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Also in Global Health news: Flu, cholera in PNG; improving life awards; HIV/AIDS in Rwanda; men and maternal/child health; MDR-TB in India

"Twin outbreaks of a flu-like illness and dysentery in a remote region of Papua New Guinea have killed 47 people and infected another 2,000 villagers, a senior medical official said Monday," Agence France-Presse reports. According to provincial health adviser Doctor Theo Likei, the WHO has collected and is testing samples of the virus from the "stricken villages" (8/31). Additionally, the country is experiencing a cholera outbreak - "the first time the disease has officially been confirmed in the country," the BBC reports (Mercer, 8/31).

1 Sep 2009

Chemotherapy affects sleep-wake activity rhythms of breast cancer patients

A study in the Sept.1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that the sleep-wake activity rhythms of breast cancer patients are impaired during the administration of chemotherapy. Results indicate that the first cycle of chemotherapy is associated with a temporary disruption of these rhythms, while repeated administration of chemotherapy results in progressively worse and more enduring impairments.

1 Sep 2009

Low level exposure to carbon dioxide leads to increased risk of hospitalization in older people

Exposure to carbon monoxide, even at levels well below national limits, is associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for the elderly with heart problems, according to a study published today in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

1 Sep 2009

Hospital executives worry about reform uncertainties

Federal authorities are conducting a thorough investigation of Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Care Center in Connecticut. Hartford Business Journal Online reports: "The failure of an oxygenator — medical equipment often used in cardiac surgery in conjunction with a heart-lung machine — triggered a complaint by the state of Connecticut to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid [Services] (CMS), said Roseanne Pawelec, an agency spokeswoman.

1 Sep 2009

Hospital executives worry about reform uncertainties

Hospital executives worry about uncertainties in reform. The Washington Post reports: "Anxiety is running high among hospital executives as they ponder the ever-changing proposals on Capitol Hill. Wary of changes to payment formulas and fiercely protective of their franchise, industry groups are spending millions to lobby Congress.

1 Sep 2009

Explainers and fact checks on health reform bills

Several news organizations published explainers on health reform.

1 Sep 2009

Burger chain invests in health care insurance, sees gains

A burger chain pays more for employees' health care insurance and, in turn, has reaped significant gains. The Wall Street Journal reports: "Four years ago, executives of Burgerville, a regional restaurant chain, agreed to pay at least 90% of health-care premiums for hourly employees who work at least 20 hours a week."

1 Sep 2009

Obama returns from vacation facing tough health overhaul odds, but has some strengths

"President Obama still has stronger prospects for achieving his health policy goals than surface impressions of the Congressional recess indicate," the New York Times reports.

1 Sep 2009

OHSU study reveals that fluoroquinolones may cause double vision

Highlights of September's Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy), include a 2009 review by the Academy of the safety and efficacy of a widely used corneal transplant procedure and a warning about an unusual but serious reaction to systemic fluroquinolones, a class of antibiotics used to treat a variety of bacterial infections.

1 Sep 2009

Mitoxantrone is highly efficient in suppressing multiple sclerosis

According to data supplied by the German Multiple Sclerosis Society's national MS register (DMSG - Deutsche Multiple Sklerose Gesellschaft), up to 10% of German MS patients have been treated with mitoxantrone in the past few years.

1 Sep 2009

New Vice President for Bioanalytical Development lab appointed by Cytovance Biologics

Cytovance Biologics LLC, a biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing company specializing in the production of therapeutic proteins and antibodies from mammalian cell culture, today announced the addition of Dr. Jeffrey Su as Vice President of Bioanalytical Development to its diverse and growing scientific staff. Dr. Su will head up the state of the art Bioanalytical Development laboratory supporting existing and new client needs.

1 Sep 2009

Drug stores consider how reform efforts may affect drug stores

If reform passes, CVS expects profits to remain steady while benefit managers worry about other drug stores' plans to go around them and negotiate directly on price.

1 Sep 2009

Lawmakers sound off on health care reform

Lawmakers from around the United States are sounding off on health care legislation ahead of their return to Washington.

1 Sep 2009

Mistrust in health care system could impact patients' health and health care costs

Mistrust among patients, providers and insurers could harm patients' health and raise overall health care costs, reports a new study.

1 Sep 2009

Study reveals that alcohol control policies are not enforced strictly in U.S.

More than one in 10 people who binge drinks gets behind the wheel of a car during or just after their binge. Of those who binge and drive afterward, more than half had consumed their liquor in a bar, restaurant or club.

1 Sep 2009

Patient race more important than blood pressure control status for determining the quality of patient-doctor communication

Black patients with high blood pressure experience poorer communication with their doctors than white patients do, a study led by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher has found.

1 Sep 2009

Granulation tissue formed under gauze-based NPWT produces less scarring

At the 5th Joint Meeting of the European Tissue Repair Society and The Wound Healing Society in Limoges, France, Associate Professor Malin Malmsjo, MD, PhD of Lund University in Sweden presented never before seen ground-breaking research revealing that granulation tissue formed under gauze-based Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) is more organized and contains fewer leukocytes than the granulation tissue formed under foam.

1 Sep 2009

FDA provides 510(k) clearance for Neurologica's inSPira HD system

NeuroLogica Corporation announced today at the XIV World Congress of Neurological Surgery in Boston, MA, receipt of 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its portable high resolution SPECT system: inSPira HD (www.inspirahd.com).

1 Sep 2009

Federal official chooses Wiley newsletter to discuss his plans for strengthening addiction treatment in community corrections

A. Thomas McLellan, Ph.D. the top federal official on addiction treatment, chose Wiley newsletter Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly for his first interview after being sworn in as deputy director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Published in the Aug. 31 issue, the interview reveals the bold directions McLellan plans to head in, including a new focus on probation and parole, in partnership with Gil Kerlikowske, ONDCP director.

1 Sep 2009

CT and PET scans carry a very real risk of radiation exposure

Thomas Dehn, M.D., FACR, executive vice president and chief medical officer of National Imaging Associates, a Magellan Health Services (Nasdaq: MGLN) company, today issued the following statement about the New England Journal of Medicine study published on Aug. 27 regarding patient exposure to ionizing radiation in imaging procedures.

1 Sep 2009