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Veterans' hotline averted more than 1,200 suicides in first year

More than 22,000 veterans have called a veterans suicide hotline since its launch in July 2007, and 1,221 suicides have been averted, according to government data to be released on Monday, the AP/Baltimore Sun reports.

29 Jul 2008

Senate Republicans to begin campaign against Medicare fraud

Senate Republicans have begun "piecing together a crusade" against Medicare fraud in an effort to make the issue an important part of the health care reform debate in the next Congress, CongressDaily reports.

29 Jul 2008

CQ's Armstrong discusses Medicare 'trigger' bill, health IT legislation, tobacco regulation, mental health parity measure

Drew Armstrong, a health reporter for CQ HealthBeat, discusses House efforts to delay action on a Medicare "trigger" bill, health information technology legislation, an FDA tobacco regulation bill and steps toward passing mental health parity legislation in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ."

29 Jul 2008

FDA poorly equipped to enforce off-label prescription drug marketing rules, GAO report finds

FDA takes an average of seven months to issue warnings to pharmaceutical companies that market medications for off-label uses, and those companies take an average of four months to address the violations, according to a draft report compiled by the Government Accountability Office, the AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

29 Jul 2008

Florida Medicaid Healthy Behaviors Incentive Program has low participation, many unaware of program, study finds

Many Florida Medicaid beneficiaries who are eligible for a pilot program that rewards them for healthy behaviors are not participating, according to a study released on Thursday by the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, the Florida Times-Union reports.

29 Jul 2008

San Jose Mercury News examines health care advocacy business

The AP/San Jose Mercury News on Thursday examined the growth in the number of businesses that are "offering some form of advocacy services to medical consumers."

29 Jul 2008

Report on HIV/AIDS in southern U.S. should 'serve' as 'call to action,' editorial says

A recent report from the Southern AIDS Coalition should "serve as a call to action," a Columbia State editorial says, adding, "While many rightfully call on state and federal officials to provide more funding to pay for drugs, education and other resources to deal with this public health crisis, the epidemic won't be overcome by government funding and influence alone."

29 Jul 2008

HIV vaccine research needs new ideas more funding

New researchers and innovative ideas are needed to further research on developing an HIV/AIDS vaccine, U.S. scientists wrote in Friday's edition of Science magazine, the AP/Google.com reports.

29 Jul 2008

Bush says he will sign PEPFAR reauthorization

President Bush on Saturday during his weekly radio address said he is eager to sign legislation (HR 5501) that would reauthorize the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief through 2013, the AP/Google.com reports (Reichmann, AP/Google.com, 7/26).

29 Jul 2008

HAART increases HIV-positive people's life expectancy by average of 13 years

HIV-positive people in wealthy countries using highly active antiretroviral therapy now live an additional 13 years on average, but a large disparity in life expectancy remains between HIV-positive people on HAART and the general population, according to a study published Friday in the journal Lancet, Reuters reports.

29 Jul 2008

How mixing medications can be fatal

A large-scale study of home medication consumption has highlighted the danger of mixing drugs.

29 Jul 2008

Brits invited to tune in to a heart attack

Brits are being invited to "tune in" to a short film which shows how it feels to experience a heart attack.

29 Jul 2008

Obese and overweight women need more exercise to sustain weight loss

The latest advice to overweight and obese women is that they need to exercise 55 minutes a day for five days per week, as well as limiting their calorie intake.

29 Jul 2008

Good news for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

Research presented at an international conference on Alzheimer's disease in Chicago offers hope for the treatment of the devastating disease.

29 Jul 2008

A daily 45 minute walk limits the impact of diabetes

According to scientists in the UK, by simply walking for an extra 45 minutes a day, people with diabetes can limit the impact of the disease.

29 Jul 2008

Fertility diet - influence of diet on fertility often overlooked

According to a British nutritionist, by making radical changes to their diet, older women can enhance their chance of conceiving.

29 Jul 2008

Australian experts approve of British plans to issue 'fat' reports on school children

A radical strategy by the British Government to tackle the nation's childhood obesity appears to have the support of experts in Australia.

29 Jul 2008

Breakthrough in crippling childhood disease Friedreich's ataxia

University of Sydney scientists have made a breakthrough that could lead to new treatments for the crippling childhood disease Friedreich's ataxia.

28 Jul 2008

Statins reduce the risk of dementia by half

People at high risk for dementia who took cholesterol-lowering statins are half as likely to develop dementia as those who do not take statins, a new study shows.

28 Jul 2008

Oily fish protect Japanese men against clogged arteries

If you're fishing for ways to reduce the risk of heart disease, you might start with the seafood-rich diet typically served up in Japan. According to new research, a lifetime of eating tuna, sardines, salmon and other fish appears to protect Japanese men against clogged arteries, despite other cardiovascular risk factors.

28 Jul 2008