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SAIC awards Selecta a subcontract to develop synthetic nanoparticle vaccine for malaria

Selecta Biosciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing an entirely new class of targeted vaccines and immunotherapies, today announced that Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) has awarded Selecta a subcontract to develop a targeted synthetic vaccine particle product for malaria.

31 Aug 2011

Family planning can improve maternal and child health, survival

Describing a maternal health program that promotes family planning in the rural village of Bweremana in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Michael Gerson writes in his Washington Post column that "the very words 'family planning' light up the limbic centers of American politics."

31 Aug 2011

Dad's stress can affect unborn children

Does Dad's stress affect his unborn children? According to the results of a new study in Elsevier's Biological Psychiatry, it seems the answer may be "yes, but it's complicated".

31 Aug 2011

ALEC offers state legislators advice on the health law's repeal

The American Legislative Exchange Council, a controversial and somewhat shadowy national group that works to influence state legislators, has a manual for fighting the federal health reform law.

31 Aug 2011

Medivir reports net sales of SEK 444.6 m for 1 January - 30 June 2011

Medivir: Interim period (January 2011 - June 2011). Net sales were SEK 444.6 (35.7) m.

31 Aug 2011

Microvisk introduces unique handheld device which monitors blood clotting status

Microvisk Technologies has introduced its unique handheld devices which monitor the blood clotting status of patients to the US market. Showcased at the prestigious American Association for Clinical Chemistry annual conference, the Microvisk devices attracted strong interest from distributors and potential partners ahead of clinical trials in major US medical centres this autumn and product launches in 2012.

31 Aug 2011

Bracing for deficit panel battle between defense, health interests

Meanwhile, home health advocates are launching campaigns to ward off more Medicare payment cuts when Congress returns to Capitol Hill.

31 Aug 2011

Victims of intimate partner violence more likely to develop mental health disorders

Victims who suffer violence at the hands of a spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend, or other intimate partner aren't only brutalized physically; they also suffer disproportionately higher rates of mental health distress, according to a new policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

31 Aug 2011

GAO reviews impact of health law's medical-loss ratio provision

Also in today's health policy headlines, the Wall Street Journal reports that a new state-federal program will put steep health premium increases under the microscope and the Washington Post showcases a map detailing state-by-state progress on creating health exchanges.

31 Aug 2011

Research shows numerous health benefits of Modified Citrus Pectin

New research published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine shows Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP) packs a powerful immune punch.

31 Aug 2011

Dems, union activists flex Medicare muscle at town hall meetings

Democrats and union activists have made a concerted effort to play the town hall game this summer, pressing lawmakers to preserve Medicare and end tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

31 Aug 2011

Shriners Hospitals for Children uses Masimo SpHb during selected surgeries

The healthcare professionals at Shriners Hospitals for Children - Honolulu, which perform hundreds of orthopaedic surgeries on children each year, are using the latest in medical technology from Masimo to noninvasively monitor patient blood levels during selected surgeries.

31 Aug 2011

Medicare costs will increase with weight of baby boomers

The largest generation may now be the fattest generation ever. And that spells trouble for the health care system. Studies show that baby boomers - 81 million born between 1946 to 1964 - are losing the battle of the bulge.

31 Aug 2011

Harassment, discrimination can contribute to mental disorders in African-American gay or bisexual men

The harassment, discrimination and negative feelings about homosexuality that black gay and bisexual men often experience can contribute significantly to mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, a small new study finds.

31 Aug 2011

Chagas parasite infects 18M worldwide, often without detection

Chagas, which is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affects 18 million people worldwide, but is particularly prevalent in Latin American countries, "where a bug called the vinchuga, sometimes known as the kissing bug, transmits the disease," the Atlantic reports. The parasite "remains dormant in peoples' bodies for up to 30 years, until it kills them suddenly by stopping their hearts or rupturing their intestines," the magazine writes.

31 Aug 2011

Stanford method identifies essential regions of Caulobacter's genome

A team at the Stanford University School of Medicine has cataloged, down to the letter, exactly what parts of the genetic code are essential for survival in one bacterial species, Caulobacter crescentus.

31 Aug 2011

Ramped-up anti-fraud efforts trigger significant jump in prosecutions

New government statistics show federal health care fraud prosecutions in the first eight months of 2011 are on pace to rise 85 percent over last year due in large part to ramped-up enforcement efforts under the Obama administration.

31 Aug 2011

Comprehensive review on non-drug interventions for treatment of high blood pressure

More and more, patients show up to appointments with hypertension expert John Bisognano, M.D., Ph.D. carrying bags full of "natural" products that they hope will help lower their blood pressure. And like most physicians, Bisognano doesn't always know if these products will do any good, or if they will cause any harm.

31 Aug 2011

Changes to Medigap plans meet resistance

Reporting for Kaiser Health News, Susan Jaffe writes: A provision of the 2010 federal health law seeking to increase Medicare beneficiaries' share of health care costs is meeting resistance from an unlikely group of 33 state insurance regulators, health insurers and consumer advocates charged with revising Medigap insurance policies that cover most out-of-pocket expenses.

31 Aug 2011

Medical professionals play a role in prevention of abuse, harassment and bullying in sport

Sport and exercise medicine professionals have an important responsibility to protect the athletes under their care against abuse, harassment, and bullying, according to a position paper published in the September issue of Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine.

31 Aug 2011