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New York Times examines Massachusetts health insurance law as model for U.S. health reform

"By tackling cost at the same time as access," the Obama administration and congressional lawmakers "have made their political challenge more difficult," the New York Times reports.

30 Mar 2009

Health Reform Dialogue Coalition releases recommendations for U.S. health care system overhaul

A coalition representing health care firms, patients and medical providers on Friday presented a five-page report to Congress recommending changes to the health care system, CQ HealthBeat reports (Adams, CQ HealthBeat, 3/27).

30 Mar 2009

Tampa Bay religious leaders join effort to address HIV/AIDS among the black community

The New York-based National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS -- which raises HIV/AIDS awareness in cities with high rates of the virus -- on Thursday established an affiliate in Tampa Bay, a "'badly needed'" effort, according to organizers, a St. Petersburg Times editorial states.

30 Mar 2009

Newly created institute 'rare bit of good news' in HIV/AIDS vaccine efforts, editorial says

Although former President George W. Bush "made an ambitious new commitment to the global fight against AIDS," and Congress in 2008 "authorized billions in new spending," lawmakers and philanthropists "will retreat" as the current economic recession continues, a Providence Journal editorial says.

30 Mar 2009

Research may support Pope's comments against condom use in Africa, opinion piece says

Pope Benedict XVI "set off a firestorm of protest" earlier this month when he commented that condom distribution "isn't helping, and may be worsening" the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa, but "in truth, current empirical evidence supports him," Edward Green, a senior research scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health, writes in a Washington Post opinion piece.

30 Mar 2009

Cambodian Government plans to use drivers license tests to raise HIV/AIDS awareness

In an effort to increase HIV/AIDS awareness among drivers -- particularly professional truck drivers, many of whom visit commercial sex workers while on the road -- the Cambodian government plans to add questions about the disease to the driver's license exam administered by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, the Phnom Penh Post reports.

30 Mar 2009

Plan to close independent HIV/AIDS xlinics in Mozambique raises concerns, protests

Advocates in Mozambique recently protested outside a hospital in the capital of Maputo against the announcement that specialized care units for HIV/AIDS treatment in the country will be closed, the SAPA/Times reports.

30 Mar 2009

Rhode Island House Committee holds hearing on bill that would eliminate written consent requirement for HIV testing

The Rhode Island House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare last week held a hearing on a proposed amendment to a state requirement that physicians obtain written consent before administering an HIV test, the Providence Journal reports.

30 Mar 2009

FDA approves Afinitor oral tablets (everolimus) for advanced form of kidney cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Afinitor oral tablets (everolimus) for the treatment of patients with advanced kidney cancer whose disease has progressed after treatment with other cancer therapies.

30 Mar 2009

FDA approves IXIARO for Japanese encephalitis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved IXIARO, a vaccine to prevent Japanese encephalitis (JE) which is caused by a mosquito-transmitted virus found mainly in Asia. IXIARO will be the only vaccine for JE available in the United States.

30 Mar 2009

Time of conception linked to birth defects in U.S.

A study published in the April 2009 issue of the medical journal Acta Paediatrica is the first to report that birth defect rates in the United States were highest for women conceiving in the spring and summer. The researchers also found that this period of increase risk correlated with increased levels of pesticides in surface water across the United States.

30 Mar 2009

Gene scan shows body's sleep cycle influences numerous physical functions

The pineal gland - integral to setting the body's sleep and wake cycles - may be involved in a broad range of bodily functions, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

30 Mar 2009

Gene linked to lupus might explain gender difference in disease risk

In an international human genetic study, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified a gene linked to the autoimmune disease lupus, and its location on the X chromosome might help explain why females are 10 times more susceptible to the disease than males.

30 Mar 2009

$78 billion spent for heart disease care in 2006

Opening blocked arteries, trying to keep heart attack victims alive, fixing defective heart valves, and treating other heart ailments cost $78 billion in 2006 - roughly 8 percent of the more than $1 trillion spent on all medical care for the community population, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

30 Mar 2009

The spread of drug resistant HIV-1

Drug-resistant forms of HIV can be spread between individuals who have not received anti-retroviral treatment, according to Professor Deenan Pillay from University College, London and the Health Protection Agency, speaking at the Society for General Microbiology meeting at Harrogate.

30 Mar 2009

Tea tree oil and silver effective in treating skin infections

In the fight against infected skin wounds, mixing tea tree oil and silver or putting them in liposomes, (small spheres made from natural lipids), greatly increases their antimicrobial activity and may minimise any side effects.

30 Mar 2009

Researchers find direct link between oxidative stress and inflammatory signals in the blood

The finding could lead to improved strategies for preventing several diseases by including antioxidants in the diet and for reducing the impact of inflammation in critically ill patients by adding cysteine to intravenous or tube feeding.

30 Mar 2009

Targeted drug therapy prevents exercise-induced arrhythmias

A 12-year-old Dutch boy - bedridden for three years because of an inherited cardiac arrhythmia syndrome - can now join his friends on the soccer field thanks to a discovery made by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers.

30 Mar 2009

War wounded at risk for superbugs

Soldiers who survive severe injuries on battlefields such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan can be at risk from developing infections of their wounds with multidrug resistant bacteria.

30 Mar 2009

Increased awareness and diagnosis of celiac disease would bring health care costs savings

A study published in Journal of Insurance Medicine by members of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center has demonstrated an economic benefit to the diagnosis of celiac disease in a national managed-care population in the United States.

30 Mar 2009

Medical News

New York Times examines Massachusetts health insurance law as model for U.S. health reform

Health Reform Dialogue Coalition releases recommendations for U.S. health care system overhaul

Tampa Bay religious leaders join effort to address HIV/AIDS among the black community

Newly created institute 'rare bit of good news' in HIV/AIDS vaccine efforts, editorial says

Research may support Pope's comments against condom use in Africa, opinion piece says

Cambodian Government plans to use drivers license tests to raise HIV/AIDS awareness

Plan to close independent HIV/AIDS xlinics in Mozambique raises concerns, protests

Rhode Island House Committee holds hearing on bill that would eliminate written consent requirement for HIV testing

FDA approves Afinitor oral tablets (everolimus) for advanced form of kidney cancer

FDA approves IXIARO for Japanese encephalitis

Time of conception linked to birth defects in U.S.

Gene scan shows body's sleep cycle influences numerous physical functions

Gene linked to lupus might explain gender difference in disease risk

$78 billion spent for heart disease care in 2006

The spread of drug resistant HIV-1

Tea tree oil and silver effective in treating skin infections

Researchers find direct link between oxidative stress and inflammatory signals in the blood

Targeted drug therapy prevents exercise-induced arrhythmias

War wounded at risk for superbugs

Increased awareness and diagnosis of celiac disease would bring health care costs savings

Bioprocess Efficiency with Cell Density Monitoring

Exploring electron microscopy for plant and microbial imaging at the John Innes Centre

Extending the reach of Amperia™

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