tyagi, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

27 Mar 2012

Parents of pediatric cancer patients prefer personal consultations over online sources

Parents and adult caregivers of pediatric cancer patients prefer personal consultations with trusted health care providers over online sources for information about their child's illness, according to a University at Buffalo research study.

27 Mar 2012

Vaccine to prevent Campylobacter in chickens can help reduce food-borne illness

A vaccine could be developed to prevent Campylobacter being carried in chickens. This approach could drastically cut the number of cases of food poisoning, saving the UK economy millions each year, says an American scientist presenting his work at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Dublin.

27 Mar 2012

NIH OBSSR creates Web-based interactive anthology

A Web-based interactive anthology will provide psychologists, economists, anthropologists, sociologists and other scientists with the latest research methods and tools to address emerging challenges in public health, such as the obesity epidemic and the rise of chronic diseases such as heart disease.

26 Mar 2012

Time for no-fault vaccination compensation

David Isaacs, Professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Sydney, has called for the introduction of compensation for those who suffer a serious adverse reaction to vaccination.

26 Mar 2012

Early growth predicts strength of the hip bone in childhood

Researchers from the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, have presented evidence that early growth predicts the size, mineralisation, shape and strength of the hip bone in childhood.

26 Mar 2012

Hypertension treatment fails to improve in the former Soviet Union

New research has found that treatment of hypertension has failed to improve in the last decade in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is one of the leading causes of avoidable deaths in the former Soviet Union.

26 Mar 2012

High-fat, low-carb foods linked with increased risk of heart attack in obese people

High-fat, low-carb foods are a popular choice for dieters, but new laboratory research by University of Alabama at Birmingham cardiologists indicates these may be detrimental to the health of people who have ischemic cardiovascular disease or a predisposition to heart attacks.

26 Mar 2012

Additional help does not improve success rates for smokers trying to quit

A major research trial to test whether extra support for smokers calling an NHS quitline - on top of what is already offered by the service - has found the additional help does not improve success rates for quitting the habit.

26 Mar 2012

Positive results from Amgen's AMG 145 Phase 1b study on patients with LDL-C

Amgen announced today positive results from a Phase 1b clinical study of AMG 145, an investigational PCSK9 inhibitor, in patients with high cholesterol who were taking statins. The study demonstrated that multiple doses of AMG 145 significantly reduced serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), also known as "bad" cholesterol, by up to 81 percent versus placebo (maximum reduction) in subjects on low to moderate doses of statins/

26 Mar 2012

New UNC study estimates that 1.8B people still use unsafe water

Recent widespread news coverage heralded the success of a United Nations' goal of greatly improving access to safe drinking water around the world.

26 Mar 2012

Palomar Health offers new patient-friendly loan program

Palomar Health is offering a new patient-friendly loan program called ClearBalance that gives patients an affordable option to pay their out-of-pocket hospital expenses over an extended period.

26 Mar 2012

Dissolvable tobacco harmless finds FDA panel but promises detailed review

An advisory panel to the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) said Thursday that people who exclusively use dissolvable tobacco products have a greatly reduced risk of cancer and respiratory illness compared with those who regularly smoke cigarettes.

25 Mar 2012

Obesity in later life linked to decreased mental faculties

The study found said out of 250 test subjects involving people over 59 years old, people between 60 and 70 who had the highest BMIs also had the lowest cognitive function. There was also a connection between visceral fat -- otherwise known as the belly fat around the torso - and poor mental abilities. The study, which was published in the British journal Age and Aging, measured the subjects fat-related measures including BMI, waist circumference and the amount of visceral - which could be close to organs - and subcutaneous -under the skin - fat using a abdominal CT scan. Cognitive ability was determined by a test called a Mini-Mental State Examination.

25 Mar 2012

Polio eradication must be achieved or world risks rise in number of cases

In this BMJ Group blogs post, Richard Smith, editor of the BMJ until 2004 and director of the United Health Group's chronic disease initiative, examines whether efforts to eradicate polio can be successful.

23 Mar 2012

State highlights: Mass. enforcing individual mandate; Improving kids' dental coverage; Health 'navigators'

Getting the word out is half the battle, and the state is well into a $3 million media campaign ... [E]very adult must have insurance by December. If they don't and if the state determines that insurance was affordable for them, they will be fined $219 next year. The penalty increases substantially in 2009.

23 Mar 2012