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| Paralyzed patients regain movement after spinal implant: study Monday, Apr 07, 2014 09:01 PM PDT  The success, albeit in a small number of patients, offers hope that a fundamentally new treatment can help many of the 6 million paralyzed Americans, including the 1.3 million with spinal cord injuries. The results also cast doubt on a key assumption about spinal cord injury: that treatment requires damaged neurons to regrow or be replaced with, for instance, stem cells. "The big message here is that people with spinal cord injury of the type these men had no longer need to think they have a lifelong sentence of paralysis," Dr Roderic Pettigrew, director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, part of the National Institutes of Health, said in an interview. "They can achieve some level of voluntary function," which he called "a milestone" in spinal cord injury research. Full Story | Top |
| BlackBerry defeats NXP in U.S. trial over patents Monday, Apr 07, 2014 05:42 PM PDT  A federal jury in Florida on Monday ruled in favor of Blackberry Ltd in a lawsuit accusing the company of infringing three patents belonging to Dutch semiconductor company NXP BV. NXP in April 2012 sued BlackBerry, then known as Research in Motion, alleging that versions of the BlackBerry phone and PlayBook tablet infringed patents related to the design, data transmission and other features of those devices. The lawsuit originally covered six patents, but NXP later dropped its claims related to three of the patents. Jurors needed less than a day of deliberations before ruling in BlackBerry's favor, in a trial that began on March 24, court records show. Full Story | Top |
| Rescued sailboat family set to return to San Diego on Wednesday Monday, Apr 07, 2014 04:34 PM PDT  By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A family of four rescued from their sailboat after the youngest of two children became seriously ill are due to return to California on Wednesday aboard a U.S. warship that picked them up over the weekend, Navy and Coast Guard officials said. Military officials declined on Monday to give any details on the medical condition of 1-year-old Lyra Kaufman except to say that she, her 3-year-old sister, Cora, and their parents, Eric and Charlotte Kaufman, were all safe as they headed back to port in San Diego. "I know she's stable enough to stay on board the ship to continue to San Diego," Coast Guard spokeswoman Lieutenant Anna Dixon said. Full Story | Top |
| Obamacare 'accomplishing goal': Gallup poll Monday, Apr 07, 2014 04:09 PM PDT  By Curtis Skinner NEW YORK (Reuters) - The percentage of Americans without health insurance dipped to its lowest in nearly six years due in part to U.S. President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law, commonly known as Obamacare, according to a Gallup poll released on Monday. Some 15.6 percent of Americans lacked health insurance in the first three months of 2014, down from a high of 18 percent in late 2013, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index survey. "'Obamacare' appears to be accomplishing its goal of increasing the percentage of Americans with health insurance coverage," the report said. Black and low-income Americans saw some of the most pronounced drops in the uninsured rate, with declines of more than 3 percentage points. Full Story | Top |
| Ex-Atlanta school superintendent's trial delayed for health reasons Monday, Apr 07, 2014 03:50 PM PDT By David Beasley ATLANTA (Reuters) - After a courtroom outburst from a civil rights leader, a judge on Monday delayed the trial of a terminally ill former Atlanta school superintendent accused of conspiring to alter students' standardized test scores. Beverly Hall, who resigned her job as head of Atlanta school system in 2011, was supposed to stand trial on felony charges next month. But her attorneys requested a delay, arguing that chemotherapy treatment for Hall's advanced breast cancer would make it difficult for her to endure a lengthy trial. Her case has attracted attention from civil rights leaders who feel her prosecution is a waste of taxpayers' money given the state of her health. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. government rolls back proposed Medicare Advantage cut Monday, Apr 07, 2014 03:33 PM PDT The Obama administration on Monday rolled back some of the more controversial cuts proposed for privately managed Medicare health plans used by the elderly following pressure from insurance companies and lawmakers. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said that on average, reimbursement for such Medicare Advantage plans in 2015 would rise 0.4 percent, reversing what is said was a 1.9 percent average reduction proposed in February. The proposed cuts had also figured into Republicans' criticism of President Barack Obama's healthcare law. "They were asking for flat (reimbursement) but no one ever thought they would get close to it," said Ipsita Smolinski, managing director of Capitol Street, a healthcare consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. Shares in health insurers with large Medicare Advantage businesses, like Humana and UnitedHealth Group Inc, were trading slightly higher after the announcement. Full Story | Top |
| Accused Colorado movie theater gunman seeks change of venue Monday, Apr 07, 2014 03:14 PM PDT  By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - Lawyers for the man charged with mass murder in a 2012 shooting frenzy that left 12 people dead at a Colorado movie theater have asked that his upcoming trial be moved out of the suburban Denver county where the case has been prosecuted. Defense attorneys argued in their motion for a change of venue that James Holmes' right to a fair trial in Arapahoe County has been compromised by "pervasive media coverage" of the case locally and "the undeniable impact of the tragedy on the community itself." Holmes, 26, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to murder and attempted murder charges stemming from the July 2012 massacre at an Aurora, Colorado, cinema during a midnight screening of the Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises." Twelve moviegoers were killed and 70 others hurt in one of the deadliest outbursts of U.S. gun violence in decades. Holmes' public defenders argued that the glare of publicity, including voluminous commentary and reporting on evidence ruled inadmissible at trial, would make it impossible to seat an impartial jury in Arapahoe County. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. childhood obesity rates have increased since 1999: study Monday, Apr 07, 2014 03:06 PM PDT By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - U.S. childhood obesity rates have increased over the past 14 years, according to a study published on Monday, casting doubt on a recent analysis by government health researchers that found a sharp drop in preschool obesity rates over the past decade. The good news, announced in February by researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), received widespread media coverage and prompted first lady Michelle Obama to say she was "thrilled at the progress we've made over the last few years in obesity rates among our youngest Americans. The new study, published online in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics, used the same data source as the CDC, but analyzed obesity rates over a different timeframe. It found increases in obesity for children age 2 to 19, and a marked rise in the percentage who were severely obese. Full Story | Top |
| Fort Hood base shooting rampage lasted eight minutes: investigators Monday, Apr 07, 2014 03:05 PM PDT  By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The shooting rampage at Fort Hood U.S. Army base last week started with an argument over leave and lasted eight minutes, with the suspected shooter getting in and out of his car as he fired on soldiers he worked with and others who happened onto his path, investigators said on Monday. Specialist Ivan Lopez, 34, drove his car slowly through the central Texas base as he carried out the rampage. He got out at two facilities, including the place he was assigned, fatally shooting three people and wounding 16 more before turning the gun on himself, Christopher Grey, spokesman for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, told a news conference. The shooting in which three people were killed and 16 wounded was the second deadly rampage at the base, one of the largest U.S. Army posts in the country, in five years. Full Story | Top |
| New app sheds virtual weight so faces look slimmer on 'selfies' Monday, Apr 07, 2014 02:44 PM PDT  "Cameras add additional weight to photos and when you're taking a selfie you're also dealing with bad lighting, angles, close-ups and a lot of other factors that make people complain that the photo isn't an accurate representation of themselves," said Susan Green, co-founder of the Phoenix-based company Pretty Smart Women that created the app. It was originally designed to help overweight adults show a leaner version of themselves, but Robin J Phillips, the other co-founder, said the app has also motivated people to lose weight. But some critics fear the $1.99 app, which only works on single head shots, could encourage an unhealthy body image. Lauren Dickson, a social worker in the eating disorders and addiction clinic at the Center of Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, said the app is one of many factors that could contribute towards a young adult developing an eating disorder. Full Story | Top |
| Zogenix files lawsuit against Massachusetts over painkiller ban Monday, Apr 07, 2014 02:22 PM PDT (Reuters) - Zogenix Inc said it sought a restraining order against an order by Massachusetts officials blocking sales of its FDA-approved painkiller, Zohydro. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced the Zohydro ban in late March, formally declaring a public health emergency stemming from the abuse of opioids in the state. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, follows an unanswered formal request to the Governor for a meeting to discuss the drug, the company said on Monday. Full Story | Top |
| Honeymoon murder suspect flown back to South Africa Monday, Apr 07, 2014 02:21 PM PDT  The businessman accused of arranging for his new bride to be murdered during their honeymoon in Cape Town was flown back to South Africa on Monday night after more than three years of trying to avoid extradition on mental health grounds. Shrien Dewani, 34, left Britain at around 0800 p.m. BST after having been met at Bristol airport by representatives of the South African authorities who accompanied him on the flight, London's Metropolitan police said in a statement. Dewani was expected to make a brief court appearance on arrival on Tuesday morning before being transferred to hospital for more psychiatric tests, British media reports said. Dewani is accused of conspiring to kill his wife, Anni, 28, a Swedish national, who was shot in November 2010 when the taxi the couple were travelling in was hijacked in the Gugulethu township on the outskirts of Cape Town. Full Story | Top |
| Wall Street ends lower; S&P 500 in biggest three-day drop since January Monday, Apr 07, 2014 01:32 PM PDT  By Angela Moon NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Monday with the S&P 500 posting its biggest three-day drop in two months, as investors bid down Internet stocks and rotated into defensive names to protect against further declines. Internet stocks were among the day's biggest decliners with Amazon.com down 1.6 percent at $317.76 and Yahoo! Inc off 3.5 percent at $33.07. The Global X Social Media ETF which includes Groupon Inc and LinkedIn fell 2.5 percent. The Nasdaq index posted its worst three-day decline since November 2011. ... Full Story | Top |
| Doctor appointment availability varies by insurance type Monday, Apr 07, 2014 01:22 PM PDT By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People's chances of getting a new primary care doctor vary depending on their insurance, according to a new study. Researchers calling doctors' offices and claiming to be a patient with private insurance had about an 85 percent success rate for getting appointments. Their success rate was about 58 percent when they claimed to have Medicaid, the government insurance for the poor. The high success rates for getting an appointment may bode well for the millions of Americans who recently gained insurance through the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly referred to as Obamacare. Full Story | Top |
| Appeals court overturns stay of execution in Texas Monday, Apr 07, 2014 01:07 PM PDT  By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Texas will carry out the execution of convicted murderer Ramiro Hernandez this week after a U.S. appeals court on Monday ruled that the state does not have to reveal where it gets its lethal injection drug. Texas is set to execute Hernandez, a 44-year-old Mexican native, on Wednesday for breaking into the home of a couple in 1997, beating a man to death and raping his wife. A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit Court said the drug used by Texas was effective and there was no compelling evidence that protections provided by the U.S. Constitution would be violated under current procedures. The 5th Circuit made a similar decision last week when it reversed a stay for another inmate, Tommy Lynn Sells, who was executed last Thursday. Full Story | Top |
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