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Free drug samples may end up costing uninsured more

Free drug samples provided to physicians by pharmaceutical companies could actually be costing uninsured patients more in the long run, according to a study done by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues.

7 Sep 2008

Trastuzumab-DM1 - a 'smart bomb' for breast cancer treatment

Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI) investigators have found that "smart bomb" therapies are effective in treating breast cancer patients while minimizing side effects.

7 Sep 2008

Public backs tougher tobacco control to protect the young

More than 8,000 people have written to the Department of Health calling for tougher tobacco control to protect young people and put tobacco out of sight and out of mind.

7 Sep 2008

Computerized reminder system drove up colon cancer screening rates

A computerized reminder system used in community-based primary care doctors' offices increased colorectal cancer screening rates by an average of 9 percent, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Health System.

7 Sep 2008

Early weight gain linked to higher blood pressure in adulthood

The pace of weight gain in early childhood may be associated with increased blood pressure in adulthood, according to a report by researchers at Bristol University. The findings were published in October's edition of Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

7 Sep 2008

59% of U.S. companies plan to increase workers' deductibles, copayments or out-of-pocket spending limits in 2009, survey finds

Fifty-nine percent of U.S. businesses in 2009 intend to increase employees' deductibles, copayments or out-of-pocket spending limits, according to preliminary data of a national survey released on Thursday by Mercer, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports.

5 Sep 2008

U.S. District Judge amends Medi-Cal reimbursement rate reduction repayment; only requires repayments for services after Aug. 18

U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder has amended her order reversing a 10% reduction in Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for health care providers to require repayment only for services performed on or after Aug. 18, which effectively "spares the state from tens of millions of dollars" in reimbursements, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 9/4).

5 Sep 2008

Press Trust of India examines HIV/AIDS among Indian populations living in Mauritius

The Press Trust of India on Tuesday examined HIV/AIDS among Indian populations on the island of Mauritius.

5 Sep 2008

High gas prices lead U.S. residents who travel far, frequently for medical treatment to skip, delay appointments

Many U.S. residents with illnesses who must travel frequently or long distances for treatment are forgoing, cutting back or delaying appointments and support groups or applying for grants to offset high gasoline prices, USA Today reports.

5 Sep 2008

CMS adds children's health care information to Hospital Compare web site

CMS on Wednesday announced that it has updated its Hospital Compare Web site to include information on 30-day mortality rates for the pneumonia and inpatient asthma treatment for children, CQ HealthBeat reports.

5 Sep 2008

Thousands of African refugees in Israel not receiving tuberculosis tests, Haaretz.com reports

Thousands of African refugees have been released from the Ketziot detention center in the Negev region of Israel without being tested for tuberculosis or receiving preventive treatment despite a rise in TB cases among detainees, Haaretz.com reports.

5 Sep 2008

Wall Street Journal examines record of Republican Vice Presidential nominee Palin on health care, other issues

The Wall Street Journal on Thursday examined the record of Republican vice presidential nominee Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on health care and other issues as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, and as governor of the state.

5 Sep 2008

UNICEF grants $1.7 milion to Ghana for malaria efforts

Ghana will receive $1.7 million from UNICEF to increase the distribution of insecticide-treated nets among children younger than age five in the country's campaign against malaria, UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman said Wednesday at the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Accra, Ghana, GNA/My Joy Online reports.

5 Sep 2008

Minority, single women, teenagers in New Jersey less likely than others to receive prenatal care, report finds

Teenagers, minorities and single women in New Jersey all have a higher risk of poor birth outcomes and also are less likely than others to receive early prenatal care, according to a report released on Wednesday by state Health Commissioner Heather Howard, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.

5 Sep 2008

Black women less likely than white women to receive follow-up treatments after breast cancer surgery

Black women who undergo a lumpectomy surgery to treat early-stage breast cancer are less likely than their white counterparts to receive the recommended follow-up radiation therapy treatments, according to study released on Wednesday, Reuters/Boston Globe reports. Standard care after a lumpectomy includes a series of radiation treatments to ensure that all cancerous cells have been treated.

5 Sep 2008

FDA forces manufacturers of TNF-blockers to highlight risk of fungal infections

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that the manufacturers of Humira, Cimzia, Enbrel, and Remicade must strengthen the existing warnings, in the Warnings and Precaution sections of the drugs' prescribing information and Medication Guides, on the risk of developing opportunistic fungal infections. Some patients with invasive fungal infections have died.

5 Sep 2008

FDA approves DNA test to measure hepatitis B viral load

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first nucleic acid test for hepatitis B virus (HBV) that measures the amount of viral DNA (viral load) in a patient's blood. Assessing a patient's viral load provides health care professionals with a highly sensitive method for gauging the progress of antiviral therapy in patients with chronic HBV infections.

5 Sep 2008

Framing the concept of a gene

Even scientists define 'a gene' in different ways, so it comes as little surprise that the media also have various ways of framing the concept of a gene, according to a new study appearing in the October 2008 issue of EMBO reports.

4 Sep 2008

Link found between Apobec3 gene and neutralizing antibody response to retrovirus

Scientists have uncovered new evidence that strengthens the link between a host-cell gene called Apobec3 and the production of neutralizing antibodies to retroviruses. Published in the Sept. 5 issue of Science, the finding adds a new dimension to the set of possible explanations for why most people who are infected with HIV do not make neutralizing antibodies that effectively fight the virus.

4 Sep 2008

Georgia Institute of Technology receives EPA safe drinking water research grant

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the award of a $600,000 research grant to Georgia Tech to improve the detection of known and emerging drinking water contaminants; including the harmful substances produced by blue-green algae in algal blooms and noroviruses.

4 Sep 2008

Medical News

Free drug samples may end up costing uninsured more

Trastuzumab-DM1 - a 'smart bomb' for breast cancer treatment

Public backs tougher tobacco control to protect the young

Computerized reminder system drove up colon cancer screening rates

Early weight gain linked to higher blood pressure in adulthood

59% of U.S. companies plan to increase workers' deductibles, copayments or out-of-pocket spending limits in 2009, survey finds

U.S. District Judge amends Medi-Cal reimbursement rate reduction repayment; only requires repayments for services after Aug. 18

Press Trust of India examines HIV/AIDS among Indian populations living in Mauritius

High gas prices lead U.S. residents who travel far, frequently for medical treatment to skip, delay appointments

CMS adds children's health care information to Hospital Compare web site

Thousands of African refugees in Israel not receiving tuberculosis tests, Haaretz.com reports

Wall Street Journal examines record of Republican Vice Presidential nominee Palin on health care, other issues

UNICEF grants $1.7 milion to Ghana for malaria efforts

Minority, single women, teenagers in New Jersey less likely than others to receive prenatal care, report finds

Black women less likely than white women to receive follow-up treatments after breast cancer surgery

FDA forces manufacturers of TNF-blockers to highlight risk of fungal infections

FDA approves DNA test to measure hepatitis B viral load

Framing the concept of a gene

Link found between Apobec3 gene and neutralizing antibody response to retrovirus

Georgia Institute of Technology receives EPA safe drinking water research grant

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