It is “hard to see how anyone can, in good conscience, think that preserving subsidies to insurance companies is more important than providing health care for children,” but that is “exactly the position taken by the Bush administration,” New York Times columnist Paul Krugman writes in an opinion piece. According to Krugman, Democrats have [click link for full article]

A panel of experts convened by the RAND Corporation has recommended actions that communities around the United States should take to be better prepared to deal with bioterrorist attacks, pandemic flu outbreak and other large-scale public health emergencies.The recommendations announced today by RAND, a nonprofit research organization, consist of 16 actions listed under three broad categories. [click link for full article]

The following highlights recently released journal articles on women’s health issues. Breast Cancer “Meat Consumption and Risk of Breast Cancer in the UK Women’s Cohort Study,” British Journal of Cancer: Janet Cade, a professor at the University of Leeds’ [click link for full article]

For several types of cancer, persistently high levels of the soluble factor TGF-beta in the blood after surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy correlate with increased risk of early metastasis and a poor prognosis. Using a mouse model of breast cancer, researchers from Vanderbilt University have now generated evidence to suggest that treatment with TGF-beta inhibitors might help such patients. [click link for full article]

Now that it’s getting warmer, you’re bound to hear the warnings - spending too much time in the sun without protection can increase your risk of skin cancer. But those may not be the only factors you should worry about. Scientists say your risk of getting skin cancer may also have something to do with your sex. For more than 20 years, Gary Rasor has spent most of his time working outside - paying little attention to what the sun might be doing to his skin. [click link for full article]

In advanced cancer, anti-tumor therapies often work only partially or not at all, and tumors progress following treatment.Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center scientists have now linked a treatment-induced growth factor to the cancer’s future spread.The team led by Carlos Arteaga, M.D. [click link for full article]

In the midst of a cholera epidemic and after several weeks of intense violence in the Somali capital Mogadishu, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is concerned about the effects of the fighting on the health of the Somali people. Since cholera was confirmed in Mogadishu on the 19th of March, the worsening violence is making it increasingly difficult for patients to access MSF’s cholera treatment centre (CTC). It is also preventing MSF from reaching other areas of the city. [click link for full article]

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) offers a number of grants for cancer researchers at various stages in their careers to foster the development of the most promising scientists. The AACR has newly selected 18 investigators to receive these career development awards and research fellowships, which total commitments of $1,275,000. [click link for full article]