A protein long thought to be one of the body’s supporting players has quietly been taking a lead role in healthy eyesight, a discovery that could rapidly lead to treatments for babies born before their eyes are finished growing, University of Florida and Harvard Medical School researchers have found. [click link for full article]

Seven of the largest health insurers offering private fee-for-service Medicare Advantage plans have entered into a voluntary agreement to suspend marketing of the plans amid allegations of illegal and aggressive sales practices, CMS officials announced on Friday, the AP/Wall Street Journal reports (AP/Wall Street Journal, 6/18). [click link for full article]

The Kenya Human Rights Commission and the Reproductive Health and Rights Alliance on June 26 in Nairobi, Kenya, plan to hold a mock tribunal in an effort to “dispel the myths” about illegal abortions and develop an abortion policy for the country, the East African Standard reports. [click link for full article]

Two studies have demonstrated that ROZEREM did not affect body sway at peak plasma levels, nor did it impair middle-of-the-night balance, mobility or memory performance in patients who suffer from chronic insomnia. The results of the studies were presented at the 21st Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS). [click link for full article]

Alertness Solutions presented results of a new survey at the annual SLEEP meeting showing the significant impact our 24/7 culture is having on healthcare professionals’ job performance and patient safety. The survey of 2,082 nurses found that more than one quarter of nurses (27.23%) suffered from insomnia; 32.10% had difficulty staying asleep, 12.52% had trouble falling asleep, and 55.38% suffered from a combination of both symptoms. [click link for full article]

“Now that the Group of Eight industrialized nations has pledged to commit $60 billion to combat AIDS and other diseases around the world in coming years,” Congress and “other national legislatures ought to look hard for additional funds to close a looming gap between the funds committed and the needs of desperate patients,” a [click link for full article]

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) researchers led by Daniel Nolan and Assistant Professor Vivek Mittal have found that bone marrow (BM) derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play a critical role in the early stages of tumor progression and that eliminating EPCs stops cancer growth. [click link for full article]

Poverty, inadequate health care services, lack of knowledge about maternal health and pregnancy-related emergencies are fueling the problem of obstetric fistula in Tanzania, according to a report released last week by the nongovernmental organization EngenderHealth and the Tanzania Women’s Dignity Project, [click link for full article]

State officials “have made it clear that they have a much different vision” for SCHIP, which will expire on Sept. 30, than the Bush administration, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports. [click link for full article]

India’s Ministry of Defence has launched a campaign to encourage the wives of military personnel to protect themselves against HIV/AIDS following the “rapid spread” of the disease through the country’s military, the Financial Times reports. [click link for full article]