Month: April 2013

By Joanne von Alroth CHICAGO (Reuters) – The Illinois House of Representatives voted narrowly on Wednesday to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes, bringing the state a step closer to becoming the 21st in the United States to allow some form of pot use to treat illness. The chamber voted 61 to 57 in favor of a measure to allow patients with a doctor's permission to use marijuana. The measure will now go to the state senate. Democratic Governor Pat Quinn has said he is open minded on the proposal. …

(Reuters) – Diversified U.S. manufacturer Roper Industries Inc said it would buy healthcare services company Managed Health Care Associates Inc for $1 billion in an all-cash deal to expand its presence in the healthcare market. Roper said the deal, expected to be completed within 30 days, would add $95 million in earnings before income tax depreciation and amortization in the first year after the acquisition. (Reporting by Tej Sapru in Bangalore)

Bioterrorism experts say ricin unlikely to kill targets.        

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Doctors order fewer laboratory tests during a patient’s hospital stay if they know how much the tests cost, according to a new study. Researchers found that doctors at one U.S. hospital ordered about 9 percent fewer lab tests – such as blood work – when their computerized records system displayed the price. “(Before the study) we saw a lot of waste. We saw a lot of tests that didn’t need to be ordered,” said Dr. Leonard Feldman, the study’s lead author from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. …

WASHINGTON (AP) — A panel of respiratory experts voted Wednesday in favor of approving an experimental inhaler drug from GlaxoSmithKline and Theravance for treating chronic lung disease.

) By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Democratic senator who helped craft President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law gave the administration "a failing grade" on Wednesday for its efforts to educate the public and small employers about sweeping changes due to take effect in eight months. "I just see a huge train wreck," Senator Max Baucus of Montana told Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, an oversight panel that he chairs. "I'm very concerned that not enough is being done so far. …

By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Using a computer tool to help doctors analyze mammography images increases the number of early, non-invasive breast cancers that are caught, but also means more women without cancer have to undergo follow-up ultrasounds and biopsies, according to a new study. Researchers found use of so-called computer-aided detection, or CAD, has spiked in recent years. CAD was used in more than 60 percent of screening mammograms performed among women on Medicare in 2006. …

From Baghdad to Boston: War Lessons on Amputations Help Blast Victims Walk Again

The twin blasts that marred the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing three and injuring 175 bystanders also left behind gruesome clues in the form of shrapnel embedded in victims.        

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — The computer records were scrubbed, inspectors said there was no mention of industrial silicone in quality-control documents, and an employee at the factory in southern France said they were instructed not to ask too many questions about the breast implants sold worldwide.

By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Supreme Court on Wednesday limited the ability of police to take involuntary blood samples from suspected drunken drivers without a search warrant. The court voted 8-1 on the general point that police cannot always take blood samples without a warrant. But the justices disagreed on what kind of guidance they should give police on when a warrant is necessary. …