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Scientists uncover key mechanism that links obesity and diabetes with cancer

Sugars are needed to provide us with energy and in moderate amounts contribute to our well-being. Sustained high levels of sugars, as is found in diabetics, damages our cells and now is shown that can also increase our chance to get cancer: The dose makes the poison as Paracelsus said.

1 Feb 2013

State highlights: Mayo seeks Minn. help for Rochester expansion; Texas bill on end-of-life treatment offered; Milwaukee County board considers dropping employee coverage

The Mayo Clinic is proposing more than $5 billion in investments in and around Rochester as part of an ambitious expansion plan to create what the clinic calls a "Destination Medical Center." Included in that plan is a request for more than $500 million in state taxpayer money to help fund infrastructure as the Mayo grows. Mayo claims the plan would create between 35,000 and 45,000 new jobs. Mayo is already Minnesota's largest private employer with 32,000 employees in the state.

1 Feb 2013

State roundup: Texas lawmakers ready health budget

Texas budget writers got a briefing on the state's health care programs Wednesday, and many of the biggest questions focused on how the state can reduce fraud and what to do about ever-increasing health care costs.

1 Feb 2013

Ten common notions concerning colds and flu

The cold and flu season has hit early and hard this year. As the number of people infected continues to increase, so does the number of internet searches for ways to prevent or limit the duration of viral illnesses. But, what is fact and what is fiction?

1 Feb 2013

Market demands spur more options for senior care

Millions of families are beginning to grapple with the one major health expense for which most Americans are not insured: long-term care. About 10 million seniors currently rely on others for daily care, such as help getting dressed, preparing meals or taking medication.

1 Feb 2013

Cedars-Sinai healthcare professionals to mark National Wear Red Day

Hundreds of healthcare professionals at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute will wear red on Friday, Feb. 1, to mark National Wear Red Day. A few hours later, the new Cedars-Sinai Advanced Health Sciences Pavilion will be lit with a projection of the red dress symbol that represents a public education program to boost women's awareness of heart disease.

1 Feb 2013

Ohio might join ranks of red states opting for Medicaid expansion

John Kasich, the state's Republican governor, hints to The Cincinnati Enquirer that he might call for this step in his two-year budget plan, expected to be released in the next few days.

1 Feb 2013

Brandeis University researchers to receive Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences

Deborah E. Wiley, Chair of The Wiley Foundation, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., announced today that the twelfth annual Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences will be awarded to Dr. Michael Young, Rockefeller University, Dr. Jeffrey Hall, Brandeis University (Emeritus), and Dr. Michael Rosbash, Brandeis University.

1 Feb 2013

Medicaid news: Minn. effort to expand program praised

Officials in Texas, Oregon, Minnesota and California consider a myriad of changes to their Medicaid programs -- including fitting maintenance or expansion of coverage for the poor into tightening budgets.

1 Feb 2013

Longer looks: Dr. Oz, deconstructed; Malpractice and apology

Oprah Winfrey first referred to Mehmet Oz as "America's doctor" in 2004, during one of his earliest appearances on her television show. The label stuck. Oz was a rare find: so eloquent and telegenic that people are often surprised to learn that he is a highly credentialled member of the medical establishment. ... "The Dr. Oz Show" frequently focusses on essential health issues: the proper ways to eat, relax, exercise, and sleep, and how to maintain a healthy heart. Much of the advice Oz offers is sensible, and is rooted solidly in scientific literature.

1 Feb 2013

Researcher details creation of innovative cardiac patches that utilize nanotechnology

On January 30, 2013 ACS Nano published a study by Ali Khademhosseini, PhD, MASc, a researcher in the division of biomedical engineering at Brigham and Women's Hospital, detailing the creation of innovative cardiac patches that utilize nanotechnology to enhance the conductivity of materials to induce cardiac tissue formation.

1 Feb 2013

Opinion pieces address Bill Gates' annual letter

Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, on Wednesday released his annual letter.

1 Feb 2013

Scientists discover new evidence for role of epigenetic changes on premature aging diseases

Scientists at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain have found new evidence for the role of epigenetic changes (those heritable alterations in gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in DNA sequence) on premature aging diseases.

1 Feb 2013

Pharmacuetical companies eye orphan drugs as new revenue source

Drug companies are fond of saying that every patient counts, but in the world of orphan diseases, entire business plans are built around the idea. ... Development of these drugs is increasingly attractive to pharmaceutical companies, which are searching for new sources of revenue as sales of more traditional, mass-market drugs have been lost to generic competition.

1 Feb 2013

Book reviews psilocybin's potential in alleviating psychological distress in cancer patients

Improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of cancers in recent years have led to a marked increase in patients' physical survival rates. While doctors can treat the physical disease, what is not well understood is how best to address the psychological needs of patients with cancer.

1 Feb 2013

United Nations Foundation Blog reflects on Bill Gates' annual letter

Noting Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, released his annual letter and report on Wednesday, Eric Porterfield, director of global health communications at the United Nations Foundation, writes in the United Nations Foundation Blog, "The report is an important reminder that the role of measurement and evaluation is a critical component in addressing global challenges effectively."

1 Feb 2013

Two-step personalized immunotherapy safe for patients with ovarian cancer

Most ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed with late stage disease that is unresponsive to existing therapies. In a new study, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine show that a two-step personalized immunotherapy treatment - a dendritic cell vaccine using patients' own tumor followed by adoptive T cell therapy - triggers anti-tumor immune responses in these type of patients.

1 Feb 2013

Battles over availability and coverage of abortion move to states

States are the arena for new abortion battles -- both the fight over their availability and coverage of them by state and private insurance. In the meantime, new legislation on the procedure is winding through the Washington state and Arkansas legislatures.

1 Feb 2013

Scientists identify specific p53 pocket that can be targeted by cancer-fighting drugs

UC Irvine biologists, chemists and computer scientists have identified an elusive pocket on the surface of the p53 protein that can be targeted by cancer-fighting drugs. The finding heralds a new treatment approach, as mutant forms of this protein are implicated in nearly 40 percent of diagnosed cases of cancer, which kills more than half a million Americans each year.

1 Feb 2013

Health law drawing concern from unexpected source

Labor unions enthusiastically backed the Obama administration's health-care overhaul when it was up for debate. Now that the law is rolling out, some are turning sour. Union leaders say many of the law's requirements will drive up the costs for their health-care plans and make unionized workers less competitive.

1 Feb 2013