The New York Times on Tuesday examined how limits placed on profits that physicians can make on cancer drugs have left some oncologists “searching for new income,” such as by “performing additional treatments that” have “the best reimbursements, whether or not the treatments” benefit the patients. [click link for full article]

Skin cancer levels have shown a significant increase in Northern Ireland since the early 1990s and are more likely to affect men, older people and those living in more affluent areas, according to a study just published in the June issue of British Journal of Dermatology. [click link for full article]

The same genetic defect that causes a rare respiratory disease may also lead to some types of congenital heart disease, according to a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.The link between the two diseases starts with cilia, the tiny, hair-like extensions that help the lungs clear of mucus and remove contaminants such as dust. [click link for full article]

Ugandan Minister of State and Gender Rukia Nakadama on Friday at the opening of a forum on gender and preventive technologies in the country’s capital, Kampala, called on leaders to strengthen efforts and increase resources to prevent the spread of HIV among women, the Monitor/AllAfrica.com reports. [click link for full article]

Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center researchers have uncovered a new mechanism of action of the anti-cancer drug sorafenib, which could stimulate the development of novel regimens in which it is combined with other molecularly targeted agents for patients with blood cancers and solid tumors.In the new study, led by Steven Grant, M.D. [click link for full article]

Anemia and other conditions related to chronic kidney disease are independently associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease; conversely, heart disease is associated with a decline in kidney function and the development of kidney disease, according to two reports in Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. [click link for full article]

Heart attack patients received lifesaving care up to an hour sooner after an Indiana hospital implemented a novel protocol to rapidly activate the cardiac catheterization lab, researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.Compared to the traditional protocol, patients arrived at the cardiac catheterization lab (”cath lab”) sooner for artery-opening procedures, had less heart damage and shorter hospital stays. [click link for full article]

Men and women with diabetes at age 50 and older appear not to live as long overall, or have as many years without cardiovascular disease, than individuals without diabetes, according to a report in the June 11 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.”Globalization of the Western lifestyle led to diabetes mellitus being a major and progressive health care problem worldwide,” the authors write as background information in the article. [click link for full article]

NPR’s “Weekend Edition Sunday” reported on a midwife training program in Afghanistan that aims to reduce the number of women who give birth without medical assistance and lower the country’s infant mortality rate. Nearly nine of every 10 women in Afghanistan give birth without medical help, according to “Weekend Edition Sunday. [click link for full article]

Patients whose mean arterial blood pressure drops during bypass surgery may be at risk for early difficulties in thinking, learning and memory, according to an article posted online that will appear in the August 2007 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. [click link for full article]