Month: November 2012

Ohio inmate loses bid to stay his execution because of weight

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CLEVELAND (Reuters) – A federal judge said on Monday that an Ohio death row inmate weighing more than 450 pounds cannot be given a stay of execution because of his obesity. Ronald Post, 53, is scheduled to be executed January 16 for the 1983 aggravated murder of hotel clerk Helen Vantz in Elyria, Ohio. Since his first appeal in 1997, Post’s attorneys have argued that his weight, of more than 450 pounds, in combination with the state’s death penalty drug protocols creates a certainty of, “substantial risk for serious and psychological pain” and a “torturous and lingering death. …

Ex-SAC manager granted $5 million bail in trading case

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Former SAC Capital employee Martoma exits Manhattan Federal court following an appearance on insider trading charges in New YorkNEW YORK (Reuters) – A former SAC Capital portfolio manager was released on $5 million bail on Monday after making his first appearance in a New York court on charges of making illegal trades that hedge fund titan Steven A. Cohen personally signed off on. Mathew Martoma, 38, of Boca Raton, Florida, was charged last week in what U.S. prosecutors called "the most lucrative" insider-trading scheme ever. Martoma was accused of helping Cohen's firm avoid losses and reap profits totaling $276 million in the summer of 2008 by using insider tips he obtained from a doctor about Elan Corp and Wyeth LLC. …

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Sun, sand and root canal: Medical tourism booms in Costa Rica

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Two dentists work on a U.S. patient at a dental clinic in San JoseSAN JOSE (Reuters) – When Canadian house cleaner Marlene Trithardt needed a tooth replaced, she drove past her local dentist's office in Alberta and flew to the beach paradise of Costa Rica – to save money. Trithardt is one of a growing number of North Americans who turn south for medical care lured by lower prices, contributing close to 0.8 percent of Costa Rica's gross domestic product. "I chose to come here because I find in Alberta the prices are about 80 percent higher than in Costa Rica," says Trithardt, 57, who makes $30,000 a year. Her treatment will cost $4,000. …

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Doctors should consider hepatitis C testing: panel

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A government-backed panel advises doctors to “consider offering screening” for hepatitis C to adults born between 1945 and 1965, in a draft statement released today. The recommendations, from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), are an update to the group’s 2004 statement, which recommended against screening people at average risk of hepatitis C. At the time, it also said there wasn’t enough evidence for or against screening high-risk adults, such as injection drug users. “There were a lot of uncertainties in 2004,” said Dr. …

Boston mayor transferred from hospital after one-month mark

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Boston Mayor Thomas Menino addresses delegates during the second session of the Democratic National Convention in CharlotteBOSTON (Reuters) – Boston's longest-serving mayor, Thomas Menino, was transferred on Monday from the hospital where he has been receiving treatment for a virus and back pain over the past month to another facility where he will continue his recovery. The prolonged illness, and a new diagnosis of diabetes, come a few months before the 69-year-old Democrat must decide whether to seek a sixth term in the office he has held since 1993. He is up for re-election in November 2013. …

Medicaid expansion poses "modest" state costs: study

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s $1 trillion plan to expand Medicaid would raise state costs by only 3 percent and extend health coverage to more than 21 million low-income people as part of the new healthcare reform law, a study said on Monday. The report released by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation said states would spend an extra $76 billion over the next decade to implement the Medicaid expansion, or 2.9 percent more than they would without the reform law. The federal government would fork out more than $950 billion to cover nearly all of the costs, the study said. …

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Traffic pollution tied to autism risk: study

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Babies who are exposed to lots of traffic-related air pollution in the womb and during their first year of life are more likely to become autistic, suggests a new study. The findings support previous research linking how close children live to freeways with their risk of autism, according to the study’s lead author. “We’re not saying traffic pollution causes autism, but it may be a risk factor for it,” said Heather Volk, an assistant professor at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. …

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U.S. kids getting recommended amount of sleep: study

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Children in the U.S. appear to be getting as much shut-eye as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends, according to a new study. “We can’t say this is the amount that they should be sleeping,” said Jessica Williams, the lead author of the study and a graduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles. “All we could really do is compare our estimated norms with what is recommended, and it seems like it falls pretty well in line with the recommendations,” she told Reuters Health. …

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Obama health law to face religion-based challenge

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Beds lie empty in emergency room of Tulane University Hospital in New Orleans(Reuters) – The Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for a Christian college to pursue a religion-based challenge against part of President Barack Obama's healthcare reform, which it claims forces taxpayers and employers to subsidize abortions and contraception. Liberty University, based in Lynchburg, Virginia, may now also argue that Congress exceeded its power by requiring big employers to provide healthcare coverage to workers, though legal experts said the argument faces an uphill battle in court. …

Donald prepares for surgery on sinuses

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Donald of England hits onto the 18th green during the fourth and final round of the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in DubaiDUBAI (Reuters) – World number two Luke Donald is planning to have an operation in the off-season in an attempt to cure a lingering problem with his sinuses. "My sinuses are all completely clogged up and every time I get a little bit run down they turn into infections," the 34-year-old Briton told reporters after finishing in a tie for third place at the DP World Tour Championship on Sunday. "Hopefully the surgery will fix it. It's a pretty quick and easy operation." Donald said he was affected by the problem over the last two rounds in Dubai, the final event of the European Tour season. …

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U.S. astronaut, Russian cosmonaut to spend a year in space

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) – Two veterans of the International Space Station will return for an experimental year-long stay aboard the orbital outpost, a test run for future missions to the moon, asteroids and Mars, NASA said on Monday. Former U.S. space shuttle pilot and station commander Scott Kelly, 48, who last flew in 2011, will be paired with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, 52, for a 12-month space station assignment beginning in early 2015. Kornienko served as a flight engineer aboard the station in 2010. …

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