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VHI releases report on HMO quality and satisfaction

Open enrollment is fast approaching for thousands of HMO members in Virginia. Every year during this period, members have the option of selecting a health plan by comparing plan benefits and monthly premiums for the upcoming year.

29 Sep 2011

Rapid non-invasive test helps identify human exposure to potentially harmful substances

The search for a rapid, non-invasive way to determine whether people have been exposed to potentially toxic substances in their workplaces, homes and elsewhere in the environment has led scientists to a technology that literally takes a person's breath away.

29 Sep 2011

DSMB authorizes ACT to proceed with next set of patients in stem cell clinical trials

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today that the independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) overseeing the Company's two ongoing stem cell clinical trials in the United States authorized ACT to move forward with enrolling and treating the next set of patients in each of the trials.

29 Sep 2011

UCSF scientists identify how normal cells transform into brain tumors

Brain tumor specimens taken from neurosurgery cases at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center has given scientists a new window on the transformation that occurs as healthy brain cells begin to form tumors.

29 Sep 2011

Gallup, Healthways reveal new data on chronic disease burden of UK

Gallup, the global polling organization, and Healthways, the worldwide leader in well-being improvement, today jointly revealed new data showing that chronic conditions, such as obesity, diabetes and cancer are costing the UK economy 21.6 billion pounds a year in lost productivity.

29 Sep 2011

Heavy smoking linked with chronic musculoskeletal pain in women

Kentucky women who smoke heavily may experience more chronic musculoskeletal pain, suggests a new study led by University of Kentucky researchers.

29 Sep 2011

SIS becomes an Industry Supporter of ASA

Surgical Information Systems (SIS) has become an Industry Supporter of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), as a part of a Corporate Supporter program available to pharmaceutical, medical device, anesthesia information management system and practice management companies.

29 Sep 2011

Three papers reveal structure and workings of G protein-coupled receptors

Three international teams of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California San Diego, University of Michigan and Stanford University, have published a trio of papers describing in unprecedented detail the structure and workings of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), a large family of human proteins that are the target of one-third to one-half of modern drugs.

29 Sep 2011

Think creatively to financially support global health and development goals

In this post in the Huffington Post's "Impact" blog, Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank and winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, and Gro Brundtland, a board member of the Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health, the former prime minister of Norway, and the director-general emeritus of the WHO, discuss the notion of "innovative financing for development" and how, "faced with impending fiscal constraints, the international community has devised several promising financing models to protect investments in global health."

29 Sep 2011

ACRO releases statement on World Heart Day

The Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO), which represents the global leaders in clinical outsourcing, today released the following statement in recognition of World Heart Day.

29 Sep 2011

Thanks from Global Fund Executive Director Kazatchkine

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, "[a]long with our partners, both donors and implementers, is changing the story of scores of nations that were once devastated by three killer diseases -- diseases which seemed invincible," Global Fund Executive Director Michel Kazatchkine writes in a Huffington Post opinion piece, adding "we are now saving more than one million lives every year."

29 Sep 2011

Low-tech, inexpensive interventions for bedsores could benefit long-term care residents

Researchers at the University of Toronto have found that low-tech, inexpensive interventions for bedsores could improve health for long-term care residents and reduce health-care costs for the facilities that house them.

29 Sep 2011

African leaders showing 'clear commitment' to fighting malaria

"The focused attention that malaria has received by African governments and international organizations has had a major impact, with the rates of mortality coming down dramatically in the continent," and the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) has helped lead this campaign, an IPP Media editorial states.

29 Sep 2011

Bone and joint health supplements market to be worth over $9 billion by 2017

A globally ageing population, changing consumer lifestyles and a focus on preventative medicine is driving growth in the bone and joint health supplements market, which is forecast to be worth over $9 billion by 2017.

29 Sep 2011

NFIB asks Supreme Court to strike down all of the 2010 health law

The National Federation of Independent Business, a small-business advocacy organization, will file an appeal today. In it, the group will ask the high court to move beyond the law's individual mandate and strike down the entire measure.

29 Sep 2011

Genetic variant may increase severity of coronary artery disease in patients with diabetes

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified the first genetic variant associated with severity of coronary artery disease in patients with type 2 diabetes.

29 Sep 2011

Costs of premiums for employer-provided health insurance jump

A study released by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that the average annual premium for family coverage was 9 percent higher in 2011 than in the previous year. Although many benefit analysts say the federal health law's requirements played only a small part in the rise, the results could provide political fodder for the law's supporters and opponents.

29 Sep 2011

Scientists report discovery of potential new drug for epidemic keratoconjunctivitis

Scientists are reporting discovery of a potential new drug for epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) - sometimes called "pink eye" - a highly infectious eye disease that may occur in 15 million to 20 million people annually in the United States alone. Their report describing an innovative new "molecular wipe" that sweeps up viruses responsible for EKC appears in ACS's Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

29 Sep 2011

With ALMA scorecard, African leaders are taking responsibility in malaria fight

The African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) is "spearheading the fight against malaria" in Africa, bringing together 40 heads of state and "offering a compelling example of what is possible through co-operation, leadership, commitment, and sound management of national and international funds," Tanzania President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete writes in a post on the Guardian's "Poverty Matters Blog."

29 Sep 2011

Researchers identify 'programmed cell death' pathway in parasitic worms

Researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute have for the first time identified a 'programmed cell death' pathway in parasitic worms that could one day lead to new treatments for one of the world's most serious and prevalent diseases.

29 Sep 2011