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GOP leaders keep up the criticism about Democratic-backed health overhaul plans

Republicans are standing united — mostly — against health care reform in Congress as they try to make the case that Democratic-backed reforms are the wrong way to go.

19 Oct 2009

Majority of girls and young women well aware of HPV vaccine's benefits and limitations

Contrary to concerns that the human papillomavirus vaccine might promote promiscuity, a national survey of girls and young women found that the majority of respondents did not believe the HPV vaccine protected them against other sexually transmitted infections.

19 Oct 2009

Insurers vs. Dems: Battle over AHIP report leads to 'grudge match'

An industry-sponsored report forecasting soaring health insurance prices as a result of reform plans ignited a fight between insurers and Democrats, and doused a fragile truce between top insurance lobbyist Karen Ignagni and White House health adviser Nancy-Ann DeParle, TIME reports. After a years-long relationship and more-than-weekly phone calls despite tensions over reform plans, the recent episode "shattered the thin trust between the Administration and the insurance lobby."

19 Oct 2009

NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology updated to include pralatrexate drug

NCCN has added pralatrexate (Folotyn(TM), Allos Therapeutics, Inc.) to the NCCN Guidelines for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas as one of the options for second-line therapy for relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma.

19 Oct 2009

Smoking bans reduce risk of of heart attack in nonsmokers and smokers

Smoking bans are effective at reducing the risk of heart attacks and heart disease associated with exposure to secondhand smoke, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. The report also confirms there is sufficient evidence that breathing secondhand smoke boosts nonsmokers' risk for heart problems, adding that indirect evidence indicating that even relatively brief exposures could lead to a heart attack is compelling.

19 Oct 2009

Pelosi raises banner of public plan in response to insurers' attacks

The health insurance industry's recent attacks on health-overhaul legislation only strengthens the case for the federal government to offer a competing health plan, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Thursday, the Associated Press reports.

19 Oct 2009

Advanced regeneration system for cleaning water wells

Wells are used to extract water from aquifers, natural underground stores of water found on layers of permeable rock, gravel or clay. The water is pumped up and transported via pipes to treatment works, where it is cleaned and filtered through gravel beds before being conveyed to domestic and business consumers via a network of smaller pipes or mains.

19 Oct 2009

Chrysanthemum indicum extract holds promise for treating human cancer

A series of studies have demonstrated that Chrysanthemum indicum possesses antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, immunomodulatory, and neuroprotective effects. Recently, much attention has been devoted to the anticancer activity of Chrysanthemum indicum, especially in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its anticancer mechanism of action is still not clear and needs further investigation.

19 Oct 2009

Parents are concerned about the overuse of prescription medications with their children: Survey

A new nationwide survey released today reveals that just 12 percent of parents with children under the age of 18 have spoken to their child's doctor about complementary and integrative approaches to medicine, yet nearly 90 percent say they want to know more.

19 Oct 2009

Senate Democratic leaders say party will unite on health reform vote

Sens. Max Baucus and Harry Reid are predicting that a health care overhaul in the Senate will attract the votes of all Democrats in the Senate — and maybe even more than one Republican.

19 Oct 2009

Physical therapists can promote early diagnosis of breast cancer-related lymphedema

As breast cancer awareness month is observed during October, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is hoping to shine a spotlight on lymphedema, a chronic, debilitating and often irreversible side effect of cancer treatment.

19 Oct 2009

Stem cell treatments could repair the kidney defects associated with Alport syndrome

Several cell-based therapy approaches could provide new treatments for patients with Alport syndrome, reports an upcoming paper in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). "Our study opens up many considerations of how new therapies related to the use of stem cells can be devised for our kidney patients with chronic disease," comments Raghu Kalluri, MD, PhD (Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA).

19 Oct 2009

Lawmakers wrestle with health reform details - publicly and behind closed doors

Reporters examine which provisions - such as the public option or cost control provisions - may be included as House and Senate negotiators try to meld various Democratic health reform bills.

19 Oct 2009

Immune-related proteins are potential drug targets for gastric inflammation and cancer

A research team from South Korea studied the complex reaction of gastric inflammation induced by Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) in a systematic manner using a protein interaction network. Their study will be published on September 28, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology.

19 Oct 2009

TheraDoc commences beta testing of new computerized patient surveillance tool

TheraDoc®, the leading provider of clinical decision support technology in healthcare, today announced that it has started beta testing of a new computerized patient surveillance tool that will help hospitals monitor and manage screening programs for multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, which every year kills more people in the United States than AIDS.

19 Oct 2009

Slow start for PSOs meant to help providers learn from mistakes

A federal agency has designated 68 "Patient Safety Organizations" to offer health care providers a way "to share information and learn from problems," Modern Healthcare reports. But, a year after the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality began implementing the program, its "technology has not been finessed enough to really enable that sharing."

19 Oct 2009

Pork consumption is safe, says USDA scientists

"USDA has confirmed that hogs at the Minnesota State Fair may have screened positive for the novel H1N1 virus. USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories expects to have confirmatory results within the next few days. This event is not unexpected given that much like humans, hogs can contract influenza viruses.

19 Oct 2009

Researchers find the genetic mutation that is linked with changes in brain development

For decades, scientists have thought the faulty neural wiring that predisposes individuals to behavioral disorders like autism and psychiatric diseases like schizophrenia must occur during development. Even so, no one has ever shown that a risk gene for the disease actually disrupts brain development.

19 Oct 2009

Poll questions lead to varying answers on health reform

News outlets continue to analyze how polls and public opinion intersect.

19 Oct 2009

More nutrition guidance needed to build good eating habits in growing children, says Nestle FITS survey

Parents and caregivers are hearing and following the feeding guidance for infants, yet continued work needs to be done to help them also build good eating habits for their growing children, suggests data from the Nestle Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) released today at a symposium at the American Dietetic Association's Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo.

19 Oct 2009

Medical News

GOP leaders keep up the criticism about Democratic-backed health overhaul plans

Majority of girls and young women well aware of HPV vaccine's benefits and limitations

Insurers vs. Dems: Battle over AHIP report leads to 'grudge match'

NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology updated to include pralatrexate drug

Smoking bans reduce risk of of heart attack in nonsmokers and smokers

Pelosi raises banner of public plan in response to insurers' attacks

Advanced regeneration system for cleaning water wells

Chrysanthemum indicum extract holds promise for treating human cancer

Parents are concerned about the overuse of prescription medications with their children: Survey

Senate Democratic leaders say party will unite on health reform vote

Physical therapists can promote early diagnosis of breast cancer-related lymphedema

Stem cell treatments could repair the kidney defects associated with Alport syndrome

Lawmakers wrestle with health reform details - publicly and behind closed doors

Immune-related proteins are potential drug targets for gastric inflammation and cancer

TheraDoc commences beta testing of new computerized patient surveillance tool

Slow start for PSOs meant to help providers learn from mistakes

Pork consumption is safe, says USDA scientists

Researchers find the genetic mutation that is linked with changes in brain development

Poll questions lead to varying answers on health reform

More nutrition guidance needed to build good eating habits in growing children, says Nestle FITS survey

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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