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Leading doctors call for climate change action to prevent 'global health catastrophe'

On Wednesday, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) and the Lancet simultaneously published an editorial (available here and here) and an accompanying letter (here and here) from 18 doctor association leaders to highlight the need for action at a December U.N. conference on climate change in Copenhagen, Reuters reports (Doyle, 9/16).

17 Sep 2009

Study: Antiretroviral drugs may prevent HIV infection in women

Hopeful that some of the same antiretroviral (ARV) drugs used to treat HIV infection can also prevent it, researchers from the Microbicide Trials Network have enrolled the first participants into a new, large-scale clinical trial testing two approaches of the strategy in women.

17 Sep 2009

Standard liver volume formula for Chinese adults published

Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has been used to alleviate the shortage of available liver donors. Accurate estimation of the standard liver volume (SLV) of the living donor and recipient is crucial. Scholars of different countries established several SLV formulae from clinical data, but which formula was the most accurate for Chinese adults has remained unclear.

17 Sep 2009

How-to guides: Help an elderly parent, find your own insurance

News organizations offer advice on how to care for an elderly parent without going broke and how to find health insurance before becoming eligible for Medicare.

17 Sep 2009

Diagnocure reports third-quarter fiscal 2009 results

DiagnoCure Inc. (TSX: CUR), a life sciences company commercializing high-value cancer diagnostic tests and delivering laboratory services, announced revenue of $396,468 and a net loss of $4,034,364 or $0.09 per share for the third quarter ending July 31, 2009.

17 Sep 2009

Health reform plan will affect middle-class families adversely: Consumer Watchdog

The new health reform plan released today by U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) will charge middle-class families nearly 20% of their annual income for health coverage, while letting insurance companies charge what they please for policies, said Consumer Watchdog.

17 Sep 2009

FDA approves H1N1 vaccine, paves way for large-scale U.S. vaccination campaign

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Tuesday during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing that H1N1 (swine flu) vaccines produced by four manufacturers — CSL Ltd., Novartis, Sanofi-Pasteur and Medimmune — had won FDA approval, paving the way for a U.S. large-scale vaccination campaign, The Wall Street Journal reports. The application for GlaxoSmithKline PLC's vaccine is still being considered (Dooren/Favole, 9/15).

17 Sep 2009

Some Dems push back on Obama's proposed ban on illegal immigrants buying insurance

The Los Angeles Times reports: "Trying to quell a conservative uproar over his healthcare agenda, President Obama has proposed barring illegal immigrants from a possible government-arranged health insurance marketplace -- even if the immigrants pay with their own money.

17 Sep 2009

Green tea may help prevent cancer and bone loss

Researchers in Hong Kong are reporting new evidence that green tea - one of the most popular beverages consumed worldwide and now available as a dietary supplement - may help improve bone health.

17 Sep 2009

FDA Advisory Committee recommends marketing approval for Auxilium's XIAFLEX to treat Dupuytren's contracture

Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUXL), a specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the Arthritis Advisory Committee appointed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended by a unanimous vote of 12 to 0 that XIAFLEX™ (collagenase clostridium histolyticum), a novel, first-in-class, orphan-designated, biologic, be granted marketing approval by the FDA for the treatment of Dupuytren's contracture.

17 Sep 2009

CEO of WageWorks issues statement on health care reform plan

Following today's introduction of a health care reform plan by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT), Joe Jackson, chairman of Save Flexible Spending Plans and CEO of WageWorks, a benefits company based in San Mateo, California, issued the following statement:

17 Sep 2009

ConjuChem declares financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2009

ConjuChem Biotechnologies (TSX:CJB) today announced financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2009, ended July 31, 2009.

17 Sep 2009

New research shows that physical and psychological factors affect food choices

New research suggests that there are important psychological factors to consider when making a food choice.

17 Sep 2009

Financial Times articles examine global health issues

The Financial Times' health section published several global health reports that "focus on the diseases and healthcare issues that affect millions but are often absent from the health debate in rich countries."

17 Sep 2009

Molecular link between intelligence and curiosity discovered

Scientists from the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto have discovered a molecular link between intelligence and curiosity, which may lead to the development of drugs to improve learning.

17 Sep 2009

Health reform bill may limit tax-free flexible spending accounts

NASDAQ/Dow Jones reports: "Employees who enjoy unlimited tax-free treatment of out-of-pocket medical expenses through employee-benefit plans could be facing new curbs on the tax subsidy in health-care overhaul legislation.

17 Sep 2009

Also in Global Health news: Tanzania's health care; polio, diarrhea in India; ITNs in Nigeria; health in Sudan

Rotary International recently started working with the Indian government to fight diarrhea, which can make polio immunizations ineffective, IANS/Thaindian News reports. Deepak Kapur, chairman of the India National PolioPlus Society of Rotary International, said the plan is to educate people about the use of use of zinc tablets and oral rehydration therapy to prevent diarrhea, which kills almost 500,000 children per year in the country (Khan, 9/16).

17 Sep 2009

Block Imaging acquires Benchmark Radiology

Block Imaging International, Inc., the premier global provider of Pre-owned and Refurbished Medical Imaging Systems, Parts, and Services, announced today its acquisition of Benchmark Radiology LLC., headquartered near Ft. Wayne, IN.

17 Sep 2009

HIRC investigates the impact of infrastructure on pathogens and micro-organisms

The spread of swine flu and other infectious diseases could be dramatically reduced by revolutionising the way that the places we live in are designed and built.

17 Sep 2009

New intraoperative nerve integrity monitors from Medtronic

Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) recently announced the launch of the NIM-Response® 3.0 and NIM-Neuro® 3.0 intraoperative nerve integrity monitors designed for a variety of surgeons, including ear, nose, and throat (ENT); endocrine; general; and peripheral surgeons.

17 Sep 2009