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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) inflammatory subtypes: an interview with Dr Vanessa McDonald, University of Newcastle, Australia

COPD is defined as a preventable and treatable disease associated with significant extrapulmonary consequences that may contribute to severity. The pulmonary component of COPD is characterised by airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. The airflow limitation is usually progressive with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious particles (GOLD Strategy Document). Airflow obstruction in COPD is not highly variable and largely irreversible.

8 Mar 2013

Failure to use aspirin before angioplasty increases death rate

Despite recommendations from leading medical groups, a surprising number of patients are not given aspirin before artery-clearing coronary angioplasty and stenting, and those patients have a significantly higher in-hospital death rate, according to research from a Michigan network being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session.

8 Mar 2013

Statehouses become next flashpoint for Medicaid expansion debates

Even as Republican governors like Rick Scott in Florida have chosen to back the health law's Medicaid expansion, they are facing push back from GOP-controlled legislatures.

8 Mar 2013

Rural Latino men need better sexual health services: Study

A new study based on in-depth interviews of rural Latino men in western Oregon finds that these men need sexual health services designed for their needs, including more male health providers, more convenient clinic hours, and Spanish-speaking doctors.

8 Mar 2013

Media coverage of 'functional cure' in baby born with HIV continues

Highlighting the recent case of an infant reportedly cured of HIV infection "after a swiftly administered course of drugs," Scientific American writes, "A number of factors make the child's case unique, ... and clinicians caution that we have not discovered a general cure for HIV yet. Still, the medical first may hint at ways to fight the AIDS-causing virus."

8 Mar 2013

Patients with PTSD more likely to develop insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and heart disease

Patients diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a significantly higher risk of developing insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, placing them at greater risk for heart disease and diabetes, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session. Researchers say public health interventions are urgently needed to prevent PTSD-related metabolic disorder at its early, reversible stage.

8 Mar 2013

Health insurers launch TV campaign opposing Medicare Advantage cuts

The ads, including a 30-second TV spot that will run in a dozen states and Washington, D.C., are designed to increase pressure on Congress and the Obama administration to stop proposed 2.3 percent cuts to these private plans. In addition, some analysts predict earnings drops for some insurers if the cuts go forward.

8 Mar 2013

New technology can turn off genes more precisely, say UCSF researchers

Scientists at UC San Francisco have found a more precise way to turn off genes, a finding that will speed research discoveries and biotech advances and may eventually prove useful in reprogramming cells to regenerate organs and tissues.

8 Mar 2013

IRIN examines impact of HIV funding on national health care systems

In an article in its "Building Resilience" series, IRIN examines the impact of HIV funding on health care systems in developing countries, writing, "Some have argued that the AIDS epidemic has helped generate an overall increase in health funding and mobilized an international push for more equitable health care access. But others maintain that the billions of donor dollars spent fighting HIV/AIDS in the last decade have done little to strengthen fragile national health systems."

8 Mar 2013

Jersey Shore’s Bariatric Surgery Program helps obese people to lose weight

For the obese community, the benefits of weight-loss surgery go beyond what the eye can see. Jersey Shore University Medical Center's Bariatric Surgery Program offers the education and tools necessary for people to make the life changing decision of losing weight.

8 Mar 2013

New funding model will help global fund grow, learn, help more people

"At the Global Fund [to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria], we launched a new funding model this week that is built to capitalize on open interaction and information flow," Global Fund Executive Director Mark Dybul writes in the Huffington Post's "The Big Push" blog, adding, "With more open dialogue between cooperative partners, we can more effectively confront and ultimately defeat these terrible diseases."

8 Mar 2013

Researchers discover ovarian stem-like epithelial cells that can mutate to form tumors

In collaboration with colleagues at Cornell University, a team of cancer researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has discovered cells with stem-cell properties in the ovary that can mutate to form tumors.

8 Mar 2013

Number of Syrian refugees tops 1M; U.N. says more assistance needed

"The relentless exodus of Syrians fleeing two years of increasingly violent conflict pushed the number of refugees in neighboring countries past the million mark on Wednesday, the United Nations Refugee Agency said, warning that resources for helping them are dangerously thin," the New York Times reports.

8 Mar 2013

APIC offers tips to stay infection-free

Beyond the obvious—steering clear of runny noses and hacking coughs—the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) presents some other practical ways of staying infection-free.

8 Mar 2013

Editorial, opinion pieces react to 'functional cure' of infant born with HIV

Scientists on Sunday announced that an infant born with HIV appears to have been "functionally cured" of the virus after receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) within 30 hours of birth.

8 Mar 2013

Telemedicine use appears to help urban communities achieve blood pressure goals

Using a telemedicine system to engage people in underserved, urban communities to measure and report their blood pressure remotely-outside of the doctor's office-appears to help them achieve blood pressure goals and improve adherence to lifestyle changes and medication recommendations, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session.

8 Mar 2013

Sen. Graham gun bill would bar more with mental illness from buying guns

Three senators potentially facing tough re-election challenges next year introduced NRA-endorsed legislation Wednesday that would bar more people from buying guns due to mental illness.

8 Mar 2013

Being overweight from young age can lead to heavier hearts later in life

Being overweight, especially from a young age, appears to lead to a bigger heart later in life, a condition that has been linked to serious heart problems and even death, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session.

8 Mar 2013

'Strong' FY14 budget request for Global Fund can ensure investment returns

Amanda Glassman and Jenny Ottenhoff of the Center for Global Development (CGD) write in the CGD's "Global Health Policy" blog about "the tough trade-offs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) must be considering as they finalize the president's FY14 budget request to Congress, expected to be released in mid-March."

8 Mar 2013

Upheaval caused by Hurricane Katrina seems to have disrupted heart attack timing

The upheaval caused by Hurricane Katrina seems to have disrupted the usual timing of heart attacks, shifting peak frequency from weekday mornings to weekend nights, in a change in pattern that persisted a full five years after the storm, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session.

8 Mar 2013