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One in six older people likely to have abnormal liver test and die from all causes

One in six people over 75 are likely to have at least one abnormal liver test and those that have two or more are twice as likely to die from cancer and 17 times more likely to die from liver disease, according to research in the August issue of Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

2 Aug 2011

Antibody discovery leads researchers one step closer to universal influenza A vaccine

"The first human antibody that can knock out all influenza A viruses has been shown effective in lab mice, an exciting step forward in the hunt for a universal vaccine, researchers said Friday," Agence France-Presse reports.

2 Aug 2011

New York Times examines maternal mortality in Uganda

"Half of the 340,000 deaths of women from pregnancy-related causes each year occur in Africa, almost all in anonymity," the New York Times writes in an article profiling several cases of women who have died during childbirth in Ugandan hospitals.

2 Aug 2011

AstraZeneca recruits patients for KODIAC Phase III trial in opioid-induced constipation

AstraZeneca today announced that study centers across the U.S. are recruiting patients for a clinical study to examine whether an investigational drug is safe and effective in treating opioid-induced constipation.

2 Aug 2011

Florida stands out among states with refusal to accept federal health law funding

The New York Times reports on strict stand by Florida governor to avoid HHS money. Meanwhile, other news outlets look at funding for insurance co-ops, efforts to set up health exchanges, and reviews of insurance premium increases.

2 Aug 2011

Lack of TLR1 surface expression linked with increased susceptibility to tuberculosis

Are you genetically predisposed to tuberculosis? Scientists may now be able to answer this question and doctors may be able to adjust their therapeutic approach based on what they learn. That's because new research presented in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that two frequent mutations in an immune system gene called TLR1 are responsible for cellular changes that ultimately make us less likely to resist the disease.

2 Aug 2011

Key Mass. hospital-doctor group still looking to fulfill pledge on reducing insurance premiums

Partners HealthCare System vowed to pay $40 million to help reduce insurance costs for small businesses, the Boston Globe reports. Also, California group announces plans for an ACO and Minnesota Public Radio examines how cost cutting efforts will affect health care.

2 Aug 2011

PEPFAR will continue to lead HIV/AIDS fight

With recent scientific advancements in HIV prevention "transforming the way we think about AIDS," PEPFAR's "task is to translate new science into policy to inform programs," Ambassador Eric Goosby, the U.S. global aids coordinator, writes in a post on the State Department's "DipNote" blog.

2 Aug 2011

UNOS policy change reduces disparities in kidney transplants for African-Americans

A national transplant policy change designed to give African-American patients greater access to donor kidneys has sliced in half the racial disparities that have long characterized the allocation of lifesaving organs, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.

2 Aug 2011

Methamphetamine use can fuel HIV infection risk among young MSM

A study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center and elsewhere shows that methamphetamine use can fuel HIV infection risk among teenage boys and young men who have sex with men (MSM), a group that includes openly gay and bisexual men, as well as those who have sex with men but do not identify themselves as gay or bisexual.

2 Aug 2011

Officials in Nigerian state say parents who refuse polio vaccination for children could be prosecuted

"Officials in Nigeria's northern Kano state say parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated against polio may be prosecuted," VOA News reports.

2 Aug 2011

ADA releases new position paper, 'Nutrition Intervention in the Treatment of Eating Disorders'

As one of the most complicated sets of illnesses to treat, eating disorders have mental health, as well as medical and nutritional, aspects. While treatment by a multidisciplinary health-care team is considered the best practice, there is considerable debate over how to most effectively treat eating disorders and who should be on a treatment team.

2 Aug 2011

Development Assistance Committee review suggests more coordination in U.S. foreign aid program

"The U.S. should improve coordination among its more than two dozen government departments to promote coherence in its multibillion-dollar foreign aid program and avoid duplication," according to a peer review from the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Guardian reports.

2 Aug 2011

New insight into causes of pronoun confusion in autism

Autism is a mysterious developmental disease because it often leaves complex abilities intact while impairing seemingly elementary ones. For example, it is well documented that autistic children often have difficulty correctly using pronouns, sometimes referring to themselves as "you" instead of "I."

2 Aug 2011

Nicotine protects against Parkinson's disease

If you've ever wondered if smoking offered society any benefit, a new research report published in The FASEB Journal offers a surprising answer. Nicotine protects us from Parkinson's disease, and the discovery of how nicotine does this may lead to entirely new types of treatments for the disease.

2 Aug 2011

Obama, Congressional leaders strike debt-limit deal

The agreement, which has the support of House and Senate Democratic and Republican leaders, must now win the approval of rank-and-file members. Within the agreed-upon framework, the second wave of cuts could touch payments to Medicare providers, but beneficiaries would not be hit. Also, programs for the poor, such as Medicaid, would be exempted.

2 Aug 2011

Scientists produce first systematic network map of plant protein interactions

An international consortium of scientists has produced the first systematic network map of interactions that occur between proteins in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

2 Aug 2011

$VP, balloon kyphoplasty safe and effective for women with vertebral fractures$

VP, balloon kyphoplasty safe and effective for women with vertebral fractures

A working group of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) has issued a literature review of prospective controlled studies comparing the efficacy and safety of two minimally invasive techniques for vertebral augmentation after spine fracture: vertebroplasty (VP) and balloon kyphoplasty.

2 Aug 2011

HHS reviewing Florida's plans for Medicaid; Iowa hospital system taking the brunt of Medicaid growth

Officials from Florida and the federal government are working on the state's plans to move all Medicaid enrollees to managed care plans. Meanwhile, Iowa is planning changes to its Medicaid program that could impact the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. And a Medicaid provider in Georgia finds anomalies in payments.

2 Aug 2011

Neighborhood SES and leisure-time physical activity after myocardial infarction

Engaging in physical activity after a heart attack is known to increase the odds of survival. In a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers from the Israel Study Group on First Acute Myocardial Infarction found that myocardial infarction survivors who lived in low socioeconomic status neighborhoods engaged in lower levels of leisure-time physical activity compared to survivors from wealthier neighborhoods.

2 Aug 2011

Research News and Research

One in six older people likely to have abnormal liver test and die from all causes

Antibody discovery leads researchers one step closer to universal influenza A vaccine

New York Times examines maternal mortality in Uganda

AstraZeneca recruits patients for KODIAC Phase III trial in opioid-induced constipation

Florida stands out among states with refusal to accept federal health law funding

Lack of TLR1 surface expression linked with increased susceptibility to tuberculosis

Key Mass. hospital-doctor group still looking to fulfill pledge on reducing insurance premiums

PEPFAR will continue to lead HIV/AIDS fight

UNOS policy change reduces disparities in kidney transplants for African-Americans

Methamphetamine use can fuel HIV infection risk among young MSM

Officials in Nigerian state say parents who refuse polio vaccination for children could be prosecuted

ADA releases new position paper, 'Nutrition Intervention in the Treatment of Eating Disorders'

Development Assistance Committee review suggests more coordination in U.S. foreign aid program

New insight into causes of pronoun confusion in autism

Nicotine protects against Parkinson's disease

Obama, Congressional leaders strike debt-limit deal

Scientists produce first systematic network map of plant protein interactions

VP, balloon kyphoplasty safe and effective for women with vertebral fractures

HHS reviewing Florida's plans for Medicaid; Iowa hospital system taking the brunt of Medicaid growth

Neighborhood SES and leisure-time physical activity after myocardial infarction

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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