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New method can identify environmental safety of chemicals

Baylor University environmental researchers have proposed in a new study a different approach to predict the environmental safety of chemicals by using data from other similar chemicals.

24 Aug 2011

Square 1 Bank extends $6M credit facility to oxygen therapy innovator, Inogen

Square 1 Bank, the exclusive banking partner to entrepreneurs and the venture capital community, proudly announces the extension of a $6 million credit facility to oxygen therapy innovator, Inogen, Inc.

24 Aug 2011

Streamlining esophagectomy reduces hospital stay, cost associated with surgery

Thoracic surgeons at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics have found that by altering the pre- and post-surgical care of a patient in need of an esophagectomy they are able to reduce the length of hospital stay by more than two-thirds and have a significant impact on the overall costs.

24 Aug 2011

Measles exposure in Philadelphia and Lancaster counties

The Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health are advising the public of exposure to a case of measles in Lancaster and Philadelphia counties.

24 Aug 2011

Showing PEPFAR effectiveness and value important in face of budget negotiations

With "looming budget cuts for FY2012 and recent reports about the decline in AIDS funding from the USG in FY2010 relative to FY2009 ... now, more than ever, PEPFAR needs to better demonstrate the effectiveness and value of its programs," Nandini Oomman, director of the HIV/AIDS Monitor at the Center for Global Development (CGD), writes in the CGD's "Global Health Policy" blog.

24 Aug 2011

Monsoon rains displace thousands in Bangladesh, create need for food, water and shelter

"Heavy monsoon rains have caused several major rivers in Bangladesh to burst their banks, displacing thousands and affecting nearly a million people in all, according to the country's Disaster Management Bureau (DMB)," IRIN reports.

24 Aug 2011

inVentiv Health announces launch of new European company

inVentiv Health, offering best-in-class clinical, commercial and consulting services to the healthcare industry, announced the launch of inVentiv Health Communications/Europe, a new company that brings together inVentiv's advertising, public relations, public policy, market access, medical education, marketing, branding and digital services in a unified offering serving Europe.

24 Aug 2011

Idaho governor appears 'open' to state-run exchange, Texas governor is not

Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter says it makes sense for his state to accept federal funds and set up its own exchange. But Texas Gov. Rick Perry stands firm in his opposition.

24 Aug 2011

People admitted to hospital for mental illness more likely to experience control intervention

The use of control interventions, including physical and mechanical restraints, acute control medications and seclusion, is intended to be a method of last resort in Ontario care facilities, including hospitals.

24 Aug 2011

Rick Perry's views on Medicare, other health policy issues draw scrutiny

The GOP presidential hopeful's views on key issues have triggered examination by news outlets. Meanwhile, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who proposed sweeping changes to the Medicare program, has opted not to join the presidential primary contest.

24 Aug 2011

PEPFAR releases 2012 Country Operational Plan Guidance

PEPFAR recently released its 2012 Country Operational Plan Guidance, "which highlights seven program priorities: increasing prevention of mother-to-child transmission coverage and effectiveness; improving and refining the country's approach to treatment; programming for prevention impact; TB/HIV integration; testing and counseling; training new health care providers; and capacity building," according to the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog.

24 Aug 2011

First international conference on developmental, translational and clinical pharmacogenomics

The first international conference hosted by the University of South Florida College of Pharmacy will focus on ways to improve health care by customizing drug prescribing and treatment based on an individual's genetic makeup.

24 Aug 2011

Georgia company charges hospitals with balance billing

A Valdosta-based company told state lawmakers Monday that hospitals are unjustifiably harassing its employees over medical bills. The problem involves balance billing, a practice whereby a medical provider sends a patient a bill for charges beyond what is paid by a health plan.

24 Aug 2011

Clay modelling could help disturbed teenagers deal with mental health problems

Researchers at The University of Nottingham are to investigate whether the therapeutic effects of clay modelling could help disturbed teenagers deal with their feelings of anger, anxiety and depression.

24 Aug 2011

Afghan patients treated at U.S. military hospitals often carry MDR bacteria

Afghan patients treated at a U.S. military hospital in Afghanistan often carry multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, according to a report in the September issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

24 Aug 2011

Map shows Horn of Africa food security situation

The World Food Programme and Development Seed have developed a map showing current food security situations in the Horn of Africa and featuring "operational data collected from organizations responding to the humanitarian emergency ... The featured data was provided by the Famine Early Warning System Network and the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit-Somalia," according to the site.

24 Aug 2011

Study finds children's hospitals underequipped to handle H1N1 pandemics

A new study of children's hospitals nationwide has found them underequipped to handle a major surge of patients in the event of a pandemic, and urges health care institutions and government agencies to immediately review emergency preparedness plans as flu season approaches.

24 Aug 2011

Polio eradication 'at risk' as Chad and Pakistan face continued outbreaks, GPEI report says

"According to the latest report from the Independent Monitoring Board of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, continued transmission of polio is a 'global health emergency,' and plans to interrupt transmission by the end of 2012 are 'at risk,'" the Lancet Infectious Diseases reports, adding, "With a US$590 million funding gap and weak political leadership in some countries, the engagement of communities to plan and implement local approaches is paramount."

24 Aug 2011

Cardiac rehabilitation, telephone counseling support exercise maintenance

Researchers from The Miriam Hospital have found that patients who have completed cardiac rehabilitation and who receive telephone counseling that supports exercise are more likely to adhere to an exercise program. Results of the study, funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, are published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

24 Aug 2011

Lack of access to water, sanitation in urban areas contributes to disease, impacts economies, water conference hears

"How best to provide clean water and sanitation to the world's cities and their expanding slums is the overriding theme of World Water Week, which opened Monday in Stockholm," Deutsche Presse-Agentur/M&C reports.

24 Aug 2011