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ATA, AACE develop new guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism

New evidence-based guidelines have been released for the diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism, a complex disease caused by an underactive thyroid gland that cannot produce enough thyroid hormone.

13 Sep 2012

Pending cases against India's patent laws threaten public health, misinterpret international IP agreements, report says

"Pending cases against India's patent laws threaten public health and misinterpret international intellectual property (IP) agreements," researchers from Queen Mary, University of London argue in a special report published online in the Lancet on Monday, PharmaTimes reports.

13 Sep 2012

RPS honors Aston University professor with Pharmaceutical Scientist of the Year Award

Professor Yvonne Perrie, Chair in Drug Delivery at Aston University, Birmingham UK has won the prestigious Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Pharmaceutical Scientist of the Year Award for her contribution to developing a new tuberculosis vaccine.

13 Sep 2012

Roughly two in five women in the U.S. do not use any form of birth control: Survey

Roughly two in five women in the United States do not use any form of birth control and many underestimate their risk for pregnancy, according to a recent survey about contraceptive practices in the United States.

13 Sep 2012

Roundup: Mich. Gov. proposes making BCBS a tax-paying insurer; Merger creates one of largest hospitals in Conn.; W. Va. chiropractor board scrutinized

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan would no longer be exempt from about $100 million a year in state and local taxes but would be subject to more streamlined and speedier rate reviews and approvals under legislation proposed today by Gov. Rick Snyder. The nonprofit health insurer would also pay $1.5 billion over 18 years into a separate nonprofit aimed at tackling issues such as obesity and infant mortality to improve the health of all Michigan residents, Snyder said at a news conference.

13 Sep 2012

OA launches 13-week radio show to help listeners better understand compulsive eating and recovery

Overeaters Anonymous (OA) is launching a 13-week radio show to help listeners better understand compulsive eating and recovery. The program, Sound Bites from Overeaters Anonymous—A 12-Step Solution to Compulsive Eating, is a weekly, one-hour program that will be broadcast online on Voice America beginning October 17 and running through January 9, 2013.

12 Sep 2012

First Edition: September 12, 2012

Today's headlines include news about former President Bill Clinton's role on the presidential campaign trail as well as reports from Capitol Hill and details of a new survey regarding health insurance costs.

12 Sep 2012

IRIN reports on flooding in Africa

In three separate articles, IRIN reports on the implications of flooding taking place in Africa. "Tens of thousands of people have been affected by flooding in parts of central, eastern and southern Chad following heavy rains in August," the news service writes in the first article, adding that the floods have affected 445,725 people and destroyed 255,720 hectares of cropland.

12 Sep 2012

Children's Hospital Oakland to celebrate 100th birthday

Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland is celebrating its 100th birthday. The free-standing, not-for-profit pediatric medical center was founded in 1912 and opened for business in 1914. Children's Hospital Oakland will celebrate the landmark birthday for two years and kicked off festivities with a birthday party at Children's Fairyland in Oakland on September 8.

12 Sep 2012

Global health policy remains important in election year

In a post on IntraHealth's "Global Health Blog," Rebecca Kohler, senior vice president of corporate strategy and development at IntraHealth, writes about an event held last week on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) that "focused on the vital role of women's health in foreign policy."

12 Sep 2012

Facebook and other social media can enhance organ and tissue donation

When Facebook introduced a feature that enables people to register to become organ and tissue donors, thousands did so, dwarfing any previous donation initiative, write Blair L. Sadler and Alfred M. Sadler, Jr., in a commentary in Bioethics Forum, the blog of the Hastings Center Report, which analyzes the "Facebook effect" on donation.

12 Sep 2012

NCDs must be included in new global development goals

In this post in the Guardian's "Poverty Matters" blog, Johanna Ralston, chief executive of the World Heart Federation, and Ann Keeling, chief executive of the International Diabetes Federation, argue non-communicable diseases (NCDs) must be part of any new global development goals, writing, "NCDs and their risk factors worsen poverty, while poverty contributes to rising rates of NCDs, posing a threat to sustainable development."

12 Sep 2012

Researchers analyze cost-savings achieved by Medicare Physician Group Practice Demonstration

In an analysis of the cost-savings achieved by an earlier pilot program, the Medicare Physician Group Practice Demonstration (PGPD), researchers found modest estimates of overall savings associated with the PGPD, but larger savings among the dually eligible patients (Medicare and Medicaid), with savings achieved in large part through reductions in hospitalizations, according to a study in the September 12 issue of JAMA.

12 Sep 2012

TPP trade agreement could threaten access to medicines

"Right now, in Leesburg, Va., the office of the U.S. Trade Representative is negotiating a so-called 'trade agreement' -- the 'Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement' -- that could put the lives of millions of innocent civilians at risk" by potentially limiting access to life-saving medications, including antiretroviral drugs, Robert Naiman, policy director at Just Foreign Policy, writes in the Huffington Post Blog.

12 Sep 2012

Annual economic cost of chronic pain is as high as $635 billion: Study

Health economists from Johns Hopkins University writing in The Journal of Pain (www.jpain.org) reported the annual cost of chronic pain is as high as $635 billion a year, which is more than the yearly costs for cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

12 Sep 2012

VOA news examines AIDS among marginalized groups in Burma

VOA News examines AIDS among high-risk groups in Burma, also known as Myanmar. "Burma's AIDS epidemic mostly affects marginalized groups, such as the gay community," the news service writes, adding, "About one percent of Burma's population is HIV-positive," but "among high-risk groups, such as men who have sex with men, health workers estimate as many as 11 percent have HIV."

12 Sep 2012

Romney's shifting stance on health law makes policy, political waves

The GOP presidential nominee's comments Sunday that he would keep parts of the health law triggered questions about how he would cover those with pre-existing conditions, and reinforced doubts within his own party about his commitment to repealing the overhaul. Campaign aides attempted to clarify the comments.

12 Sep 2012

Research examines universal health care coverage in developing countries

"An increasing number of developing countries are introducing universal health care coverage -- and creating new models to do it -- according to research ... by the Results for Development Institute and others, published in the Lancet as part of its universal health care coverage series," IRIN reports.

12 Sep 2012

Leading U.S. nun calls on Republican governors to accept Medicaid expansion

A leading U.S. nun is joining other religious leaders in using a moral argument to try to convince Republican governors that they should implement the health law's Medicaid expansion for the poor.

12 Sep 2012

Weill Cornell to establish new child care center

Weill Cornell Medical College announced today that it will create a child care center for up to 60 children of its faculty, students and staff near its campus on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

12 Sep 2012