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Blog continues coverage of International Treatment as Prevention conference in Vancouver

The Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog continued its coverage of the 2nd International Treatment as Prevention Workshop in Vancouver.

27 Apr 2012

California senate scales back bill to broaden abortion access

In its current form, the bill would allow 41 California non-physicians peform a certain first-trimester abortion procedure.

27 Apr 2012

After losing two state contracts, Molina Healthcare pushes on

Healthcare companies are tripping over themselves to profit from a flood of government contracts for treating the poor and disabled, and a family-run company in Long Beach with nearly $5 billion in revenue is trying to stay ahead of the pack.

27 Apr 2012

Nature outlook examines fight against malaria in Uganda

Nature Outlook examines the fight against malaria in Uganda. "Uganda's tragic failure to abate malaria has numerous political, geographic, economic and social factors -- and illustrates the reality that it takes more than scientific breakthroughs and cheap drugs to solve this persistent menace," according to the article. Nat

27 Apr 2012

Blogs examine malaria fight in recognition of World Malaria Day

Wednesday, April 25, marked World Malaria Day, which this year had the theme "Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria."

27 Apr 2012

Longer looks: Why we still have faith in physicians

This patient is no fool, and she does't award trust liberally. … Yet, somehow, (Mary) Morse-Dwelley never lost faith in Pellegrini. She'd hear the click of her doctor's shoes in the hallway, see her blond hair and funky glasses, and feel confident that she was in good hands. This, too, represents a broad trend: As we have become better-informed patients, we have grown more cynical about a health care system that is ever more corporate and reliant on technology.

27 Apr 2012

Mass. cost control legislation advances to Senate committee

The measure, more than a year old, was initially put forth by Gov. Deval Patrick but the panel's chair predicted "a significant redraft" before it reaches the Senate flooor.

27 Apr 2012

Home-based dialysis more popular in developing countries

Researchers at Lawson Health Research Institute have discovered that developing countries have faster growing rates of use of home-based dialysis (called peritoneal dialysis) for kidney failure than the developed world. Despite home-based dialysis' reduced cost and better outcomes, developed countries (including Canada) are using this form of therapy less.

27 Apr 2012

House GOP eyes prevention trust fund as means to pay for student loan plan

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has scheduled a Friday vote on the proposal, which some news outlets describe as a "bitter pill" for Democrats.

27 Apr 2012

New system assesses and records mobility of bedridden patients

Healthy people move an average of two to four times per hour in their sleep. The movements are triggered by pain that occurs when tissue has an insufficient blood supply. The sleeping person changes position involuntarily, relieves the pressure point and therefore prevents bedsores, which are known in professional jargon as "decubitus ulcers".

27 Apr 2012

Shutdown looms as committees, lawmakers spar over budget, spending cuts

The House Energy and Commerce Commitee, as well as other House panels, worked yesterday on various spending cuts and policy items with an eye on budget reconciliation. The GOP-led effort, which has very little chance of being taken up by the Senate, will likely lead to "a long summer of political skirmishing."

27 Apr 2012

Smarter purchasing of bednets could save $630M over 5 years, report suggests

"A new report from the Results for Development Institute," released to coincide with World Malaria Day on Wednesday, "suggests there are ways to save and reinvest badly needed funds, by getting better value for money out of the bednets distributed in endemic areas," Guardian Health Editor Sarah Boseley reports in her "Global Health Blog."

27 Apr 2012

Rochester researcher to continue MS study

A Rochester, New York, researcher will receive a $263,622 grant to continue his study of injury to brain cell connections (synapses) in multiple sclerosis (MS) through the American Brain Foundation (formerly the American Academy of Neurology Foundation) and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Clinician-Scientist Development Award.

27 Apr 2012

U.S. government 'catalyzing' international community to end preventable child deaths

"When it comes to promoting global health, the American people have much to celebrate and be proud of. With strong bipartisan support, the U.S. government has not only committed many billions of dollars and saved many millions of lives, it has changed the way the world approaches foreign aid," former U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Mark Dybul writes in an opinion piece in The Hill.

27 Apr 2012

USDA: Dairy cow in California tested positive for atypical BSE

This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed that a dairy cow in California tested positive for atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The USDA also confirmed the cow did not enter the animal feed or human food supply

27 Apr 2012

Kenyan AIDS activists protest over unspent PEPFAR funds

"More than 400 Kenyan AIDS activists have demonstrated in the capital, Nairobi, demanding that the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief release some $500 million for HIV programs in Kenya that is stuck in the pipeline," PlusNews reports.

27 Apr 2012

Southern African countries could improve GDPs through fiscal policies on HIV treatment

"Southern African governments could use public spending in their battle against the extremely high rates of HIV/AIDS in their countries and still achieve a positive economic impact, argues a new paper from the African Development Bank (AfDB)," an AfDB press release states.

27 Apr 2012

Conference to focus on deep brain stimulation for OCD, depression

Deep brain stimulation, increasingly recognized as an effective therapy for certain cases of Parkinson's disease, dystonia and tremor, also may help patients who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder or depression that fails to respond to other treatments.

27 Apr 2012

State roundup: 'Green Houses' in Calif.; 'Accredtive Secret Sauce' gets scrutiny in Minn.

A new idea elbowed its way into the familiar pile of health care legislation in the Senate Committee on Health yesterday. A nursing home model -- the "Green House Project" -- bucks the cold, institutional feel of many long-term care facilities. ... The idea is to have a small facility laid out like a regular home, with living areas such as a dining room and kitchen, as well as a private room and bathroom for each patient.

27 Apr 2012

Reviewing changes at the Global Fund

"The newly appointed temporary General Manager Gabriel Jaramillo and his team has moved forward to 'transform' the Global Fund [to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria] with considerable speed and deftness, restoring confidence among bilateral donors such as Japan and several others and country recipients as well as improving morale among the Fund's staff," Victoria Fan, a research fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD), writes in CGD's "Global Health Policy" blog.

27 Apr 2012