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Feds OK Oregon Medicaid CCOs, ready $1.9B in funding

The federal government has granted Oregon a waiver to run Medicaid coordinated-care organizations and will provide enhanced Medicaid money -- $1.9 billion over five years -- for the program.

11 Jul 2012

Neonate blood-brain barrier more intact than adults following stroke

The ability for substances to pass through the blood-brain barrier is increased after adult stroke, but not after neonatal stroke, according to a new study the UCSF that will be published July 11 in the Journal of Neuroscience.

11 Jul 2012

WHO working on consolidated HIV treatment guidelines

The WHO "says comprehensive HIV treatment strategies are needed in developing countries to overcome stigma and discrimination," because "often those in need of HIV treatment and prevention are unable to receive the services because of their social status," VOA News reports.

11 Jul 2012

PROLOR to present data on long-acting clotting factors for hemophilia at WFH World Congress

PROLOR Biotech, Inc., announced that the company will present data today on its long-acting clotting factors for the treatment of hemophilia at the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) World Congress.

11 Jul 2012

Roundup: Tough to get on Calif.'s new adult day care

Community-Based Adult Services began March 1 as part of a legal settlement between the state and advocates that sued over Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to eliminate Adult Day Health Care entirely.

11 Jul 2012

Chemotherapy improves survival for patients with periampullary cancer following resection

Patients who had surgery for periampullary cancer (a variety of types of cancer that are located in and near the head of the pancreas, including an area called the ampulla where the bile duct joins up with the pancreatic duct to empty their secretions into the upper small intestine) and received chemotherapy had a statistically significant survival benefit, compared to patients who did not receive chemotherapy, after adjusting for prognostic variables, according to a study in the July 11 issue of JAMA.

11 Jul 2012

Thousands of seasonal firefighters lack health insurance

They work the front lines of the nation's most explosive wildfires, navigating treacherous terrain, dense walls of smoke and tall curtains of flame. Yet thousands of the nation's seasonal firefighters have no health insurance for themselves or their families.

11 Jul 2012

Loyola receives Tellabs Foundation grant to help address needs of tiny patients in NICU

A recent $250,000 grant from the Tellabs Foundation of Naperville, Ill., will help address the needs of tiny patients in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Ronald McDonald Children's Hospital at Loyola University Medical Center.

11 Jul 2012

Giving up smoking associated with weight gain

Giving up smoking is associated with an average weight gain of 4-5 kg after 12 months, most of which occurs within the first three months of quitting, finds a study published on bmj.com today.

11 Jul 2012

States continue stand-off with health law -- or push forward

State leaders continue their grapple with how -- and if at all -- to implement the health care law, even after the Supreme Court upheld it.

11 Jul 2012

Exposure to H1N1 vaccine in pregnancy does not increase risk of adverse fetal outcomes

In studies examining the risk of adverse outcomes after receipt of the influenza A(H1N1) vaccine, infants exposed to the vaccine in utero did not have a significantly increased risk of major birth defects, preterm birth, or fetal growth restriction; while in another, study researchers found a small increased risk in adults of the nervous system disorder, Guillain-Barre syndrome, during the 4 to 8 weeks after vaccination, according to 2 studies in the July 11 issue of JAMA.

11 Jul 2012

Rheumatoid arthritis risk reduced by moderate alcohol consumption

Moderate consumption of alcohol is associated with a reduced risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, suggests a study published on bmj.com today.

11 Jul 2012

Officials announce 89 more ACOs caring for 1.2 million on Medicare

The addition brings to 154 the total number of ACOs giving care to 2.4 million beneficiaries of Medicare. CMS says the program could save $940 million over four years.

11 Jul 2012

HIV infection risk reduced by same drugs that treat HIV

People at high risk of HIV infection can reduce their risk of acquiring the disease by taking antiretroviral drugs, according to Cochrane researchers. In an update of a systematic review first published in 2009, the researchers found that uninfected people in relationships with HIV-infected partners, men who have sex with men and those in other high risk groups are at a lower risk of becoming infected with the virus if they regularly take drugs that are normally prescribed to treat people with HIV.

11 Jul 2012

Anemia prevention in pregnancy works just as well with fewer iron supplements

Taking iron supplements one to three times a week instead of every day is just as effective at preventing anaemia in pregnant women, according to the findings of a new Cochrane systematic review. The authors of the review also showed that women experienced fewer side effects when taking iron supplements intermittently rather than daily.

11 Jul 2012

Victims of stray-bullet shootings are often children, females

Most people killed or wounded in stray-bullet shootings were unaware of events leading to the gunfire that caused their injuries, and nearly one-third of the victims were children and nearly half were female, according to a new nationwide study examining an often-overlooked form of gun violence.

11 Jul 2012

Breast cancer drug bevacizumab slows progression but has no overall survival benefit

The cancer drug bevacizumab (Avastin®) offers only a modest benefit in prolonging disease progression in patients with advanced stage breast cancer, according to a systematic review by Cochrane researchers. The researchers assessed the efficacy of bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy, an established cancer treatment in this indication, and found no overall survival benefit when adding bevacizumab to chemotherapy.

11 Jul 2012

The next legal blockbuster: Health benefits and same-sex partners

Lawsuits focus questions on whether same-sex spouses should be eligible for health insurance and other benefits.

11 Jul 2012

Study details development of first mouse model for Usher syndrome III

A new study published in the July 11 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience details the development of the first mouse model engineered to carry the most common mutation in Usher syndrome III causative gene (Clarin-1) in North America.

11 Jul 2012

Global Fund general manager appeals for donations, calling fund a 'good deal'

Gabriel Jaramillo, general manager of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, "took a new approach to appealing for donations last week, arguing to finance ministers from participating nations that the fund is a great investment," the New York Times reports.

11 Jul 2012