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McConnell, others demanding spending cuts - including Medicare

News outlets, especially the Sunday talk shows, highlighted the ongoing partisan battles on entitlement cuts.

7 Jan 2013

Experts at December WHO meeting agree upon sleeping sickness elimination plan

Experts at a December 2012 WHO meeting agreed on a plan to eliminate sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis), the Lancet reports.

7 Jan 2013

Study finds a new way in which calcium signaling may be controlled

In a study published in Current Biology, scientists from the University of Rochester Medical Center, Marquette University and Oberlin College discovered a new way in which calcium signaling may be controlled. Study authors say their findings define a mechanism for regulating calcium signaling that has never been recognized before and should be of great help to the thousands of scientists who study the extremely important role of calcium signaling in health and disease.

7 Jan 2013

Edison Pharmaceuticals to commence EPI-743 phase 2B Friedreich's ataxia study

Edison Pharmaceuticals today announced the initiation of a phase 2B study entitled, "Safety and Efficacy Study of EPI-743 on Visual Function in Patients with Friedreich's Ataxia."

7 Jan 2013

New research shows rise in number of HIV infections in Russia, Al Jazeera reports

"New research has revealed an alarming spike in the number of HIV infections in Russia, with 200 people being diagnosed with the condition every day," Al Jazeera reports.

7 Jan 2013

Yearlong moratorium on H5N1 research soon lifted, new rules implemented, Science reports

"U.S. government officials say they expect to put the finishing touches this month on new rules designed to help funding agencies identify and regulate especially problematic H5N1 studies before they begin," which would allow influenza researchers "to lift a year-old, self-imposed moratorium on certain kinds of potentially dangerous experiments," Science reports.

7 Jan 2013

Fluoxetine stimulates production of new neurons from L1-INP cells

The production of new neurons in the adult normal cortex in response to the antidepressant, fluoxetine, is reported in a study published online this week in Neuropsychopharmacology.

7 Jan 2013

New Congress brings changes in leadership, expertise

Politico offers insights regarding the leadership style and health law attitudes of Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., who will chair the House Labor, HHS appropriations subcommittee. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reports that two physicians were sworn in yesterday -- doubling the number of doctors in the Democratic caucus.

7 Jan 2013

Virtual patient can help future physicians more comfortable and capable assessing suicide risk

A virtual patient named Denise may help future physicians feel more comfortable and capable assessing suicide risk.

7 Jan 2013

Editorial, opinion pieces address effects of health worker murders in Pakistan on polio eradication

Several news outlets published opinion pieces regarding the recent murders of polio vaccination and other aid workers in Pakistan.

7 Jan 2013

arGEN-X commences ARGX-110 Phase Ib trial to treat cancer

arGEN-X, a biopharmaceutical company specialized in the discovery and development of highly differentiated human monoclonal antibody therapeutics, announced today the initiation of a Phase Ib first-in-man cancer study with ARGX-110, its first SIMPLE Antibody program to enter the clinic in just three years from initiation of discovery.

7 Jan 2013

Viewpoints: 'Class war' over Medicare funding; GOP needs courage to cut entitlements in debt fight

Failure to curb our deficits and reform unsustainable entitlement spending means passing greater debt burdens on to future generations. Democrats and Republicans have the opportunity to reverse this trend and claim credit. ... Sadly, the deal struck this week in Congress maintains the trend of $1 trillion deficits for at least another year while continuing to ensure that federal health care spending a generation from now will be untenable.

7 Jan 2013

New research reveals a shared genetic susceptibility to epilepsy and migraine

New research reveals a shared genetic susceptibility to epilepsy and migraine. Findings published in Epilepsia, a journal of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), indicate that having a strong family history of seizure disorders increases the chance of having migraine with aura (MA).

7 Jan 2013

Roundup: Texas begins new Women's Health Program; Federal spending uncertainty bedevils states; 'Medi-scare' mailings

Texas is funding the Women's Health Program on its own because the federal government pulled funding after the state blocked Planned Parenthood from participating. The Texas version still serves low-income women who would qualify for Medicaid if they became pregnant. It will cover about 110,000 women between 18 and 44 years old with free well-woman exams, basic health care and certain family planning services.

7 Jan 2013

Inovio, MVI collaborate to advance malaria vaccine development and new delivery technologies

The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) and Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced a follow-on collaboration to advance malaria vaccine development and new vaccination delivery technologies.

7 Jan 2013

New York Times profiles work of abortion hotline in Chile

The New York Times profiles the Safe Abortion Hot Line in Chile, where abortion has been entirely illegal since 1989.

7 Jan 2013

Study investigates prolonged pathological outcomes of traumatic brain injury

Researchers from the University of South Florida and colleagues at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital studying the long-term consequences of traumatic brain injury using rat models, have found that, overtime, TBI results in progressive brain deterioration characterized by elevated inflammation and suppressed cell regeneration.

7 Jan 2013

States confront myriad of health law implementation issues

States face fallout from decisions on whether to implement key parts of the health law, including exchanges in California and Washington -- where dental insurance will be mandated in plans offered in the marketplaces -- and Florida, which missed out on co-ops and faces a decision on expanding Medicaid in 2013.

7 Jan 2013

Study highlights role of Protein S in maintenance of healthy retina

Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with researchers at the Salk Institute in California, have found for the first time that a specific protein is essential not only for maintaining a healthy retina in the eye, but also may have implications for understanding and possibly treating other conditions in the immune, reproductive, vascular and nervous systems, as well as in various cancers.

7 Jan 2013

HHS gives 7 states the go-ahead to create health exchanges

So far, the Obama administration has approved the health exchange blueprints submitted by 17 states and the District of Columbia. And, the most recent set includes both red states, including Utah, and blue states.

7 Jan 2013