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C. difficile infection on the rise

A study presented by Mayo Clinic researchers during Digestive Disease Week 2012 provides clear evidence that the number of people contracting the hard-to-control and treat bacterial infection Clostridium difficile (C. difficile or C. diff) is increasing, and that the infection is commonly contracted outside of the hospital.

22 May 2012

Obama announces $3B food initiative for Africa

In a Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security on Friday, President Barack Obama "announced a plan to accelerate investments in developing world agriculture to meet rising food demands and improve nutrition, calling the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition a moral, economic and security imperative," IIP Digital reports.

22 May 2012

Tackling 'hidden crisis' of childhood undernutrition critical

"Nearly more than 170 million children under age five suffer from undernutrition, a hidden crisis that robs them -- and their countries -- of a healthy and prosperous future," Cat Cora, chef and founder of Chefs for Humanity, writes in an opinion piece on the Feed the Future website.

22 May 2012

Globe and Mail examines resurgence of malaria in Congo

The Globe and Mail reports on "a massive resurgence of malaria [in the Democratic Republic of the Congo] that has baffled scientists and raised doubts about the global fight against the deadly scourge."

22 May 2012

Mexico and HHS Secretary announce series of new steps to strengthen health security cooperation

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Mexico Secretary of Health Salomón Chertorivski today announced a series of new steps to strengthen health security cooperation between the two countries.

22 May 2012

Study explores what factors drive health care spending

A report out today from the Health Care Cost Institute analyzed what insurers and households paid for medical care from 2007 to 2010.

22 May 2012

AAPC launches 2013 medical coding books pre-order sale

AAPC, the nation's largest training and credentialing association for the business side of medicine, announced the launch of their 2013 medical coding books pre-order sale.

22 May 2012

Focusing attention on population, reproductive health issues

"As representatives of the World Health Organization Member States arrive in Geneva this week for the 65th World Health Assembly, I feel a cautious optimism about the future, and the future health of Africa," Joy Phumaphi, co-chair of the Aspen Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health, writes in this post in the Huffington Post Blog.

22 May 2012

New definition for acute respiratory distress syndrome

Gordon D. Rubenfeld, M.D., of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, Toronto, Canada, and colleagues with the ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) Definition Task Force, developed a new definition of ARDS (the Berlin Definition) that focused on feasibility, reliability, validity and objective evaluation of its performance.

22 May 2012

New poll explores what it's like to be sick in the United States

A poll by NPR with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Harvard School of Public Health asked people to share their experiences with the health care system.

22 May 2012

7 ways for programs combating hunger to better reach women

"Through the U.S. Government's Feed the Future initiative, women are being recognized as playing a major role in tackling global hunger," guest blogger Seema Jalan, director of global development policy at Women Thrive Worldwide, writes in this post in USAID's "IMPACTblog."

22 May 2012

'Atlanta Declaration' addresses how U.S. can advance world's health

The World Affairs Council of Atlanta, CARE USA, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) last week held a conference "on how the United States, even in the midst of fiscal austerity and political division, can best advance the world's health," CSIS' "Smart Global Health" blog reports.

22 May 2012

AAPA honors Portsmouth physician assistant with Humanitarian PA of the Year Award

When Jack Gardner, PA-C, of Portsmouth, N.H., left a successful business career 12 years ago to become a physician assistant, he did not anticipate the number of lives he would touch as he pursued his dream to provide medical care to those in need.

22 May 2012

Viewpoints: A gamble on Alzheimer's research; Hidden costs of insurance rebates

The Obama administration has announced a bold research program to test whether a drug can prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease well before any symptoms appear. It is a long shot, but the payoff could be huge.

22 May 2012

CTCA wins 2012 HealthGrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award

Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) at Midwestern Regional Medical Center (Midwestern) proudly announced today that it has received the 2012 HealthGrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award -- one of only four recipients in all of Chicagoland, one of 13 in Illinois, and one of 332 nationwide to receive the prestigious award. This is the third consecutive year that CTCA at Midwestern has been recognized with the honor.

22 May 2012

Teen diabetes soars -- a sign of the obesity epidemic

Karlton Hill was only 12 years old when when he found out he had diabetes. Even though he was only in seventh grade, Karlton knew what diabetes was; he had watched the disease destroy his great-grandmother's life.

22 May 2012

AAPA honors Touro University founder with PA Service to the Underserved Award

Three years ago, Vicki Chan-Padgett, PA-C, of Las Vegas, Nev., stumbled upon a troubling reality within the city's healthcare sector. Thousands of women and their children who were homeless or survivors of domestic abuse could not afford much-needed healthcare. Inspired to take action, Chan-Padgett opened a first-of-its-kind clinic to provide free, high-quality healthcare to Las Vegas women and children who need it most.

22 May 2012

Bill introduced in U.S. Senate is latest push to award prizes for new drug development

"As Washington prepares for a major international AIDS conference this summer, developments on the drug front are once again elevating the subject of the continuing epidemic in the public eye," CQ HealthBeat reports.

22 May 2012

AUA includes percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation in OAB treatment guidelines

Uroplasty, Inc., a medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets innovative proprietary products for the treatment of voiding dysfunctions, today announced that the American Urological Association (AUA) issued a clinical guideline titled "Diagnosis and Treatment of Overactive Bladder (Non-Neurogenic) in Adults," which includes percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) as an integral part of the care path for overactive bladder (OAB) treatment.

22 May 2012

Government-supported 'Prize Funds' would help important drugs have greater social impact

"Every year, millions of people die from preventable and treatable diseases, especially in poor countries," World Bank Chief Economist Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel laureate, writes in this BusinessDay opinion piece.

22 May 2012