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Major insurers funded Chamber of Commerce ads attacking health bills

"Just as dealings with the Obama administration and congressional Democrats soured last summer, six of the nation's biggest health insurers began quietly pumping big money into third-party television ads aimed at killing or significantly modifying the major health reform bills moving through Congress," The National Journal reports.

18 Jan 2010

Bariatric surgery offers a new hope for obese patients

Obesity is a condition that often follows family lines, but bariatric surgery offers hope for breaking this generational pattern.

18 Jan 2010

Japan's MHLW approves InSightec's ExAblate MRgFUS system

InSightec Ltd. announced today that Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has approved the company's ExAblate(R) MR-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) system for the treatment of women with uterine fibroids.

18 Jan 2010

GOP governors say health 'deals' are being cut without their input

"Twenty Republican governors and governors-elect are accusing the White House of providing too little transparency on health care, causing worry that 'deals' are being cut without their input," Politico reports. "In a letter sent Wednesday to the Congressional leaders of both parties, the governors wrote that they are 'disappointed with the lack of transparency' as health care moves forward. … The letter comes, in part, as a response to the Obama administration's move to bring in Democratic governors to stump for the bill ahead of its expected passage" (Barr, 1/14).

18 Jan 2010

Study reveals interaction of genetic and environmental factors in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease

"Our study reveals the interaction of genetic and environmental factors such as dietary habits in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease," explained Dr. Matthias Elstner of the Neurological Clinic of LMU and Helmholtz Zentrum M-nchen, lead author of the study.

18 Jan 2010

Study provides strong evidence that intense neural activity underlies the experience of seeing

How do the visual images we experience, which have no tangible existence, arise out of physical processes in the brain? New research at the Weizmann Institute of Science provided evidence, for the first time, that an 'ignition' of intense neural activity underlies the experience of seeing.

18 Jan 2010

McConnell hopes Democrats see unpopularity of health bill and change course

Roll Call reports that Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell Tuesday "appeared to concede that there was little Republicans could do to block passage of health care reform" but said he hopes Democrats change their course on the reform bill.

18 Jan 2010

ChromoCure publishes results of cervical cancer study using its Chromosomal Scanner Technology

ChromoCure, Inc. is pleased to announce the publication of the Cervical Cancer Study, PRE-CLINICAL SYSTEM TESTING AND PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT, conducted in conjunction with a major international Cancer Clinic. The study analyzed samples supplied by the Cancer Clinic with its Proprietary Chromosomal Scanner Technology (full text can be found @ www.ChromoCure.com/library). The study demonstrated not only the correctness of the company's cancer detection approach but also the accuracy of the scan itself. The scanner performed perfectly with flawless detection results.

18 Jan 2010

Infections in Pennsylvania hospitals lower than national average, errors also down in Minn.

"The rates of two common hospital-acquired infections in Pennsylvania hospitals were lower than rates at hospitals elsewhere in the United States, according to the first report on infections issued Tuesday by the state Department of Health."

18 Jan 2010

JDRF and Animas partner to develop an automated system for better control of type 1 diabetes

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation today announced an innovative partnership with Animas Corporation to develop an automated system to help people with type 1 diabetes better control their disease -- the first step on the path to what would be among the most revolutionary advancements in treating type 1 diabetes: the development of an artificial pancreas, a fully automated system to dispense insulin to patients based on real-time changes in blood sugar levels.

18 Jan 2010

A guide for health professionals and food industry

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18 Jan 2010

House, Senate lawmakers race to find compromise, but differ on key issues

"Facing an electorate more worried about jobs and the economy than healthcare, House and Senate Democrats have stepped up efforts to get a compromise bill to President Obama by the end of the month," the Los Angeles Times reports. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, summarized the message she gleaned from holiday meetings with local voters: "Get it over with." Political fatigue has set the stage for a push by Democrats to send a bill to Obama by the month's end, which means resolving a list of thorny issues. Industry and interest groups - despite Democrats' race with the clock - are also stepping up last-minute lobbying efforts (Levey and Hook, 1/13).

18 Jan 2010

Longer breastfeeding can prevent postnatal HIV transmission

A new study from Zambia suggests that halting breastfeeding early causes more harm than good for children not infected with HIV who are born to HIV-positive mothers.

18 Jan 2010

Kenta Biotech and Rentschler Biotechnologie sign agreement to develop antibody against MRSA

Kenta Biotech today announced an agreement with Rentschler Biotechnologie for the development of a fully human monoclonal antibody against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

18 Jan 2010

Inadequate saliva and fluoride can contribute to tooth decay

Tooth enamel is tough, harder even than skeletal bone. But even with good dental hygiene, the enamel protecting teeth may show signs of decay in older adults. The January issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers what to look out for and what to do to promote an enamel-friendly setting in the mouth. According to the newsletter, two significant contributors to tooth decay are too little saliva and inadequate fluoride.

18 Jan 2010

Health overhaul might relieve 'job lock' phenomenon

MarketWatch reports that people "may feel emboldened to start businesses or change jobs because they'll no longer fear having to go without health insurance" if a health care reform bill passes. One overlooked price of the health system's current "distortions," MarketWatch terms it, is the phenomena of "job lock" where workers stay in their jobs solely for the medical benefits.

18 Jan 2010

Dartmouth researchers to develop and market a drug throughout Asia for treatment of CKD

Thanks in part to more than a decade of preclinical work by Dartmouth researchers, a Japanese biopharmaceutical firm is preparing to develop and market throughout Asia a drug for the treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

18 Jan 2010

New mobile dental radiology service from 3D Mobile Imaging of the CSRA

(3D Mobile Imaging of the CSRA and AFP Imaging Corporation Dental practitioners in Georgia and South Carolina can now offer the latest technology and greatest convenience to their patients thanks to a new mobile dental radiology service.

18 Jan 2010

FDA admits concern, but does not ban BPA: Consumers Union disappointed

Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, expressed disappointment with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's (FDA) failure to ban the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), despite announcing today that there is cause for concern over its potential effect on children. Consumers Union believes that that there is enough scientific evidence to date to warrant a ban on BPA in food contact products now.

18 Jan 2010

AP, IRIN examine lawsuit challenging Plumpy'nut patent

The Associated Press examines the decision by two U.S. nonprofit groups seeking to increase production of the ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), Plumpy'nut, to file a lawsuit against the French organizations that hold the product's U.S. patent.

18 Jan 2010