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Study to determine user experience for several popular functions of My HealtheVet

Although personal health records are now securely accessible online to a large and growing number of individuals, little research has been conducted on opinions about their ease of use.

6 Jan 2012

U.S. cancer death rates drop, new report says

In a new report from the American Cancer Society, researchers indicate that cancer death rates in the United States fell 1.8 percent in men and 1.6 percent in women each year between 2004 and 2008, but those gains weren't as pronounced in young adults.

6 Jan 2012

Aid agencies express concern over child malnutrition in Nepal, AFP reports

In Nepal, "a child malnutrition epidemic described by humanitarian organizations as a 'silent emergency' is claiming the lives of thousands of infants each year," Agence France-Presse reports.

6 Jan 2012

The 'doc fix' is high on Congressional to-do list

As Congress returns to work, it will face a full plate of difficult items -- including efforts to address the Medicare physician payment formula. Meanwhile, some observers are worried President Obama's recess appointment of Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will lead to trouble for the confirmation of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner.

6 Jan 2012

India looks to design science policy to address poverty, development challenges

Speaking this week at "the 99th Indian Science Congress, the country's largest annual gathering of scientists," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "said the occasion demanded looking anew at the role of science in a country 'grappling with the challenges of poverty and development'" and "emphasized that 'the overriding objective of a comprehensive and well-considered policy for science, technology and innovation should be to support the national objective of faster, sustainable and inclusive development,'" SciDev.Net reports.

6 Jan 2012

MedLion announces expansion into Fresno region

Nearly one in four Fresno residents is without any kind of health care coverage. MedLion, Inc., a pioneering Direct Primary Care practice, today announced the company's expansion into the Fresno region by including William Work, M.D., in its fast-growing network of affiliated physicians.

6 Jan 2012

Political cartoon: 'Signs Of The Times'

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh take on health policy humor with "Signs Of The Times?" by Signe Wilklinson.

6 Jan 2012

Viewpoints: Protecting home health workers; Minn. plans cuts in health safety net

President Obama is proposing an adjustment to laws governing working conditions for approximately 2 million workers whose job is helping elderly and disabled people with such basic tasks as eating, caring for their wounds and doing physical therapy. Under the Obama proposal, these workers would have to be paid at least a minimum wage and overtime, bringing them under the aegis of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Some Republicans are opposed to the measure, complaining that it will be expensive and may hurt the people it is intended to help.

6 Jan 2012

CSIS's Morrison discusses 'end of aids'

SmartGlobalHealth.org features the latest episode of "Small Screen Sessions," in which J. Stephen Morrison, director of the Center for Strategic & International Studies' Global Health Policy Center, discusses the policy changes that enabled the International AIDS Conference to return to the U.S. in 2012 after a 22-year hiatus, and the beginning of the "end of aids."

6 Jan 2012

US News & World Report recognizes Weight Watchers as best diet program

At Weight Watchers, we're proud that US News & World Report and the 22 independent experts who participated in the second annual Best Diets rankings have recognized us as the #1 program again for "Best Weight-Loss Diet" and "Best Commercial Diet Plan". We are also thrilled to have earned the top ranking in the new "Easiest Diet to Follow" category.

6 Jan 2012

British Columbia's 'treatment-as-prevention strategy' helping to reduce HIV/AIDS cases, deaths

"New HIV cases and AIDS deaths are both going steadily down in British Columbia, according to data released last week," the New York Times reports.

6 Jan 2012

State roundup: Colo. reports 'record' number of Medicaid recipients; Hollywood nursing home stymied by Congress?

Nearly 615,000 Coloradans were on Medicaid in November, by far a record high, officials said Wednesday, attributing the vast bulk of the growth to economic hard times rather than recent eligibility expansions. ... the 614,146 Coloradans enrolled in Medicaid in November represented a 57.7 percent increase over January 2007. ... roughly 13 percent of all Coloradans are covered by state health-insurance programs.

6 Jan 2012

Longer looks: The body's fight against losing weight; Rick Santorum's contraception, anti-abortion records analyzed

For years, the advice to the overweight and obese has been that we simply need to eat less and exercise more. While there is truth to this guidance, it fails to take into account that the human body continues to fight against weight loss long after dieting has stopped. ... it's clear, from a public-health standpoint, that resources would best be focused on preventing weight gain. The research underscores the urgency of national efforts to get children to exercise and eat healthful foods.

6 Jan 2012

Cost paid for statins 400% higher in the U.S. than U.K.

In the United States, the cost paid for statins (drugs to lower cholesterol) in people under the age of 65 who have private insurance is approximately 400 percent higher than comparable costs paid by the government in the United Kingdom.

6 Jan 2012

AACR, IASLC sponsor conference on molecular origins of lung cancer

Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States and often the most fatal unless caught early, but scientists are working on ways to improve their understanding of the disease. Several hundred of scientists will gather in San Diego at the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina during Jan. 8-11, 2012, for the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer: Biology, Therapy and Personalized Medicine.

6 Jan 2012

Royals designated hitter to receive 47th annual Hutch Award

Billy Butler, designated hitter for the Kansas City Royals, will receive the 47th annual Hutch Award. The award is given each year to a Major League Baseball player who best exemplifies the honor, courage and dedication of baseball great Fred Hutchinson, both on and off the field.

6 Jan 2012

UCSD surgeons perform west coast's first ex-vivo liver resection

A team led by Alan Hemming, MD, transplant surgeon at UC San Diego Health System, has successfully performed the west coast's first ex-vivo liver resection, a radical procedure to completely remove and reconstruct a diseased liver and re-implant it without any tumors. The procedure saved the life of a 27-year old mother whose liver had been invaded by a painful tumor that crushed the organ and entangled its blood supply.

6 Jan 2012

Solar power can make hemodialysis treatments more environmentally friendly

Solar power can help offset high utility costs and make hemodialysis treatments more environmentally friendly, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

6 Jan 2012

Experts share 10 symptoms of cervical and other gynecologic cancers

Pelvic pain and abnormal bleeding aren't the only signs of gynecologic cancer. As part of Cervical Health Awareness Month in January, experts at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center share other symptoms that often are overlooked.

6 Jan 2012

New guideline on management of hyperglycemia in non-critically ill hospitalized patients

Hyperglycemia, or having high glucose levels in the blood, is a common, serious and costly health care problem in hospitalized patients. Today, The Endocrine Society released a clinical practice guideline (CPG) providing recommendations for practical and safe glycemic targets and describing protocols and system improvements required to achieve glycemic goals for hospitalized patients in a non-critical care setting.

6 Jan 2012