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Washington, D.C., distributes 250,000 condoms

Washington, D.C., health officials on Friday distributed 250,000 city-branded condoms as part of the Department of Health's efforts to prevent the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, the Washington Post reports.

19 Feb 2007

Washington Legislature considers Gov. Gregoire's universal health coverage plan

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire (D) on Monday testified before state Senate and House health committees, urging lawmakers to support two bills (SB 5930 and HB 2098) that aim to offer universal health coverage to all state residents within five years.

19 Feb 2007

Legislation introduced that would give FDA authority to approve generic versions of biotechnology drugs

Lawmakers in the House and Senate on Wednesday introduced a bill that would allow FDA to approve generic versions of biotechnology medications, USA Today reports.

19 Feb 2007

Health care industry groups lobby Presidential candidates

Roll Call on Wednesday examined how health care is "quickly becoming a cornerstone" of 2008 presidential candidates' domestic proposals and how "health industry groups and their lobbyists already are trying to make sure candidates in both parties keep their interests in mind along the campaign trail."

19 Feb 2007

Sen. Baucus says he would attach SCHIP funding to Iraq war spending if needed

Senate Democratic leaders on Wednesday said that if a consensus cannot be reached with Republicans on a stop-gap spending measure for SCHIP, a spending provision for the program will be attached to an Iraq supplemental bill set to be discussed in late March or early April, CongressDaily reports.

19 Feb 2007

Kaiser Permanente launches long term project to collect genetic data

California-based HMO Kaiser Permanente on Wednesday announced the creation of a decades-long research project that will collect and analyze genetic information from hundreds of thousands of adult members, the San Jose Mercury News reports.

19 Feb 2007

Senate HELP committee passes mental health legislation

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Wednesday voted 18-3 to approve a bill (S 558) sponsored by Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) that would require health insurers to provide the same level of coverage for treatment of mental illnesses and substance abuse as they provide for physical illnesses, CQ Today reports.

19 Feb 2007

Bush signs $463.5 billion fiscal year 2007 appropriations bill

President Bush on Thursday signed a $463.5 billion fiscal year 2007 omnibus appropriations bill, which includes increased funds for health programs, the AP/Arizona Daily Star reports (AP/Arizona Daily Star, 2/16).

19 Feb 2007

Senate committee on aging discusses Medicare budget cuts

At a Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing on Thursday, ranking member Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) expressed concern about proposed cuts to Medicare and Medicaid by the Bush administration, CongressDaily reports.

19 Feb 2007

Health insurance claim denials cost U.S. billions

A racketeering lawsuit filed against UnitedHealth Group by two New York hospitals "illustrates perfectly the dysfunctional nature of our health insurance system," New York Times columnist Paul Krugman writes in an opinion piece.

19 Feb 2007

British turkey giant guilty of sloppy practices

The company at the centre of a bird flu outbreak in Britain has come in for some harsh criticism after a catalogue of failings were revealed by an official report.

18 Feb 2007

Norwalk virus closes Canadian hospital

A hospital in Toronto, Canada has been closed to patients and visitors following an outbreak of the Norwalk virus.

18 Feb 2007

Bionic eye offers light at the end of the tunnel for the blind

Researchers in the United States have been given the green light by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to trial a bionic eye implant in blind patients.

18 Feb 2007

Fourth outbreak of bird flu threatens Moscow

According to Russian authorities a fourth outbreak of the H5N1 bird-flu virus has been discovered in suburban Moscow.

18 Feb 2007

Genetic variations contribute to a person's risk for nicotine dependence

Americans are bombarded with antismoking messages, yet at least 65 million of us continue to light up. Genetic factors play an important role in this continuing addiction to cigarettes, suggest scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

18 Feb 2007

Researchers determine a critical factor in workings of proteins

Scientists know that a better understanding of how proteins bond could lead to more effective treatments for genetic disorders and other life-threatening conditions.

18 Feb 2007

Where you live influences risk of heart attack or stroke

Sure you think about diet and exercise as key to heart disease prevention. But what about the neighborhood you live in?

18 Feb 2007

Enzyme important in fetal heart-cell failure - findings provide new targets for treatment

In almost all forms of heart failure, the heart begins to express genes that are normally only expressed in the fetal heart. Researchers have known for years that this fetal-gene reactivation happens, yet not what regulates it.

18 Feb 2007

Largest collection of autism DNA

Preliminary findings from the largest genome scan ever completed in the history of autism research are being published in Nature Genetics. University of Pittsburgh researchers with a consortium of scientists from across the world contributed to this landmark research endeavor through the Autism Genome Project.

18 Feb 2007

New targets in cancer mutation puzzle

University of Rochester scientists, while investigating the two most frequent types of mutations in cancer, discovered a possible new route to treatment that would take advantage of the mutations instead of trying to repair them.

18 Feb 2007