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New guidelines for treatment of tobacco dependence released

The U.S. Public Health Service today released an updated version of the clinical guidelines for treating tobacco dependence. Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update contains strategies and recommendations designed to guide doctors and other medical professionals to help smokers quit.

9 May 2008

Taking the sex out of sexual health screening

Young women would accept age-based screening for the sexually transmitted infection chlamydia, but would want this test to be offered to everyone, rather than to people 'singled out' according to their sexual history.

9 May 2008

Young people are drinking and taking drugs to enhance sexual arousal or prolong sex

Teenagers and young adults across Europe drink and take drugs as part of deliberate sexual strategies. Findings published in BioMed Central's open access journal, BMC Public Health, reveal that a third of 16-35 year old males and a quarter of females surveyed are drinking alcohol to increase their chances of sex, while cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis are intentionally used to enhance sexual arousal or prolong sex.

9 May 2008

Hearing to focus on direct-to-consumer ads for prescription drugs

Officials for Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Schering-Plough on Thursday will testify at a House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing that Democrats hope will "lay the groundwork for future legislation to tighten controls on drug marketing," the Wall Street Journal reports.

8 May 2008

Senate version of supplemental war appropriations bill would delay Medicaid regulations, increase FDA funds

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday plans to mark up a supplemental war appropriations bill that will include language to block for one year seven new Medicaid regulations proposed by the Bush administration, as well as additional funds for FDA, CQ Today reports (Higa, CQ Today, 5/7).

8 May 2008

Letter from Bush administration indicates states have more flexibility to prove they enrolled 95% of currently eligible children in SCHIP

The Bush administration on Wednesday sent letters to state health officials to clarify a policy directive issued last year that restricts states' ability to expand their SCHIP programs, CQ HealthBeat reports (Carey, CQ HealthBeat, 5/7).

8 May 2008

Senate Finance Committee discusses offsets for estimated $15M to $18M cost of Medicare payment delay; Bush administration requests June 16 deadline

Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on Wednesday said a Medicare package that would delay for 18 months a 10.6% cut to physician fees would cost between $15 billion and $18 billion over five years, prompting committee members to begin discussions on how to offset those costs, CQ Today reports (Wayne/Armstrong, CQ Today, 5/7).

8 May 2008

House Energy and Commerce Committee approves bill to reauthorize community health centers program

The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday by voice vote approved a bill (HR 1343) that would reauthorize the federal community health centers program through fiscal year 2012, CQ Today reports (Mattingly [1], CQ Today, 5/7).

8 May 2008

HIV/AIDS funding in Tanzania expected to total $476 million, government report says

Funding for HIV/AIDS in Tanzania from the government and international donors from 2007 to 2008 is expected to total more than 568 billion Tanzanian shillings, or about $476 million, according to a recently released government report, the Africa Science News Service reports.

8 May 2008

HIV on the rise in Germany

The number of new HIV cases reported in Germany increased by 4% in 2007, according to data recently released by the Robert Koch Institute, Xinhua/People's Daily reports. The country recorded 2,752 new HIV cases last year, compared with 2,643 in 2006, the institute said (Xinhua/People's Daily, 5/6).

8 May 2008

Namibia to launch pilot HIV testing, counseling project

The Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services will launch a pilot project to provide no-cost HIV testing and counseling in certain regions of the country to mark its National HIV Testing Day on May 9, Namibia's New Era reports.

8 May 2008

GeoVax Labs to launch phase II trials of HIV vaccine candidate

The Atlanta-based biotechnology firm GeoVax Labs plans to launch Phase II clinical trials of its experimental HIV vaccine this summer, company officials recently announced, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Hendrick, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/8).

8 May 2008

Rapid HIV tests highly effective in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission in India

Rapid HIV tests have been found to be highly effective in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission in clinical trials in India, according to a study published online Tuesday in PLoS Medicine, the Times of India reports (Sinha, Times of India, 5/7). For the study, the researchers used OraSure Technologies' OraQuick Advance Rapid HIV 1/2 Antibody Test (Derfel, Montreal Gazette, 5/6

8 May 2008

Illinois Gov. Blagojevich to stop enrolling people in expanded FamilyCare program

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) will follow a judge's orders to stop enrolling uninsured residents in his expanded version of FamilyCare, a state program that subsidizes health care for families, the AP/Chicago Tribune reports (AP/Chicago Tribune, 5/6).

8 May 2008

ACP says Medicare cuts will hurt physicians in small practices - asks Congress to pass legislation to avert pending pay cut

Noting that many physicians across the country who lead small practices are at a business breaking point, David M. Dale, MD, FACP, president of the American College of Physicians (ACP) testified today before the House Small Business Committee. Dr. Dale emphasized that practices are medicine's small businesses, where much of their revenue is tied directly to Medicare's flawed reimbursement rates and formulas.

8 May 2008

Outcomes of obese and nonobese patients undergoing revision total hip arthroplasty

Along with age and injuries, obesity is a leading risk factor for osteoarthritis (OA), a painful and disabling joint disease. While excessive weight can aggravate the toll on almost any joint, obesity has been associated with a higher prevalence of hip OA and an increase in total hip arthroplasty (THA).

8 May 2008

Human cytomegalovirus mimics human protein to hijack cell division machinery

Viruses are masters of deception, duping their host's cells into helping them grow and spread. A new study has found that human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) can mimic a common regulatory protein to hijack normal cell growth machinery, disrupting a cell's primary anti-cancer mechanism.

8 May 2008

Study finds darapladib lowers biomarker for cardiovascular problems

Despite widespread use of cholesterol-lowering drugs, a significant number of cardiac patients continue to suffer heart attacks and stroke. Researchers theorize that high levels of an enzyme found in coronary plaques may be to blame, by making plaques more likely to rupture and block blood flow. The drug darapladib may offer a way to fight that risk, according to new research led by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

8 May 2008

Study shows prostate cancer gene 3 (PCA3) correlates with severity of prostate cancer

A study published in the May 2008 issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Urology demonstrates that the prostate cancer gene 3 (PCA3) can be used to detect and stratify stage and grade of prostate cancer.

8 May 2008

Stopping smoking in schools

Smoking rates among teenagers can be reduced by training influential students within secondary schools to promote anti-smoking messages in their everyday conversations with their friends and peer group. This is the conclusion of authors of an article in this week's edition of The Lancet.

8 May 2008

Medical News

New guidelines for treatment of tobacco dependence released

Taking the sex out of sexual health screening

Young people are drinking and taking drugs to enhance sexual arousal or prolong sex

Hearing to focus on direct-to-consumer ads for prescription drugs

Senate version of supplemental war appropriations bill would delay Medicaid regulations, increase FDA funds

Letter from Bush administration indicates states have more flexibility to prove they enrolled 95% of currently eligible children in SCHIP

Senate Finance Committee discusses offsets for estimated $15M to $18M cost of Medicare payment delay; Bush administration requests June 16 deadline

House Energy and Commerce Committee approves bill to reauthorize community health centers program

HIV/AIDS funding in Tanzania expected to total $476 million, government report says

HIV on the rise in Germany

Namibia to launch pilot HIV testing, counseling project

GeoVax Labs to launch phase II trials of HIV vaccine candidate

Rapid HIV tests highly effective in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission in India

Illinois Gov. Blagojevich to stop enrolling people in expanded FamilyCare program

ACP says Medicare cuts will hurt physicians in small practices - asks Congress to pass legislation to avert pending pay cut

Outcomes of obese and nonobese patients undergoing revision total hip arthroplasty

Human cytomegalovirus mimics human protein to hijack cell division machinery

Study finds darapladib lowers biomarker for cardiovascular problems

Study shows prostate cancer gene 3 (PCA3) correlates with severity of prostate cancer

Stopping smoking in schools

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

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