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Herpes virus changes anti-herpes drug acyclovir to form that hinders AIDS virus

The drug acyclovir has long been used to suppress outbreaks of oral and genital herpes. Herpes viruses change acyclovir to a form that prevents them from reproducing.

10 Sep 2008

Abuse of painkillers can predispose adolescents to lifelong addiction

No child aspires to a lifetime of addiction. But their brains might. In new research to appear online in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology today, Rockefeller University researchers reveal that adolescent brains exposed to the painkiller OxyContin can sustain lifelong and permanent changes in their reward system - changes that increase the drug's euphoric properties and make such adolescents more vulnerable to the drug's effects later in adulthood.

10 Sep 2008

Bleeding gums increase risk of heart disease

Bad teeth, bleeding gums and poor dental hygiene can cause heart disease, Professor Howard Jenkinson from the University of Bristol will tell members of the Society for General Microbiology in Trinity College, Dublin today [Thursday 11 September].

10 Sep 2008

TV junk food marketing targeting children

University of Sydney researchers have found that advertisements for junk foodthat usecompetitions and give-aways are 18 times more common during the 20 most popular children's programs compared to popular adult programs.

10 Sep 2008

Killing bacteria isn't enough to restore immune function after infection, researchers find

A bacterial molecule that initially signals to animals that they have been invaded must be wiped out by a special enzyme before an infected animal can regain full health, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

10 Sep 2008

'Deep flaws' with pay-for-performance model need to be addressed to provide quality health care, according to commentary

The "general intent" of pay-for-performance programs "is to reward doctors for providing better care," but as they gain "momentum, the initiative[s] may be having untoward consequences," Sandeep Jauhar, a New York-based cardiologist and author, writes in a New York Times commentary. "To get an inkling of the potential problems," Jauhar discusses another quality-improvement program: surgical report cards.

10 Sep 2008

California budget impasse could affect health services

California's budget impasse -- the longest in state history -- could force health care providers across the state to stop services if an agreement is not reached soon, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

10 Sep 2008

Massachusetts' proposed rule could lead to Federal lawsuit, Partners HealthCare warns

Massachusetts' largest private employer Partners HealthCare on Friday warned that the state could face a federal lawsuit if it implements a proposed rule to increase some companies' contributions to their workers' health coverage, the Boston Globe reports.

10 Sep 2008

Personal DNA scanning service 23andMe drops price to $399

Personal DNA scanning service 23andMe on Tuesday is scheduled to announce that it is lowering the price of its gene-mapping service from $999 to $399 in order to attract more customers and expand its database of individual genetic profiles to bolster medical research, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

10 Sep 2008

AP/Houston Chronicle examines telepharmacies in North Dakota

The AP/Houston Chronicle on Saturday examined telepharmacies -- virtual pharmacy systems located in rural drug stores -- in North Dakota.

10 Sep 2008

Boston Globe examines imprisonment of two HIV/AIDS physicians, brothers In Iran

State Department officials and former students at Harvard University's School of Public Health believe Iranian physicians -- brothers Kamiar and Arash Alaei -- have been arrested and accused of using their work on HIV/AIDS worldwide to destabilize Iran's government, the Boston Globe reports.

10 Sep 2008

Eastern Virginia Medical School receives $100 million grant from USAID for microbicide research

Eastern Virginia Medical School on Monday announced that it has received a $100 million grant from USAID for microbicide research through its CONRAD program, the Virginian-Pilot reports.

10 Sep 2008

Counterfeit drugs for malaria, other diseases threaten public health, WHO Director-General Chan says

The increasing availability of counterfeit drugs for malaria and other diseases poses a threat to public health, and governments must take action to supply affordable and effective treatments, World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan said Monday at the 26th Southeast Asia Region Health Ministers Meeting in New Delhi, Bernama/Daily Malaysian News reports.

10 Sep 2008

U.N. Secretary-General calls for increased attention to connection between literacy, health, including HIV/AIDS

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on International Literacy Day on Monday called for increased attention to the connection between literacy and health, including HIV/AIDS issues, Xinhuanet reports.

10 Sep 2008

Swaziland holds celebrations for King's birthday, independence; advocates call for increased social spending, other reforms

Swaziland on Saturday held celebrations for King Mswati's 40th birthday and the country's 40th year of independence -- an "extravaganza that contrasted sharply with the biting poverty" of the country -- the AP/Chicago Tribune reports.

10 Sep 2008

Southern Sudan government passes resolution to bolster fight against HIV/AIDS

The Council of Ministers in southern Sudan on Friday passed a resolution to streamline HIV/AIDS programs at all ministries and independent commissions, as well as at the state level, the Sudan Tribune reports.

10 Sep 2008

Houston Chronicle examines Baylor pediatric HIV/AIDS program in Burkina Faso

The Houston Chronicle on Saturday examined the Baylor College of Medicine's International Pediatric AIDS Initiative in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.

10 Sep 2008

Second phase of TB program that integrates HIV treatment begins in Harare, Zimbabwe

The second phase of the Integrated Health Care program to control tuberculosis has been implemented in Zimbabwe's capital of Harare, the Herald reports.

10 Sep 2008

Suicide rate among young male veterans reaches record high in 2006

The suicide rate among young male veterans who served during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan reached a record high in 2006, the latest year for which records are available, according to data released on Tuesday by the Department of Veterans Affairs, USA Today reports.

10 Sep 2008

Employment rates, economic factors could decrease access to employer-sponsored health coverage for workers younger than age 65, according to EBRI analysis with the same conditions

The percentage of U.S. residents younger than age 65 who had health coverage through their employer remained at 62.2% between 2006 and 2007, but that percentage likely will decline in 2008, according to a Employee Benefit Research Institute report, the Kansas City Star reports.

10 Sep 2008

Medical News

Herpes virus changes anti-herpes drug acyclovir to form that hinders AIDS virus

Abuse of painkillers can predispose adolescents to lifelong addiction

Bleeding gums increase risk of heart disease

TV junk food marketing targeting children

Killing bacteria isn't enough to restore immune function after infection, researchers find

'Deep flaws' with pay-for-performance model need to be addressed to provide quality health care, according to commentary

California budget impasse could affect health services

Massachusetts' proposed rule could lead to Federal lawsuit, Partners HealthCare warns

Personal DNA scanning service 23andMe drops price to $399

AP/Houston Chronicle examines telepharmacies in North Dakota

Boston Globe examines imprisonment of two HIV/AIDS physicians, brothers In Iran

Eastern Virginia Medical School receives $100 million grant from USAID for microbicide research

Counterfeit drugs for malaria, other diseases threaten public health, WHO Director-General Chan says

U.N. Secretary-General calls for increased attention to connection between literacy, health, including HIV/AIDS

Swaziland holds celebrations for King's birthday, independence; advocates call for increased social spending, other reforms

Southern Sudan government passes resolution to bolster fight against HIV/AIDS

Houston Chronicle examines Baylor pediatric HIV/AIDS program in Burkina Faso

Second phase of TB program that integrates HIV treatment begins in Harare, Zimbabwe

Suicide rate among young male veterans reaches record high in 2006

Employment rates, economic factors could decrease access to employer-sponsored health coverage for workers younger than age 65, according to EBRI analysis with the same conditions

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