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Millions wasted each year in Britain on asthma

An asthma charity in Britain says more than £40 million a year could be saved if asthma sufferers were given better advice on how to manage their condition.

2 May 2007

CBO report examines proposed changes to prescription drug user fee act

Cost Estimate: S 1082, Prescription Drug User Fee Amendments of 2007," Congressional Budget Office: The CBO report details proposed changes to the Prescription Drug User Fee Act and outlines spending and costs to federal and state governments.

1 May 2007

Oregon children's insurance expansion fails to obtain three-fifths majority in legislature

The Oregon House on Thursday voted 32-24 in favor of a plan to expand health coverage to all children in the state by increasing the state cigarette tax by 84.5 cents per pack, but the proposal failed to win approval because a three-fifths majority is required to pass a tax increase, the Oregonian reports.

1 May 2007

Actions taken on abortion-related legislation in Kansas, Missouri, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas

The following highlights recent news of state actions on abortion-related legislation.

1 May 2007

Komen study profiles eight communities nationwide 'most affected' by breast cancer

Susan G. Komen for the Cure on Thursday released a report that profiles eight communities "most affected" by breast cancer and launched a campaign that aims to curb disparities and remove gaps in breast cancer-related care, the Washington Post reports.

1 May 2007

PEPFAR 'on track' to meet goals when authorization expires, Dybul says

The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is "dead on track" to meet its goal of providing antiretroviral drugs to two million people when it's five-year authorization expires in 2008, Ambassador Mark Dybul, who serves as the U.S. global AIDS coordinator and administers PEPFAR, said Thursday in an interview during a visit to San Francisco, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

1 May 2007

Lawmakers have proposed 'witch's brew' of biotech bills

Lawmakers in recent months "have stirred up a witch's brew of initiatives that is cause for some concern -- not only for the biotech industry, but for all Americans," James Mullen, president and CEO of Biogen and chair of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

1 May 2007

Court should strike campaign finance law provisions challenged by antiabortion group, uphold other requirements

Although a Supreme Court ruling in favor of a Wisconsin antiabortion group's constitutional challenge to the McCain-Feingold federal campaign finance law would be "good news for those ... who believe that Americans have a constitutional right to petition and criticize public officials," the court should uphold "reasonable provisions" of the law, a Los Angeles Times editorial says ( Los Angeles Times , 4/27).

1 May 2007

Abstinence-only sex ed 'foolish,' 'indefensible' method of reducing teen pregnancies, STIs

Relying on abstinence-only sex education as the "primary tool to reduce teenage pregnancies" and sexually transmitted infections, as "favored by the Bush administration and conservatives in Congress, looks increasingly foolish and indefensible," a New York Times editorial says.

1 May 2007

HHS should enforce federal law that abstinence education programs teach 'medically accurate' information

American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States and Advocates for Youth on Thursday sent a letter to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt saying that the agency should enforce a federal law that states abstinence education must include "medically accurate" information about condom effectiveness, the Washington Times reports (Wetzstein, Washington Times , 4/27).

1 May 2007

Asset transfers that would allow elderly to qualify for Medicaid rare

Most nursing home residents are unlikely to have sold off assets below market value to qualify for long-term care coverage from Medicaid, according to a Government Accountability Office report released on Thursday, CongressDaily reports.

1 May 2007

States increasingly expanding SCHIP coverage to middle-class families

Several states are working to raise income eligibility limits for SCHIP, despite White House opposition, AP /Long Island Newsday reports. According to a survey conducted by Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families, 18 states already have received federal approval to offer SCHIP coverage to families with annual incomes greater than 200% of the federal poverty level -- the income threshold established when SCHIP began a decade ago.

1 May 2007

Health officials urge Nevada legislators to support HIV testing bill aimed at pregnant women

Physicians and health care officials on Wednesday called on Nevada lawmakers to support a bill ( SB 266) that would guarantee all pregnant women in the state have access to an HIV test as part of routine prenatal care, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

1 May 2007

Oregon, Texas HIV/AIDS, STI awareness efforts focus on black youth

The following summarizes recent newspaper coverage of efforts in Texas and Oregon to increase HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections awareness among black youth.

1 May 2007

Minority widows are at a particularly high risk of poverty in late life

While the data reveal a substantial financial widowhood penalty among all ethnic groups, minority women often have lower incomes and fewer assets to begin with.

1 May 2007

VivoMetrics receives US patent for cough identification system

VivoMetrics has announced that the United States Patent Office has granted the company a new patent for its cough identification system algorithm.

1 May 2007

Virtual reality device helps multiple sclerosis patients walk

Technion-Israel Institute of Technology scientists have created a virtual reality device that combines auditory and visual feedback to improve walking speed and stride length in patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson's disease.

1 May 2007

St. Lawrence University in pilot project to improve depression screening

Fifteen percent of college students suffered from depression last year, up from 10 percent in 2000, according to The American College Health Association. Mental health professionals on college campuses expect the percentage to rise again this year.

1 May 2007

Mechanisms of glucose homeostasis and early diabetes

Glucose homeostasis, the appropriate balancing of blood sugar levels, is impaired early in patients who become diabetic, causing life-threatening complications such as kidney failure and heart attacks.

1 May 2007

Teens who have chronic daily headaches are at greater risk for suicide

Teens who have chronic daily headache, especially those with migraine headaches, are at greater risk for suicide than teens who don't have migraines, according to a study published in the May 1, 2007, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

1 May 2007