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'Rest of the country should take a good look at the situation in Texas'

Reporting for Kaiser Health News, Roni Caryn Rabin writes: They say everything is bigger in Texas, and the problem of the uninsured is no exception. The Houston metropolitan area has one of the highest rates of uninsured people in America, and a health safety net imploding under the demands of too many people and too few resources.

23 Jun 2012

LUHS to renovate Postpartum Unit this summer

Loyola University Health System (LUHS) will renovate its Postpartum Unit to create a state-of-the-art area that provides a comfortable and convenient setting for mothers and infants. The renovation will begin this summer and will be complete by the end of the year.

23 Jun 2012

Research roundup: Helping the homeless transition out of the hospital

Transitioning from a hospital visit can be challenge for many patients, but the homeless face particular difficulties as they move to a shelter, or even back to the streets. Researchers in this study surveyed 98 homeless individuals in New Haven, Conn., as well as interviewed them about their experiences leaving the hospital. More than half said that their providers did not address housing or transportation, and 11 percent reported living on the streets on the night of their discharge. The authors recommend "improved assessment of housing status, communication between hospital and shelter providers, and arrangement of safe transportation" for homeless individuals.

23 Jun 2012

Deferasirox reduces elevated iron levels in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues at six other institutions have recently tested a treatment for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, a blood-related malignancy that involves the ineffective production of blood cells, leaving patients anemic and in need of frequent blood transfusions. Because the body has no natural means to reduce iron that accumulates from repeated transfusions, patients' organs can become iron overloaded, leading to heart failure, liver injury, susceptibility to infection, and other complications.

23 Jun 2012

High court's health law ruling likely to renew debate on range of issues

News outlets report on what's at stake in terms of politics and policies when the Supreme Court issues its health law decision.

23 Jun 2012

GMCSF linked with rapid cognitive recovery in patients with cancer

Growth factors shown to cure Alzheimer's disease in a mouse model and administered to cancer patients as part of their treatment regimen were linked to significant improvements in the patients' cognitive function following stem cell transplantation, a preliminary clinical study reports.

23 Jun 2012

Zimbabwean lawmakers take public HIV tests in campaign to fight stigma

"Zimbabwean lawmakers started taking public HIV tests on Wednesday in a campaign seeking to raise awareness and fight the stigma associated with AIDS," VOA News reports.

23 Jun 2012

Benefits of green banana flour-based pasta for people with celiac disease

People with celiac disease struggle with limited food choices, as their condition makes them unable to tolerate gluten, found in wheat and other grains. Researchers from the University of Brazil have developed a gluten-free pasta product from green banana flour, which tasters found more acceptable than regular whole wheat pasta.

23 Jun 2012

U.N. SG Ban announces 'Zero Hunger Challenge' in message to Rio+20 summit

In a video message addressing the Rio+20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Thursday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "announced a 'Zero Hunger Challenge' to rid the world of malnutrition," Bloomberg News reports.

23 Jun 2012

Eating raisins may reduce postprandial glucose levels

New research debuted at the American Diabetes Association's 72nd Annual Scientific Session suggests eating raisins three times a day may significantly lower postprandial (post-meal) glucose levels when compared to common alternative snacks of equal caloric value.

23 Jun 2012

Hospital collection company criticized for failing to turn over records to Congress

Democratic Reps. Henry Waxman and Diana DeGette press Accretive for documents related to its debt collection practices, which resulted in a lawsuit against the company by the Minnesota attorney general.

23 Jun 2012

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery can increase risk of alcohol-use disorders

An addiction to food may be replaced by an addiction to alcohol in certain bariatrics patients. According to a new study in the Journal of American Medical Association, having Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, where the size of the stomach and the intestine are decreased to reduce food consumption, can increase the risk of alcohol-use disorders.

23 Jun 2012

Censoring 'dual-use' scientific research not an effective strategy to mitigate security risks

"It's easy to get the impression that recent controversy over research into mutated versions of the H5N1 flu virus has created a clear split between a scientific community that wants the research to proceed and the results to be published and a biosecurity community that doesn't," biological-weapons expert Tim Trevan writes in this Nature opinion piece.

23 Jun 2012

Rensselaer Center for Stem Cell Research launches today

Ground-breaking research to advance the application of stem cells to address critical injuries and diseases will be taking place at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in a new center funded by New York state and opened today.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 23 Jun 2012

AIDS.gov blog republishes post in which U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator discusses AIDS 2012 conference

In an effort to "raise awareness around the U.S. global response to HIV/AIDS," the AIDS.gov blog has republished a post by U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby in which he discusses the XIX International AIDS Conference, taking place in the U.S. for the first time in more than 20 years from July 22-27.

23 Jun 2012

Parental employment may affect family food environments

In a tight economy, with fewer jobs, many people end up working harder and sacrificing more to stay employed. A new study finds that one of those sacrifices is sometimes their own and their family's nutrition.

23 Jun 2012

Simple reforms to U.S. farm bill would enable international food aid programs to reach millions more

"In this year's farm bill, there is a crucial opportunity to reform how the United States handles international food aid programs," GROW campaign manager Vicky Rateau writes in this post in Oxfam's "The Politics of Poverty" blog.

23 Jun 2012

Surprising link between dietary fat and cholesterol absorption

Buttery shrimp. Fried eggs. Burgers and fries. New research suggests there may be a biological reason why fatty and cholesterol-rich foods are so appealing together.

23 Jun 2012

Senate passes farm bill with amendment allowing food aid to North Korea with presidential waiver

The Senate on Thursday passed 64-35 the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012, otherwise known as the farm bill, which "funds agriculture, farm and nutrition programs over the next five years," The Hill's "Floor Action Blog" reports.

23 Jun 2012

Scientists recommend new type of therapeutic approach to dementia

Scientists at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have succeeded in recommending a new type of therapeutic approach to dementia. The study published in the journal Neurology shows that immune reactions against the body's own nerve cells can be the cause of advanced dementia and an appropriate immune suppressive therapy can develop with significant effectiveness.

23 Jun 2012