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UCSD scientist honored for Down syndrome research

William C. Mobley, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Chairman of the U.S. Scientific Advisory Committee of the J-r-me Lejeune Foundation, was recognized by U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions from the floor of the House of Representatives in December. Sessions said of Mobley - who received the International Sisley-J-r-me Lejeune Prize in a ceremony at the Museum of Medical History in Paris on December 8.

5 Jan 2012

FDA issues order prohibiting certain uses of cephalosporins in food-producing animals

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued an order that prohibits certain uses of the cephalosporin class of antimicrobial drugs in cattle, swine, chickens and turkeys effective April 5, 2012.

5 Jan 2012

State roundup: Mass. insurance co-ops to launch; Fla. hospital commission ponders nonprofits

A federal appeals court will review a judge's decision to temporarily block the state of Texas from enforcing a law requiring doctors to show sonograms to patients and describe the images before an abortion. In August, U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks in Austin, Texas, ruled that several provisions of the law violated the free-speech rights of abortion-performing doctors.

5 Jan 2012

New algorithm could help GPs identify women at risk of early ovarian cancer

The lives of hundreds of women could be saved every year, thanks to a simple online calculator that could help GPs identify women most at risk of having ovarian cancer at a much earlier stage.

5 Jan 2012

Viewpoints: Sebelius on 'essential benefits'; WSJ columnist on Democrats' 'Mediscare' argument - is it a lie?

Insurance needs and health systems vary state to state, and experience tells us that the best way forward is not to mandate a one-size-fits-all answer. Instead, our approach gives states the flexibility to take their own paths, while ensuring they all end up in the best place possible: with an Affordable Insurance Exchange that offers access to comprehensive, quality, affordable health insurance to small business owners and individuals who currently have few good choices in an expensive and broken market.

5 Jan 2012

Political cartoon: 'Technical Difficulties'

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh perspective on health policy issues with "Technical Difficulties" by Chris Wildt.

4 Jan 2012

Aseracare hospice in a federal lawsuit brought forth by whistleblowers

According to a federal lawsuit, AseraCare Hospice submitted “false and fraudulent” claims for payment to the U.S. and misspent millions of dollars in Medicare money meant for the care of terminally ill patients. AseraCare, based in Fort Smith, Arkansas, runs 65 hospice centers in 19 states, according to the lawsuit.

4 Jan 2012

New standards to ensure quality of probiotic food ingredients proposed

With strong consumer interest in probiotics-and new manufacturer innovations for incorporating these ingredients into a broader array of food products-new standards to help ensure the quality of probiotic food ingredients are being proposed for public review and comment.

4 Jan 2012

First Edition: January 4, 2012

In today's headlines, Romney wins a historically close contest in Iowa caucuses and Wall Street Journal readers favor televising the Supreme Court arguments regarding the health law.

4 Jan 2012

Working in Kazakhstan to end HIV stigma, discrimination

In this post on USAID's "IMPACTblog," Erin McKee, USAID mission director for the Central Asian Republics, recounts a discussion roundtable with people "on the front lines" in the battle against HIV/AIDS in Kazakhstan.

4 Jan 2012

Task force identifies key themes and challenges in critical care research

To reduce mortality and improve patient care in the nation's ICUs, a task force formed by the Critical Care Societies Collaborative (CCSC), in conjunction with the US Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group (USCIITG) has recommended that research in the field become less fragmented and better account for patient heterogeneity and the complexity of critical illness.

4 Jan 2012

U.S. offers initial $125 million to UNHCR in 2012

"The United States said Thursday it will contribute an initial $125 million to the [U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR)] 2012 operations, including support for refugees returning to Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo," Agence France-Presse reports.

4 Jan 2012

Yale study questions accuracy of relying on patient death rates to compare hospital quality

Hospitals, health insurers and patients often rely on patient death rates in hospitals to compare hospital quality. Now a new study by researchers at Yale School of Medicine questions the accuracy of that widely used approach and supports measuring patient deaths over a period of 30 days from admission even after they have left the hospital.

4 Jan 2012

Emerging forms of torture cause serious mental health problems

Use of torture around the world has not diminished but the techniques used have grown more complex and sophisticated, according to new research from Queen Mary, University of London.

4 Jan 2012

McConnell names conferees for tax-cut, doc fix negotiations

Late last month, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., named his picks to negotiate for a year-long extension of the payroll tax holiday and Medicare doc fix.

4 Jan 2012

IQWiG identifies additional recommendations for diabetes mellitus type 2 DMP

On 3 January 2012, the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) published the results of a literature search for evidence-based clinical practice guidelines on the treatment of people with diabetes mellitus type 2.

4 Jan 2012

Home-monitoring interventions may benefit patients with heart failure

Heart failure affects 5.8 million people in the U.S. alone and is responsible for nearly 1 million hospitalizations each year, most resulting from a build-up of body fluid in the lungs and other organs due to the heart's inability to pump effectively. The disease needs to be closely tracked in order to avoid such hospitalizations, and home-monitoring interventions may be especially useful, UCLA researchers say.

4 Jan 2012

JAMA highlights Oregon's Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment program

Oregon's groundbreaking Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment program (POLST) is featured in the latest edition of the Journal of The American Medical Association.

4 Jan 2012

CMS delays two anti-fraud projects

Modern Healthcare reports that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has put on hold its initiative targeting fraud related to power wheelchairs and its expansion of the Recovery Audit Contractors. Georgia Health News reports on how health care fraud has taken root in Georgia.

4 Jan 2012

Effective treatment for CI can reduce school-related behavioral problems in children

For children with convergence insufficiency (CI)—who have difficulty focusing on objects close up—effective treatments can help to reduce problems at school, reports a study in the January issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.

4 Jan 2012