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- Nonprofit launches campaign to reach uninsured
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:54:11 -0400 - CHICAGO (AP) — A nonprofit group helping to spread the word about President Barack Obama's health care overhaul launched a campaign Tuesday that will target states with high numbers of uninsured Americans and tackle their skepticism with straightforward messages.
- Medicare: Cost-saving changes coming for diabetics
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:57:29 -0400 -
WASHINGTON (AP) — Medicare begins a major change next month that could save older diabetics money and time when they buy crucial supplies to test their blood sugar — but it also may cause some confusion as patients figure out the new system.
- Especially grim encephalitis toll feared in India
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:50:16 -0400 -
GORAKHPUR, India (AP) — A mosquito-borne disease that preys on the young and malnourished is sweeping across poverty-riven northern India again this monsoon season in what officials worry could be the deadliest outbreak in nearly a decade.
- New Hampshire nears approval of medical marijuana law
- Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:36:04 -0400 - By Jason McLure LITTLETON, New Hampshire (Reuters) - New Hampshire is set to become the final state in New England to allow medical marijuana after negotiators from the Republican-controlled Senate and Democratic-controlled House agreed Tuesday on a bill backed by Governor Maggie Hassan. The law would allow up to four marijuana dispensaries to open as soon as 2015. Patients with cancer, HIV, glaucoma and other diseases would be eligible to purchase the drug with state-issued identity cards from a physician or nurse practitioner certifying that they need it to soothe pain. ...
- New 'Obamacare' exchanges could miss enrollment deadline: GAO
- Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:22:33 -0400 -
By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New health insurance exchanges being set up by the federal government in more than 30 states under President Barack Obama's 2010 healthcare overhaul could miss an October 1 deadline for open enrollment, a government report said on Wednesday. The launch of the exchanges, which are expected to provide health coverage for 7 million people in 2014 and 22 million by 2016 as well as to some small businesses, could determine whether Obama's signature domestic policy achievement succeeds. ...
- Beetles, housefly larvae open new frontier in animal feed sector
- Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:02:49 -0400 - By Axelle du Crest and Valerie Parent PARIS (Reuters) - French start-up company Ynsect has identified a cheap, nourishing and locally sourced alternative to soybeans as a vital source of protein in animal feed. The clue is in its name. Ynsect is not alone in looking to invertebrates to meet a jump in demand for meat and fish, and so for feed, in coming decades. Black soldier flies, common housefly larvae, silkworms and yellow mealworms were named as among the most promising species for industrial feed output in a report last month by the FAO, the United Nations food agency. ...
- Study: Wiser medication use could cut health costs
- Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:02:02 -0400 - TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — If doctors and patients used prescription drugs more wisely, they could save the U.S. health care system at least $213 billion a year, by reducing medication overuse, underuse and other flaws in care that cause complications and longer, more-expensive treatments, researchers conclude.
- How to Become More Resilient
- Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:39:00 -0400 -
How to Become More Resilient
- 14 Foods That Fight Disease
- Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:18:53 -0400 - When inflammation is out of control, it can damage the body.
- Hot flashes common even before menopause
- Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:02:01 -0400 - By Kathryn Doyle NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Most women expect hot flashes as a part of the "change of life," but more than half start sweating before menopause has actually begun, according to a survey. The study and others "indicate that women start having hot flashes and night sweats, the primary symptoms of the menopause transition, before they have their final menstrual period, contrary to the perception of many clinicians," according to Ellen Gold, of the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. ...
- What's So Hard About Research?
- Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:38:00 -0400 -
What's So Hard About Research?
- UK says soldier deaths' court ruling will hit combat missions
- Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:37:41 -0400 - By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - The British government warned on Wednesday that future combat operations could become more difficult after a court ruled that families of three soldiers killed in Iraq could sue the military for failing to protect troops on active duty. Britain's Supreme Court upheld the claim of relatives that the Human Rights Act applied to troops serving in battle abroad, and rejected the Ministry of Defence's argument that it was protected by a doctrine of combat immunity. ...
- EU fines Lundbeck and others 146 million euros for blocking rival drugs
- Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:26:23 -0400 - By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European antitrust regulators fined nine drugmakers, including Denmark's Lundbeck, a total of 146 million euros ($195 million) for blocking the supply of a cheaper anti-depressant to the market, the first EU sanction against such deals. The punishments follow a 2009 report by the European Commission on the pharmaceutical sector, which said "pay-for-delay" agreements between companies lead to consumers paying as much as 20 percent more for their medicines. The EU action came two days after the U.S. Supreme Court said U.S. ...
- Fast Thinking Saves Lives From Stroke
- Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:01:51 -0400 -
- AstraZeneca, Bristol diabetes drug disappoints in key test
- Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:07:40 -0400 - By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) - AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb's diabetes drug Onglyza failed to reduce heart risks in a large clinical study, disappointing investors who had thought it might demonstrate an edge over rivals. The companies, which jointly sell several diabetes drugs, said on Wednesday the so-called SAVOR trial showed that patients on Onglyza had no fewer adverse cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes, than those on placebo. ...
- Analysis: Hospital investors sold on U.S. health reform despite bumps
- Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:05:37 -0400 -
By Susan Kelly CHICAGO (Reuters) - Shares of U.S. hospital operators have been on a tear this year, on average posting triple the gains of the broader stock market, as investors tallied up the benefits of President Barack Obama's healthcare reform. While some on Wall Street have held back amid signs of trouble as U.S. states prepare to implement the reform law, long-term investors still see more reward than risk on the horizon for hospital stocks. They expect company earnings to strengthen as more Americans gain insurance coverage and hospitals lose less money treating the uninsured. ...
- Accused Colorado theater gunman's lawyers seek psychiatric hospital video
- Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:26:34 -0400 -
By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - Attorneys for the former graduate student charged with shooting 12 moviegoers to death in a Denver-area theater last summer have renewed their bid for access to a videotape of their client at the hospital where he was undergoing psychiatric treatment. In a motion filed on Tuesday in Arapahoe County District Court, lawyers for James Holmes asked to be permitted to view footage of their client inside the facility where he was taken last November after jail officials deemed him a danger to himself. ...
- Singapore fumes as air pollution hits 16-year high
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:17:38 -0400 -
SINGAPORE (AP) — Singaporeans rolled back military training, kept cough-stricken children indoors and considered wearing protective masks to work after a smoky haze triggered by forest fires in neighboring Indonesia caused air pollution to briefly hit its worst level in nearly 16 years.
- 18 mayors: Limit use of food stamps to buy soda
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:11:58 -0400 -
NEW YORK (AP) — The mayors of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and 15 other cities are reviving a push against letting food stamps be used to buy soda and other sugary drinks.
- Beverage group: 18 mayors wrong on sugary drinks
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:01:11 -0400 -
NEW YORK (AP) — The American Beverage Association says efforts by the mayors of 18 cities to stop food stamps from being used to buy sugary drinks won't make the nation healthier.
- Republican-led House passes bill restricting abortion
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:12:32 -0400 - By Rachelle Younglai WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Tuesday passed legislation severely restricting abortions, a move that could alienate women from the conservative party. The bill would ban abortions 20 weeks after fertilization occurs, a time when a fetus begins to feel pain, Republicans said. The legislation makes exceptions for victims of rape and incest as long as they first report the crime to authorities. The bill has no chance of becoming law with Democrats controlling the Senate and the White House threatening to veto it. ...
- Melissa Etheridge Calls Angelina Jolie's Mastectomy 'the Most Fearful Choice You Can Make'
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:37:04 -0400 -
By Tony Maglio LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Melissa Etheridge believes Angelina Jolie jumped the gun with her double mastectomy. The singer, a breast cancer survivor, told The Washington Blade that she has the same BRCA gene mutation as Jolie. When asked about Jolie's choice to undergo a preventative double mastectomy, Etheridge called Jolie's decision "the most fearful choice you can make when confronting anything with cancer." "I wouldn't call it the brave choice," the singer said. ...
- Outbreak of deadly piglet virus spreads to 13 U.S. states
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:35:51 -0400 - By P.J. Huffstutter CHICAGO (Reuters) - A swine virus deadly to young pigs, one never before seen in North America, is spreading rapidly across the United States and proving harder to control than previously believed. The virus now has spread to 13 states - with more than 100 positive cases to date - since it was first diagnosed in the United States last month, said Montserrat Torremorell, the Allen D. Leman Chair in Swine Health and Productivity at the University of Minnesota's College of Veterinary Medicine. ...
- Call for overhaul of drug industry business model
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:03:36 -0400 - By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) - Pharmaceutical companies need to boost the benefits of drug research by working with regulators and healthcare providers to overhaul the way medicines are approved and paid for, a thinktank backed by investors says. After years of disappointing research and development (R&D) productivity, a new report backed by leading institutional investors sees "early indications of a recovery", with U.S. approvals of new drugs last year the highest since 1996. ...
- Mississippi leans on Google to crack down on illegal products
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:18:26 -0400 -
By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mississippi's attorney general said on Tuesday he would subpoena documents from Google Inc as part of a probe into allegations the Web search company facilitated the sale of drugs without a prescription and other illegal products. Google responded in a blog post that it had been vigorous in working to limit drug advertisements to legitimate companies that comply with the law and to combat what it called "rogue online pharmacies. ...
- Enroll America sets private outreach for Obamacare sign-up
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:07:26 -0400 - By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Enroll America, a nonprofit group at the center of the political fight over President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law, launched a multi-state grassroots campaign on Tuesday to help sign up millions of uninsured Americans for health coverage in the coming months. The group, which has strong ties to the Obama administration and the healthcare industry, announced plans for more than 50 events in 18 states, including California, Florida and Texas, as part of its "Get Covered America" campaign. ...
- FDA probes deaths of two patients on Lilly schizophrenia drug
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:06:54 -0400 - By Ransdell Pierson (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating the cases of two individuals who died after injections with Eli Lilly and Co.'s long-acting treatment for schizophrenia, Zyprexa Relprevv. Both patients died three to four days after receiving "an appropriate dose" of the medicine, and both had very high levels of the drug in their bloodstreams, the FDA said in a bulletin released on its website on Tuesday. ...
- Lullaby Medicine for Premature Babies
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:32:24 -0400 - Something as old as mankind itself is helping keep pre-term babies alive — the lullaby. Research shows that music has become an important new ally for babies who are born too soon and struggle to breathe and eat. The neonatal intensive care unit in a hospital is filled with technology that helps keep the hospital's tiniest, most fragile patients alive. At New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell – and others across the country – the relentless beeping of monitors fades when music takes over. The effect on preemies isn't just dramatic; it's physical.
- Ohio residents accused of holding disabled woman in slavery
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:25:32 -0400 -
By Kim Palmer CLEVELAND (Reuters) - Three Ohio residents are accused of holding an intellectually disabled woman and her daughter against their will and forcing the woman to perform physical labor for them, threatening her with snakes if she didn't comply, authorities said on Tuesday. The trio, Jordie Callahan, Jessica Hunt and Daniel Brown, conspired to beat the woman and her child and forced them to sleep in a padlocked room with a large iguana, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. ...
- Naked gymnast faces charges over San Francisco transit stop antics
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:49:06 -0400 - By Laila Kearney SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A trained gymnast whose naked acrobatics and harassment of passengers at a San Francisco public transit station were captured on video and circulated widely on the Internet is facing criminal charges over his antics, authorities said on Tuesday. Yeiner Alberto Perez Garizabalo, 24, was caught on video doing handstands and contortions on turnstiles and front flips off a concrete newsstand - all in the nude - at a Bay Area Rapid Transit District station on May 10. ...
- Past care tied to later treatment's success
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:46:32 -0400 - By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - If a person doesn't have much success with one pain treatment, they may say the next one they try doesn't work so great either, suggests a new study from Germany. Previous studies have found that people receiving a dummy pill in clinical trials don't fare as well once they're switched to the real drug, compared to those who have been getting the real treatment all along, according to Dr. Ulrike Bingel, the study's lead author from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. ...
- U.S. court finds Novo Nordisk Prandin diabetes drug patent invalid
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:25:37 -0400 - (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court found the patent on Novo Nordisk's Prandin diabetes drug in combination with metformin to be invalid, paving the way for introduction of a generic version of the medicine, the Danish drugmaker said on Tuesday. In a 2-1 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed a district court ruling handed down in 2011, the company said. Novo said it still believes the patent to be valid and was reviewing the ruling. ...
- Obamacare-like groups tied to lower costs: study
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:23:24 -0400 - By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Large independent doctor practices that focus on primary care tend to spend less money and are more likely to meet guidelines for Americans on Medicare than smaller groups, according to a new study. The findings suggest that the so-called Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) created by the 2010 Affordable Care Act may improve the quality of care while lowering spending, said the study's lead author. "I think our analysis is sort of searching for pockets of excellence and seeing whether those pockets of excellence echo the ACOs. ...
- MRI may help find infection from tainted injection
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:14:03 -0400 - By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Some people who received potentially contaminated steroid injections may benefit from a MRI to check for signs of infection, a new study suggests - even if they don't have obvious symptoms. Researchers screened 172 people who had been injected with methylprednisolone from a New England Compounding Center (NECC) lot tied to meningitis and fungal infections, and found abnormal test results for 36 of them. That included 13 people who had no new or worsening symptoms, such as pain and weakness near the injection site. ...
- Magazine's Suicide-Themed Fashion Spread Causes Uproar
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:47:59 -0400 - Some suicide prevention experts and feminists condemned images of famous literary suicides as tasteless and commercial; but some say photos were only art and Americans view death as a "taboo."
- Suicide-Themed Fashion Spread Causes Uproar
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:45:06 -0400 - Some suicide prevention experts and feminists condemned images of famous literary suicides as tasteless and commercial; but some say photos were only art and Americans view death as a "taboo."
- Russia evacuates thousands after blasts at army munitions store
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:41:02 -0400 - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Some 6,000 people were evacuated in Russia's southwestern Samara region on Tuesday after ammunition explosions shook a military training area, the Emergencies Ministry said. The ministry said five explosions initially took place at the site on Tuesday evening, triggering a fire that was still causing blasts hours later. Footage aired on Russia's state television showed plumes of dark smoke rising from the site, where the ministry said some 11 million pieces of ammunition was stored. ...
- Vice Axes Suicide Fashion Spread in Uproar
- Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:34:20 -0400 - Some suicide prevention experts and feminists condemned images of famous literary suicides as tasteless and commercial; but some say photos were only art and Americans view death as a "taboo."
