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Consumers Union to launch hospital ratings service

Consumers Union, the not-for-profit group that publishes Consumer Reports magazine, plans to offer a new online service that will rate hospitals, the Wall Street Journal reports.

30 May 2008

Report ranks Aetna, Cigna most efficient, accurate among health insurers in reimbursements to physicians

Aetna ranked first among 130 large health insurers in efficiency and accuracy in reimbursements to physicians, and Cigna ranked second, according to a report scheduled for release on Thursday by Athenahealth, the Wall Street Journal reports.

30 May 2008

More aggressive hospital care does not lead to improved patient outcomes in all cases, study finds

More aggressive hospital care -- such as higher numbers of tests and procedures and longer stays -- does not lead to improved patient outcomes in all cases, according to a study released on Thursday, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.

30 May 2008

Sen. Kennedy to introduce bill to revise national cancer act

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), who recently was diagnosed with brain cancer, previously had begun work on legislation that would revise the 1971 National Cancer Act, and supporters hope that the "fact that Kennedy has fallen victim to this disease will generate public support and lend new urgency to the need to update the bill," the AP/Chicago Tribune reports.

30 May 2008

Maine Democratic Rep. Allen proposes mix of public, private health plans to achieve universal coverage

U.S. Rep. Tom Allen (D-Maine) on Wednesday announced a health care proposal that would aim to provide health coverage for all U.S. residents using a combination of public and private plans, the Portland Press Herald reports. Allen is running against sitting Sen. Susan Collins (R).

30 May 2008

International Narcotics Control Board 'out of step' with HIV/AIDS control efforts, opinion piece says

The International Narcotics Control Board "remains out of step" with the rest of the United Nations' efforts to fight the spread of HIV, especially among injection drug users, and its practices should be open for review, Joanne Csete of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and Daniel Wolfe, deputy director of Open Society Institute's International Harm Reduction Development program, write in a Lancet opinion piece.

30 May 2008

Thailand's removal of official who supported compulsory licensing 'important' step to 'protecting patients' health,' editorial says

The Thai government's removal last week of Vichai Chokevivat -- "one of the most vocal opponents" of patent protections for drug companies -- from Governmental Pharmaceutical Organization's board is a "small" but "important" step in "restoring Thailand's international reputation and protecting patients' health," a Wall Street Journal Asia editorial says.

30 May 2008

Barbados steps up fight against HIV/AIDS

The Barbados Parliament on Tuesday approved a plan to spend 180 million Barbados dollars, or about $90 million, over the next five years to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country, Barbados' Nation News reports.

30 May 2008

Researcher addresses calls for increased focus on male circumcision, partner reduction programs as part of HIV prevention in Africa

NPR's "News & Notes" on Tuesday included a discussion with Daniel Halperin, a senior research scientist in the Department of Population and International Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, about a recent study that recommended a shift in HIV prevention strategies in Africa toward the promotion of male circumcision and partner reduction programs.

30 May 2008

Delegates at Tokyo conference discuss ways to address health issues, including HIV/AIDS, in Africa

About 2,500 delegates from 52 African countries, United Nations agencies and aid groups met Wednesday in Yokohama, Japan, for the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development to discuss strategies aimed at solving health issues, including HIV/AIDS, and other challenges on the continent, the Kyodo News reports (Tang, Kyodo News, 5/27).

30 May 2008

UNICEF project uses children, youth as peer educators to increase HIV/AIDS awareness in India

About 400 children from eight Indian states gathered Wednesday at a workshop to discuss their experiences as peer educators in a joint UNICEF-National AIDS Control Organization pilot project that aims to increase HIV awareness among children and youth, the Times of India reports.

30 May 2008

Japan awards new prize for HIV/AIDS, malaria work in Africa

Japan recently awarded the first Hideo Noguchi Prize to two recipients for their work on HIV/AIDS and malaria in Africa, AFP/Google.com reports.

30 May 2008

Washington, D.C., council member recommends eliminating HIV, syphilis test requirements for marriage licenses

Washington, D.C., council member Phil Mendelson (D), head of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, recently recommended eliminating a provision from a marriage bill that would require couples applying for marriage licenses to be tested for HIV/AIDS and syphilis, the Washington Post reports.

30 May 2008

South Carolina House approves bill that would modify regulations concerning HIV-positive students

The South Carolina House on Wednesday voted 97-0 to approve a compromise bill that would require school nurses to inform the Department of Health and Environmental Control when any student in grades kindergarten through 12 has contact with another person's blood in order to determine if the student has been exposed to bloodborne diseases such as HIV, the Columbia State reports.

30 May 2008

Sri Lanka vulnerable to a potential HIV/AIDS epidemic

Sri Lanka is vulnerable to a potential HIV/AIDS epidemic despite the country's relatively low HIV/AIDS prevalence, according to a recent study conducted by the Centre for Policy Studies in London, Colombo's Daily Mirror reports.

30 May 2008

South Carolina House fails to override veto of cigarette tax increase that would have funded health care programs

The South Carolina House on Tuesday failed to override Gov. Mark Sanford's (R) veto of legislation that would have increased the state cigarette tax to expand health care coverage for low-income residents, the Columbia State reports (O'Connor, Columbia State, 5/28).

30 May 2008

FDA proposes drug label changes to provide more information on risks for women who are pregnant, nursing

FDA on Wednesday proposed changing its labeling system for prescription and over-the-counter drugs to provide more safety information for pregnant and breastfeeding women, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports (AP/Long Island Newsday, 5/28). On average, women in the U.S. take three to five medications when they are pregnant, and more than 90% of women who are breastfeeding take medications during the first week after delivery, USA Today reports.

30 May 2008

Grassley inquiry into fast-tracking of Avastin drug applications could hurt cancer drug development, patients

Sen. Chuck Grassley's (R-Iowa) request that the Government Accountability Office investigate whether FDA acted appropriately in granting "accelerated approval" to a cancer drug "will have a catastrophic effect on America's ability to develop new drugs," Mark Thornton, a former medical officer in FDA's Office of Oncology Drug Products and president of the Sarcoma Foundation of America, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

30 May 2008

X chromosome exposed

An enzyme that binds differently to male and female sex chromosomes helps males to make up for their X chromosome shortage.

30 May 2008

Children's diet not the main cause of ADHD

Food may not be the major cause of hyperactivity in children. Genetics, brain function and parental actions such as smoking may be just as important.

30 May 2008

Medical News

Consumers Union to launch hospital ratings service

Report ranks Aetna, Cigna most efficient, accurate among health insurers in reimbursements to physicians

More aggressive hospital care does not lead to improved patient outcomes in all cases, study finds

Sen. Kennedy to introduce bill to revise national cancer act

Maine Democratic Rep. Allen proposes mix of public, private health plans to achieve universal coverage

International Narcotics Control Board 'out of step' with HIV/AIDS control efforts, opinion piece says

Thailand's removal of official who supported compulsory licensing 'important' step to 'protecting patients' health,' editorial says

Barbados steps up fight against HIV/AIDS

Researcher addresses calls for increased focus on male circumcision, partner reduction programs as part of HIV prevention in Africa

Delegates at Tokyo conference discuss ways to address health issues, including HIV/AIDS, in Africa

UNICEF project uses children, youth as peer educators to increase HIV/AIDS awareness in India

Japan awards new prize for HIV/AIDS, malaria work in Africa

Washington, D.C., council member recommends eliminating HIV, syphilis test requirements for marriage licenses

South Carolina House approves bill that would modify regulations concerning HIV-positive students

Sri Lanka vulnerable to a potential HIV/AIDS epidemic

South Carolina House fails to override veto of cigarette tax increase that would have funded health care programs

FDA proposes drug label changes to provide more information on risks for women who are pregnant, nursing

Grassley inquiry into fast-tracking of Avastin drug applications could hurt cancer drug development, patients

X chromosome exposed

Children's diet not the main cause of ADHD

How microRNA is transforming science: From discovery to diagnostics

Advancing benzodiazepine detection

The Surgeon-Scientist Pioneering Regenerative Engineering

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