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New technique to identify patients more likely to survive advanced melanoma

Although the chances of surviving advanced melanoma aren't very good with current therapies, some patients can live for years with cancer that has spread beyond the skin to other organs. Now it may be possible to identify which patients are more likely to survive by analyzing the activity of hundreds of genes involved in the immune response and gene proliferation, according to researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center.

10 Nov 2009

New FDA Food Code published

The Food and Drug Administration today announced the publication of the new FDA Food Code, a model code and reference document that provides a scientifically sound technical and legal basis for regulating the retail and food service segment of the food industry. The 2009 FDA Food Code is a key component of the President's overall public-health-focused food safety framework for maintaining a safe food supply.

10 Nov 2009

Kenya to launch MSM survey to help control spread of HIV

TIME examines the Kenyan government's upcoming survey of gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in the country's "three biggest cities" in an effort to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS.

10 Nov 2009

U.S., U.N. perspectives on food aid to Somalia examined

Emergency food aid to Somalia has been interrupted, partly because of a recent U.S. decision to delay food contributions to the country out of concern that it would end up in the hands of terrorists, U.N. officials said on Friday, the New York Times reports.

10 Nov 2009

Needle exchanges could be limited under Congressional bill

The New York Times reports on federal legislation that could limit needle exchanges. "A bill working its way through Congress would lift a ban of more than 20 years on using federal money for needle exchange programs.

10 Nov 2009

Military and VA struggle with mental health and other health care issues

The events at Fort Hood highlight the military's struggle to provide mental health care for soldiers, veterans and the therapists who treat them.

10 Nov 2009

Yoga practitioners have a healthy heart

Heart rate variability, a sign of a healthy heart, has been shown to be higher in yoga practitioners than in non-practitioners, according to research to be published in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Medical Engineering and Informatics.

10 Nov 2009

House bill abortion deal creates a new set of reform challenges

The New York Times reports that a "restriction on abortion coverage, added late Saturday to the health care bill passed by the House, has energized abortion opponents with their biggest victory in years — emboldening them for a pitched battle in the Senate." The Times notes that "the provision would block the use of federal subsidies for insurance that covers elective abortions" and is a major win -- "the biggest turning point in the battle over the procedure since the ban on so-called partial birth abortions six years ago."

10 Nov 2009

FDA approves Istodax for treatment of Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Istodax (romidepsin), an injectable medication, for treatment of patients with a rare form of cancer known as Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma (CTCL).

10 Nov 2009

Health bill triggers some complaints from industry, though some will benefit

Health care companies stand to gain from legislation that would expand their market to millions of new consumers, but many are also complaining about specific provisions of the House health care overhaul bill, the New York Times reports.

10 Nov 2009

European Union funds a three-year project to establish a research network for complementary medicine study

A three-year project called CAMbrella will receive nearly 1.5 million euros of European Union funding to establish a research network for the study of complementary medicine. The Center for Naturopathic Research at "Rechts der Isar," the university hospital of the Technische Universitaet Muenchen will coordinate the project for the winning applicant group, which includes 16 scientific organizations from 12 European countries.

10 Nov 2009

H1N1 cases increase in China, Japan; Afghanistan attempts to contain virus

The WHO on Friday reported on a rising number of H1N1 (swine flu) cases in China and Japan, Reuters/Washington Post reports. "In China, after an earlier wave of mixed influenza activity (seasonal H3N2 and pandemic H1N1), pandemic H1N1 influenza activity now predominates and is increasing," the agency said. "Sharp increases in pandemic flu infections continue to be reported throughout Japan, particularly on the northern island," the news service writes (Nebehay, 11/6).

10 Nov 2009

FDA accepts ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals' NDA for Omapro

ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Limited announced today that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company’s New Drug Application (NDA) for Omapro™ (omacetaxine mepesuccinate) for the treatment of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who have failed treatment with imatinib and who have developed the Bcr-Abl T315I mutation.

10 Nov 2009

Employees face rising health care costs during open enrollment season

Employees are facing rising health care costs during this open enrollment season.

10 Nov 2009

VOA News examines conculsion of MIM Pan-African Malaria Conference

The 5th Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Pan-African Conference ended Friday in Nairobi, Kenya, " with scientists expressing optimism about several developments in the works to prevent, treat, and possibly eradicate a disease that kills nearly one million people in Africa each year," VOA News reports.

10 Nov 2009

WHO report calls for improved health care for women, girls

A new WHO report, released Monday, said women tend to "receive poorer quality care throughout their lives, particularly as teenagers and elderly people" even though they live six to eight years longer than men, Reuters reports. The WHO said women worldwide are "'denied a chance to develop their full human potential' because many of their critical medical needs are ignored" (MacInnis, 11/9).

10 Nov 2009

Diabetic Care Services responds to NRF's updated “Buyer Beware” list

Diabetic Care Services responds to the National Retail Federation’s updated “Buyer Beware” list with tips on avoiding fraudulent diabetes supplies. The NRF updated its list of common household items, including diabetes supplies, sold on online auction sites that are at risk of being stolen or tainted.

10 Nov 2009

House healthcare bill is radically off the mark: Cinergy Health

Cinergy Health, a nationwide provider of guaranteed issue health insurance benefit programs for the consumer market, expressed its concern for the house healthcare bill that passed Saturday, November 7th.

9 Nov 2009

Costly ER bills raise questions, concerns

McClatchy/The Sacramento Bee reports on a the experience of Scott Hawkins, a 23-year old student who received five minutes of ER care at the UC Davis Medical Center before being pronounced dead. McClatchy reports: "Few question the extent to which doctors tried to save the student's life on Oct. 21, but the amount billed for his emergency care has provoked outrage - a further example, critics said, of what is wrong in a health care system that is roundly maligned for its escalating costs."

9 Nov 2009

Children with autism may have lower quality handwriting, says study

Children with autism may have lower quality handwriting and trouble forming letters compared to children without autism, according to a study published in the November 10, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

9 Nov 2009