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With Congress on recess, health reform politics emerge on homefront

While Americans remain divided over the new health reform law, "they aren't clamoring for its repeal. … Instead, the public seems willing to listen to candidates who would give the overhaul a chance and fix or improve it as needed. That's the signal from some surveys and a congressional race in a bellwether Pennsylvania district."

2 Jun 2010

Latinos have highest rates of eye disease: New research

New research suggests Latinos have the highest rates of eye disease in the United States, and one Los Angeles area clinic, Eye Physicians of Long Beach, is supremely prepared to meet the community's eye care needs.

2 Jun 2010

Cognitive ability makes the difference in decision-making

Just because your mother has turned 85, you shouldn't assume you'll have to take over her financial matters. She may be just as good or better than you at making quick, sound, money-making decisions, according to researchers at Duke University.

2 Jun 2010

Prototype breast cancer vaccine shows promising results in mice

US scientists have developed a prototype breast cancer vaccine that has shown promising results in very early laboratory tests on mice. The vaccine contains a protein called alpha-lactalbumin, which is found in large quantities in the majority of breast cancers.

2 Jun 2010

Parents can play critical role in children's autism treatment: New research

New research on behavioral treatment for autism has been released by the Chicago Children's Clinic, advancing previous findings that parents can play a critical role in a child's autism treatment.

2 Jun 2010

Former Columbia/HCA CEO Rick Scott spends millions on Florida governor campaign

News outlets report on the campaign of multimillionaire Rick Scott, the former CEO of the Columbia/HCA health care company, who is running in the Republican gubernatorial primary in Florida.

2 Jun 2010

Scammers look to take advantage of health law

The Green Bay CBS affiliate is reporting that the "Better Business Bureau is putting out an alert about health insurance related scams." Scammers have been more active since the health bill passed.

2 Jun 2010

Tomorrow's elderly will need to pay for care

As their autonomy fades, tomorrow's elderly will need to create non-traditional support networks or pay for the care they receive.

2 Jun 2010

McGill University granted 'Orphan Drug Designation' for pulmonary infection drug fenretinide

In addition to their suffering, rare disease patients often have to face the harsh reality that few pharmaceutical companies will ever be able to offer new treatments for their condition because the costs of new treatments will never be recovered from such a small market. But there are ways they can be helped. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's "Orphan Drug Designation" offers a wide range of benefits that help organizations developing treatments for diseases and conditions affecting fewer than 200,000 patients in the United States.

2 Jun 2010

New report shows one in three young women receive HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer

Only about one in three young women has received the human papillomavirus vaccine to help prevent cervical cancer, according to a new report from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

2 Jun 2010

Cancer patients should find ways to be physically active during and after treatment: New national guidelines

Cancer patients who've been told to rest and avoid exercise can - and should - find ways to be physically active both during and after treatment, according to new national guidelines. Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, MPH, an associate professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and a member of the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, will present these guidelines at an educational session at the 2010 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, aimed at making cancer exercise rehabilitation programs as common as those offered to people who have had heart attacks or undergone cardiac surgery.

2 Jun 2010

Scientists discover key mechanism of cancer cells

Many tumor cells would not be viable due to aberrant chromosome distribution if they had not developed a special trick. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center have investigated which genes are responsible for this survival strategy of cancer cells.

2 Jun 2010

Onyx Pharmaceuticals commences Phase 1 study of ONX 0912 oral proteasome inhibitor for cancer

Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the initiation of a Phase 1 study of ONX 0912, an oral proteasome inhibitor, in patients with advanced refractory or recurrent solid tumors.

2 Jun 2010

Obama administration sides with city in San Francisco lawsuit

"The Obama administration took San Francisco's side Friday in a legal dispute over the city's groundbreaking health coverage law, urging the Supreme Court to reject an appeal by restaurant owners who objected to paying part of the cost. In a long-awaited filing, government lawyers said passage of national health insurance legislation 'has dramatically changed the landscape' and reduced the likelihood that cities and states would adopt laws like San Francisco's. The case presents no pressing issues that require the court's review, the lawyers said."

2 Jun 2010

Medicare patients may face accessibility crisis to medical care

According to an article in the June issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS), Medicare patients - many who suffer from disabling arthritis of the hip and knee, among other age-related ailments - may end up facing an accessibility crisis to medical care.

2 Jun 2010

Infighting threatens COBRA subsidy extension, longer Medicare doc pay 'fix'

Roll Call reports that infighting over some unemployment benefits and a scheduled "fix" of Medicare physician payments has left Democratic congressional leaders at a "dramatic low" in their relationship. "And while publicly, House and Senate leaders refused to assign blame, the behind-the-scenes story was far different. The deadline for the benefits package had been looming for weeks.

2 Jun 2010

Study sheds light on molecular mechanisms of genital and urinary tract abnormalities

Scientists have learned how a gene widely known for precisely positioning and sculpting various organs also controls the speed of cell division, a finding that could be useful for understanding the explosive growth of cancer cells or why increasing numbers of children are being born with genital and urinary tract malformations.

2 Jun 2010

EMBL scientists identify two small RNA molecules that ensure red blood cell production

Red blood cells, the delivery men that take oxygen to cells all around the body, have short lives. To keep enough of them in circulation, the human body produces around 2 million of these cells every second - even more in response to challenges like severe blood loss. In a study published today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Monterotondo, Italy, and EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute in Hinxton, UK, have identified two small RNA molecules which ensure that enough red blood cells are produced efficiently, by fine-tuning a number of different genes involved in this process.

2 Jun 2010

Postdoctoral scientists receive NYSCF-Druckenmiller Fellowship award

The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) today announced the award of eight new NYSCF-Druckenmiller Fellows. These postdoctoral scientists join 15 accomplished stem cell researchers from leading institutions who have been supported by the program since 2006. NYSCF has awarded 23 fellowships to date.

2 Jun 2010

Men with ED are at increased risk of high CACS: Researchers

In the largest study to date evaluating erectile dysfunction and coronary artery calcification, researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have determined that men with ED are at a significantly increased risk of high coronary artery calcification scores, a known predictor of future cardiovascular events.

2 Jun 2010