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Taiwan aims to boost fertility rates

Targeting the issue of low birth rates, the Taiwanese government implemented the Mega Warmth Social Welfare Program (MWSWP) in 2006 after its fertility rates dipped lower than most industrial nations.

1 Jun 2009

Iressa (gefinitib) chemotherapy combination proves safe for head and neck cancer patients

Patients undergoing treatment for advanced head and neck cancers may respond well to the addition of gefinitib to chemotherapy, according to a study sponsored by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and chaired by Ethan Argiris, M.D., associate professor of medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and co-leader of the Head and Neck Cancer Program of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI).

31 May 2009

Obese women should not gain weight during pregnancy

For years, doctors and other health-care providers have managed pregnant patients according to guidelines issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

31 May 2009

Marijuana effectiveness as an HIV self-care strategy

Those in the United States living with HIV/AIDS are more likely to use marijuana than those in Kenya, South Africa or Puerto Rica to alleviate their symptoms, according to a new study published in Clinical Nursing Research, published by SAGE.

31 May 2009

Surgery not necessary for most late-stage colorectal cancers

A new study shows that a large majority of patients who present with advanced colorectal cancer that has spread to other organs (stage IV) don't require immediate surgery to remove the primary tumor in the colon. Researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) presented their data at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.

31 May 2009

Combination of temsirolimus and bryostatin appears safe and active in metastatic kidney cancer

Fox Chase Cancer Center investigators report that a two-drug blockade of mTOR signaling appears safe in metastatic kidney cancer in a phase I trial. Early data suggests that a combination of temsirolimus and bryostatin may be active in patients with rare forms of renal cell cancer, which are less likely to respond to other targeted therapies.

31 May 2009

MicroRNAs grease the cell's circadian clockwork

Most of our cells possess an internal clock, a group of genes displaying a cyclic expression pattern that reaches a peak once a day. A large number of circadian genes are expressed by organs such as the liver, whose activity needs to be precisely regulated over the course of the day.

31 May 2009

Blood-pressure medicine shown to reverse the effects of early-stage liver failure

Newcastle University researchers analysed a small clinical trial of losartan, a drug normally prescribed for hypertension, on 14 patients in Spain, who had Hepatitis C.

31 May 2009

Discovery of gene associated with a three-fold increase in risk for testicular cancer

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have uncovered variation around two genes that are associated with an increased risk of testicular cancer.

31 May 2009

Combination of gene therapy and induced pluripotent stem cells cure human genetic disease in vitro

A study led by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, has catapulted the field of regenerative medicine significantly forward, proving in principle that a human genetic disease can be cured using a combination of gene therapy and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology. The study, published in the May 31, 2009 early online edition of Nature, is a major milestone on the path from the laboratory to the clinic.

31 May 2009

New research sheds light on ways to improve treatment for aggressive breast cancer

Changing the order that chemotherapy drugs are given to breast cancer patients before surgery makes treatment much more effective, according to trial results presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference, today.

31 May 2009

Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners announces top-line results of CPP-109 phase II trial for cocaine addiction

Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. has announced top-line results from its U.S. Phase II clinical trial to treat cocaine addiction.

31 May 2009

Nevada Assembly passes bill to protect physicians on J-1 visas

The Nevada Assembly last week voted to approve a bill (SB 229) that would authorize the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services to stop the exploitation of foreign physicians who have come to the state to provide care to residents in underserved areas, the Las Vegas Sun reports.

31 May 2009

Texas Senate passes CHIP expansion bill, avoiding legislative backlog, deadlines

The Texas Senate on Wednesday voted to approve a bill that would boost enrollment in the state's version of CHIP, the Houston Chronicle reports.

31 May 2009

Massachusetts, Tennessee health plans might offer ideas on U.S. health care system overhaul

Congressional lawmakers who are crafting a plan to overhaul the U.S. health care system might be able to look to state health insurance programs in Massachusetts and Tennessee for ideas, the AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

31 May 2009

Data ranks health insurers according to speed of claim payment, share of denials

Aetna, Cigna and Humana ranked highest nationally on criteria including speed of health claim payments and fewest claims denied, according to the 2009 PayerView Rankings, the Boston Globe reports.

31 May 2009

Obama says health reform must be done this year

The opportunity to enact health care reform legislation could be missed unless Congress passes it this year, President Obama on Thursday said to thousands of supporters in a phone call made from Air Force One, the AP/USA Today reports.

31 May 2009

Sen. Kennedy circulates draft of health reform legislation

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) is circulating an outline of health care overhaul legislation that includes a requirement that all individuals obtain coverage and requires contributions from employers, the Washington Post reports.

31 May 2009

Researchers plan to target immune cells responsible for eluding antiretroviral treatment

Certain human immune cells known as macrophages are composed of hybrid HIV strains that elude treatment and antiretroviral drugs, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Florida and other institutions, the Gainesville Sun reports.

31 May 2009

Thai HIV/AIDS advocates urge increased treatment access for IDUs

The Thai AIDS Treatment Action Group recently called on the country to launch a comprehensive harm reduction program for injection drug users in an effort to help curb the spread of HIV, Thailand's The Nation reports.

31 May 2009

Medical News

Taiwan aims to boost fertility rates

Iressa (gefinitib) chemotherapy combination proves safe for head and neck cancer patients

Obese women should not gain weight during pregnancy

Marijuana effectiveness as an HIV self-care strategy

Surgery not necessary for most late-stage colorectal cancers

Combination of temsirolimus and bryostatin appears safe and active in metastatic kidney cancer

MicroRNAs grease the cell's circadian clockwork

Blood-pressure medicine shown to reverse the effects of early-stage liver failure

Discovery of gene associated with a three-fold increase in risk for testicular cancer

Combination of gene therapy and induced pluripotent stem cells cure human genetic disease in vitro

New research sheds light on ways to improve treatment for aggressive breast cancer

Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners announces top-line results of CPP-109 phase II trial for cocaine addiction

Nevada Assembly passes bill to protect physicians on J-1 visas

Texas Senate passes CHIP expansion bill, avoiding legislative backlog, deadlines

Massachusetts, Tennessee health plans might offer ideas on U.S. health care system overhaul

Data ranks health insurers according to speed of claim payment, share of denials

Obama says health reform must be done this year

Sen. Kennedy circulates draft of health reform legislation

Researchers plan to target immune cells responsible for eluding antiretroviral treatment

Thai HIV/AIDS advocates urge increased treatment access for IDUs

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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