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UCLA study highlights traffic-related asthma flares in urban areas

A new academic study led by UCLA scientists has found that even brief exposure to ultrafine pollution particles near a Los Angeles freeway is potent enough to boost the allergic inflammation that exacerbates asthma.

2 Jul 2010

FUISZ files new patent, receives notice of issuance for patent claims for blood analysis devices

First, FUISZ announced that it has received a notice of issuance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for patent claims that cover a direct connection between prescribing physicians and blood analysis devices.

2 Jul 2010

Diabetics need more 'heat awareness'

Hot weather and diabetes can make for a potentially dangerous combination, according to a Mayo Clinic presentation at the 92nd Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society in San Diego, California, June 19-22.

2 Jul 2010

Seattle Times examines reaction to G8 summit commitments, Upcoming 'Global Washington' recommendations for U.S. foreign assistance reform

The Seattle Times' "The Business of Giving" blog examines global health community leaders' reactions to the outcomes of the recent G8 summit in Canada.

2 Jul 2010

BIDMC calls for new training program for personalized healthcare

The Department of Pathology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have issued "A Call to Action" for the medical profession to catch up with the technology and business communities in the application of genomics to personalized health care.

2 Jul 2010

Five questions about the government's new health insurance website

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz provides some key details relating to this new way to shop for health insurance coverage (Galewitz, 7/1).

2 Jul 2010

Small business says 10 percent tanning tax that starts today is overcooked

As of July 1, tanning salons have to charge customers a 10 percent tax on their services to help pay for part of the new health reform law and that requirement has attracted the howls of small business, NPR reports. "Tanning salon owners are outraged. They say the new tax is the last thing they need in a struggling economy.

2 Jul 2010

DNA damage caused by UVA radiation leads to melanoma

A new study by researchers at NYU School of Medicine found that UVA radiation damages the DNA in human melanocyte cells, causing mutations that can lead to melanoma. Melanocytes, which contain a substance called melanin that darkens the skin to protect it from the ultraviolet rays of the sun, are more vulnerable to UVA radiation than normal skin cells because they are unable to repair themselves as efficiently.

2 Jul 2010

Frenotomy procedure can help babies to breastfeed effectively

Doctors advise new mothers to breastfeed for at least the first six months of a baby's life, but a simple yet often untreated problem can sabotage their efforts, University of Florida researchers say.

2 Jul 2010

HHS launches website to provide consumers with public, private health coverage options

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today unveiled an innovative new on-line tool that will help consumers take control of their health care by connecting them to new information and resources that will help them access quality, affordable health care coverage. Called for by the Affordable Care Act, HealthCare.gov is the first website to provide consumers with both public and private health coverage options tailored specifically for their needs in a single, easy-to-use tool.

2 Jul 2010

Allogeneic stem cell transplant holds promise for treatment-resistant chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Allogeneic (donor-derived) stem cell transplant (alloSCT) may be a promising option for patients with treatment-resistant chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), regardless of the patient's underlying genetic abnormalities, according to the results of a study published online today in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology.

2 Jul 2010

Researchers identify gene abnormality for most common congenital birth defect, clubfoot

Although clubfoot is one of the most common congenital birth defects, few genetic causes have been found. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found what they believe to be the most common cause of inherited clubfoot yet discovered.

2 Jul 2010

Amedica, SUNY Upstate Medical University partner in comparative study of biomaterials

Amedica Corporation, a spinal and orthopaedic implant and instrument manufacturer focused on unique silicon nitride (SiN) ceramic technologies, announced that it has entered into an agreement with SUNY Upstate Medical University to conduct an additional research study that evaluates the company's SiN ceramic technology compared to PEEK interbody fusion devices. The two-year study will measure the fusion performance of the two biomaterials.

2 Jul 2010

Medicare weighs cost, benefit of covering Dendreon's Provenge for prostate cancer

The announcement that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would do this analysis "was the latest hurdle in Dendreon's push to get its Provenge treatment used. If the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services covers Provenge, that would increase the number of patients eligible and likely force private insurers to do the same.

2 Jul 2010

New formula may speed up organ allocation process, improve transplant outcomes

Only a small fraction of transplant centers nationwide are willing to accept and transplant deceased-donor kidneys that they perceive as less than perfect, leading to lengthy, organ-damaging delays as officials use a one-by-one approach to find a willing taker.

2 Jul 2010

LPD study unveils similarities, differences among Life Expectancy Underwriters

A study just released by Life Policy Dynamics (LPD) revealed some significant differences among Life Expectancy Underwriters, as well as some similarities.

2 Jul 2010

House Subcommittee approves $52.7B FY11 Foreign Ops appropriations bill

The Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs approved a $52.7 billion FY 2011 spending bill on Wednesday that withheld $3.9 billion in aid for Afghanistan over concerns about corruption in the country, CongressDaily reports. The bill "already cut $4 billion from President Obama's request to fund the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development and dozens of foreign assistance and cooperation programs," the publication writes.

2 Jul 2010