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FDA to decide on Avandia’s fate Wednesday

Avandia, a drug used as a treatment for type 2 diabetes was approved for use in 1999. However controversies have surrounded it since 2007 when a Cleveland Clinic cardiologist Steven E. Nissen published a study in the acclaimed New England Journal of Medicine that concluded that the drug significantly increased the risk for heart problems like heart attacks, heart failure and deaths.

13 Jul 2010

Deaf, hard of hearing individuals to be provided equal access at N.Y. nursing and rehabilitation facility

Under an agreement announced today by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing will be provided equal access to a nursing and rehabilitation facility in New York State and will be provided interpretation services when necessary for effective communication.

13 Jul 2010

Verbal cues influence even most elementary visual processing

Cognitive psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania and University of California have shown that an image displayed too quickly to be seen by an observer can be detected if the participant first hears the name of the object.

13 Jul 2010

Memoir traces lifelong, undetected bipolar disorder

When Jerry Jewler turned 60, he celebrated his "coming of age" with a splashy party -- and a glorious high. The next day, he awoke to a hell he had never known: sad and depressed, unable to make even idle chatter with his houseguests, and angry at the world.

13 Jul 2010

Gene mutation that causes auditory neuropathy identified

Researchers have identified a gene mutation that causes a rare form of hearing loss known as auditory neuropathy, according to U-M Medical School scientists.

13 Jul 2010

Sperian Respiratory Protection awarded VHA contract for 65,000 special configuration half-mask respirators

The U.S. Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has awarded Sperian Respiratory Protection USA a contract to purchase 65,000 special configuration modified Sperian Blue1 half-mask respirators with speaking diaphragm for use in VHA hospitals nationwide. VHA is the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States with over 150 hospitals and 130,000 healthcare workers. This award is a result of Sperian's emphasis on developing respiratory products that enhance speech intelligibility when worn by healthcare workers.

13 Jul 2010

Researchers discover gene mutation that causes auditory neuropathy

Researchers have identified a gene mutation that causes a rare form of hearing loss known as auditory neuropathy, according to U-M Medical School scientists. In the study published online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, U-M's Marci Lesperance, M.D., and Margit Burmeister, Ph.D. led a team of researchers who examined the DNA of individuals from the same large family afflicted with the disorder.

13 Jul 2010

Axelrod defends recess appointment of Berwick to head Medicare

"This morning on ABC News' 'This Week,' Senior White House Advisor David Axelrod insisted that President Obama's recess appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick to be the administrator of The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was simply 'too important' to wait for a Congressional hearing" (7/11).

12 Jul 2010

OTA calls on USDA and HHS to revise draft Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010

The Organic Trade Association today called on the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health & Human Services to encourage those seeking to minimize their exposure to toxic chemicals to look for the USDA Organic label wherever they shop by revising the draft Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010.

9 Jul 2010

Lawmakers, pundits offer mixed reaction to Berwick appointment

Politicians and pundits are reacting to President Barack Obama's recess appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick to run Medicare and Medicaid, with some saying such an appointment bypasses an important process while others praise the move.

9 Jul 2010

Japanese scientists identify long-elusive enzyme necessary for proper regulation of cilia

It's safe to say that cilia, the hairlike appendages jutting out from the smooth surfaces of most mammalian cells, have long been misunderstood - underestimated, even.

8 Jul 2010

Nominations open for first annual Most Influential in Specialty Health Award

The National Association of Specialty Health Organizations today announced that nominations are being accepted for the first annual Most Influential in Specialty Health Award. This award will recognize leaders in specialty health who have played a major role in advancing the industry's mission to improve value, access and availability of high quality specialty health services.

8 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 8, 2010

Today's headlines reflect the continued coverage of President Obama's recess appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick to head CMS as well as other developments related to Medicaid, the health insurance industry and state challenges to the health reform law.

8 Jul 2010

Nurses file unfair practice charge with SLRC against Cambridge Health Alliance

The registered nurses of the Cambridge Hospital campus of the Cambridge Health Alliance have filed an unfair practice charge with the State Labor Relations Commission (SLRC) against the hospital for its refusal to engage in good faith negotiations with the nurses in their effort to reach agreement on a new union contract.

8 Jul 2010

Obama uses recess appointment to install Berwick as head of Medicare, Medicaid

President Barack Obama Wednesday will use a recess appointment to install Harvard Professor Donald Berwick to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the White House announced Tuesday.

8 Jul 2010

Testimony on importance of addressing health literacy in healthcare communications released

Health Dialog today released testimony on the importance of addressing health literacy in healthcare communications. The testimony was presented before the ERISA Advisory Council during a hearing on July 1, 2010. The council advises the U.S. Secretary of Labor on a number of employee benefits-related issues.

7 Jul 2010

WHO H1N1 response probe's second meeting highlights divergent views

The independent team of health experts responsible for reviewing the WHO's response to H1N1 (swine flu) wrapped up a second round of public hearings on Friday, "during which members heard testimony from widely divergent groups, from health officials to some of its most public critics," CIDRAP News reports.

7 Jul 2010

VA addresses health concerns including possible HIV exposure and Veterans' general poor health

"The Democratic chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee lambasted the Obama administration over its handling of an incident at a St. Louis VA center in which more than 1,800 veterans were told they may have been exposed to HIV. ... The Department of Veterans Affairs last month sent a letter to 1,812 patients informing them that could have been exposed to HIV and other deadly viruses because of dental equipment that was insufficiently sterilized over a period of 13 months."

7 Jul 2010

Debate over the ill effects of wind turbines on health

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) studied the purported ill effects of the wind turbines on health before reporting that there was no evidence that the turbines' low frequency noise or shadow flicker made people ill.

6 Jul 2010

Nottingham researchers undertake new clinical trial on hearing loss

Researchers at The University of Nottingham are embarking on a clinical trial that will help them to further understand the debilitating condition of hearing loss.

6 Jul 2010