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Scientists to identify microbial risk predictors for preterm birth

A team of scientists from Mayo Clinic, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the J. Craig Venter Institute are leveraging a long-standing research relationship to apply results from the Human Microbiome Project to help identify microbial risk predictors for preterm birth.

29 Sep 2010

Opinions: U.S. food aid; MDGs; Contraceptive access, technology; U.S. AIDS funding; Foreign assistance reform

"The best way to help the millions of hungry people in countries that receive food aid get rid of their corrupt and incompetent rulers - and to ensure that their children will never go hungry in future — is to starve them now. That will turn them into raging, unstoppable anti-government regime changers," writes Nation Media Group Executive Editor Charles Onyango-Obbo in an East African opinion piece.

28 Sep 2010

HHS pumps up rhetoric but eases rules on health insurance for kids

Politico reports that the administration "is taking health insurers to task again, this time for choosing to no longer sell plans intended to cover sick children." Insurers "have said in recent weeks that they would stop selling 'child only' insurance plans because the overhaul requires them to accept all applicants, even if they apply for coverage at the last minute before treatment." In a letter to industry groups, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius highlighted the "plight of millions of parents who desperately want to provide health coverage and critical treatments" in the face of insurer decisions.

28 Sep 2010

Survey: 43% of employees think health benefits are more important than higher wages

Forty-three percent of employees think health benefits are more important than higher wages, according to the recent "Getting Paid In America" survey conducted by the American Payroll Association.

28 Sep 2010

GBS pathogen suppresses immune cell function in newborn infants: Research

Group B Streptococcus (GBS), a bacterial pathogen that causes sepsis and meningitis in newborn infants, is able to shut down immune cell function in order to promote its own survival, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

27 Sep 2010

Center for Prenatal Pediatrics: A comprehensive care center for women and children

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center today announced the opening of The Carmen and John Thain Center for Prenatal Pediatrics. The new unit will provide high-risk pregnant women and their babies the most comprehensive care currently available, all in one location.

24 Sep 2010

New patient marketing approach in dental advertising industry

Right Dental Group is expanding its territory and has opened practice participation opportunities in many metropolitan areas. As a premier choice for new patients for dental practices the opportunity to be included in this expansion is significant. Driving new patients to top-quality local dentists via its social media and e-commerce marketing platforms has never been in more demand. Many dental practices are struggling in the current economic climate and Right Dental Group provides a welcomed answer to new patient marketing needs.

24 Sep 2010

Bay Area nonprofit hospitals struggle with finances; Medicaid plan for neighborhood clinics in New Orleans approved

When Mountain View's El Camino Hospital last month announced plans to lay off about 140 workers due largely to a rise in nonpaying clients, the medical provider highlighted a debate over the financial health of the Bay Area's nonprofit hospitals.

24 Sep 2010

Career choice may influence where dementia takes root in the brain: Study

In an international study of patients with a devastating type of dementia that often strikes in middle age, researchers have found intriguing evidence that career choice may influence where the disease takes root in the brain.

23 Sep 2010

Federal officials seek stronger workforce safety standards for health workers

Scripps Howard News Service/The (Montgomery County, Pa.) Times Herald: "Federal officials of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced this month they will consider proposals from advocacy, labor and student groups that contend work-hour rules proposed by an accreditation council's task force don't go far enough. They're pushing for new caps [on how long medical residents can work] including: No more than 80 hours in any week, compared to current standards that allow for an average of 80 hours.

23 Sep 2010

Protein zyxin necessary for maintenance and repair of cell's cytoskeleton

Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah have discovered that a protein, zyxin, is necessary for the maintenance and repair of the cell's cytoskeleton, or internal framework, which serves as the muscle and bone of the cell. The research has implications for cancer, as well as other diseases, since alterations in the cytoskeleton are often associated with disease. The research was published in the Sep. 14, 2010, issue of the journal Developmental Cell.

22 Sep 2010

Study: College women with heavy roommates gain less weight during freshman year

A new University of Michigan study finds that college women with roommates who weigh more than average gain less weight during their freshman year than women with slimmer roommates: half a pound versus 2.5 pounds.

22 Sep 2010

Zyxin protein is critical to maintain and repair internal framework

22 Sep 2010

Republicans plan to chip away at health law; Senators call for insurance rate hearings

The New York Times: Republicans are hopeful they can pick up enough seats in November's midterm elections to chip away at the new health law. "This goal, though not fleshed out in a detailed legislative proposal, is much more than a campaign slogan. That conclusion emerged from interviews with a wide range of Republican lawmakers, who said they were determined to chip away at the law if they could not dismantle it." Republicans are expected to release specifics of the plan Thursday.

22 Sep 2010

Young victims of cyber bullying more likely to suffer from depression

Young victims of electronic or cyber bullying — which occurs online or by cell phone — are more likely to suffer from depression than their tormentors are, a new study finds.

21 Sep 2010

Cook Medical invites experts to discuss postpartum hemorrhage

Cook Medical has invited experts in women's health and postpartum hemorrhage from North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa to participate in a roundtable discussion with the world press to explore the causes, risk factors and prevalence of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) a fatal complication of childbirth that affects approximately 14 million women annually.

21 Sep 2010

Opinions: MDGs

"The overarching and noble goal [of this week's Millennium Development Goal (MDG) summit in New York] is reducing global poverty. But the most compelling and achievable objectives - huge reductions in maternal and child mortality worldwide - will be severely undermined if the Obama administration either directly or covertly integrates abortion into the final outcome document," Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) writes in a Washington Post opinion piece.

21 Sep 2010

Nurses union breaks from the Australian Labor party

The Queensland Nurses Union’s (QNU) association with the Labor party will not be renewed when it expires next year. Acting Premier Paul Lucas however feels it is not politically damaging. “I'm obviously disappointed that they're not renewing their affiliation but we deal with all sorts of unions whether they're affiliated or not,” he said. The decision however could cost the ALP $50,000 a year. QNU on the other hand feels that this break would give them more political flexibility.

20 Sep 2010

Lab testing is backbone of prevention: ACLA president

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and long-time advocate of prevention, will keynote a National Journal Policy Summit focused on unraveling the complexities of the cost and value of prevention in a post health reform world. The Sept. 21 event is being underwritten by the American Clinical Laboratory Association and its educational arm, Results for Life.

18 Sep 2010

Asthma symptoms peak 17 days after Labor Day: Study

Next week, Thursday could be the worst day of the year for people with asthma. If past experience holds, on September 23 there will be 3 times more asthma-related deaths and 4 times more asthma-related hospitalizations than on any other day of the year.

18 Sep 2010