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Complete story behind connection between XMRV virus and prostate cancer

A once-promising discovery linking prostate cancer to an obscure retrovirus derived from mice was the result of an inadvertent laboratory contamination, a forensic analysis of tissue samples and lab experiments - some dating back nearly a decade - has confirmed.

20 Sep 2012

U.S. can help improve global food security

"For all its importance to human well-being, agriculture seems to be one of the lagging economic sectors of the last two decades," Tyler Cowen, a professor of economics at George Mason University, writes in a New York Times opinion piece.

20 Sep 2012

APR-246 can restore function of defective p53 and activate apoptosis in cancer cells

The p53 gene plays a key role in the prevention of cancer, by blocking cell growth and triggering programmed cell death or apoptosis. If, however, p53 has mutated and become defective, the cancer cells can acquire the ability to evade apoptosis and become more resistant to therapy.

20 Sep 2012

Women play important role in fighting NCDs

"As world leaders make their way to New York this month to attend the United Nations General Assembly, we call on them to renew their commitments to combating non-communicable diseases (NCDs)," Jill Sheffield, president of Women Deliver, and Nalini Saligram, founder of Arogya World, write in the Huffington Post "Global Motherhood" blog, adding, "Tackling NCDs with a woman-centered focus is a critical step towards reaching all development goals."

20 Sep 2012

Study examines association of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery with weight loss, diabetes mellitus

Severely obese patients who had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery had significant weight loss that was sustained for an average of 6 years after the surgery and also experienced frequent remission and lower incidence of diabetes, hypertension, and abnormal cholesterol levels, compared to participants who did not have the surgery, according to a study in the September 19 issue of JAMA, and theme issue on obesity.

20 Sep 2012

GE feels pinch of drop in advanced medical imaging

General Electric Co.'s $18 billion health-care business is being forced to navigate a slowdown in medical imaging - one that in some ways has been aggravated by GE itself. GE put its 85,000 U.S. white-collar workers on a high-deductible health plan in an effort to stem the growth of its U.S. health bills, which are now running $2.5 billion a year.

20 Sep 2012

Pacifiers may stunt emotional development of baby boys

Pacifiers may stunt the emotional development of baby boys by robbing them of the opportunity to try on facial expressions during infancy.

20 Sep 2012

Health interest groups strategize to stop automatic cuts

Industry lobbyists hope the "shock value" of last week's White House report detailing the reach of the cuts will add momentum to efforts to persuade Congress to repeal the legislation before reductions start in January.

20 Sep 2012

New tools can help track healthcare-associated infections in nursing homes

The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have each released new tools and information to help track deadly healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in nursing homes and other long-term care settings.

19 Sep 2012

Health policy issues are hot topic online in key states

CNN reports that news stories related to the health law and other health policies are being shared online more than those about other issues.

19 Sep 2012

Loyola study to evaluate whether transcranial magnetic stimulation can help people with tinnitus

Loyola University Medical Center is studying whether a new form of non-invasive magnetic therapy can help people who suffer debilitating tinnitus (ringing in the ears).

19 Sep 2012

The number of physicians in Congress could grow by 50 percent

In other congressional-election news, The New York Times reports on a New Jersey race in which Medicare is a key issue.

19 Sep 2012

Children and adolescents with high BPA levels more likely to have obesity

In a nationally representative sample of nearly 3,000 children and adolescents, those who had higher concentrations of urinary bisphenol A (BPA), a manufactured chemical found in consumer products, had significantly increased odds of being obese, according to a study in the September 19 issue of JAMA, and theme issue on obesity.

19 Sep 2012

Improved health critical to development of democracy in Burma

In this post in the Huffington Post Blog, Deborah Derrick, president of Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, examines the role of health efforts in the rebuilding of Burma, also known as Myanmar.

19 Sep 2012

Global CVD Taskforce calls for urgent action to reduce premature mortality by 25% by 2025

Agreement by governments, by the end of 2012, on a set of ambitious global targets to curb the growing scourge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which includes cardiovascular disease (CVD; heart disease and stroke), is critical to avoiding the millions of premature deaths worldwide. This, according to a new paper published by the Global Cardiovascular Disease Taskforce a group of eminent experts who represent five leading heart-health organizations.

19 Sep 2012

Congress can help improve WASH, survival for children worldwide

David Winder, chief executive of WaterAid USA, highlights the findings of the recently released UNICEF report on child mortality in this Huffington Post "Impact" blog post, saying the decrease in annual number of child deaths "is great news, but is tempered by sobering statistics, especially for children in sub-Saharan Africa," who continue to face high rates of mortality.

19 Sep 2012

Bariatric surgery reduces long-term risk of diabetes by over 80 % among people with obesity

Bariatric surgery reduces the long-term risk of developing diabetes by over 80 % among people with obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has published the results of a study conducted at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

19 Sep 2012

Dengue Vaccine Initiative launches redesigned website, new blog

The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases' "End the Neglect" blog reports that the Dengue Vaccine Initiative has launched a redesigned website, including a new blog that "will include regular posts about the disease, dengue in the news, the work of DVI and the development of a dengue vaccine."

19 Sep 2012

Study examines link between drug or alcohol use disorders and death in veterans with PTSD

Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who are also battling drug or alcohol problems face a higher risk of death, according to new research from the University of Michigan Health System and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

19 Sep 2012

Some states consider partial Medicaid expansion under health law

Also in the news, a report about how a ruling barring health coverage for illegal immigrants, allowed to stay in the United States because they were brought here as young children, is angering Hispanic groups.

19 Sep 2012