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High health care costs affecting insured U.S. residents

Across the country, 64 million people younger than age 65 are part of families spending more than 10% of their pretax income on health care, according to a Families USA study, the Boston Globe reports.

5 May 2009

Obama to release budget proposal details on Thursday, including plans for 'integrity' initiatives for Medicaid, Medicare

President Obama on Thursday is scheduled to release additional details of his fiscal year 2010 budget proposal, which will include $13.7 billion over five years for "program integrity" initiatives to increase oversight and eliminate fraud and errors in federal programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, the Wall Street Journal reports.

5 May 2009

Medicare will not pay for genetic tests to determine best Warfarin dosage, according to proposed decision

CMS will not provide Medicare coverage for a genetic test that physicians can use to determine the proper dosage of the blood thinner drug warfarin, the New York Times reports.

5 May 2009

Senate HELP Committee moves up FDA Commissioner-Designate Hamburg's confirmation hearing due to H1N1 outbreak

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has moved to Thursday the confirmation hearing for Margaret Hamburg, President Obama's pick for FDA commissioner, citing the need to address the H1N1 influenza outbreak, the Wall Street Journal reports.

5 May 2009

Congress not likely to pass permanent Medicare physician payment fix this year

Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on Monday said that comprehensive health reform legislation likely will not include a permanent solution to the Medicare physician payment system, CQ Today reports.

5 May 2009

Sen. Schumer proposes holding public health insurance option to same standards, rules as private insurers

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Monday proposed that any public health insurance option developed as part of comprehensive health care reform legislation be subject to the same rules and standards as private insurance, the New York Times reports.

5 May 2009

Eliminating Rhode Island's HIV test signature requirement would boost prevention, treatment efforts

Rhode Island's legislature currently is considering a bill (H.B. 5415) that would eliminate a requirement that a person sign his or her name before undergoing an HIV test, which "would essentially make getting an HIV test more like getting any other medical test," Brian Alverson, assistant pediatrics professor at Brown University's Alpert Medical School and head of the Section of Pediatric Hospitalists at Hasbro Children's Hospital, writes in a Providence Journal opinion piece.

5 May 2009

Recent criticism of Washington, D.C.'s Whitman-Walker could 'undermine' clinic, editorial says

Washington, D.C., Council Member David Catania's recent criticism of the Whitman-Walker Clinic could "undermine the very institution he says he's trying to save," a Washington Post editorial says.

5 May 2009

Iran reports on new HIV cases

At least 19,435 HIV cases have been reported in Iran, with more than 1,000 cases recorded since December 2008, according to a report recently released by the country's Ministry of Health, AFP/Google.com reports.

5 May 2009

HIV-positive people worldwide at increased risk of the H1N1 flu

HIV-positive people worldwide are at an increased risk of the H1N1 flu strain, the World Health Organization said on Saturday in guidelines for health workers published on its Web site, Reuters India reports.

5 May 2009

New Jersey lawmakers lobby against plan to close no-cost HIV testing clinic

Three New Jersey lawmakers last week sent a letter to Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney and the county's Board of Freeholders urging them to reconsider plans to close the Bergen County Counseling Center in Hackensack, which is the only clinic in the county that provides no-cost HIV testing, NorthJersey.com reports.

5 May 2009

3T MRI detects significant number of lesions not found on mammography and sonography

3T MRI, a powerful tool for evaluating patients with a high risk of having breast cancer, can detect a significant number of lesions not found on mammography and sonography, according to a study performed at the University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, OH.

5 May 2009

CT scans increase cancer risk estimates in multiply-imaged emergency department patients

Physicians should review a patient's CT imaging history and cumulative radiation dose when considering whether to perform another CT exam, according to researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO.

5 May 2009

Elevated level of certain protein in urine linked to increased risk for blood clots

Preliminary research suggests that higher than normal levels of the protein albumin in urine is associated with an increased risk for blood clots in the deep veins of the legs or lungs (venous thromboembolism; VTE), according to a study in the May 6 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

5 May 2009

Researchers examine factors that contribute to children missing immunization visits

According to a new study led by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, there are several factors that contribute to children missing immunization visits.

5 May 2009

Study shows beneficial effects statins may have on gastrointestinal disorders

The commonly used prescription statin drugs may have a protective effect in the prevention of liver cancer and lead to a reduction in the need for gallbladder removals, according to two studies published in Gastroenterology.

5 May 2009

Research shows why certain atherosclerotic lesions can turn deadly

A common misconception about arterial plaque is that it inevitably leads to a heart attack or a stroke. New research at Columbia University Medical Center, however, sheds light on why so few plaques in any given individual actually cause a problem. Furthermore, the research has identified a key protein that may promote the conversion from benign to dangerous plaques.

5 May 2009

Concern raised over dietary supplements

As the FDA warns consumers to stop using Hydroxycut products, a new editorial published in the May 2009 issue of The FASEB Journal shows that this FDA warning is not unique.

5 May 2009

Arrythmia associated with heart attacks linked to higher risk of death

Heart attack patients who develop serious arrhythmia in connection with procedures to open blocked arteries face a significantly higher risk of death for several months after the procedure, when compared to similar patients who do not develop such complications, according to new research from Duke University Medical Center.

5 May 2009

Estrogen plays a key role in how the brain processes sounds

The findings, published in today's issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, show for the first time that a sex hormone can directly affect auditory function, and point toward the possibility that estrogen controls other types of sensory processing as well.

5 May 2009

Medical News

High health care costs affecting insured U.S. residents

Obama to release budget proposal details on Thursday, including plans for 'integrity' initiatives for Medicaid, Medicare

Medicare will not pay for genetic tests to determine best Warfarin dosage, according to proposed decision

Senate HELP Committee moves up FDA Commissioner-Designate Hamburg's confirmation hearing due to H1N1 outbreak

Congress not likely to pass permanent Medicare physician payment fix this year

Sen. Schumer proposes holding public health insurance option to same standards, rules as private insurers

Eliminating Rhode Island's HIV test signature requirement would boost prevention, treatment efforts

Recent criticism of Washington, D.C.'s Whitman-Walker could 'undermine' clinic, editorial says

Iran reports on new HIV cases

HIV-positive people worldwide at increased risk of the H1N1 flu

New Jersey lawmakers lobby against plan to close no-cost HIV testing clinic

3T MRI detects significant number of lesions not found on mammography and sonography

CT scans increase cancer risk estimates in multiply-imaged emergency department patients

Elevated level of certain protein in urine linked to increased risk for blood clots

Researchers examine factors that contribute to children missing immunization visits

Study shows beneficial effects statins may have on gastrointestinal disorders

Research shows why certain atherosclerotic lesions can turn deadly

Concern raised over dietary supplements

Arrythmia associated with heart attacks linked to higher risk of death

Estrogen plays a key role in how the brain processes sounds

Exploring electron microscopy for plant and microbial imaging at the John Innes Centre

Extending the reach of Amperia™

Modular cleanrooms: Enhancing flexibility and compliance

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