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• Health Care For Millions Of Californians Still At Risk

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00pm EDT

  A state court in Los Angeles failed to stop deep cuts in reimbursement rates to health care providers in the state Medi-Cal/Denti-Cal program which took effect on July 1.

• Thermo Fisher Scientific Improves Workflow In HLA Laboratories With 10-Second Analysis Of DNA Microsamples Using Nanodrop 1000

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00pm EDT

  Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, will exhibit a new spectrophotometer that offers unique benefits for human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing laboratories dealing with donor tissue matching. The Thermo Scientific NanoDrop™ 1000 represents the growing trend of successful genome research tools finding their way to the clinical research setting.

• Does Being Single Increase Risk Of Dementia? Alzheimer's Society

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 5:00pm EDT

  Alzheimer's Society comment: Living with a partner in midlife can reduce your risk of dementia, according to new research presented at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease. 'Some evidence suggests remaining socially active may reduce your risk of dementia and living with someone is certainly a good way of increasing social interaction.

• WHO At The XVIIth International AIDS Conference, Mexico City, 3-8 August 2008

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 4:00pm EDT

  WHAT Several top officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) attending the XVIIth International AIDS Conference in Mexico City will participate in a series of media briefings. WHO is the directing and coordinating authority on international health and takes the lead within the UN system on the global health-sector response to the AIDS epidemic.

• Schizophrenia Linked To Missing Or Duplicated Genetic Material

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 3:00pm EDT

  Two international teams of scientists working on independent studies have discovered that rare deletions and duplications in genetic material appear to occur in greater numbers in people who have schizophrenia. The studies are published in the July 30th online issue of the journal Nature.

• Organizations, ILO Launch Campaign That Aims To Raise HIV Awareness Among Migrant Workers In China

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 3:00pm EDT

  Chinese groups and the International Labour Organization on Monday launched a three-year campaign that aims to increase HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention among the country's migrant worker population in the provinces of Anhui, Guangdong and Yunnan, as well as the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, China Daily reports (Guan, China Daily, 7/29).

• Rep. Shea-Porter Introduces Legislation That Would Ensure In-State Health Services For Veterans

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 3:00pm EDT

  Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.) on Tuesday introduced legislation that would require states to have access to at least one full-service veterans' medical center or receive comparable care from non-military health care providers, the AP/Boston Globe reports.

• Washington, D.C., Immigrant Health Clinic Makes Changes To Qualify For Federal Grants

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 2:00pm EDT

  The Washington Post on Tuesday examined the Washington, D.C.-based La Clinica del Pueblo, which has a mission to provide low-cost and culturally appropriate health care to the Hispanic community. The clinic offers mental health counseling, HIV/AIDS testing and outreach, family planning services, classes and other services.

• New HIV Infections, Deaths From AIDS-Related Causes Down; Epidemic Not Over, UNAIDS Report Says

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 2:00pm EDT

  The number of deaths worldwide from AIDS-related causes decreased by 10% in 2007 to two million, compared with 2.2 million in 2006, according to UNAIDS' 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, which was released Tuesday ahead of the XVII International AIDS Conference, the Los Angeles Times reports (Maugh, Los Angeles Times, 7/30).There were about 2.

• Legislation Would Require Greater Transparency In Physician Self-Referrals For Imaging Procedures

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 2:00pm EDT

  Senate Finance Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) recently introduced legislation (S 3343) that would require physicians to disclose their financial ties to imaging services ordered under Medicare when making self-referrals, CQ HealthBeat reports.

• U.S. Infant Mortality Rate Decline Stalls, Racial Disparities Remain, CDC Data Indicate

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 1:00pm EDT

  The nearly 10-year decline in U.S. infant mortality rates has stalled and disparities between black and white infant mortality persist, according to CDC data, the Wall Street Journal reports. According to the data, black infants are 2.4 times more likely to die before age one than white infants.In 2005, 13.

• Editorial, Opinion Piece Discuss Health Care Issues In Presidential Election

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 1:00pm EDT

  Summaries of a recent editorial and opinion piece that addressed health care issues in the presidential election appear below.San Francisco Chronicle: The estimated $482 billion federal budget deficit for fiscal year 2009 is a "numbing number" because neither presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) nor presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen.

• Grassley, Dingell Call For Overhaul Of FDA, Say Agency Should Be Able To Levy Fines, Order Recalls, Limit Drug Industry Advertising

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 1:00pm EDT

  Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) have led an effort to restructure FDA by "giving it broad powers to levy fines, order drug recalls and restrict drug industry advertising," and a "series of crises during the past year ... have given ammunition to the lawmakers, both longtime critics" of the agency, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• Study Examines High-Deductible Health Plans, Use Of Medical Services; Web Exclusive Looks At Distribution Of Public Health Care Spending

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 12:00pm EDT

  "Does Enrollment in a CDHP Stimulate Cost-Effective Utilization?" Medical Care Research and Review: The study -- by Judith H. Hibbard, Jessica Greene and Martin Tusler of the University of Oregon -- finds that people who enroll in consumer-driven health plans generally reduce their use of medical services.

• Letters Respond To New York Times Opinion Piece On Catholic Church's Contraception Ban

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 12:00pm EDT

  The New York Times on Wednesday published several letters in response to a July 27 Times opinion piece written by National Catholic Reporter correspondent John Allen about the 40th anniversary of the late Pope Paul VI's encyclical "Humanae Vitae," which states the church's opposition to contraception (Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/28). Summaries appear below.

• Tanzania Aims To Triple Number Of People With Antiretroviral Access By 2010, Health Minister Says

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 11:00am EDT

  Tanzania plans to triple the number of HIV-positive people with access to antiretroviral drugs in the country to 440,000 by 2010, Health Minister David Mwakyusa said on Monday, Reuters South Africa reports.

• Kansas' Preferred Health Systems To Stop Paying Hospitals For 'Never Events'

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 11:00am EDT

  Preferred Health Systems, Kansas' largest health insurer, announced last week that it will stop reimbursing hospitals for costs related to avoidable medical complications, the Wichita Eagle reports. Beginning Oct.

• Detroit News Examines Debate Over Certified Professional Midwives' Qualifications

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 11:00am EDT

  The Detroit News on Tuesday examined the debate between the medical community and home birth advocates over where women should give birth and who is best qualified to perform deliveries. According to CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, about 1% of births annually are performed outside of hospitals.

• NPR's 'Tell Me More' Examines U.S. Hispanics, HIV/AIDS

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 10:00am EDT

  NPR's "Tell Me More" on Monday featured a discussion about Hispanics and HIV/AIDS (Corley [1], "Tell Me More," NPR, 7/28). Hispanics account for about 14% of the U.S. population but represented 22% of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in 2006, according to data reported last week by the Washington Post (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 7/23).

• Cigna, Express Scripts Agree To Pay $27M To Settle New York State Drug Switching Case

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 10:00am EDT

  Cigna and Express Scripts have agreed to a $27 million settlement in a 2004 lawsuit by New York State accusing Express Scripts of persuading physicians to switch prescriptions to drugs for which larger rebates could be obtained from manufacturers without informing patients of the change, the Hartford Courant reports.

• Judge Rules Kansas Abortion Statute Constitutional, Denies Request To Dismiss Case Against Tiller

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 10:00am EDT

  Sedgwick County, Kan., District Judge Clark Owens on Monday ruled that a state law requiring an independent, consulting physician to approve some abortions after 21 weeks' gestation does not violate the U.S. Constitution or the Kansas Constitution, the AP/Wichita Eagle reports. Subsequently, Owens also denied a motion to dismiss a criminal case against abortion provider George Tiller.

• CMS Extends Massachusetts Medicaid Waiver For State Health Insurance Law

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 9:00am EDT

  CMS on Monday announced that it has granted Massachusetts a third extension on a Medicaid waiver that would allow the state to divert $385 million in federal funds for the program towards funding for the state's new health care law, the AP/Boston Globe reports. The current waiver would have expired on June 30, but the renewal extends it an additional two weeks to Aug. 11.

• Full Appeals Court To Review Decision Declaring Virginia Abortion Ban Unconstitutional

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 9:00am EDT

  The full 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday said it will review the constitutionality of a Virginia law prohibiting so-called "partial-birth" abortion, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell (R) asked the full court to rehear the case after a three-judge panel had declared the law unconstitutional (Green, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 7/29).

• Vote Now For The 2008 Beacons Of Hope Awards, Lymphoma Association, UK

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 8:00am EDT

  The Lymphoma Association, the only specialist UK charity that provides medical information and support to lymphatic cancer patients, their families and friends, is calling for nominations for their annual Beacons of Hope Awards.

• Owners Unaware That Dog May Be Suffering From Serious Heart Disease

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 8:00am EDT

  Recently released global research shows that over 50% of dog owners are unaware that their dog may be at risk of heart failure.

• DIA/AAPS Co-Sponsored Conference To Examine The Immunogenicity Of Therapeutic Proteins

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 8:00am EDT

  The Drug Information Association (DIA) and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) will co-sponsor Immunogenicity of Therapeutic Proteins (September 10 -12; Bethesda, MD).

• AARP: Medicare Anniversary Highlights Need For National Health Care Reform Next Year

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 8:00am EDT

  AARP issued a statement commemorating the 43rd anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid. The statement, from AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond, follows: "The passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 was an important event in America's history.

• Mothers From Affluent Neighbourhoods Living Within 200 Metres Of Highways Increase Odds Of Delivering Low Weight Babies By 81 Percent

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 8:00am EDT

  Living near city expressways is associated with adverse birth effects on expectant mothers and their newborns, according to a novel study with global implications.

• ActionAid To Release Book About HIV Prevention, Youth At AIDS Conference

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 8:00am EDT

  ActionAid next week during the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City plans to release a book that examines how political concerns are hindering efforts to provide young people worldwide with HIV prevention education, VOA News reports (De Capua, VOA News, 7/28).

• Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Highlights Recent Medicare News

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 8:00am EDT

  Summaries of two recent developments related to efforts by congressional Republicans on Medicare issues appear below.Medicare fraud: Senate Republicans on Monday held a forum to highlight their efforts to reduce Medicare fraud, CQ HealthBeat reports. In June, Sens. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.

• Potential HHS Rule Would Override Minn. Law Requiring Hospitals To Provide EC, Advocates Say

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 8:00am EDT

  On Tuesday, Minnesota legislators and women's health advocates warned that a proposed regulation being developed by the Bush administration -- a regulation that allegedly seeks to allow medical providers to refuse patients access to commonly used contraceptive methods -- would reduce access to birth

• Health, Legal Concerns Over Fake Sick Notes, Says Australian Medical Association

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  A website offering fake sick notes for a fee could endanger people's health and encourage fraud, AMA President Dr Rosanna Capolingua warned. The AMA understands that an overseas company has set up an Australian section on their website that charges $40 for fake sick leave certificates containing a local GP's name and practice.

• Changes To Mandatory Detention Overdue, Says Royal Australian College Of General Practitioners

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has welcomed some changes outlined in the Australian Government's new risk-based immigration detention policy. "The most important reform announced by The Hon Senator Chris Evans, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, is the exclusion of children from detention.

• Increased Risk Of Heart Attack In Older Adults Due To Protein Made By Fat Cells

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  Adiponectin, a protein produced by fat cells, may play a pivotal and counterintuitive role in cardiovascular health for older Americans according to a new study accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). As people lose weight, the concentration level of adiponectin in the bloodstream increases.

• GenVec Receives Continued Funding From The U.S. Department Of Homeland Security For Foot-And-Mouth Vaccine Program

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  GenVec, Inc. (Nasdaq:GNVC) announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has executed the second option period under a three-year agreement with GenVec to support the development of vaccines for the prevention of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). GenVec will receive up to $6.6 million to complete development activities under the option period.

• Inspire Provides Update On Cystic Fibrosis Clinical Program - Optimization Of TIGER-2 Trial Design

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISPH) announced modifications to the clinical protocol for TIGER-2, the Company's ongoing second Phase 3 trial with denufosol tetrasodium for the treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF). "The availability of the extensive data set from the positive TIGER-1 trial provides an excellent opportunity to optimize the TIGER-2 trial design," stated Christy L.

• National Federation Of The Blind To Testify Before House Subcommittee Regarding Paper Currency Identifiable To The Blind

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, the nation's oldest and largest organization of blind people, will testify before the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology of the House Committee on Financial Services, regarding the issue of paper currency identifiable by the blind. On May 20, 2008, the U.S.

• Physicians Report MRSA Superbug Cases On The Rise, According To Study By GfK Market Measures

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), or the so-called "superbug," is on the rise in hospitals and routinely encountered in the emergency room.

• New Data On Nymox BPH Drug To Be Presented At American Urological Association Meeting In Monterey October 26-30

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  Nymox Pharmaceutical Corporation (NASDAQ: NYMX) today announced that new clinical trial data concerning the safety and efficacy of the Company's NX-1207 for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Western Section of the American Urological Association Meeting being held in Monterey, CA from October 26 to 30, 2008.

• FDA Approves Expanded 510k Classification For Titan Spine's Endoskeleton(R) TA Anterior Interbody Fusion Device

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded Titan Spine's ENDOSKELTON® TA Vertebral Body Replacement Device (VBR) 510k to include an Interbody Fusion Device indication.

• Metabasis' Results From Its Phase 2a Clinical Trial For MB07803 For Diabetes Type 2 To Be Presented At World Congress

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  Metabasis Therapeutics (Nasdaq: MBRX) announced that an oral presentation summarizing the results from the Company's Phase 2a clinical trial for MB07803 will be given at the World Congress on Controversies to Consensus in Diabetes, Obesity and Hypertension (CODHy), to be held in Barcelona, Spain, October 30 to November 2, 2008.

• Ongoing Phase II Study Explores Potential For Detection Of Amyloid Plaque Prior To Onset Of Alzheimer's Disease

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  Avid Radiopharmaceuticals presented clinical results on the development of a novel 18F-labeled PET amyloid imaging agent, 18F-AV-45, that may eventually provide a practical approach for routine brain imaging of people at risk for the development of Alzheimer's disease.

• Minimizing Traumatic Response To Bad Memories

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  UC Irvine researchers have identified the brain mechanism that switches off traumatic feelings associated with bad memories, a finding that could lead to the development of drugs to treat panic disorders.

• Encouraging Results From Phase 2 Clinical Trial Of Bapineuzumab At International Conference On Alzheimer's Disease

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  Elan Corporation, plc (NYSE: ELN) and Wyeth (NYSE: WYE) are presenting detailed results from the companies' 18-month Phase 2 study of bapineuzumab (AAB-001) in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease at the Alzheimer's Association's International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2008 in Chicago, Illinois.

• Mexican President Calderon Commits To Making Lower AIDS Drug Pricing A Priority For National Government

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  A diverse group of representatives from over 50 Mexican non-governmental agencies committed to improving the affordability of, and access to AIDS drugs in Mexico met with Mexican President Felipe Calderon in Mexico City earlier today to discuss the steep price and limited availability of lifesaving AIDS drug treatments in Mexico.

• Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C. Submits New Drug Application To FDA For Rivaroxaban

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C. (J&JPRD) announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for rivaroxaban, an investigational, oral, once-daily anticoagulant for the prevention of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients undergoing hip or knee replacement surgery.

• Cochrane Review Evaluates Herbal Medicine From Schwabe Pharmaceuticals For Acute Respiratory Tract Infections

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  A recent report by the internationally renowned, independent Cochrane Collaboration adds further weight to the growing international popularity of standardized Pelargonium sidoides extract EPs® 7630 (Umckaloabo®) in the treatment of acute respiratory tract infections such as acute bronchitis and the common cold.

• Endoscope May Be Replaced By String Probe To Detect Devastating Childhood Digestive Disease

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  A swallowed string may someday replace the invasive, uncomfortable endoscope now used to diagnose a devastating childhood disease of the esophagus. Steven J. Ackerman of University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine and Dr. Glenn T.

• Growth Of Drug-Device Combination Products Impacting The Way Drugs Are Developed

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  As the point-of-care for drug therapy shifts from the clinic to the home, drug developers are learning the importance of design integration, ergonomics, and concurrent engineering. Welcome to the age of combination products, an age where the drug is one part of a therapeutic product designed to meet the needs of a specific therapy or patient group.

• Results Of 9-Month Phase II Study Of GAMMAGARD Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IGIV) In Patients With Alzheimer's Disease Announced

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center announced the nine-month interim results of an ongoing Phase II clinical trial of GAMMAGARD Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IGIV) for Alzheimer's disease at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD) in Chicago.

• Pathologic T2 Stage Subgroups And Recurrence-Free Survival After Radical Prostatectomy

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00am EDT

  UroToday.com - In the online version of Urology, Dr. James McKiernan and a group of investigators at Columbia University reported that while clinical subgroups of stage cT2 prostate cancer (CaP) have prognostic significance, pathologic subgroups of stage pT2 do not.

• Memory Replay During Sleep Linked To Age - Or Is It?

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00am EDT

  US scientists studying sleep processes in rats found that aging tended to impair the brain's ability to "replay" memories during sleep, a consolidation process that is important for converting recent memories into long term ones. However, impaired memory replay was not found in all the older rats tested in the study.

• Mothers From Affluent Neighborhoods Near Highways Increase Odds Of Low Weight Babies By 81 Percent

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00am EDT

  Living near city expressways is associated with adverse birth effects on expectant mothers and their newborns, according to a novel study with global implications.

• Alzheimer's - Positive New Data On Dimebon's Long-Term Efficacy And Novel Mechanism Of Action

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00am EDT

  Medivation, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDVN) announced new data showing that its investigational drug Dimebon continues to produce broad, clinically meaningful benefits in Alzheimer's disease patients after long-term dosing, and appears to operate through a novel mechanism of action.

• Study Identifies Changes To DNA In Major Depression And Suicide

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00am EDT

  Autopsies usually point to a cause of death but now a study of brain tissue collected during these procedures, may explain an underlying cause of major depression and suicide. The international research group, led by Dr. Michael O. Poulter of Robarts Research Institute at The University of Western Ontario and Dr.

• Journal Of The National Cancer Institute July 29

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00am EDT

  The Same Dose of Anthracycline Is Not Safe for Everyone Not all patients can tolerate the currently recommended cumulative dose of epirubicin. New models can help physicians calculate the epirubicin dose associated with a 5 percent risk of cardiotoxicity for individual patients. Oncologists frequently use anthracyclines, including epirubicin and doxorubicin, to treat breast cancer patients.

• American Public Health Association Commends House Passage Of Tobacco Legislation

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00am EDT

  Statement from Georges C. Benjamin MD, FACP, FACEP (EP), Executive Director, American Public Health Association The American Public Health Association applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for today passing the Family Smoking and Tobacco Control Act with an overwhelming bipartisan majority.

• Long Acting Neuraminidase Inhibitor (LANI) Phase II Completed - Phase III Scheduled -Naturally Acquired Influenza A Or B

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00am EDT

  Biota Holdings Limited (ASX:BTA)(PINK:BTAHY) announced that its second generation, influenza treatment, CS-8958, has successfully completed its initial Phase II clinical evaluation, showing favourable outcomes against all measured endpoints. The initial Phase III trial is scheduled to commence later this year.

• Breastfeeding Needs Support, Royal Australian College Of General Practitioners

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00am EDT

  International evidence shows that breastfeeding is best for babies, boosting their resistance to infection and diseases, and their growth and development.

• Despite Hazards, 1/5 Of British Adult Survivors Of Childhood Cancer Are Smokers

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00am EDT

  One-fifth of British adult survivors of childhood cancers are current smokers, and nearly a third have been regular smokers at some point in their lives, according to a study in the July 29 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

• Smoking Predicts Increased Stroke Risk For Your Spouse

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00am EDT

  Although Second Hand Smoke (SHS) is widely accepted as a risk factor for coronary heart disease, there have been few studies investigating the association of SHS and stroke risk. In a new study, published in the September 2008 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers report on evidence of increased risk of stroke for spouses of smokers.

• Salmonella Saintpaul Found On Mexican Farm Says FDA

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00am EDT

  US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials said on Wednesday that a sample of serrano pepper and a sample of irrigation water taken from a farm in Mexico contained Salmonella saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint as the strain in the outbreak that started over 3 months ago and has sickened more than 1,300 people throughout the United States and parts of Canada.

• Gene May Put Women With Migraine At Increased Risk Of Heart Disease And Stroke

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00am EDT

  Women who experience migraine with aura appear to be at an increased risk of heart disease and stroke if they have a certain gene, according to a study published in the July 30, 2008, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

• Performance Of Prostate Specific Antigen For Predicting Prostate Cancer Is Maintained After A Prior Negative Prostate Biopsy

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00am EDT

  UroToday.com - In the August 2008 issue of the Journal of Urology, Dr. Ian Thompson and colleagues explored the performance characteristics of PSA after a previous negative prostate biopsy. The population of men had all undergone prostate biopsy regardless of PSA or digital rectal examination (DRE) findings, thus minimizing the confounding effects of verification bias.

• Report: Heat-related Deaths In High School Football Players Dip, But All Are Preventable

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00am EDT

  You could say two is a small number. But that's still two too many for Frederick O. Mueller, Ph.D., professor of exercise and sports science in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The figure represents the number of reported cases of heat stroke deaths among high school level football players in 2007.

• Prostate Cancer Detection Rate In Patients With Repeated Extended 21-Sample Needle Biopsy

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00am EDT

  UroToday.com - In an article by a group of French investigators that appears in the online version of European Urology, they examine the issue of whether one negative extended prostate cancer (CaP) biopsy should reassure patients that they do not have CaP.

• Renal Involvement In Children With Vesicoureteral Reflux: Are Prenatal Detection And Surgical Approaches Preventive?

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00am EDT

  UroToday.com - A study out of Italy investigated the effects of prenatal detection and different treatment methods on the outcome of unilateral vesicoureteral reflux. There was a retrospective study that enrolled 119 children with a mean age of 2.8 years with primary vesicoureteral reflux. Kidney growth and renal function were measured with ultrasound and DMSA scan, respectively.

• Nephrologists Debate Uses Of Estimated Kidney Function

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00am EDT

  A routinely available laboratory result called the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) provides a simple indicator of kidney function and may increase early diagnoses of chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, widespread use of eGFR for this purpose may have inherent flaws and dangers including a risk that large numbers of elderly patients will be misclassified as having CKD.

• Note To People With Scarred And Stiffened Lungs: Monitor Your Sleep Before Severe Fatigue Sets In

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00am EDT

  Mother's legacy shows impact of severe fatigue, $2 million in research funding to help study disease Family, friends and neighbors remember Lisa Sandler Spaeth as an active mother of two in Potomac, Md., with a lot on the go, juggling her son's baseball games and her daughter's horseback-riding lessons with numerous committee obligations, organizing women's activities at her local synagogue.

• Economic Evaluation Of Priority Setting In Israel

  Posted: July 31st, 2008, 6:00am EDT

  The Public Committee which decides the inclusion and ranking of new technologies in the Israeli List of Health Services which will face a given budget does not explicitly consider the results of economic evaluations of the technologies discussed. The paper, to be published in Value in Health, includes an economic examination of the Public Committee's 2006/7 decisions.