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Arizona Republic examines health insurance policy rescissions

The Arizona Republic on Friday examined how the practice of health insurers rescinding and canceling the health care policies of beneficiaries has been "scrutinized from California to Connecticut with some states passing tough measures or pursuing regulatory actions and assessing fines to restrict these retroactive health policy voids."

2 Jun 2008

Appeals court decisions in Vioxx lawsuits indicate 'sanity still exists' in legal system, editorial states

State appeals courts in New Jersey and Texas last week "delivered a one-two punch to the liability suits against Merck for its Vioxx painkiller," an indication that "some sanity still exists in the tort system -- at least at the appellate level," according to a Wall Street Journal editorial.

2 Jun 2008

Senate Democrats to move forward with bill that would halt 10.6% Medicare physician payment cut despite veto threat

Despite a veto threat from the White House, Senate Democrats plan to move forward in the next two weeks with a bill (S 1951) that would reduce payments to Medicare Advantage plans to offset delaying a 10.6% cut to Medicare physicians' payments, CQ Today reports.

2 Jun 2008

Lawmakers seek to revive legislation that would eliminate COBRA coverage limits

Reps. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) are pushing to revive legislation (HR 2047) proposed last year that would allow people to pay for health coverage from their former employers until they qualify for Medicare at age 65, the Chicago Sun Times reports.

2 Jun 2008

Health care standards needed at immigration detention centers, opinion piece states

"Unlike federal and state prisons, immigrant detention centers, many of which are run by private contractors, are not legally mandated to abide by any health care standards when it comes to treating sick immigrants," Sandra Hernandez, a staff writer for the legal newspaper Daily Journal, writes in a Los Angeles Times opinion piece.

2 Jun 2008

Gender-based violence contributing to spread of HIV in Papua New Guinea, Amnesty International report says

Violence against women is contributing to the spread of HIV in Papua New Guinea, Amnesty International said in its recent annual report, the Australian Associated Press reports.

2 Jun 2008

Delegates agree to focus on HIV/AIDS, other issues hindering African development at close of Tokyo conference

Delegates at the close of the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama, Japan, on Friday agreed to focus on health issues, including HIV/AIDS, on the continent, the Kyodo News/TMCnet reports. In the Yokohama declaration, delegates also pledged to pay "special attention" to issues -- such as health, poverty and food insecurity -- that are hindering African development.

2 Jun 2008

Uganda should address HIVAIDS-related stigma, discrimination to fight apread of disease, report says

Social stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS in Uganda is undermining efforts to fight the spread of the disease and should be addressed, according to a report released Wednesday by the Open Society Institute East Africa Initiative, the New Vision/AllAfrica.com reports.

2 Jun 2008

Some women who have had Caesarean sections have difficulty obtaining private health coverage

Some insurers are denying individual coverage to women who have given birth via caesarean section because they are likely to undergo the procedure again, the New York Times reports. According to the Times, a c-section on average costs about $2,700 more than a vaginal birth.

2 Jun 2008

Low levels of vitamin D appear common in healthy children

Many healthy infants and toddlers may have low levels of vitamin D, and about one-third of those appear to have some evidence of reduced bone mineral content on X-rays, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

2 Jun 2008

Meniscal damage and joint malalignment predictors of cartilage loss

Marked by cartilage and bone degradation, progressive knee osteoarthritis (OA) is believed to result in part from a combination of several local mechanical factors. Lack of joint stability, poor joint alignment and injuries to the disks of meniscal tissue that cushion the knee all affect load distribution and the toll to the vulnerable OA knee.

2 Jun 2008

Study looks at the role of metformin as possible anti-tumor agent

Metformin, the common first-line drug for type 2 diabetes, may be effective in increasing pathologic complete response rates in diabetic women with early stage breast cancer who took the drug during chemotherapy prior to having surgery, paving the way for further research of the drug as a potential cancer therapy, according to researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

2 Jun 2008

Happy children may not be best learners

Psychologists at the University of Virginia and the University of Plymouth (UK) have conducted experimental research that contrasts with the belief that happy children are the best learners.

2 Jun 2008

Risk factors for eating disorders in children

Risk factors for binge eating and purging may vary between boys and girls and by age group in girls, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

2 Jun 2008

Drinking juice not associated with overweight and obesity in children

Children who drink 100-percent juice are no more likely to be overweight and may have a better overall nutrient intake than children who do not drink juice, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

2 Jun 2008

Chronic inflammation of the intestine or stomach damages DNA

Chronic inflammation of the intestine or stomach can damage DNA, increasing the risk of cancer, MIT scientists have confirmed.

2 Jun 2008

New approach to treating vision loss caused by type 1 Usher syndrome

A new approach to treating vision loss caused by type 1 Usher syndrome (USH1), the most common condition affecting both sight and hearing, will be unveiled by a scientist at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics tomorrow (Tuesday 3 June).

2 Jun 2008

Celldex Therapeutics vaccine may double survival in patients with deadly brain tumors

A vaccine aimed at inducing immunity to the most common and deadly type of brain tumor may stave off recurrence and more than double survival in patients, according to a new study led by researchers in Duke's Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center.

2 Jun 2008

New approach to treating autoimmune disease offered by Weizmann scientists

In autoimmune diseases, the immune system turns against the body's own tissues and organs, wreaking havoc and destruction for no apparent reason. Partly because the origins of these diseases are so obscure, no effective treatment exists, and the suffering they inflict is enormous.

2 Jun 2008

New genetic mutations involved in inflammatory intestinal disorders discovered

The discovery of new genetic mutations involved in inflammatory intestinal disorders could lead to a better understanding of these common conditions, two scientists told the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Monday 2 June).

2 Jun 2008

Medical News

Arizona Republic examines health insurance policy rescissions

Appeals court decisions in Vioxx lawsuits indicate 'sanity still exists' in legal system, editorial states

Senate Democrats to move forward with bill that would halt 10.6% Medicare physician payment cut despite veto threat

Lawmakers seek to revive legislation that would eliminate COBRA coverage limits

Health care standards needed at immigration detention centers, opinion piece states

Gender-based violence contributing to spread of HIV in Papua New Guinea, Amnesty International report says

Delegates agree to focus on HIV/AIDS, other issues hindering African development at close of Tokyo conference

Uganda should address HIVAIDS-related stigma, discrimination to fight apread of disease, report says

Some women who have had Caesarean sections have difficulty obtaining private health coverage

Low levels of vitamin D appear common in healthy children

Meniscal damage and joint malalignment predictors of cartilage loss

Study looks at the role of metformin as possible anti-tumor agent

Happy children may not be best learners

Risk factors for eating disorders in children

Drinking juice not associated with overweight and obesity in children

Chronic inflammation of the intestine or stomach damages DNA

New approach to treating vision loss caused by type 1 Usher syndrome

Celldex Therapeutics vaccine may double survival in patients with deadly brain tumors

New approach to treating autoimmune disease offered by Weizmann scientists

New genetic mutations involved in inflammatory intestinal disorders discovered

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