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Better risk models needed for estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer

A breast cancer risk prediction model developed for African Americans tends to underestimate risk in certain subgroups, according to a new study from the Slone Epidemiology Center (SEC) at Boston University.

16 Feb 2013

Colorectal cancer outcomes could be improved with regular genetic screening for Lynch syndrome

Cleveland Clinic researchers have found that colorectal cancer outcomes could be improved with regular genetic screening for Lynch syndrome, the most common hereditary, adult-onset cause of colorectal cancer, as published in the online version of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

16 Feb 2013

Researchers create new ultra-sensitive tool for chemical, DNA and protein analysis

Utilizing optical characteristics first demonstrated by the ancient Romans, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have created a novel, ultra-sensitive tool for chemical, DNA, and protein analysis.

16 Feb 2013

U.S. should provide additional humanitarian aid to Syria

"As Syria burns, Washington has begun a debate over the supply of humanitarian assistance to the millions displaced, injured or penniless from civil war," Morton Abramowitz, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation and a former ambassador to Turkey, writes in an opinion piece in The Atlantic.

16 Feb 2013

'Vaccine patch' could make immunizations cheaper, easier

"An innovative new way to deliver vaccines could drastically improve the health of the third world, and even the first world, by making vaccines cheaper and easier to distribute and use," Business Insider reports, adding, "The 'vaccine patch' would be as easy to apply as a Band-Aid, and would be stable for weeks at room temperature."

16 Feb 2013

Research involves new, safer ways to deliver biomedical agents against tumors

Jeremy L. Steinbacher, PhD, is among a new generation of scientists trying to improve their aim and approach to killing cancer cells. The Canisius College professor of chemistry/biochemistry is working to develop biomedical agents that more accurately target and attack tumors.

16 Feb 2013

Senate Appropriations Subcommittee gets 4 new members

"The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, with oversight that includes funding for the State Department and USAID, has four new members announced this week with diverse approaches and backgrounds in global health issues," the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports.

16 Feb 2013

Meridian Health, Bayshore Community Hospital announce $5 million charitable contribution

Bayshore Community Hospital and Meridian Health Affiliated Foundations today announced a $5 million charitable contribution from Mrs. Janice Mitchell Vassar, whose sole desire, in her words, is to "make my hospital the best hospital it can be."

16 Feb 2013

U.N. officials mark campaign against violence against women

U.N. officials on Thursday "joined millions of people around the world who are taking a stance against violence against women as part of the One Billion Rising campaign," the U.N. News Centre reports.

16 Feb 2013

Gut microbes can affect severity of kidney disease brought on by melamine poisoning

Microbes present in the gut can affect the severity of kidney disease brought on by melamine poisoning, according to an international study led by Professor Wei Jia at the University of North Carolina in collaboration with the research group of Professor Jeremy Nicholson at Imperial College London.

16 Feb 2013

U.N. joint meeting addresses issues surrounding food security

"Scaling up the global response to food security and nutrition topped the agenda [Thursday] at a special joint meeting between the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the General Assembly, world experts and the U.N. food agencies aimed at identifying steps to build a future free of hunger," the U.N. News Centre reports, noting the meeting "included the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP)."

16 Feb 2013

Self-objectification associated with reduced women's involvement in social activism

Women who live in a culture in which they are objectified by others may in turn begin to objectify themselves. This kind of self-objectification may reduce women's involvement in social activism, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

16 Feb 2013

WHO holds 2-day meeting to discuss need for global health statistics

"At a two-day meeting organized and hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) [in Geneva], 60 leaders in the field of global health statistics drew up a set of proposals to improve the world's ability to count the sick and the dead," ScienceInsider reports.

16 Feb 2013

Parkinson's-related mutations may also affect vision

The most common genetic cause of Parkinson's is not only responsible for the condition's distinctive movement problems but may also affect vision, according to new research by scientists at the University of York.

16 Feb 2013

Hearing raises questions about how to replace Medicare's SGR formula

Opinions on what to replace Medicare's sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula with and how to get there vary greatly, comments during a Thursday hearing showed. Lawmakers looking to pull the trigger on finally doing away with the SGR, which is used to determine physician payments, must iron out many of the details that came to light during a hearing Thursday before the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee.

16 Feb 2013

rEVO Biologics announces results from Atryn phase 3 studies on pregnant AT-deficient women

rEVO Biologics announced today the results of a major retrospective study analysis of its pivotal phase 3 studies which demonstrate that pregnant patients with hereditary antithrombin deficiency (HD) benefit from ATryn Antithrombin (Recombinant) therapy to prevent venous thromboembolic events (VTE).

16 Feb 2013

AIDS-free generation is within reach but only with fully-funded Global Fund

In the Huffington Post's "Impact" blog, ACTION Director Kolleen Bouchane highlights President Barack Obama's mention of global development and global health in Tuesday's State of the Union address.

16 Feb 2013

More people meeting recommended goals in three key markers of diabetes control

More people are meeting recommended goals in the three key markers of diabetes control, according to a study conducted and funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

16 Feb 2013

State Department blog summarizes U.S. policies addressing gender equality

Writing in the U.S. State Department's "DipNote" blog, Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, who serves as senior adviser to the Secretary of State and directs the department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, discusses the One Billion Rising campaign calling attention to violence against women and girls. Noting some data on violence against women, he states, "The United States has put gender equality and the advancement of women and girls at the forefront of the three pillars of U.S. foreign policy -- diplomacy, development, and defense."

16 Feb 2013

Institute of Medicine to release ‘Evaluation of PEPFAR’ on Feb. 20

Evaluation of PEPFAR, a new report from the Institute of Medicine, presents the results of an assessment of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief as requested by Congress in its reauthorization of funding for the initiative in 2008.

16 Feb 2013