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Obama, Congressional leaders strike debt-limit deal

The agreement, which has the support of House and Senate Democratic and Republican leaders, must now win the approval of rank-and-file members. Within the agreed-upon framework, the second wave of cuts could touch payments to Medicare providers, but beneficiaries would not be hit. Also, programs for the poor, such as Medicaid, would be exempted.

2 Aug 2011

Blocking IGF-1 receptor cripples cancer growth in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Blocking a growth factor receptor cripples cancer growth in a form of T cell leukemia, according to a study published online on August 1 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

2 Aug 2011

Scientists produce first systematic network map of plant protein interactions

An international consortium of scientists has produced the first systematic network map of interactions that occur between proteins in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

2 Aug 2011

$VP, balloon kyphoplasty safe and effective for women with vertebral fractures$

VP, balloon kyphoplasty safe and effective for women with vertebral fractures

A working group of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) has issued a literature review of prospective controlled studies comparing the efficacy and safety of two minimally invasive techniques for vertebral augmentation after spine fracture: vertebroplasty (VP) and balloon kyphoplasty.

2 Aug 2011

HHS reviewing Florida's plans for Medicaid; Iowa hospital system taking the brunt of Medicaid growth

Officials from Florida and the federal government are working on the state's plans to move all Medicaid enrollees to managed care plans. Meanwhile, Iowa is planning changes to its Medicaid program that could impact the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. And a Medicaid provider in Georgia finds anomalies in payments.

2 Aug 2011

Neighborhood SES and leisure-time physical activity after myocardial infarction

Engaging in physical activity after a heart attack is known to increase the odds of survival. In a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers from the Israel Study Group on First Acute Myocardial Infarction found that myocardial infarction survivors who lived in low socioeconomic status neighborhoods engaged in lower levels of leisure-time physical activity compared to survivors from wealthier neighborhoods.

2 Aug 2011

Taxoxifen combined with dasatinib reverses chemo-resistance in breast cancer cells

Taking a leukemia chemotherapy drug may help breast cancer patients who don't respond to tamoxifen overcome resistance to the widely-used drug, new research from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson suggests.

2 Aug 2011

RSS honors UNC researcher with 2011 Distinguished Service to Rural Life Award

Joanne M. Jordan, MD, MPH, director of the Thurston Arthritis Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has received the 2011 Distinguished Service to Rural Life Award from the Rural Sociological Society.

2 Aug 2011

Statins may help protect young people from future strokes

New research indicates cholesterol lowering drugs known as statins may help prevent future strokes among young people who have already had a stroke.

2 Aug 2011

Exploring the debt deal's repercussions

Politico asks if the agreement will muddy the Medicare waters. Meanwhile, USA Today examines the political damage that it may ultimately cause.

2 Aug 2011

Cost/benefit analysis shows net savings for obesity and eating disorders

Teaching middle-school children about nutrition and exercise and encouraging them to watch less TV can save the health care system a substantial amount of money, suggests an economic analysis from Children's Hospital Boston and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

2 Aug 2011

Manual of Clinical Microbiology now available as a digital edition

ASM Press announces the availability of the newest edition of its authoritative reference for clinical laboratory professionals. The Manual of Clinical Microbiology, 10th edition, is available in both print and, for the first time, a digital edition.

2 Aug 2011

Sleep Innovations launches REMedy Bed Upgrade Kit for students

Sleep Innovations, a market leader in designing and manufacturing advanced foam sleep solutions, today introduced the REMedy Bed Upgrade Kit, a unique bedding collection featuring a gel-infused memory foam mattress topper and coordinating pillow, designed to help students get the essential sleep they need for strong performance and academic achievement in school.

2 Aug 2011

Merrimack receives FDA orphan drug status for MM-398 to treat pancreatic cancer

Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted MM-398 orphan drug status for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

2 Aug 2011

Roundup: Calif.'s health-budget cuts; new med school for rural docs; community health centers packed

Faced with years of recession-driven budget shortfalls, state lawmakers have made deep cuts to health and social services. The reductions, including a round that took effect this month, translate into sizable state savings but are sharply scaling back the safety net for California's most vulnerable residents: the elderly, the disabled and the poor.

2 Aug 2011

Ursodeoxycholic acid could help prevent disturbances in heart's normal rhythm

A synthesised compound which is also found in bear bile could help prevent disturbances in the heart's normal rhythm, according to research published today in the journal Hepatology by a team from Imperial College London.

2 Aug 2011

Scientists design octapeptides to fight drug resistant ovarian cancer cells

Italian and German scientists have designed peptides to target the protein-protein interface of a key enzyme in DNA synthesis crucial for cancer growth. The peptides act by a novel inhibitory mechanism and curb cancer cell growth in drug resistant ovarian cancer cells.

2 Aug 2011