MIT researchers have found that the children of mothers whose water supplies were contaminated with arsenic during their pregnancies harbored gene expression changes that may lead to cancer and other diseases later in life. In addition to establishing the potential harmful effects of these prenatal exposures, the new study also provides a possible method for screening populations to detect signs of arsenic contamination. [click link for full article]

The holiday season brings large meals with the friends, cross-country trips to visit family, and pulling out the holiday decorations. Each one of these events has the potential to wreak…

A new study by scientists in the US and the UK shows that the rate of deaths due to heart disease in young American adults has reached a plateau and may even be going up again in young women, after decades of hard won progress in reducing it. Researchers suggest the worrying trend could be due to bad health habits. [click link for full article]

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) on Monday signed into law legislation that will increase taxes by $1.4 billion and expand Medicaid eligibility, the Washington Post reports (Wagner, Washington Post, 11/20). [click link for full article]

An editorial and an opinion piece published recently address issues related to private Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare physician reimbursements. Summaries appear below. [click link for full article]

Aetna President Mark Bertolini as part of a campaign to discuss U.S. health care reform with business leaders and lawmakers spoke this week in Charlotte, N.C., the Charlotte Observer reports. [click link for full article]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved tablet, chewable tablet, and syrup formulations of Zyrtec (cetirizine HCl) for nonprescription use. The nonprescription drug is approved for the temporary relief of symptoms due to hay fever or other respiratory allergies (sneezing; runny nose; itchy, watery eyes; itchy throat or nose) in adults and children 2 years of age and older. [click link for full article]

Startling research findings released by The Lung Association demonstrate that as many as three million Canadians may have COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), Canada’s fourth leading cause of death. This is nearly double previous estimates and includes over one and a half million (1.6 million) undiagnosed Canadians (1) and one and a half million (1. [click link for full article]

Investigators at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have discovered a new signaling molecule that prevents immune responses from running amok and damaging the body. The finding could lead to the development of new treatments for cancer, using vaccines; for autoimmune diseases, such as Type 1 diabetes; and for inflammatory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and asthma.The St. [click link for full article]

The precise tailoring of tumor target treatment for patients with cancer is an unmet challenge. The goal is to only administer treatments that have a high probability of being effective. Modern cancer care is critically dependent on imaging technologies, which are used to detect tumors early, when they are easier to treat, and to guide therapy or surgery.Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and EGFR inhibitors have become key components of therapies for several tumor types. [click link for full article]