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GOP lawmaker unveils draft bill on contraceptive coverage rule

The measure focuses on the potential tax implications of the Health and Human Services rule that contraceptives be counted -- without cost-sharing -- among the preventive health services that most employer-sponsored health plans offer.

12 Jul 2012

Dolutegravir-based regimen demonstrates superiority over Atripla in treatment-naive adults with HIV-1

Shionogi-ViiV Healthcare LLC today announced that initial results have been received from the Phase III SINGLE (ING114467) study of the investigational integrase inhibitor dolutegravir in treatment-naive adults with HIV-1.

12 Jul 2012

FDA approves Watson’s ANDA for generic ARTHROTEC

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Watson Laboratories, Inc - Florida has received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration on its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Diclofenac Sodium and Misoprostol Delayed-Release Tablets, the generic equivalent to G.D. Searle's ARTHROTEC.

12 Jul 2012

Viewpoints: Trouble keeping health costs down; Ignagni says law needs some revisions; Coverage is like clean water

Now that the Supreme Court has provided legal certainty on the recent healthcare reform law, the nation must turn its attention to affordability. While the law expands coverage to millions of Americans, a goal health plans have long supported, major provisions of the law need to be changed to avoid significant cost increases for consumers and employers.

12 Jul 2012

Effective therapies to reduce perioperative morbidity and mortality remain elusive

Among intermediate- to high-risk patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery, administration of the agent acadesine to regulate adenosine (a naturally occurring chemical that dilates blood flow and can improve coronary blood flow and perfusion) did not reduce all-cause death, nonfatal stroke, or need for mechanical support for ventricular dysfunction, for approximately a month after surgery, according to a study in the July 11 issue of JAMA.

12 Jul 2012

Secure protocol allows linking of patient records without revealing personal information

Monitoring the effectiveness of the HPV vaccine in Canada requires that data from multiple registries and other data sources be combined. Linking registries can be problematic, however, since they are often managed by unrelated organizations. Privacy legislation may also restrict the sharing of data for such linkages.

12 Jul 2012

Daily temperature linked to bipolar admissions

Results from a Taiwanese study suggest that high daily temperatures are associated with increased hospitalization rates for mood symptoms among patients with bipolar disorder, particularly women.

11 Jul 2012

Ambulance crews failing to flag stroke arrivals

Two studies from the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke initiative show that the emergency medical services often fail to notify hospitals of an incoming stroke patient, despite the clear positive effect on acute stroke treatment.

11 Jul 2012

Cochlear implants work well for Waardenburg children

Children with Waardenburg syndrome respond well to cochlear implantation and achieve equally good speech and hearing outcomes as nonsyndromic children undergoing the same procedure, report researchers.

11 Jul 2012

More selective colon cancer screening urged

Updated guidance from a US task force stresses the need for targeted, high-quality follow-up screening in patients who have undergone colonoscopy or polyp removal, in an effort to cut down on unnecessary repeat procedures

11 Jul 2012

GMC child protection guide launched

New guidance from the GMC offers doctors advice and support to help them protect children from abuse or neglect.

11 Jul 2012

Health risks associated with H1N1 vaccine investigated

Results from two studies published in JAMA show that the H1N1 vaccination is associated with a small, but significant, increase in risk for Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults, but does not increase the risk for birth defects or problems when given to pregnant women.

11 Jul 2012

Saponins may increase lamb growth rates

Study results show that the growth rate of female lambs given feed drenched with Agave extract or Quillaja saponaria – both of which contain saponins – increased over 2 months, indicating they may act as natural defaunating agents.

11 Jul 2012

Thrombopoietin mimetic offers aplastic anemia hope

Eltrombopag significantly improves blood counts in some patients with refractory severe aplastic anemia, suggests research published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

11 Jul 2012

Symptom relief at the core of prostate patient management

More focus should be placed on relieving the most bothersome or “core” symptom for patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, report Korean researchers.

11 Jul 2012

Visual, auditory hallucinations often co-occur in psychosis patients

Visual hallucinations are common in patients with psychosis spectrum disorders and often co-occur with auditory hallucinations, researchers report.

11 Jul 2012

Substance use linked to poor memory, reasoning in BD

The presence of comorbid substance use disorder is associated with significantly poorer visual memory and conceptual reasoning skills in patients with bipolar disorder, US study results show.

11 Jul 2012

Corneal graft survival better after ALK than PK

Patients treated with anterior lamellar keratoplasty for tectonic indications have better physiologic graft survival outcomes than their counterparts treated with penetrating keratoplasty, despite the former procedure raising the risk for anatomic failure, report researchers.

11 Jul 2012

Collaboration is key to effective cancer palliation

Collaborative decision-making and frequent meetings between palliative care teams and oncology staff are the most critical factors for improving end-of-life care, say French researchers.

11 Jul 2012

Pain rehab may boost children’s ownership of self management

Pediatric pain rehabilitation may lead to an increased willingness to self-manage pain, which is associated with improvements in function and psychologic wellbeing, say researchers.

11 Jul 2012