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Feds make arrests in $18 million Medicare and Medicaid scam

The alleged fraud was based on an "elaborate" prescription drug scheme that involved a physician, a pharmacist and 15 others and included the recruitment of veterans, homeless people, poor people and the elderly.

29 Oct 2011

Mount Sinai co-sponsors 'The Impact and Future of Medical School Rankings' summit

A panel of prominent medical school deans from across the country convened yesterday in New York City to discuss the future of annual medical school rankings issued by U.S. News & World Report, which are now celebrating their 20th anniversary.

29 Oct 2011

Not too early to consider funding for, distribution of malaria vaccine

In this Huffington Post opinion piece, Orin Levine, executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center of Johns Hopkins University, notes some of the parallels between the development of RTS,S, the experimental malaria vaccine currently being tested in Africa, and the polio vaccine, but he says "there are also some particularly disappointing ways in which the polio and malaria efforts could differ."

29 Oct 2011

VUMC doctors to begin statin drug screening for rare genetic variation

Vanderbilt University Medical Center doctors announced today they will begin screening patients who take commonly prescribed statin drugs for a rare genetic variation that can increase risks for side effects from these drugs such as muscle aches, kidney damage and even death.

29 Oct 2011

State highlights: Wash. Gov. announces more budget cuts

For the fourth year in a row, Gov. Chris Gregoire on Thursday outlined more than $1.5 billion in state cuts to health care, social services, prisons and education.The latest round would increase public-school class sizes, eliminate subsidized health care for the working poor and release hundreds of inmates early…. The state's Basic Health Plan would close, ending state-subsidized insurance for about 35,000 low-income people.

29 Oct 2011

Thyroid researcher to receive ATA's John B. Stanbury Pathophysiology Medal

Each year, the American Thyroid Association (ATA) recognizes the outstanding research contributions of one of its members to a greater understanding of thyroid physiology or the pathophysiology of thyroid disease, with its presentation of the John B. Stanbury Pathophysiology Medal at its Annual Meeting.

29 Oct 2011

Some experts question early release of RTS,S malaria vaccine trial data

Nature News reports on last week's announcement of preliminary results from a large clinical trial testing the efficacy of GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) RTS,S malaria vaccine, writing that while media coverage of the announcement touted it as a "big breakthrough in the long campaign to create a malaria vaccine," "several leading vaccine researchers, who are critical of the unusual decision to publish partial trial data, argue that the results raise questions about whether the RTS,S/AS01 candidate vaccine can actually win approval."

29 Oct 2011

Reducing elderly patients' mobility does not prevent hospital falls

In 2008, as part of a larger initiative aimed at reducing preventable hospital errors and lowering costs, Medicare stopped reimbursing for the treatment of injuries related to in-hospital falls.

29 Oct 2011

New KFF poll finds dwindling Democratic support for health law

The overhaul's popularity reached an all-time low this month, a change that was driven by eroding confidence among Democrats, according to a new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

29 Oct 2011

Mayo Clinic issues toolkit to identify signs of youth mental health disorders

Mayo Clinic researchers -- in partnership with numerous national mental health advocacy organizations -- are issuing new simple-to-understand tools to help identify youth who may have mental health disorders.

29 Oct 2011

Seeking a broad scientific consensus on disease eradication

In a SciDev.Net letter to the editor, Rashid Zargar from the Centre of Research for Development at the University of Kashmir, responds to an editorial published by the news service last week in which editor David Dickson suggested that "focusing on the science and technology required to eliminate a disease, rather than just control it, can pay off."

29 Oct 2011

Researchers uncover biochemical signals that trigger generation of new lung alveoli

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College say they have taken an important step forward in their quest to "turn on" lung regeneration -- an advance that could effectively treat millions of people suffering from respiratory disorders.

29 Oct 2011

State spending on Medicaid skyrockets, further straining state budgets

A 50-state survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that state spending on Medicaid will increase 29 percent this year.

29 Oct 2011

First rapid measurements of dopamine release in human brain

A research team led by investigators at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute has demonstrated the first rapid measurements of dopamine release in a human brain and provided preliminary evidence that the neurotransmitter can be tracked in its movement between brain cells while a subject expresses decision-making behavior.

29 Oct 2011

Targets for Somalia aid likely to be missed in 2011, U.N. draft report says

"Despite a massive increase in humanitarian operations and international funding since famine was formally declared 100 days ago, the relief effort in Somalia is expected to miss almost all its key targets for 2011, a draft United Nations report reveals," the Guardian reports.

29 Oct 2011

Strategies and priorities for quality of life research with cancer survivors

Assessing the quality of life experienced by cancer survivors is becoming increasingly important, say researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla. Such an assessment has a number of important applications when doing research on cancer survivorship, but just how to measure quality of life for cancer survivors is still being developed.

29 Oct 2011

Parties still far apart as deficit panel eyes benefits, taxes

Media outlets report on Capitol Hill reactions to the super committee proposals and counter-proposals that surfaced this week. For instance, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, gave his "most pessimistic" take to date on whether the panel would be able to offer recommendations by Thanksgiving on how to reach the deficit-reduction target.

29 Oct 2011

Research focuses on JQ1 molecule that tricks NUT midline carcinoma cancer cells

NUT midline carcinoma (NMC) is a cancer without a cure, and one that affects all age groups. NMC is a rapid-growth disease with an average survival time of four and a half months after diagnosis, making the development of clinical trials for potential therapies or cures for this cancer difficult, to say the least.

29 Oct 2011

House votes to fix Medicaid glitch

The House easily passed legislation that would fix a Medicaid "glitch" created by the health law that would have allowed up to 3 million middle-class couples earning as much as $64,000 onto the already struggling Medicaid rolls starting in 2014. The House also voted to adjust a definition that determines eligibility for certain health care programs.

29 Oct 2011

Cancer symposium at Georgetown focuses on 'Linking Policy to the Patient'

The Otto J. Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center announces a three-part symposium, titled "Fighting a Smarter War Against Cancer: Linking Policy to the Patient," to be held Thursday, December 1 through Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011 on the campuses of Georgetown University and Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.

29 Oct 2011