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Also in Global Health news: Hospital births in Guinea-Bissau; drought in E. Africa; drug-resistant malaria; U.S. response to H1N1

IRIN examines the increase in the number of women giving birth in hospital settings rather than delivery by a traditional birth attendant - a behavior that health officials hope will lead to a drop in the country's maternal mortality rate. "According to UNFPA, 38 percent of women gave birth in a hospital in 2009, up from 29 percent in 2003," the news service writes.

17 Dec 2009

Shift working may accelerate metabolic syndrome

Shift work exposures can accelerate metabolic syndrome (MetS) development among the large population of middle-aged males with elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (e-ALT) is a common abnormality of health examinations in middle-aged working populations.

17 Dec 2009

Interleukin Genetics introduces the Bone Health Genetic Test

Interleukin Genetics, Inc. announced today availability of the Bone Health Genetic Test designed to detect genetic patterns associated with the development of osteoporosis-related outcomes. The test determines an individual's risk for developing vertebral or spinal fractures and low bone mineral density.

17 Dec 2009

USDA joins global alliance to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase food security

The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) said on Wednesday it has joined the Global Research Alliance, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase access to food worldwide, Reuters reports.

17 Dec 2009

KHN column: Losing the real health care debate

In his latest column for Kaiser Health News, Douglas Holtz-Eakin analyzes the ongoing health reform debate. "The fractious, divided nature of the Democrats' majority in Congress continues to extend the health care debate - and excite the press, who are enthralled by every "11th hour" compromise.

17 Dec 2009

HHS money targets chronic disease management for seniors

McKnight's Long Term Care News "The Department of Health and Human Services is disbursing $27 million in stimulus package funds to bolster care and prevention of chronic conditions among the elderly through the HHS Administration on Aging (AoA), it said Wednesday.

17 Dec 2009

La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology awarded $18.8M NIH grant for infectious diseases study

Researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology will take aim at several of the world's most dangerous infectious diseases - tuberculosis, malaria and dengue virus -- in a five-year, $18.8 million federally-funded set of projects seeking to make new inroads toward vaccines against the disorders.

17 Dec 2009

PEPFAR decisions to be grounded in scientific evidence, Goosby says

U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby "said future programmes to prevent HIV infection would be those supported by the best scientific evidence," reports the Financial Times. Goosby told the Financial Times in an interview: "I will always wrap myself in the science as the justification of decision-making. I will not factor in an ideological rationale."

17 Dec 2009

Report estimates how many would gain coverage under senate health bill

Families USA analyzed Congressional Budget Office data to estimate how many people would gain health insurance coverage if the Senate bill passes. Some local news outlets report on how their state would be affected.

17 Dec 2009

African AIDS vaccine conference addresses future trials in Africa, lower participation rates among women

During the Forum of the African AIDS Vaccine Program (AAVP) in Kampala, Uganda, on Wednesday, Alan Bernstein, the director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, discussed ongoing efforts to launch an experimental HIV vaccine trial - similar to the recent trial in Thailand - in Africa, the Daily Monitor reports.

17 Dec 2009

Hebrew University of Jerusalem granted $5M for research into visceral leishmaniasis in Ethiopia

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases has received a $5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for research into visceral leishmaniasis in Ethiopia.

17 Dec 2009

Obama says government will go bankrupt without health reforms to rein in costs

President Obama said in a Wednesday ABC News interview that if Congress fails to pass health care reform that reins in costs it will "bankrupt" the federal government.

17 Dec 2009

USAID administrator nominee to meet with Sen. Coburn

"In what's seen as one of the few remaining steps before he could come up for a Senate confirmation vote, USAID chief nominee Rajiv Shah is due to meet with Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)" on Thursday, Politico's Laura Rozen reports on her blog.

17 Dec 2009

Landrieu and Klobuchar announce support for health bill

The (Monroe, La.) News-Star: "Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu said Wednesday she will vote for the Senate's health care reform bill, calling the latest version a 'dramatic improvement' over previous proposals. Her support is critical to passing the massive bill, a priority for Democrats and President Barack Obama. Landrieu, a moderate, was among a small group of senators who met in recent weeks to work out a compromise on major aspects of the legislation" (Berry, 12/17).

17 Dec 2009

RevMed MRI Technology converts standard grayscale scans to segmented, 3D, color images

Revolutions Medical Corporation, producers of the RevVac safety syringe, RevColor, RevDisplay and Rev3D MRI Technology, announced today that recent mass media reports that CT scans cause cancer could rapidly elevate MRI as the technology of choice for musculoskeletal scans and more.

17 Dec 2009

Medicaid woes lead to a creative solution in Utah, cuts in Kansas

The Salt Lake Tribune: "After years of fighting the hated 'sick tax,' Utah hospitals are working with legislative leaders to craft a new levy aimed at helping pay for treating Utah's poor." Hospitals and the state legislature have found a way to raise around $50 million in new federal Medicaid funding by taxing hospitals about $23 million more.

17 Dec 2009

Obama signs $447B omnibus spending bill

"President Barack Obama signed a $447 billion omnibus spending bill into law Wednesday, assuring that federal agencies will be able to operate through the remainder of fiscal 2010," Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal reports. The bill provides appropriations for the State Department and several other agencies (Pulizzi, 12/16).

17 Dec 2009

A selection of today's opinions and editorials

My 25 years as a practicing physician have shown me what happens when government attempts to practice medicine: Doctors respond to government coercion instead of patient cues, and patients die prematurely (Sen. Tom Coburn, 12/16).

17 Dec 2009

EPA approves BASF's Aseptrol S10 - Tab for H1N1 sanitization operations

BASF today announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the use of Aseptrol® S10 - Tab in H1N1 sanitization operations in institutional and industrial facilities, such as, schools, hospitals, government buildings, retail and restaurants, and recreational facilities. Aseptrol S10 - Tab is based on Chlorine dioxide (CIO2) release technology.

17 Dec 2009

Senate health reform vote by Christmas in doubt as sides draw lines

Politico: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's plan to pass the Senate health care reform bill by Christmas looked increasingly in doubt Wednesday, as Republicans launched an offensive to stall the legislation and Democrats had yet to strike a 60-vote compromise.

17 Dec 2009