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NIH grants support SUNY's neuroscience, pediatric pharmacology and vision research

The State University of New York has received two grants totaling more than $4.3 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support neuroscience and pediatric pharmacology and vision research as part of SUNY REACH, a collaborative research network of SUNY's four academic health centers and the College of Optometry.

15 Oct 2011

CDC report lays out 'lessons learned' from Haiti's cholera outbreak

"Cholera cases have risen in Haiti, but the number dying from the disease is down, according to researchers from the [CDC]," CNN's health blog "The Chart" reports. Robert Tauxe, researcher and deputy director at CDC said, "The number of deaths was initially way too high. But within a few weeks of the outbreak, we trained teams to treat the disease and increased access to supplies," according to the blog.

15 Oct 2011

MRI scans may become useful tools for assessing cholesterol drugs

MRI scanning could become a powerful new tool for assessing how well cholesterol drugs are working, according to Loyola University Health System cardiologist Binh An P. Phan, MD.

15 Oct 2011

Uninsured rates, impact of malpractice award limits in Perry's Texas

Texas Gov. Rick Perry takes the media hot seat today as news outlets examine his state's uninsured rate, the success of Texas' malpractice award limits and the GOP hopeful's claims about rival Mitt Romney's health plan.

15 Oct 2011

Researchers use online survey to examine drinking patterns and personality traits

Researchers used an anonymous online survey to examine drinking patterns and personality traits. Results identified three groups, two of which drank at fairly high levels. The group with higher levels of impulsivity and aggression appears most at-risk for future alcohol problems.

15 Oct 2011

Sebelius on the CLASS Act: 'I do not see a viable path forward'

The Obama administration has decided to halt plans to implement the long-term care program in the 2010 health care law after determining that financing mechanisms were not sufficient.

15 Oct 2011

Heart-related treatments may improve wellbeing of patients with COPD

A new study has found that processes that control heart rate play an important role in the quality of life experienced by patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

15 Oct 2011

Preparing for future disasters 'saves lives, property and money'

In this post in USAID's "IMPACTblog," Kasey Channell, the acting director of the Disaster Response Team for USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, reports on the importance of preparing for future disasters as the world observed International Day for Disaster Reduction on Thursday, writing Before the next disaster hits, now is the time to recommit to making smart investments that save lives, property, and money.

15 Oct 2011

New onset tenderness after combo hormone therapy increases risk of breast cancer

Post-menopausal women who experience new onset breast tenderness after starting combination hormone therapy may have an increased risk of breast cancer compared to women who don't experience breast tenderness, a study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has shown.

15 Oct 2011

Blue Shield of Calif. adds additional $283 million to policyholder 'giveback'

Blue Shield of California says it will give customers in the state a $283-million credit on their insurance premiums, saying it is fulfilling a promise to return money to policyholders when its net income exceeds 2 percent of revenue.

15 Oct 2011

Achievement of pre-clinical milestone triggers $4M payment from GSK to Epizyme

Epizyme, Inc., a company leading the discovery and development of personalized therapeutics for genetically-defined cancer patients, today announced the achievement of pre-clinical milestones in its alliance with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), triggering $4 million in milestone payments.

15 Oct 2011

Panel gets earful of advice on taming the federal deficit

Among the messages to the super committee members: caution. Meanwhile, Democratic governors expressed fears about deep cuts in federal aid to their states, especially regarding Medicaid and other entitlement programs. Hospital advocacy groups also carried a similar message about treading lightly in regard to trimming Medicaid funding.

15 Oct 2011

Six new Bristol-Myers Squibb grants to reduce cancer disparities in CEE

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation today announced six new grants totaling more than $900,000 that focus on improving cancer awareness, prevention and care by developing cancer nursing skills and building nurse-community partnerships in Hungary, Poland, Romania and Russia.

15 Oct 2011

WHO to offer new guidelines for food aid, recommends 'tighter nutritional standards'

The WHO said Thursday that "it plans to recommend tighter nutritional standards in food aid for young children, a move activists say is necessary to improve donations from countries such as the United States," the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.

15 Oct 2011

Exercise stimulates two beneficial proteins in women before and during pregnancy

Although exercise is generally considered to be a good thing for people with high blood pressure, it has traditionally been considered too risky for women who are also pregnant. Some studies suggest that exercise has benefits such as decreasing the risk of women developing preeclampsia, a condition that raises blood pressure to dangerously high levels but how this might happen has remained unknown.

15 Oct 2011

Obesity has greater impact on girls' blood pressure

The female hormone estrogen is known to offer protection for the heart, but obesity may be taking away that edge in adolescent girls. New research from the University of California at Merced finds that although obesity does not help teens of either gender, it has a greater impact on girls' blood pressure than it does on boys'.

15 Oct 2011

Relationship between women and men must change to eradicate gender-based violence

In this post in the Huffington Post's "Impact" blog, women's issues author and speaker Tabby Biddle writes, "There are over 150 million instances each year of sexual violence against girls. ... One major factor that perpetuates this cycle of violence is that the girls who have been raped can't speak up for themselves (because they are babies or very young children) and those who are old enough to speak up, are afraid to -- for many good reasons."

15 Oct 2011

Virtual brain models for epilepsy and schizophrenia

Virtual brains modeling epilepsy and schizophrenia display less complexity among functional connections, and other differences compared to healthy brain models, researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine report.

15 Oct 2011

Myths and misconceptions about diabetes

November is designated American Diabetes Month and while raising awareness this month about preventing diabetes is important, focusing on proper treatment is just as important for those living with the disease.

15 Oct 2011

Indoor cooking stoves kill 2 million annually, NIH study says

Pollution from indoor cooking stoves, typically open fires that that burn solid fuels such as wood, charcoal or dung, kills two million globally each year, scientists at NIH said in a study published in the journal Science on Thursday, Agence France-Presse reports.

15 Oct 2011