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Women who quit smoking during pregnancy less likely to remain nonsmokers because of concerns about weight

Women who quit smoking before pregnancy are less likely to remain nonsmokers after giving birth largely because of concerns about gaining weight, according to a study to be published in the October issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, the Los Angeles Times reports.

20 Sep 2006

USAID issues $15M grant to Ugandan religious coalition

USAID through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief issued a $15 million three-year grant to the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda -- a coalition of five religious groups that promote faith-based strategies to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic, AFP/Today Online reports.

20 Sep 2006

HIV testing should become routine, especially in hard-hit countries

As AIDS-related illnesses kill 8,000 people worldwide each day and 14,000 people become HIV-positive daily, "[i]t's time to move to routine [HIV] testing" in countries with high HIV prevalence, Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times columnist writes in a Times opinion piece.

20 Sep 2006

HIV/AIDS advocates say India's law criminalizing homosexuality hinders HIV prevention

International human rights groups and gay rights advocates in India on Saturday in an open letter called on the government to repeal its law criminalizing homosexuality, saying the law is affecting the fight against HIV/AIDS, the New York Times reports.

20 Sep 2006

Five countries to tax airline travel to raise money for HIV/AIDS

Brazil, Chile, France, Norway and the United Kingdom on Tuesday at the 61st session of the U.N. General Assembly are expected to announce a plan to impose an airline ticket tax to fund an international drug purchase facility and HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria treatment and prevention programs, a French official said Monday, the New York Times reports.

20 Sep 2006

160 HIV-positive delegates at XVI International AIDS conference make refugee claims in Canada

About 160 HIV-positive people who entered Canada from other countries to attend the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto last month have made refugee claims to stay in the country, Toronto's Globe and Mail reports.

20 Sep 2006

Ugandan lawmakers draft bill seeking death penalty for HIV-positive people who perform sexual acts with minors

Ugandan lawmakers are drafting a bill that if passed would seek the death penalty for HIV-positive people who perform sexual acts with minors with or without consent, South Africa's Mail and Guardian reports.

20 Sep 2006

Southern health officials call on congress to approve Ryan White CARE act reauthorization

A group of Republican senators and health officials from Southern state held a news conference in Washington, D.C., to call on Congress to approve reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports (Evans, AP/Contra Costa Times, 9/14).

20 Sep 2006

Jamaica launches ad campaign against discrimination of HIV-positive people

Jamaica has launched an advertising campaign that aims to curb HIV/AIDS-related stigma, the Caribbean Media Corporation reports.

20 Sep 2006

Federal law allows consumers to qualify for Medicaid, retain assets

Under a new federal law, residents of about 20 states in 2007 will be able to purchase simplified, long-term care coverage, and if that coverage runs out, they could qualify for Medicaid, even if they have assets totaling more than $2,000, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

20 Sep 2006

Some Senators concerned about plan to address Medicare premium refund checks sent erroneously

Some senators have raised concerns that a plan developed by CMS Administrator Mark McClellan and Social Security Administration Commissioner Jo Anne Barnhart to address errors in the deduction of Medicare prescription drug benefit premiums from Social Security checks "might be too harsh" for low-income beneficiaries, The Hill reports.

20 Sep 2006

Senate majority leader Frist hopes to hold vote on revised 'Association Health Plan Bill' this month

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) this month hopes to hold a floor vote on a revised version of a bill (S 1995) that would allow small businesses and trade associations to form association health plans across state lines, according to a Frist spokesperson, CongressDaily reports.

20 Sep 2006

Alliance between disability advocates, Bush administration officials helped develop program to encourage home care for Medicaid beneficiaries

NPR's "Morning Edition" on Friday examined how an "unlikely alliance" between a group of disability advocates and Bush administration officials resulted in a major change to federal funding for long-term care of Medicaid beneficiaries (Shapiro, "Morning Edition," NPR, 9/15).

20 Sep 2006

Medical Centers should follow Stanford's lead in banning gifts from drug companies

Stanford University Medical Center's decision to prohibit physicians from accepting any gifts from pharmaceutical sales representatives is "an austere measure that other medical centers should follow," a Los Angeles Times editorial states.

20 Sep 2006

Thousands of prescription drug products sold in the U.S. not approved by FDA

Drugs that have not been approved by FDA make up nearly 2% of prescription drugs on the market, and some of them "might not only be ineffective but also might actually be harmful," USA Today reports.

20 Sep 2006

CDC creates committee to evaluate process of rewarding grants

CDC has formed a committee to consider the equitability of the agency cash awards process in response to analyses that found non-science employees in recent years have received most of the awards, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Young, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 9/19).

20 Sep 2006

Insurance companies promote use of generic drugs in effort to cut costs

The Chicago Tribune on Sunday examined how some private insurers, in an attempt to reduce health care costs by encouraging the use of generic drugs, "are showering customers with free generic drug samples, waiving copayments and marketing directly to consumers in doctors' offices."

20 Sep 2006

More states allow older children to remain on parents' health plans

A "growing number of states" have extended the time children can remain on their parents' health insurance plans out of concern "that a healthy -- and profitable -- segment of the population is dropping out of the insurance pool," the New York Times reports.

20 Sep 2006

Health IT legislation should allow portability for electronic health records

"Steps are now under way to bring ... lifesaving" electronic health records to all hospitals and physician offices in the U.S., but "Congress is considering a bill that would make it harder to allow your information to follow you throughout your health care treatment," former National Coordinator for Health Information Technology David Brailer writes in a New York Times opinion piece.

20 Sep 2006

Aromatase inhibitors improve survival of advanced breast cancer patients compared to tamoxifen

Aromatase inhibitors improve the survival of advanced breast cancer patients compared to standard hormone therapies like tamoxifen, a researchers report in the September 20 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

19 Sep 2006

Medical News

Women who quit smoking during pregnancy less likely to remain nonsmokers because of concerns about weight

USAID issues $15M grant to Ugandan religious coalition

HIV testing should become routine, especially in hard-hit countries

HIV/AIDS advocates say India's law criminalizing homosexuality hinders HIV prevention

Five countries to tax airline travel to raise money for HIV/AIDS

160 HIV-positive delegates at XVI International AIDS conference make refugee claims in Canada

Ugandan lawmakers draft bill seeking death penalty for HIV-positive people who perform sexual acts with minors

Southern health officials call on congress to approve Ryan White CARE act reauthorization

Jamaica launches ad campaign against discrimination of HIV-positive people

Federal law allows consumers to qualify for Medicaid, retain assets

Some Senators concerned about plan to address Medicare premium refund checks sent erroneously

Senate majority leader Frist hopes to hold vote on revised 'Association Health Plan Bill' this month

Alliance between disability advocates, Bush administration officials helped develop program to encourage home care for Medicaid beneficiaries

Medical Centers should follow Stanford's lead in banning gifts from drug companies

Thousands of prescription drug products sold in the U.S. not approved by FDA

CDC creates committee to evaluate process of rewarding grants

Insurance companies promote use of generic drugs in effort to cut costs

More states allow older children to remain on parents' health plans

Health IT legislation should allow portability for electronic health records

Aromatase inhibitors improve survival of advanced breast cancer patients compared to tamoxifen

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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