A blood cell known as a troublemaker for triggering the itch and inflammation in allergy attacks, the mast cell, can also calm down the flare-ups, researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine have found.The findings, published in the online version of Nature Immunology, reveal that, in mice, mast cells help decrease skin damage over time from sun exposure or from poison oak. [click link for full article]

The Physician Quality Reporting Initiative, under which Medicare will begin to pay physicians a 1.5% bonus incentive for reporting quality measures, “represents a significant step toward public reporting and pay for performance,” infectious disease physician Manoj Jain, a medical director for Medicare’s quality improvement organizations in Tennessee and Georgia, writes in a [click link for full article]

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) on Thursday said he would act without legislative approval to expand Illinois’ All Kids program to provide coverage for seriously ill beneficiaries up to age 21, the Chicago Tribune reports. Currently, beneficiaries are eligible for the program up to age 19. [click link for full article]

Back to school means back to sports. If your child is having breathing problems while on the field or court, don’t assume they’re okay because they don’t have asthma. A new study finds something else may be to blame. Charlie Billingsley has been playing lacrosse for ten years. Now a senior on his college team, his pre-game warm-up includes taking a deep breath. Charlie has exercise induced bronchospasm, or EIB. It’s a breathing problem that happens when he plays sports. [click link for full article]

Several newspapers recently featured editorials, opinion pieces and a letter to the editor addressing SCHIP reauthorization and new enrollment guidelines. Summaries appear below. Editorials Akron Beacon Journal: [click link for full article]

Two worldwide studies published in this week’s edition of The Lancet observe the alarming growth rate of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The only U.S. site in the International Burden of Lung Disease (BOLD) Study was located in Eastern Kentucky, and was found to have some of the highest rates of COPD in the world. In fact, it had the second highest rate among women and fourth highest among men. [click link for full article]

Eating together as a family during adolescence is associated with lasting positive effects on dietary quality in young adulthood, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota.More than 1,500 students were surveyed once during high school and again when they were 20 years old to determine the long-term effects of family meals on diet quality, social eating, meal structure and meal frequency. [click link for full article]

A common molecular pathway could help physicians predict which lung cancer patients will benefit from chemotherapy drugs, according to new research from a multidisciplinary team at the University of Cincinnati (UC).Known as the retinoblastoma (RB) tumor suppressor, this fundamental molecule regulates cell proliferation in the body. Research has shown that the RB pathway is either entirely inactive or altered in most human cancers. [click link for full article]

Bacteria that thrive in oxygen starved environments have been used successfully to target cancer tumours, delivering gene therapy based anti-cancer treatments, according to scientists speaking today Thursday 6 September 2007 at the Society for General Microbiology’s 161st Meeting at the University of Edinburgh, UK, which runs from 3-6 September 2007. [click link for full article]

Combining radiation therapy with a drug that helps destroy blood vessels nourishing malignant tumors has been shown in mice to be significantly more effective in treating lung cancer than either approach alone, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.The study, involving human lung-cancer cells implanted in mice, appears in Clinical Cancer Research.In the study, Dr. [click link for full article]