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Authorities unsure of Queensland health staff pay woes

The payment woes of Queensland health staff continue and there is no clear indication from authorities as to when problems will stop. Since March this year tens of thousands of health care staff are being over, under or unpaid after the introduction of a new computerized pay system. After repeated assurances there are still people who are facing problems with their pay.

28 Jun 2010

Mass. Legislature denies requests to trim municipal health benefits; N.Y. ordered to transfer people with mental Illness out of institutional group homes

"The state's public employee unions won a major victory this week when the Legislature abandoned efforts to allow cities and towns to trim generous health care benefits enjoyed by thousands of municipal employees, retirees, and elected officials. The decision by lawmakers not to address the issue in next year's budget means the Legislature will almost certainly not act on it this year, setting the stage for mayors and other municipal officials to take their case directly to voters in a ballot initiative for 2012" (Murphy, 6/25).

28 Jun 2010

Data shows Victoza produces greater reductions in A1c, body weight and FPG than Januvia

Late-breaking Novo Nordisk extension data presented today at the 70th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association showed that once-daily Victoza in combination with metformin produced sustained and significantly greater reductions in A1c, body weight and fasting plasma glucose than Januvia plus metformin at 52 weeks.

28 Jun 2010

Mechanism that regulates stem-cell differentiation in mice may trigger degenerative disease in humans: Research

A mechanism that regulates stem-cell differentiation in mice testes suggests a similar process that may trigger degenerative disease in humans, according to a Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences reproductive physiologist.

28 Jun 2010

Kansas doctor and wife found guilty of prescribing painkillers, causing deaths

"A federal jury Thursday found a Kansas doctor and his wife guilty of conspiring to profit from illegally prescribing painkillers to dozens of patients who later died, in a case highlighting medical treatment of chronic pain sufferers and prescription drug abuse."

28 Jun 2010

Genomic analysis leads to more effective diagnostic tests, treatment options for prostate cancer: Study

A unique collaboration among physician-scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has yielded the most comprehensive genomic analysis of prostate cancer to date. "Genomic studies in other cancer types have resulted in new drug targets and strategies to classify patients into clinically meaningful subgroups that improve treatment decisions," said senior study author Charles Sawyers, Chair of the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program at MSKCC and a HHMI investigator. "This first -ever database of its type brings us one step closer to achieving that goal in prostate cancer."

28 Jun 2010

Phase 2b clinical trial data of SGLT2 inhibitor in patients with type 2 diabetes presented at ADA 2010

Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C. announced today that canagliflozin, an investigational, oral, selective sodium-glucose transporter-2 inhibitor, improved glycemic control, and was also associated with a decrease in body weight, in a Phase 2b dose-ranging trial in patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes who were concurrently treated with metformin. The data were presented at the 70th American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions.

28 Jun 2010

Insurer sees coming health insurer 'oligopoly,' doctors band together on system changes

Bloomberg Businessweek reports that health insurer WellPoint's investor-relations chief said Thursday that health insurers are "moving towards an oligopoly" accelerated by the new law. "New regulations on administrative spending and premium increases will push some independent insurers out of business or into deals with bigger rivals, said Michael Kleinman, vice president for investor relations, at a Wells Fargo & Co. conference in Boston.

28 Jun 2010

Additional results from BLISS-76 Phase 3 trial of BENLYSTA presented at International Congress on SLE

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. today announced the presentation of additional results from BLISS-76, one of two pivotal Phase 3 trials of BENLYSTA (belimumab) in seropositive patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. The additional data will be presented in Vancouver at the 9th International Congress on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus on Friday and Saturday, June 25-26.

28 Jun 2010

New findings could lead to simple dietary solutions, possible therapeutics for gestational diabetes

The cause of diabetes during pregnancy is directly controlled by serotonin, a chemical produced by the body and normally known as a neurotransmitter, and is influenced by the amount of protein in the mother's diet early in pregnancy, according to new findings of an international team led by researchers at UCSF.

28 Jun 2010

High-risk health insurance pools opening soon

News outlets examine how states are coping with covering hard-to-insure people, confusion about insuring young adults and a COBRA subsidy extension.

28 Jun 2010

Florida seeks new tools to stop dengue outbreak

While all eyes are on the Gulf oil spill, another natural disaster worsens as Key West Florida battles the first U.S. outbreak of dengue in 75 years. With over 30 confirmed cases (27 in 2009, 8 in 2010) and 5% of residents showing exposure to the mosquito-spread disease, Florida is seeking new tools to stop the emerging threat. Aiming to enhance their existing control program, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District turned to SpringStar Inc in Woodinville, WA.

28 Jun 2010

Bayer signs agreement to supply Adalat XL product to Teva Canada

Bayer Inc. and Teva Canada Limited today announced they have entered an agreement regarding Bayer's Adalat XL (nifedipine) 20, 30 and 60 mg product. Effective immediately, Bayer Inc. will supply Adalat XL exclusively to Teva Canada Limited and Teva Canada Limited will become the sole distributor in Canada of brand name Adalat XL product.

28 Jun 2010

Chronic disease expert: U.S. health care system needs to treat 'whole person'

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jessica Marcy interviews Kate Lorig, director of the Patient Education Research Center at Stanford University, about the toll of chronic diseases.

28 Jun 2010

TLR4 may provide new strategy for treating patients with PDAC: Study

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a highly malignant digestive tumor with a very poor prognosis. Hypoxia-inducible transcription factor-1α is involved in malignant progression in many solid tumors, including PDAC, upregulation of HIF-1α accelerates PDAC progression, but the exact regulatory mechanisms of HIF-1αin PDAC has not been unequivocally addressed.

28 Jun 2010

Pennsylvania reports drop in hospital infections, other patient care issues include CT scans

The Pennsylvania Department of Health found that 12.5 percent fewer patients contracted infections in the state's hospitals in 2009 than a year earlier, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. But the reports shows that there were 25,914 infections in 2009. "'Though the report seems to show we're making progress, 25,914 is still a very large number and shows we still have our work cut out for us in bringing that number down,' Stephen Ostroff, the state's acting physician general, said Thursday.

25 Jun 2010

GSA selects Helene Fung as 2010 recipient of Margret M. and Paul B. Baltes Foundation Award

The Gerontological Society of America - the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging - has chosen Helene Fung, PhD, of the Chinese University of Hong Kong as the 2010 recipient of the Margret M. and Paul B. Baltes Foundation Award in Behavioral and Social Gerontology.

25 Jun 2010

FDA approves OraQuick HCV Rapid Antibody Test for HCV

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced approval of the first rapid blood test for antibodies to the hepatitis C virus for individuals 15 years and older.

25 Jun 2010

Mass. panel overturns cap on insurer's premiums; Calif. finds 'substantial' errors in planned premium increase

A Massachusetts "insurance appeals board yesterday overturned the state's cap on health premium increases for small business and individual customers covered by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care." The panel "found that rate increases Harvard Pilgrim initially sought in April are reasonable given what it must pay to hospitals and doctors. That ruling trumped the Insurance Division's earlier finding that the requested increases were excessive, a view that reflects Governor Deval Patrick's campaign to curb health costs. Insurers yesterday cheered the ruling" (Abelson and Wallack, 6/25).

25 Jun 2010

ARS study finds link between vitamin D and cognitive function

At a time when consumer interest in health-enhancing foods is high, Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-funded scientists have contributed to a limited but growing body of evidence of a link between vitamin D and cognitive function.

25 Jun 2010

Medical News

Authorities unsure of Queensland health staff pay woes

Mass. Legislature denies requests to trim municipal health benefits; N.Y. ordered to transfer people with mental Illness out of institutional group homes

Data shows Victoza produces greater reductions in A1c, body weight and FPG than Januvia

Mechanism that regulates stem-cell differentiation in mice may trigger degenerative disease in humans: Research

Kansas doctor and wife found guilty of prescribing painkillers, causing deaths

Genomic analysis leads to more effective diagnostic tests, treatment options for prostate cancer: Study

Phase 2b clinical trial data of SGLT2 inhibitor in patients with type 2 diabetes presented at ADA 2010

Insurer sees coming health insurer 'oligopoly,' doctors band together on system changes

Additional results from BLISS-76 Phase 3 trial of BENLYSTA presented at International Congress on SLE

New findings could lead to simple dietary solutions, possible therapeutics for gestational diabetes

High-risk health insurance pools opening soon

Florida seeks new tools to stop dengue outbreak

Bayer signs agreement to supply Adalat XL product to Teva Canada

Chronic disease expert: U.S. health care system needs to treat 'whole person'

TLR4 may provide new strategy for treating patients with PDAC: Study

Pennsylvania reports drop in hospital infections, other patient care issues include CT scans

GSA selects Helene Fung as 2010 recipient of Margret M. and Paul B. Baltes Foundation Award

FDA approves OraQuick HCV Rapid Antibody Test for HCV

Mass. panel overturns cap on insurer's premiums; Calif. finds 'substantial' errors in planned premium increase

ARS study finds link between vitamin D and cognitive function

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

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