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Access to family planning services important for adolescent women

In a Huffington Post "Global Motherhood" opinion piece, UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin writes, "It warms my heart to see that safe motherhood and women's reproductive health are finally being recognized as important development issues," but "millions of women in developing countries still lack even the most basic care during pregnancy," leading to maternal death and injury and hundreds of millions of women lack access to family planning services, including modern contraceptives.

20 Apr 2012

RHD patients seek treatment in the very late stages of disease

Patients with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) are being admitted to hospital too late to prevent the need for heart surgery, according to a new study carried out by doctors in Yemen and presented today at the World Congress of Cardiology.

20 Apr 2012

April issue of USAID's 'PRH Connect' available online

The April issue of USAID's "PRH Connect" e-newsletter features a round-up of top news articles; a partnership profile of the Alliance for Reproductive, Maternal and Newborn Health; notes from the field highlighting the DELIVER Project's new photo blog, and links to various resources, publications and research.

20 Apr 2012

Preconception care before IVF can lead to lifestyle problems and health risks

Ninety-six per cent of women who attended a preconception clinic before undergoing IVF had three or more lifestyle problems and risk factors, according to a study in the May issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

20 Apr 2012

Survey: Gaps in health insurance coverage, knowledge persist

A Commonwealth Fund survey found that many U.S. adults ages didn't have health insurance over the course of a year.

20 Apr 2012

Chip-scale NIST sensor successfully measures human brain activity

A miniature atom-based magnetic sensor developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has passed an important research milestone by successfully measuring human brain activity. Experiments reported this week verify the sensor's potential for biomedical applications such as studying mental processes and advancing the understanding of neurological diseases.

20 Apr 2012

Obama and Romney start long-distance debate over Medicare

President Barack Obama and GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney have started a long-distance, health care debate, fighting over how to reform the Medicare system. Other politicians are getting in on the act too, as Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., and Mass. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren give their two cents on the health reform law.

20 Apr 2012

Key points about head shape asymmetry treatment

Parents are often the first to notice when their otherwise healthy infant slowly begins to develop a lopsided skull. Sometimes the change in head shape can look like a flattened section in the back of the skull, or off to one side if the baby prefers looking toward one direction. The incidence of head shape asymmetries has risen, likely related to the successful Back to Sleep campaign, which has saved countless infant lives since it was introduced in 1994 to prevent sudden infant death syndrome.

20 Apr 2012

Leahy introduces generic drug label legislation

The measure, which was introduced in the Senate and has a House companion, would permit generic drug companies to update safety information about the drugs they manufacture, enabling patients to sue the companies for failing to issue warnings about risks. It aims to address a gap in the law that allows people to sue brand-name drug makers for insufficient warnings, but not generics manufacturers.

20 Apr 2012

Many Americans struggle to regain health insurance after losing or changing jobs

One of four (26%) working-age U.S. adults experienced a gap in health insurance coverage during 2011, often because they lost or changed jobs, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report that also shows how difficult it is for people to regain health insurance on their own after losing employer-sponsored coverage.

20 Apr 2012

Neb., Ohio and Minn. state legislatures tackle abortion, contraception restrictions

In various states, lawmakers are concentrating on abortion or contraception bills. Meanwhile, some Texas chapters of Planned Parenthood are merging.

20 Apr 2012

French Ministry of Health releases HLY figures at EHLEIS meeting

The HLY (Healthy Life Years) indicates how long people can expect to live without disability. It has been computed annually for each Member State of the European Union since 2005. These figures are released in the framework of the first annual meeting of the European Joint Action on Healthy Life Years (EHLEIS), organized in Paris on April 19, 2012 (ASIEM, 6 rue Albert de Lapparent, from 1:30pm) by the French Ministry of Health.

20 Apr 2012

Guardian blog examines potential impact of Global Fund reform on organization's future

In this post in her Global Health Blog, Guardian Health Editor Sarah Boseley examines the potential impact of reform within the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on the organization's future. She writes, "It's been only seven weeks since banker Gabriel Jaramillo took over as general manager of the fund, but it is already clear the worthy organization set up by Kofi Annan to channel money to treat and prevent diseases in poor countries is a leaner, meaner machine."

20 Apr 2012

Researchers enhance capabilities of solid-state nanopores

The latest advance in solid-state nanopore sensors - devices that are made with standard tools of the semiconductor industry yet can offer single-molecule sensitivity for label-free protein screening - expands their bag of tricks through bionanotechnology.

20 Apr 2012

Longer looks: Rushed medicine; Exercising your way to a smarter brain

Something in the world of medicine is seriously amiss. Unhappy patients gripe about their doctors' brusque manner and give them bad marks on surveys and consumer websites like HealthGrades and Angie's List. They tell tales of being rushed out of the office by harried doctors who miss crucial diagnoses, never look up from their computers during an exam, make errors in prescriptions, and just plain don't listen to their patients. ... And things don't seem much better from the other side of the stethoscope.

20 Apr 2012

Study shows efficacy of Infant Behavior, Cry and Sleep Clinic's model of integrated care

Having a new baby brings much joy to a new family. But for a family whose baby cries for hours on end, fusses through feedings, or has difficulty sleeping, the joy may be overshadowed by feelings of helplessness and frustration. The treatment of that infant - and that family - will impact the parent-child relationship for years to come.

20 Apr 2012

Vatican rebukes group of nuns on support for health law

The Catholic Church hierarchy cracks down on the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, a group of nuns who supported the 2010 health reform.

20 Apr 2012

Bristol-Myers Squibb announces results from daclatasvir plus asunaprevir Phase II HCV study

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced results from a Phase II study in which treatment with an all-oral, dual direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimen of daclatasvir, an investigational NS5A replication complex inhibitor, and asunaprevir, an investigational NS3 protease inhibitor, achieved undetectable viral load 24 weeks post-treatment (SVR24) in 77% (33/43) of difficult-to-treat genotype 1b hepatitis C (HCV) patients.

20 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Bishops find fault with GOP budget; Pelosi on court's role in health law

In February, the Catholic Church attempted to impose its opposition to birth control on its employees, upsetting Democrats and the left. This week, the Church is criticizing Republicans, acting in the highest tradition of its social mission by speaking out against spending cuts on programs for the poor.

20 Apr 2012

Omega-3 fatty acids inhibit detrimental effects of smoking on arterial function

Omega-3 fatty acids may help to reduce the physical harm caused by smoking, according to a new study presented today at the World Congress of Cardiology.

20 Apr 2012