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Study looks at link between delivery time and outcomes for infants with birth defects

Weekday delivery is no better than night or weekend delivery for infants with birth defects, according to a new study presented today at The Pregnancy Meeting, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual conference. The finding is good news for all parties - moms, babies and healthcare teams - and suggests that this high-risk population of women should deliver when their bodies are ready to deliver, regardless of the day or time.

13 Feb 2012

Length of residence in the U.S. increases risk of PTB among Hispanic women

The longer a Hispanic woman lives in the United States, the higher her risk of preterm birth (PTB), with nearly half of PTBs among Hispanic women occurring in those who were born in the U.S.

13 Feb 2012

Preterm C-section could raise risk of breathing difficulties: Study

Cesarean sections are often performed when a baby is going to be born early. Labor may also be induced when a woman's water breaks too early in the pregnancy. However, two new studies suggest that these common practices may, in fact, not benefit babies. The two new studies were presented Thursday at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

12 Feb 2012

White House scrambles for compromise on birth control rule

Officials say Obama remains committed to the HHS regulation, amid indications they are exploring ways to get around religious groups' complaints.

10 Feb 2012

Induction of labor does not minimize risk of respiratory problems, infection in infants

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that suggest that induction of labor in patients who suffer a rupture of membranes between the 34th and 37th week of gestation (before the onset of labor) does not reduce the risk of infection or respiratory problems in the newborn.

10 Feb 2012

Former Omnicare employees claim to have been unlawfully underpaid

Former employees of Omnicare, Inc., one of the nation's leading providers of long-term pharmaceutical care for seniors, claim that they have been unlawfully underpaid during their employment with the company.

10 Feb 2012

DNA sequencing can direct immune system to attack cancer

DNA sequences from tumor cells can be used to direct the immune system to attack cancer, according to scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

9 Feb 2012

Communities with small, locally-owned businesses have healthier populations

Counties and parishes with a greater concentration of small, locally-owned businesses have healthier populations - with lower rates of mortality, obesity and diabetes - than do those that rely on large companies with "absentee" owners, according to a national study by sociologists at LSU and Baylor University.

8 Feb 2012

State roundup: Mental health problems complicate immigrant detention hearings; Penn. hospital replacing nursing assistants with all RNs

Immigrant advocates say there are hundreds of mentally ill immigration defendants such as [Ever Martinez Rivas], left to fend for themselves without any meaningful protections in court. As with Martinez, their cases are delayed repeatedly while immigration judges struggle to deal with them fairly. A recently certified federal class action suit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Los Angeles-based pro bono law firm Public Counsel and other advocacy groups, seeks to address the issue by compelling the government to provide competency hearings, lawyers and bond hearings for defendants such as Martinez.

7 Feb 2012

Tanning beds in NSW to be banned by 2014

Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) government announced radical laws that ban commercial tanning beds in the state. NSW will be the only place in the world besides Brazil to institute a total ban on ultraviolet solariums tanning units when the laws come into place from December 31, 2014, and cancer groups hope other states and countries will follow.

6 Feb 2012

Pyromaker can more accurately identify complex genetic mutations

DNA sequencing to detect genetic mutations can aid in the diagnosis and selection of treatment for cancer. Current methods of testing DNA samples, Sanger sequencing and pyrosequencing, occasionally produce complex results that can be difficult or impossible to interpret. Scientists at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have developed a free software program, Pyromaker, that can more accurately identify such complex genetic mutations.

6 Feb 2012

CNA/NNU announce support for Millionaires Tax of 2012 initiative

With ongoing cuts to healthcare, education, and other basic services, and greater national income disparity than during the Depression, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United today announced its support for the Millionaires Tax of 2012 initiative.

3 Feb 2012

CBO: Federal health spending to double over the next decade

In its budget and economic outlook, the Congressional Budget Office projects an 8 percent annual increase in health spending between 2012 and 2022, mainly because of an aging U.S. population and rising treatment costs. The analysis includes a bigger pricetag for a permanent fix to the Medicare physician payment formula.

2 Feb 2012

General anesthesia may lower recurrence risk in patients with HCC

For patients undergoing a minimally invasive treatment for liver cancer, the risk of recurrent cancer appears lower with general anesthesia compared to regional (epidural) anesthesia, reports a study in the February issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

1 Feb 2012

Early retirement due to back problems reduces long-term financial capacity

Back problems are a highly prevalent health issue, and people with the condition have a significantly greater chance of retiring early from the workforce, much more so than for any other health condition. A group of Australian researchers reports that not only does early retirement limit the immediate income available to these individuals, but it also reduces their long-term financial capacity, by reducing their ability to accumulate wealth to a significant degree.

1 Feb 2012

State news: Rate hikes approved in Mass., Va. families still wait for autism coverage, health IT booming

State regulators have approved premium increases averaging 2.3 percent for health insurance covering hundreds of thousands of residents, the most modest hikes in at least a decade and a sign that years of efforts to control costs may be working. The new rates are in Massachusetts' "small group'' market, which includes tens of thousands of small businesses as well as self-employed and formerly uninsured individuals.

24 Jan 2012

Labor union to launch ad seeking to link Romney to Medicare fraud

Voters in South Carolina go to the polls today, but meanwhile, The Los Angeles Times reports that AFSCME has purchased airtime for an ad that raises questions about the Republican presidential contender's work as a member of the board of directors of a medical testing company that paid a fine to Medicare.

23 Jan 2012

Positive economic outcomes of paid family leave for workers

With a growing need for family-friendly workplace policies, a new study commissioned by the National Partnership for Women & Families, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, concludes that providing paid family leave to workers leads to positive economic outcomes for working families, businesses and the public.

20 Jan 2012

C-sections on the rise and most mothers not well informed: Queensland study

According to a latest study from Queensland, it is doctors, not mothers, who are responsible for the rising rate of babies born by caesarean section in Australia. Queensland has the highest rate of C-sections in Australia and researchers say often women are not properly informed when they make the decision to go ahead with surgery.

19 Jan 2012

Experts debate pros, cons of Sierra Leone's ban on traditional birth attendants

The Guardian's "Poverty Matters" blog asks whether Sierra Leone was right to ban traditional birth attendants (TBAs) from assisting deliveries 18 months ago, writing, "Although [TBAs] are often poorly trained and sometimes use unsafe delivery procedures, for most women in rural Sierra Leone they are a lifeline."

19 Jan 2012