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Health risk associated with harmful substances in food may be underestimated

Mice are often used to test whether substances in food are harmful to humans. This requires that mice and humans metabolise substances in the same way. Humans have certain enzymes in more parts of the body than mice. The health risk associated with harmful substances in food may therefore be underestimated.

2 Nov 2011

Alliances form among super committee members

Reuters reports that three Republicans and three Democrats are joining together in an effort to develop the framework of a deal themselves. Meanwhile, an outside organization -; the AFL-CIO -; is launching a campaign to defeat any Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security cuts the panel may ultimately propose. And, according to Politico, Social Security is in play as the panel's deliberations continue.

2 Nov 2011

Zanzibar's Islamic leaders use Qur'an to shift attitudes about sex, contraception, HIV/AIDS

The Guardian's "Poverty Matters Blog" examines how religious leaders on the island of Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, are using the Qur'an to shift attitudes about the issues of sex, contraception, and HIV/AIDS in an effort to reduce HIV infection, improve maternal health and curb rapid population growth. "Their aim is to shift deep-rooted views in their devout Islamic society that contraception is a sin," according to the blog.

2 Nov 2011

First study to evaluate mycoestrogens in young girls

Puberty is a time in a girl's life considered highly sensitive to stimulation by the hormone estrogen and a critical window during which estrogen exposure could greatly influence the risk of breast cancer later in life. An early onset of puberty also has been consistently shown in studies to increase the risk of breast cancer.

2 Nov 2011

State roundup: Ga., Minn. move slowly on exchanges

The entire Massachusetts congressional delegation is asking CMS to preserve the level of safety net funding and provider payments as the state tries to renew its Medicaid waiver. "We are concerned that changes proposed by CMS could significantly threaten payments to Massachusetts health care providers providing care for the most vulnerable populations," Sens. John Kerry and Scott Brown and the 10 House members in the state's delegation wrote.

2 Nov 2011

Study finds multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in 48% of infected patient rooms

Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-AB) was found in the environment of 48 percent of the rooms of patients colonized or infected with the pathogen, according to a new study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of APIC - the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

2 Nov 2011

Home health payments will fall 2.3% in 2012

The pay cut for home health agencies was announced in a regulation that was issued Monday. Although this reduction is less than initially proposed and will be phased in over two years, industry voices described it as "severe."

2 Nov 2011

Elevated body temperature helps certain types of immune cells to work better

With cold and flu season almost here, the next time you're sick, think twice before taking something for your fever. That's because scientists have found more evidence that elevated body temperature helps certain types of immune cells to work better.

2 Nov 2011

Obama takes action to address drug shortages

President Barack Obama issued an executive order Monday directing the Food and Drug Administration to, among other steps, speed up reviews of manufacturers' applications to begin or alter production of a drug in potentially short supply.

2 Nov 2011

Prostate cancer patients with bone metastases benefit from repeated 188Re-HEDP therapy

For prostate cancer patients with bone metastases, repeated administrations of radionuclide therapy with 188Re-HEDP are shown to improve overall survival rates and reduce pain, according to new research published in the November issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

2 Nov 2011

Early retirees' health insurance fund running out

A federal report predicts this $5 billion account created as part of the health law will be drained by 2012. In related news, one senator criticizes the program's handling. Also drawing criticism are exchange regulations, which advocates say could undermine the law's goal of expanding health insurance. Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Human Services finalized standards -; part of the administration's efforts to reduce health disparities -; to track factors that affect people's health.

2 Nov 2011

Johns Hopkins breast cancer researcher wins BioMaryland LIFE Prize

A Johns Hopkins breast cancer researcher is the recipient of a $50,000 award designed to encourage rapid translation of her basic research on biomarkers into a commercially available test that could predict the best treatment options for some women with breast cancer.

2 Nov 2011

Debating 'RomneyCare's' parenthood

The video is a lively -; though civil -; Republican-Democrat debate about whether it's fair to consider Massachusetts health reform as the "parent" of the federal health overhaul. As CommonWealth magazine executive editor Michael Jonas introduces it: Talking over the issue are Tim Murphy, who was Romney's secretary of health and human services and John McDonough, who was in the thick of the 2006 reform as director of Health Care for All.

2 Nov 2011

ADHD medications do not increase risk of heart attack in children, young adults

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medications do not increase the risk for heart disease or heart attack in children and young adults, according to a Vanderbilt study of 1.2 million patients taking drugs including Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta and Strattera between 1998 and 2005.

2 Nov 2011

NYC settles Medicaid suit; Wis. officials face deadline for new plan for health care for poor

New York City will pay the federal government $70 million to settle a lawsuit that accused the city of overbilling Medicaid by improperly approving home care for frail and elderly clients, both parties said on Monday.

2 Nov 2011

Young microenvironment rejuvenates old stem cells

Old stem cells can be rejuvenated by being placed in a young microenvironment, research from The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio shows. This raises the possibility that patients' own stem cells may one day be rescued and banked to treat their age-related diseases.

2 Nov 2011

Science Speaks reports results of Zambia-South Africa TB and AIDS Reduction program study

This post in the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports the results of a Zambia-South Africa TB and AIDS Reduction (ZAMSTAR) program study, released Monday, which "demonstrate that household counseling -- defined as the unpacking of concerns about TB and HIV within households and facilitating prompt diagnosis and treatment -- significantly reduced tuberculosis (TB) prevalence."

2 Nov 2011

Birth control shot may impair a person's memory

The birth control shot Depo Provera offers a convenient alternative for women who don't want to remember to take a daily pill. Ironically, research from Arizona State University has shown the shot actually may impair a person's memory.

2 Nov 2011

E.U., UNICEF launch $430M fund in Zimbabwe to provide medical care to children, pregnant women

"A $430 million fund which will give Zimbabwean children and pregnant women free medical care at public hospitals was launched Monday with the help of the E.U. and UNICEF," Agence France-Presse reports.

2 Nov 2011

China's 'one-child policy' delayed world's reaching population of 7 billion; China to maintain policy

"The world's population is expected to hit seven billion around October 31," CNN's Jaime FlorCruz reports in his column, "Jaime's China." This is a number that would have been reached five years earlier were it not for China's family planning policy, according to Zhai Zhenwu, a professor at Renmin University School of Sociology and Population. FlorCruz writes that experts at the National Population and Family Planning Commission of China say "the policy has prevented more than 400 million births in the country."

2 Nov 2011

Research News and Research

Health risk associated with harmful substances in food may be underestimated

Alliances form among super committee members

Zanzibar's Islamic leaders use Qur'an to shift attitudes about sex, contraception, HIV/AIDS

First study to evaluate mycoestrogens in young girls

State roundup: Ga., Minn. move slowly on exchanges

Study finds multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in 48% of infected patient rooms

Home health payments will fall 2.3% in 2012

Elevated body temperature helps certain types of immune cells to work better

Obama takes action to address drug shortages

Prostate cancer patients with bone metastases benefit from repeated 188Re-HEDP therapy

Early retirees' health insurance fund running out

Johns Hopkins breast cancer researcher wins BioMaryland LIFE Prize

Debating 'RomneyCare's' parenthood

ADHD medications do not increase risk of heart attack in children, young adults

NYC settles Medicaid suit; Wis. officials face deadline for new plan for health care for poor

Young microenvironment rejuvenates old stem cells

Science Speaks reports results of Zambia-South Africa TB and AIDS Reduction program study

Birth control shot may impair a person's memory

E.U., UNICEF launch $430M fund in Zimbabwe to provide medical care to children, pregnant women

China's 'one-child policy' delayed world's reaching population of 7 billion; China to maintain policy

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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