Cyberspace is buzzing today with news of Medpedia, a global collaboration wikipedia-type project that will offer a massive amount of up to date medical and health information for free to anyone with an internet connection. Medpedia is described as the "world's largest collaborative online encyclopedia of medicine".

Culturally tailored health education appears to help improve some clinical outcomes in the short-term for minorities with type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Reuters Health reports. The study noted that language and cultural barriers can serve as obstacles to quality diabetes health education for minorities.

Proponents of the Massachusetts health insurance law "underestimated costs and overestimated revenue," which has "obliged the state to spend more to subsidize insurance" to keep the "law's promises," Alan Sager and Deborah Socolar, directors of the Health Reform Program at the Boston University School of Public Health, write in a Boston Globe opinion piece.

WellCare officials on Monday announced that the health insurer has revised financial statements from 2004 through mid-2007 to include refunds owed to the Florida and Illinois Medicaid programs, the St. Petersburg Times reports (Hundley, St. Petersburg Times, 7/21).

Chief Medical Officer for England (CMO) Sir Liam Donaldson has laid out plans which will require that doctors renew their professional registration every five years. Sir Liam said they are aimed at improving patient safety and supporting professionals in sustaining their high standards. The proposals are outlined in the report Medical revalidation - Principles and next steps (PDF).

Adults with Type 1 Diabetes who live in Ontario will get their insulin pumps free, says the Ontario Government. This is part of $741 million in new funding on a comprehensive diabetes four-year strategy to 'prevent, manage and treat diabetes'.

The Cambridge, Mass., Public Health Department, in conjunction with several local community groups and organizations, recently released two reports that highlight health disparities among genders, races and ethnicities, the Boston Globe reports.

The "formulation" that disease prevention programs can reduce health care costs in the long term "is a pleasant fantasy," syndicated columnist Froma Harrop writes in the Providence Journal . According to Harrop, "in the interests of honest accounting," economists maintain that "prevention does not reduce overall health care spending," as longer lives "cost money.

The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee on Tuesday plans to hold a hearing that "might turn up the heat on congressional leaders to include Medicaid relief for states in a second economic stimulus package," CongressDaily reports.

The Tulsa World on Sunday examined a short documentary film about incarcerated women in Oklahoma and a peer education program that teaches them about HIV prevention and other social issues. The Tulsa Community AIDS Partnership recently hosted an event featuring the film and a panel discussion about HIV among the state's female prison population.

While mainstream news coverage is still a primary source of information for the latest in policy debates and the health care marketplace, online blogs have become a significant part of the media landscape, often presenting new perspectives on policy issues and drawing attention to under-reported topics.

A CMS proposal under consideration would limit a practice used by pharmacy benefit managers known as "lock-in pricing" that can increase costs for beneficiaries enrolled in the Medicare drug benefit and bring them into the so-called "doughnut hole" coverage gap more quickly, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Merck KGaA announced today that it has been granted approval by the European Commission for Erbitux® (cetuximab), to update its license for the treatment of patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-expressing, KRAS wild-type mCRC (metastatic colorectal cancer) in combination with che

Singapore's Ministry of Health recently called on more private general practitioners in the country to provide anonymous rapid HIV tests, which currently are available only at two clinics, the Straits Times reports.

The Tennessean in a two-part series examined how physicians in the state are limiting the number of new Medicare beneficiaries they will treat and how some are charging concierge fees to accept new beneficiaries.

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt on Monday discussed the details of an electronic prescribing incentive program scheduled to begin on Jan. 1, 2009, that will increase Medicare payments to physicians who adopt the technology, the AP/Chicago Tribune reports. The e-prescribing initiative was included in a new Medicare law that delays a 10.6% reduction to Medicare physician payments.

Programs that provide access to no-cost antiretroviral drugs have had a significant impact on people living with HIV/AIDS, but they also should take into account the effects of poverty and hunger, according to a report recently released by the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, PlusNews reports.

The Foraker Group, an organization that supports not-for-profit organizations in Alaska, on Thursday announced that it will offer health insurance to employees of private, not-for-profit organizations in the state, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The coverage will be offered through Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska and will be funded with $2 million from the Rasmuson Foundation.

The Bush administration's "relationship" with reproductive health and sex education has been "consistently abysmal" both domestically and globally, and is one of many reasons why the "Bushies can't leave office fast enough," Sarah Wildman, a senior correspondent for the American Prospect, writes in a Guardian opinion piece.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson will tonight call for a national movement to tackle the growing problem of obesity.

Human Rights Watch on Monday said that Iranian authorities have not disclosed why two physicians known for their work on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment were detained last month or where they are being held, BBC News reports.

The "Cover Florida" plan, which offers "bare-bones" health insurance to low-income residents, likely will not reduce the number of uninsured, according to a report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Sunday examined the "life-and-death" decisions pregnant women with cancer must make and the treatment options available to them. According to the Post-Dispatch, as many as one in every 1,000 pregnant women in the U.S. is diagnosed with cancer.

Faced with a "steady increase" in injection drug use that is cited as the leading cause of the spread of HIV/AIDS in Russia, a meeting of physicians and specialists was held in the country in February to discuss the use of methadone in treating injection drug users, which number between three million and six million in Russia, the New York Times reports.

HealthMarkets, a health insurer that primarily sells coverage to the self-employed, on Monday agreed to pay $20 million to settle violations found by regulators in 36 states, USA Today reports. In January, state regulators, led by investigators in Alaska and Washington state, released the details of an investigation into the company's practices from 2000 to 2005.

Although in vitro fertilization developments over the 30 years since the first infant was born using the fertility treatment have been "miraculous," it has become "easy to forget the disturbing questions about IVF -- its practices, ethics and impact on public health -- that do remain and are left lar

Presumptive presidential nominees Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) have agreed to attend a forum at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., on Aug. 16, the New York Times reports. According to the Times, the candidates will appear together for the first time since presidential campaign efforts began. The Rev.

The Washington Post on Tuesday examined how many hospitals and health care professionals "have begun to think greener" in an effort to reduce medical waste and "make their daily operations more environmentally friendly." According to environmental advocates, the U.S.

More than 500 members of the group NoToPope Coalition on Saturday protested the Roman Catholic church's ban on condom use and contraception during Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Sydney, Australia, for Catholic World Youth Day, the AP/International Herald Tribune reports (AP/International Herald Tribune, 7/19).

Volunteering for environmental protection activities can be physically and mentally sustaining for older people, according to the latest issue of Public Policy & Aging Report (PPAR). In fact, this demographic group is in a unique position to have a noticeable impact on its surroundings.

1. Modeling Electrophysiological Diversity Variations in morphology and ion-channel expression largely determine the electrophysiological properties of neurons. To investigate whether such variations are sufficient to explain the electrophysiological variability of globus pallidus neurons recorded in brain slices, Gunay et al.

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have developed a technique that has the potential to deliver cancer-fighting drugs to diseased areas within hours, as opposed to the two days it currently takes for existing delivery systems. Using laboratory mice, drug delivery time from injection to the cancer cells was reduced from two days to mere hours.

As the world watches China prepare for the Olympic Games, Cornell researcher Max Zhang has his eye on less visible matters -- the particles in Beijing's air that millions breathe every day, and that many more will be breathing when they descend on the city this summer.

Bringing a community nursing and physiotherapy team into residential care homes for older people improves quality of life and reduces hospital admissions, according to a new evaluation study's reports published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Visualisation specialists See3D, a spin off company of the University of Aberystwyth, is developing unique, sophisticated computer-generated models that will help doctors to improve the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. More than 35,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year in the UK alone and approximately 10,000 deaths per year are associated with this form of cancer.

There's no better way to beat the heat than a swim. Whether it's a dip in the pool or a day at the beach, swimming can be a great form of relaxation and exercise. Since water creates buoyancy, it's also an excellent activity for those with musculoskeletal conditions.

Mark Mulac was once an "avid lover" of iced tea, downing up to six glasses a day of the popular summertime thirst-quencher. "I was a junkie on a bender. I had to have it every day," said Mulac, a resident of Brookfield, Ill. "Iced tea was very refreshing, cheap to buy and easy to make." Unfortunately, Mulac was forced to go cold turkey.

Proven combinations of medicines and the introduction of new anti-arthritis drugs have significantly improved the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to guidelines issued by the American College of Rheumatology and co-authored by physicians at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Lead author Kenneth Saag, M.D., M.Sc.

A new multigenerational reproductive toxicity study of dietary Bisphenol A (BPA) in mice conducted by researchers at RTI International found no adverse effects of BPA on parents or offspring at dietary concentrations and doses comparable to those estimated for human exposure levels.

If influenza pandemic hits the United States, acute care hospitals are likely to be overwhelmed. Nursing homes may then be expected to assist with the patient overflow, but a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that many are not prepared for such a task. Of the more than 400 nursing homes in the study, just 23 percent had a specific pandemic influenza plan.

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and three collaborating institutions are using a new laboratory model of the membrane surrounding neurons in the brain to study how a protein long suspected of a role in early-stage Alzheimer's disease actually impairs a neuron's structure and function.

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a technique to measure the formation of clumps of proteins in protein-based pharmaceuticals.

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI) (Nasdaq and MTA: CTIC) announced that the Company has scheduled a meeting with the U.S.

Ekkyo (formerly known as Heatwave Technology) a photomedicine company, which develops first-in-class laser-based systems for skin scar prevention and reduction, announced the publication of a scientific article in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine reporting the results of a pilot study on cutaneous scar prevention by LASH.

NicOx S.A. (Euronext Paris: COX) announced it has successfully completed the enrollment of 417 osteoarthritis (OA) patients with controlled hypertension in two clinical pharmacology studies in the United States, in line with previously announced timelines.

HPC has launched its 'call for ideas' seeking the views of stakeholders on the potential statutory regulation of psychotherapists and counsellors. In February 2007, the government published a White Paper on the future of regulation, 'Trust, Assurance and Safety - The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st Century'.

Interleukin Genetics, Inc. (Amex: ILI), announced the launch of an enhanced test report format and information package for the company's Heart Health Genetic Test. The test is currently marketed under the brand name Gensona(R) Heart Health Genetic Test by Quixtar/Amway.

CeNeRx BioPharma, Inc., a clinical stage company developing and commercializing innovative treatments for diseases of the central nervous system, announced plans to advance its lead candidate Tyrima(TM) into Phase II trials for the treatment of depression and anxiety.

Results from the "Adjust to Target in Type 2 Diabetes: Comparison of a Simple Algorithm to Carbohydrate Counting for Adjustment of Mealtime Insulin Glulisine" study, were published in the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) medical journal, Diabetes Care.

Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc. announced that it has completed patient enrollment in its Phase 1/2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability and ammonia scavenging effects of HPN-100 (formally called GT4P) versus BUPHENYL(R) (sodium phenylbutyrate) in patients with urea cycle disorders (UCD). The company plans to announce top-line results in the fourth quarter of this year.

Although a growing body of research supports a link between effective communication and patient, family and physician satisfaction, doctors, including oncologists and other specialists who frequently care for terminal patients, do not routinely receive training in end-of-life conversations during medical school, residency training, or after they start to practice medicine.

The Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) has produced Bat Care Guidelines, in association with the BVA AWF, RSPCA and RCVS Trust, aimed at veterinary professionals, wildlife hospitals and new rehabilitators. The document is split into basic sections including 'health and safety', 'rescue and collection' and 'ailments and treatments' which aim to provide minimum guidelines for bat care.

Recent studies suggested that individuals may use the reproductive performance of conspecifics as a source of public information on breeding patch quality, but experimental evidence is still limited for species breeding in colonies, such as seabirds.

The hormonal environment experienced during prenatal development may affect adult phenotype and behavior. Digit lengths may provide an estimate of steroid levels encountered during embryonic development in humans and other vertebrates. Finger patterns in humans, specifically 2D:4D finger ratios, have been shown to reveal sexual orientation or cooperative behavior.

Dawn Page, 52, a conference organizer and mother of two, from Faringdon, near Swindon in Oxfordshire, UK, received 810,000 pounds in an out of court settlement following allegations that the detox diet she followed on the advice of a nutritional therapist caused her brain damage.

Researchers in Germany found that a simple and minimally invasive outpatient treatment for varicoceles, a common cause of male infertility that affects about 1 in 10 men, can significantly improve sperm function and pregnancy rates. The study came from the University of Bonn Medical School and is published in the August issue of Radiology.

Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: HALO), a biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing products targeting the extracellular matrix, announced the presentation of positive pre-clinical animal efficacy data for its pegylated-rHuPH20 enzyme (PEGPH20) at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Translational Cancer Medicine meeting in Monterey, CA.

Rosetta Genomics, Ltd. (NASDQ: ROSG) announces that the first molecular test based on Rosetta Genomics' proprietary microRNA technology, developed and validated by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), has been approved for clinical use by the New York State Department of Health Clinical Laboratory Evaluation Program.

Amarin Corporation plc (NASDAQ: AMRN) announced that the Company recently met with officials at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to discuss the Company's plans to develop AMR101 for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia. Following these discussions, the Company is proceeding to Phase 3 with AMR101 in hypertriglyceridemia. Dr.

The Goat Veterinary Society (GVS) has produced a DVD designed to help veterinary surgeons to disbud goats. Produced in association with the BVA Animal Welfare Foundation the DVD is in memory of the late Mike Teale MRCVS, following a donation from his family. The DVD discusses the potential problems associated with disbudding kid goats and provides guidance on how to avoid them.