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Loophole in CHIP costs feds millions in lost revenue

"A tobacco tax loophole in President Barack Obama's children's health insurance program cost the government more than $250 million in its first year, public health officials say. The loophole allowed companies to avoid huge tax increases on loose rolling tobacco by relabeling their product as pipe tobacco. The simple marketing twist lets companies pay $2.83 per pound, rather than the $24.78 per pound levied on rolling tobacco. That proved an expensive technicality in the way the government pays for health insurance for poor children."

3 Jun 2010

ACT Biotech's Telatinib receives orphan drug designation from FDA for treatment of gastric cancer

ACT Biotech Inc., a privately held biotechnology company developing a portfolio of oral kinase inhibitors as anti-cancer drugs, announced today that the company's highly selective oral kinase inhibitor, Telatinib, has received orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of gastric cancer.

3 Jun 2010

NICE updates recommendations on diagnosis, treatment of low risk BCCs

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has updated its recommendations on the diagnosis and treatment of 'low risk' basal cell carcinomas.

3 Jun 2010

Phase III study of Afinitor tablets in patients with advanced pancreatic NET meets primary endpoint

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today that a Phase III study of Afinitor (everolimus) tablets plus best supportive care met its primary endpoint, showing the drug significantly extended progression-free survival, or time without tumor growth, in patients with advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

3 Jun 2010

Same-sex partners to get long-term care benefits, federal personnel office says

Same-sex domestic partners of federal employees will next month be able to apply for long-term health insurance provided to government workers through the Office of Personnel Management, officials said Tuesday.

3 Jun 2010

NCCTG study testing methylphenidate in treatment of cancer-related fatigue completed

Cancer-related fatigue is often a major problem for cancer patients, beginning at diagnosis, during treatment and after completing therapy. Researchers at Mayo Clinic and the North Central Cancer Treatment Group recently completed a study testing methylphenidate in the treatment of cancer-related fatigue and found that, while it did not improve fatigue for a broad group of patients, the data did not rule out a benefit for those with stage III/IV cancer.

3 Jun 2010

Middle-aged Americans are close to panic about future, says Alberta researcher

Middle-aged Canadians are much less worried about the future than their American counterparts, some of whom are close to panic, says an Alberta researcher who has just finished a survey in both countries. And she says the differing attitudes today may foreshadow growing differences between the two countries as that cohort move into old age.

3 Jun 2010

The Beryl Institute establishes grant program to improve patient experience in healthcare

As part of its commitment to support research and learning around customer service and the patient experience in healthcare, The Beryl Institute, based in Bedford, Texas, has established The Beryl Institute Patient Experience Grant Program.

3 Jun 2010

Researchers discover relationship between DNA methylation and positioning of nucleosomes

A previously unknown pattern in DNA methylation - an event that affects cell function by altering gene expression - has been uncovered for the first time by stem cell researchers at UCLA, a finding that could have implications in preventing some cancers and correcting defects in human stem cell lines.

3 Jun 2010

What the new health law means for you

The new health law signed by President Obama this spring contains the most sweeping changes to the American health system in a generation.

3 Jun 2010

Top physicians offer health advice to help people survive during summer

This summer a variety of top physicians at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital are offering health advice to help survive the travails that come with one of the most active seasons of the year.

3 Jun 2010

ZELTIQ raises $25M in Series D funding

ZELTIQ, a California-based developer of ground-breaking non-invasive fat reduction technology, today announces that it has raised $25 million in Series D funding. Aisling Capital led the round and was joined by returning investors Advanced Technology Ventures, Frazier Healthcare Ventures and Venrock. Since being formed in 2005, ZELTIQ has raised approximately $50 million.

3 Jun 2010

Chili peppers may cause weight loss and fight fat buildup, says study

Scientists are reporting new evidence that capsaicin, the stuff that gives chili peppers their kick, may cause weight loss and fight fat buildup by triggering certain beneficial protein changes in the body. Their study, which could lead to new treatments for obesity, appears in ACS' monthly Journal of Proteome Research.

3 Jun 2010

UTHealth, UH awarded $150,000 grant to find cure and better treatments for Alzheimer's disease

Cure Alzheimer's Fund recently awarded the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the University of Houston a $150,000 grant to fund innovative research on Alzheimer's disease, which currently affects 5.3 million Americans and their families and is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly.

3 Jun 2010

U.N. Secretary-General calls for African nations to invest 15% of national budgets to fight HIV/AIDS

During a tour of the Joint Clinical Research Centre in Kampala, Uganda, on Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called for countries in Africa to invest 15 percent of their national budgets in HIV/AIDS programs, the Daily Monitor reports.

3 Jun 2010

Research explains brain's susceptibility to dystonia

Why do some diseases affect only specific organs, leaving others invulnerable? Researchers from the University of Michigan have found neural tissue contains imbalanced levels of proteins, which may explain the brain's susceptibility to a debilitating childhood movement disorder.

3 Jun 2010

ARRA awards stimulus grants to AMIA members

Numerous grants funded by the U.S. economic stimulus program (ARRA) Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, to advance the use of health information technology (HIT) and to ready a professional informatics work force, have been awarded to leading members of the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), a growing professional society that for the last two decades has advocated for informatics as a health care specialty.

3 Jun 2010

Researchers describe chain of molecular events that increase one's risk of skin cancer

As people head to the beach this summer, very few if any, really know how likely they are to develop skin cancer from their outdoor fun. That's about to change, thanks to a new discovery by an international team of scientists that makes it possible for doctors to access people's personal risk for skin cancer.

3 Jun 2010

Tips to prevent back injuries

Whether moving to a new home or packing up for the semester, the physical intensity of moving can be extreme. Packing boxes, moving heavy furniture, emptying overhead cabinets -- all come with some risk for injury, especially to your back. Back pain is one of the most common reasons for Americans visit their doctors.

3 Jun 2010

PMRT increases breast cancer patients' five-year overall survival by almost 50%: Study

Postmastectomy radiation therapy for some breast cancer patients can reduce their risk of recurrence by almost 30 percent and increase their five-year overall survival by almost 50 percent, according to a study in the June 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology.

3 Jun 2010

Medical News

Loophole in CHIP costs feds millions in lost revenue

ACT Biotech's Telatinib receives orphan drug designation from FDA for treatment of gastric cancer

NICE updates recommendations on diagnosis, treatment of low risk BCCs

Phase III study of Afinitor tablets in patients with advanced pancreatic NET meets primary endpoint

Same-sex partners to get long-term care benefits, federal personnel office says

NCCTG study testing methylphenidate in treatment of cancer-related fatigue completed

Middle-aged Americans are close to panic about future, says Alberta researcher

The Beryl Institute establishes grant program to improve patient experience in healthcare

Researchers discover relationship between DNA methylation and positioning of nucleosomes

What the new health law means for you

Top physicians offer health advice to help people survive during summer

ZELTIQ raises $25M in Series D funding

Chili peppers may cause weight loss and fight fat buildup, says study

UTHealth, UH awarded $150,000 grant to find cure and better treatments for Alzheimer's disease

U.N. Secretary-General calls for African nations to invest 15% of national budgets to fight HIV/AIDS

Research explains brain's susceptibility to dystonia

ARRA awards stimulus grants to AMIA members

Researchers describe chain of molecular events that increase one's risk of skin cancer

Tips to prevent back injuries

PMRT increases breast cancer patients' five-year overall survival by almost 50%: Study

Redefining control and consistency in anaerobic microbiome workflows

AI in Healthcare: How generative tools are transforming clinical practice

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

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