Day: January 23, 2017

Study finds cutting calories may help monkeys live longer

A 2009 image of rhesus monkeys in a landmark study of the benefits of caloric restriction. The then 27-year-old monkey on the left was given a diet with fewer calories while the 29-year-old monkey on the right was allowed to eat as much as it liked.A new study of the effects of a restricted diet reinforces the idea that reducing caloric intake has health benefits that can extend lifespan.

Dental clinic planned in SVMC Medical Office Building

Hoping to address a significant need in the Bennington area, Southwestern Vermont Health Care is planning a dental care facility in the medical offices building on the campus of the local hospital. According to the proposal, which was submitted to the Green Mountain Care Board for certificate of need approval, the unit would occupy 1,890 square feet of the first floor of the medical building, which is adjacent the main entrance to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

Why a key AIDS-care program is in disarray

… providers have reported numerous problems with the program, which is overseen by the California Department of Public Health. Patients have been turned away by pharmacies, been forced to postpone medical procedures and been dropped from the program …

Official confident Trump could clear Kansas Medicaid program

Susan Mosier, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, speaks to the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, responding to a report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that Kansas’ Medicaid program is “substantively out of compliance” with U.S. law. less Susan Mosier, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, speaks to the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, responding to a report from the Centers for Medicare … more TOPEKA, Kan.

Bush ready to leave intensive care; wife Barbara goes home

In this photo provided by Office of George H.W. Bush on Monday Jan. 23, 2017, former President George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara pose for a photo at Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston. The 92-year-old former president is still suffering from pneumonia, but is well enough to leave the intensive care unit at a Houston hospital, doctors said Monday.

Sens. Moore, Chandler in middle of skirmish over dental care access

On Beacon Hill “teeth” are often invoked as a metaphor for regulatory power, but this session the actual molars, incisors and gums of people lacking access to dental care will return to the legislative agenda, as rival approaches appear destined to come to a head. A dental group that has disagreed with health care advocates over the proposed creation of a new midlevel dentistry occupation has now embraced the advocates’ general approach to expanding dental access, though differences remain.

WashU Experts: The First 100 Days

… have recognized that environmental protection benefits all Americans, regardless of party affiliation, and that the health risks posed by pollution threaten us all. With respect to climate change, we cannot afford to tread water or retrench. …

Qld scientist in running for top prize

A biomolecular scientist whose work has been hailed as more impressive than the moon landing is Queensland’s nominee for Australian of the Year. Emeritus professor Alan Mackay-Sim has spent his career looking at the regenerative properties of stem cells and how they can be used to repair damaged spinal cords.

Judge blocks Aetna’s $37 billion deal for Humana

A federal judge Tuesday blocked the merger of two health insurance giants, Aetna and Humana, upholding the Justice Department’s verdict that the proposed $37 billion deal would hurt competition. U.S. District Court Judge John Bates wrote in his opinion that the proposed merger would have decreased competition substantially in the Medicare Advantage market in 364 counties.

Federal judge swats Aetna-Humana insurer combo

… renewal payment, enter a vacation stop, report a missed delivery, or submit a complaint. A federal judge has rejected health insurer Aetna’s plan to buy rival Humana Inc. for about $34 billion and become a major player in the market for Medicare …

MediciNova Announces Publication of Positive Findings on MN-166 (ibudilast) in Alcohol Dependence

MediciNova, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company traded on the NASDAQ Global Market and the JASDAQ Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange , today announced that the medical journal Neuropsychopharmacology has published a new article on MN-166 written by Dr. Lara Ray and colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles.  The article reports that MN-166 was associated with mood improvements on the stress- and alcohol-cue exposures, as well as reductions in overall craving, depression and anxiety for alcohol in subjects diagnosed with alcohol use disorder .  Moreover, in the subjects that had higher depressive symptomatology, MN-166 reduced the stimulant and mood-altering effects of alcohol compared to placebo.

Exercise Often Declines After Cancer Diagnosis

… to help cancer patients maintain their physical activity are rare. “There need to be more exercise programs within health centers and in gyms to provide cancer patients with guidance to help them remain physically active,” Mao said. “Physical …

Exercise Often Declines After Cancer Diagnosis

… to help cancer patients maintain their physical activity are rare. “There need to be more exercise programs within health centers and in gyms to provide cancer patients with guidance to help them remain physically active,” Mao said. “Physical …

Language may impact diabetes care for Latinos with limited English

Latino patients with limited English skills may be less likely to take prescribed diabetes medications than other diabetics in the US even when they see Spanish-speaking doctors, a recent study suggests. When researchers studied 31,000 patients with diabetes who received insurance and healthcare through Kaiser Permanente in Northern California, they found that about 60 percent of Spanish-speaking Latino patients skipped filling prescriptions at least 20 percent of the time in the two years after they were told they needed the drugs to help control the disease.

Facing skeptical lawmakers, state officials strike at critical KanCare report

The agency that oversees KanCare on Monday called a scathing federal report against the Medicaid program incomplete and criticized the quality of its analysis under intense questioning by lawmakers. Susan Mosier, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, defended the program and its employees in a tense appearance before the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee.

What if Trump-care works in California? What if it doesna t? Thomas Elias

One problem in having a president who operates without much regard for facts, truth or consistency – one whose staff has devised the concept of “alternative facts” – is that when he says or promises something, no one can know whether he means it. So it was with President Trump’s mid-January promise of “health insurance for everybody,” including better coverage, more choice among policies, lower deductibles and no one left behind – far different from anything his Republican allies in Congress ever promised in their many efforts to “repeal and replace” Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act .

Federal judge swats Aetna-Humana insurer combo

A federal judge has rejected health insurer Aetna’s plan to buy rival Humana Inc. for about $34 billion and become a major player in the market for Medicare Advantage coverage. U.S. District Judge John Bates says in an opinion filed Monday that he largely agrees with federal regulators who contended that such a combination would hurt competition.

The giant Aetna-Humana merger has been blocked

The deal, in which Aetna proposed to buy Humana for $37 billion , has been ruled anticompetitive by US District Judge John Bates. “In this case, the government alleged that the merger of Aetna and Humana would be likely to substantially lessen competition in markets for individual Medicare Advantage plans and health insurance sold on the public exchanges,” Bates’ decision said.

AbbVie: Leveraging Partnerships Play

At the same time AbbVie is able to dictate to smaller-cap biotech stocks and one such partner is Galapagos. Aside from being able to create fruitful relationships with other companies, AbbVie is also very well capable of creating their own breakthrough products.

Dr. Safana Salim Al Saidi, a chemical pathologist. – ” ONA

Muscat: A chemical pathologist in the Ministry of Health has succeeded in validating a new marker which helps in early prostate cancer diagnosis. Dr. Safana Salim Al Saidi, a chemical pathologist worked along with her team from the MoH, the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital and the Research Council , under the supervision of Dr. Waad Allah Mula, Professor at the Royal Hospital for Clinical Biochemistry.

US Supreme Court won’t hear ‘Sister Wives’ bigamy law appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it won’t hear an appeal from the family on TV’s “Sister Wives” challenging Utah’s law banning polygamy. The decision ends the family’s long legal fight to overturn a seldom used and unique provision of Utah’s law that the Browns and other polygamous families contend has a chilling effect by sending law-abiding plural families into hiding because of fear of prosecution.

D.C. Judge, Citing ‘Serious Concerns,’ Blocks Aetna’s $37B Merger With Humana

Aetna Inc.’s proposed $37 billion acquisition of Humana Inc., punctuating an era of antitrust enforcement under the Obama administration that broke up merger deals in a host of industries. Aetna’s deal and also moved to block Anthem Inc.’s proposed $54 billion acquisition of Cigna Corp. Antitrust enforcers alleged the two mergers would amount to an “unprecedented consolidation in the health insurance industry.”

Key signs of good night’s sleep

… help to make sleep science and technology more accessible to the general public that is eager to learn more about its health in bold new ways.’ A third of people in the UK suffer from poor sleep, with the blame put by experts on stress, home …

Autism patients benefit from fecal transplants

Mom who pushed her husband out of a 25th floor window protests her innocence from beyond the grave in chilling new documentary BREAKING NEWS: Three-and-a-half-hour lock down of Arizona Air Force base after reports of ‘gunshots’ is finally lifted What IS a good night’s sleep? From nodding off in 30 minutes to waking up just once, experts reveal first ever guidance on quality shut-eye At home with a ‘hermit’: Cricket-loving Bollywood enthusiast has been collecting data on snow from his home in a near-abandoned town for 40 years ‘just to pass the time’ – and yes, he does get a bit lonely sometimes ‘You don’t get to pick and choose when feminism benefits you!’ Twitter users slam Taylor Swift for missing Women’s March as she is accused of ‘exploiting’ her feminist persona to sell albums Meghan Markle shares a series of uplifting lifestyle mantras as she hints at ‘uncertain times’ EXCLUSIVE: … (more)