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White House opposes use of Medicare Advantage indirect medical education funds as offset in Medicare bill, Sen. Baucus says

Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on Tuesday after a meeting of committee leaders said that the White House opposes the use of a decrease in Medicare Advantage indirect medical education funds to offset the cost of a provision in a broader Medicare bill that would delay for 18 months a scheduled 10.6% reduction in physician reimbursements, CQ HealthBeat reports.

21 May 2008

Insurers urge Gov. Rell to veto legislation that would expand state employee health insurance pool

Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell (R) on Monday released letters from two insurance companies that raised concerns about the cost of legislation that would allow workers at small businesses, municipalities and not-for-profit groups to join the state employee health insurance pool, the Hartford Courant reports.

21 May 2008

Eliminating Medicaid dental benefits could lead to more costly treatment for California residents, report finds

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) proposal to eliminate dental benefits for nearly three million state residents as part of a plan to address the state budget deficit would result in a loss of about $115 million in federal matching funds and lead to more costly medical treatment, according to a report released Monday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

21 May 2008

Senate to vote Thursday on war supplemental appropriations bill with Medicaid provisions

Senate Democrats on Tuesday "scaled down" their version of the war supplemental appropriations bill but retained a provision that would block for one year seven new Medicaid regulations proposed by the Bush administration, CQ Today reports.

21 May 2008

Rep. Ryan proposes plan to reduce entitlement spending, revise health care system

A "growing, bipartisan consensus" exists among lawmakers about the "greatest threat to our nation's long-term economic prosperity: the explosion of entitlement spending," which "Washington is not planning to address ... this week, or any time soon," effectively "shackling our future with unsustainable debt and taxes," Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), a member of the House Budget Committee, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

21 May 2008

Veteran group to present proposals for advance funds for health care in department of Veterans Affairs budget

Disabled American Veterans on Wednesday at a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing plans to present a proposal under which lawmakers would approve funds for health care in the Department of Veterans Affairs budget one year in advance, The Hill reports.

21 May 2008

Congress should 'resolve' issues preventing consideration of PEPFAR reauthorization legislation, editorial says

Although it is a "bit risky to herald progress during a global pandemic when infections of a disease such as AIDS still seem to multiply by the millions," the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief gives the U.S. a "record that is worth celebrating, if only to show others around the world what's possible," a Wilmington News Journal editorial says.

21 May 2008

Archbishop Tutu calls on governments to address health issues in Africa, including HIV/AIDS

South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Tuesday at the World Health Assembly in Geneva called on governments to increase their efforts to fight diseases -- including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria -- in Africa, the Associated Press reports.

21 May 2008

DOJ investigating Alabama resort after manager prohibits HIV-positive child from using pool, restrooms

The Department of Justice is investigating Wales West RV Resort in Silverhill, Ala., in preparation for a possible discrimination lawsuit after a manager at the facility prohibited an HIV-positive child from using the facility's swimming pool and restrooms in July 2007, the Birmingham Press-Register reports (Bean, Birmingham Press-Register, 5/19).

21 May 2008

Ugandan group launches no-cost HIV testing campaign aimed at children, urges parents to test children

The Joint Clinical Research Centre in Kampala, Uganda, recently launched a no-cost HIV testing campaign aimed at children born to parents living with HIV/AIDS and those orphaned by the disease, the New Vision/AllAfrica.com reports. The campaign has tested at least 1,500 children in the Ugandan divisions of Central, Kawempe, Makindye, Nakawa and Rubaga, according to the New Vision/AllAfrica.com.

21 May 2008

Life insurance policies made available to sex workers in India

Commercial sex workers in India now have the option of purchasing life insurance policies, Smarajit Jana -- chief adviser to the group Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee, or the Committee for Indomitable Women -- said Monday, AFP/Yahoo! News reports.

21 May 2008

Smoking is addictive, but quitting is contagious

Over the last 30 years, the number of smokers in the U.S. has steadily decreased-a tribute to the efforts of public-health workers everywhere. And while this fact is unarguable, less obvious are the social and cultural forces that lead an individual to kick the habit. In fact, when someone crumbles that last empty pack of their favorite unfiltered brand and vows to never buy another, he might not realize that he is less like the heroic individual grasping his own boot straps and more like a single bird whose sudden left turn is just one speck in the larger flock.

21 May 2008

High resolution confocal endomicroscopy probe system tells whether colon polyp is benign without removal

A probe so sensitive that it can tell whether or not a cell living within the human body is veering towards cancer development may revolutionize how future colonoscopies are done, say researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla.

21 May 2008

RNA toxicity contributes to neurodegenerative disease

Expanding on prior research performed at the University of Pennsylvania, Penn biologists have determined that faulty RNA, the blueprint that creates mutated, toxic proteins, contributes to a family of neurodegenerative disorders in humans.

21 May 2008

Possible biological explanation for C-Section-linked allergies and asthma found

Scientists believe they may have identified a biological explanation for the link between cesarean-section delivery and risk of allergy and asthma in childhood. They will present their findings at the American Thoracic Society's 2008 International Conference in Toronto on Tuesday, May 20.

21 May 2008

Imaging Dynamics receives patent for invention to improve image quality of digital radiographic images

Imaging Dynamics Company Ltd today announced that it has been awarded a patent for an invention that balances areas of varying density in a digital radiographic image.

21 May 2008

Evidence mounts against DHEA use in treating cognitive decline

DHEA supplements are widely-available and touted as a preventive agent for many chronic diseases. A new study published in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society finds no evidence of a beneficial effect of DHEA supplements on cognitive function in healthy older adults. The researchers believe that based on their study, DHEA supplements should not be recommended for enhancement of cognitive function or well-being in the general population.

21 May 2008

Scientists reveal the genetic determinants of fat storage in cells

New research by the Gladstone Institutes of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), has revealed the genetic determinants of fat storage in cells, which may lead to a new understanding of and potential treatments for obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. While scientists have long understood that lipid droplets contribute to fat build up in cells, the genes involved in droplet biology have been a focus of extensive research.

21 May 2008

Obstructive sleep apnea starts from the first year of life

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in very young children may cause some of the adverse cardiovascular health consequences seen in older children and adults with the condition, according to researchers in Israel, who will present their findings at the American Thoracic Society's 2008 International Conference in Toronto on Wednesday, May 21.

21 May 2008

When facelifts go wrong: Stanford expert counsels plastic surgeons on dealing with unhappy patients

Watch for the red flags: the patient who pulls out a photo of Tom Cruise and says he wants to look just like that, or the perfectionist who comes to the initial interview with each hair in place, makeup just so.

21 May 2008

Medical News

White House opposes use of Medicare Advantage indirect medical education funds as offset in Medicare bill, Sen. Baucus says

Insurers urge Gov. Rell to veto legislation that would expand state employee health insurance pool

Eliminating Medicaid dental benefits could lead to more costly treatment for California residents, report finds

Senate to vote Thursday on war supplemental appropriations bill with Medicaid provisions

Rep. Ryan proposes plan to reduce entitlement spending, revise health care system

Veteran group to present proposals for advance funds for health care in department of Veterans Affairs budget

Congress should 'resolve' issues preventing consideration of PEPFAR reauthorization legislation, editorial says

Archbishop Tutu calls on governments to address health issues in Africa, including HIV/AIDS

DOJ investigating Alabama resort after manager prohibits HIV-positive child from using pool, restrooms

Ugandan group launches no-cost HIV testing campaign aimed at children, urges parents to test children

Life insurance policies made available to sex workers in India

Smoking is addictive, but quitting is contagious

High resolution confocal endomicroscopy probe system tells whether colon polyp is benign without removal

RNA toxicity contributes to neurodegenerative disease

Possible biological explanation for C-Section-linked allergies and asthma found

Imaging Dynamics receives patent for invention to improve image quality of digital radiographic images

Evidence mounts against DHEA use in treating cognitive decline

Scientists reveal the genetic determinants of fat storage in cells

Obstructive sleep apnea starts from the first year of life

When facelifts go wrong: Stanford expert counsels plastic surgeons on dealing with unhappy patients

Transforming Cardiovascular Care: Insights from Mina Makar at AstraZeneca

Clue's CEO Rhiannon White on the Future of Femtech and PCOS

Freezing Point Osmometry in Life Science Applications

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