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Democrats confident food safety bill will be resolved despite procedural error; Child nutrition bill set for house vote

The Hill's Healthwatch Blog: "Senate Democrats say an error in the food-safety bill passed Tuesday can be resolved in time to send the legislation to President Obama by the end of the year. Two senior leadership aides confirmed that the bill the Senate approved, 73-25, inadvertently contained tax provisions that, under the Constitution, must originate in the House of Representatives. That means the bill must be passed a second time by the Senate, giving critics such as Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) another chance to block it" (Rushing and Lillis, 12/1).

3 Dec 2010

Dysfunction in blood vessels plays a role in Alzheimer's disease development

A dysfunction in the lining of blood vessels that is linked to cardiovascular illness also appears to play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in Circulation Research: Journal of the American Heart Association.

3 Dec 2010

TITAN Modular Total Shoulder System implantation performed at Bucks County Specialty Hospital

Ascension Orthopedics, Inc., the world leader in PyroCarbon orthopedic devices, announces another implantation of the TITAN™ Modular Total Shoulder. The surgery was performed by Matthew Ramsey, M.D. at Bucks County Specialty Hospital in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.

3 Dec 2010

Mushrooms are good source of vitamin D

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently released the results of its 24-month review on dietary reference intakes (DRIs) for vitamin D and calcium, which validated the importance of vitamin D as an essential nutrient for promoting bone health. The committee set the recommended intake level at 600 IU, which is triple the previously recommended amount from 1997.

3 Dec 2010

Research on ribosome could aid antibiotic development against MRSA infection

Theoretical biologists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have used a New Mexico supercomputer to aid an international research team in untangling another mystery related to ribosomes-those enigmatic jumbles of molecules that are the protein factories of living cells.

3 Dec 2010

AHA: Incidence of hospitalization for heart valve diseases rises in New York

The incidence of hospitalization and treatment for heart valve diseases in New York State has constantly and progressively risen since the early 1980s, according to research presented at the recent meeting of the American Heart Association (AHA) by SUNY Downstate Medical Center. The study results were published in a supplement to the AHA journal, Circulation.

3 Dec 2010

More Coloradans lose Medicare Advantage plans, Missouri lawmakers push for doctor's order to buy common cold and allergy meds

The Denver Post: "Nearly 14,000 Coloradans are losing their form of Medicare Advantage plans next year and will need to choose new options, creating a hardship for 1,700 rural Medicare members who won't find similar plans left on the table. Medicare Advantage carriers such as Humana, Anthem, Secure Horizons and MVP dropped some Medicare Advantage plans in Colorado. … The dropped carriers affect 13,936 beneficiaries in Colorado, including 3,832 in the Denver metro area" (Booth, 12/2).

3 Dec 2010

Doctors still prescribe higher-dose menopausal hormone therapy pills

Doctors across the country are still prescribing higher-dose menopausal hormone therapy pills, despite clinical evidence that low doses and skin patches work just as well and carry fewer health risks. That's what researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine found in a study that will be published online Dec. 2 in Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society.

3 Dec 2010

Fourteen cases identified on E. coli infection related to raw milk consumption in Connecticut

Raw milk is consumed by an estimated 1-3 percent of the United States population. Raw milk and raw cheeses are responsible for almost 70 percent of reported dairy outbreaks. On July 16, 2008, the Connecticut Department of Public Health identified two unrelated children who had experienced hemolytic uremic syndrome after consuming raw milk from the same farm. The authors investigated the situation further and found more cases of people affected by raw milk from the same farm.

3 Dec 2010

CDC: Hip replacement surgical procedures are more prevalent in the U.S.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hip replacements are among the most common surgical procedures in the United States; and with osteoarthritis and obesity on the rise, demand for the procedure is expected to grow.

3 Dec 2010

Indiana University to join multi-state program focused on cervical cancer prevention

Indiana will join a multi-state program focused on cervical cancer prevention thanks to an unrestricted gift from GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals to the Indiana University School of Medicine, in partnership with the Kristen Forbes EVE Foundation.

3 Dec 2010

MU nanomedicine experts form new partnership with Shasun Pharmaceuticals

University of Missouri leaders celebrated a nanomedicine milestone today as they announced the creation of a new drug development company. The new company forms a partnership between university researchers and an international pharmaceutical firm to advance testing of a potential cancer treatment created at MU.

3 Dec 2010

Justice Department offers expedited antitrust review for ACOs

Bloomberg: "Sharis Pozen, chief of staff of the [Justice] Department's antitrust division, told a House judiciary subcommittee" that "[t]he department intends to offer whatever guidance and clarity may be needed to ensure that providers pursue beneficial integrated ACOs without running afoul of the antitrust laws."

3 Dec 2010

Quebec Foundation invests $5 million for breast cancer research

Thanks to Quebecers' generosity and the many fundraising activities organized over the last two years, the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation is proud to announce a new strategic funding competition, through which it will invest up to $5 million in Quebec for breast cancer research.

3 Dec 2010

EPO upholds Alnylam's Tuschl II 1407044 patent

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that the European Patent Office (EPO) has fully upheld its Tuschl II '044 (EP 1407044) patent in oral opposition proceedings held in Munich. Specifically, the originally granted claims of the '044 patent were upheld without any modification and were deemed valid and supported by the EPO.

3 Dec 2010

Health costs: Employer-sponsored insurance premiums rise 41%

Premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance increased an average of 41 percent across states from 2003 to 2009, more than three times faster than median incomes, and Maryland's rise was among the highest, at 50%, according to a report to be released Thursday by the Commonwealth Fund.

3 Dec 2010

Alcohol drinking pattern impacts coronary heart disease

A fascinating study published in the BMJ shows that although the French drink more than the Northern Irish each week, as they drink daily, rather than more on less occasions, the French suffered from considerably less coronary heart disease than the Northern Irish.

3 Dec 2010

Teva comments on Lovenox’s patent infringement lawsuit

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. commented today on the patent infringement lawsuit filed by Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sandoz Inc.

3 Dec 2010

Medicare beneficiaries will need significant savings to cover health insurance costs in retirement

The Hill's Healthwatch blog: "Medicare beneficiaries of retirement age will need upwards of nearly $150,000 in savings to cover health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses in order to have a 50-50 chance of being financially secure in retirement, according to a new report from the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).

3 Dec 2010

Scientists propose new effort to identify proteins in cancer cells

Scientists are proposing an international effort, on the scale of the Human Genome Project (HGP), to identify all the proteins present in cancer cells. HGP was the international scientific research project that identified and mapped all the genes in humans.

3 Dec 2010