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Popular Articles

Taxing Fatty Foods Or Health Insurers Gains Traction
Lawmakers are considering two new taxes to help pay for a health care overhaul: a tax on fatty foods and taxing insurers on so-called Cadillac plans. Both proposals were scrutinized in news articles.

Rush University Medical Center Hosts Conference Examining Chicago Breastfeeding Rates And Ways To Reduce The Disparities
Over 100 certified breastfeeding peer counselors, lactation consultants, nurses, physicians, dietitians and community health workers are expected to gather at Rush University Medical Center on Thursday, August 6 from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. in Room 500 at 1725 W. Harrison Street, Chicago, to attend the Griffin Inaugural Conference on Breastfeeding: The Primary Foundation for Health.
News of the day
Obama's Focus On Health Care Crucial To Reform
"After a week of international diplomacy, President Obama returns to Washington this week facing an even greater diplomatic challenge: nudging the large and controversial health-care reform package toward consensus on Capitol Hill," The Washington Post reports. Despite media reports of challenges including "the virtual wall of opposition among Republicans," "resistance among conservative Blue Dog Democrats over the potential cost," and "nervousness among progressives that the White House might compromise too much on a public insurance option," officials at the White House "remain publicly optimistic." White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said that the issues are just part of "the nature of what we"re doing," and that "we"ve never, on universal coverage, been this close to the goal line."
Diagnostics

Link Between Extreme Glucose Levels In Diabetic Patients With Heart Failure And Increased Risk Of Death

Compared with patients with moderately controlled glucose levels, diabetic patients who have heart failure and either too high or too low glucose levels may be at increased risk of death, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in a report published in the current issue of Journal of the American College of Cardiology. To determine average glucose levels in the blood over a two to three month period, doctors measure glycosylated hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying protein in the blood that is bound to the sugar glucose). In general, higher levels have been associated with increased risk of heart disease, said Dr. David Aguilar, assistant professor of medicine - cardiology at BCM. "Most doctors try to keep glucose levels of those with diabetes as low as they can to lower the risk of complications such as eye problems, kidney disease or the development of heart disease," said Aguilar, senior author of the study. "However, we found that in diabetic patients with heart failure, glucose levels slightly higher than what are normally recommended had the lowest risk of death." Researchers at BCM and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston identified 5,815 veterans with heart failure and diabetes who were receiving treatment at VA medical centers across the nation. They followed the patients for two years, dividing them into five categories based on their glycosylated hemoglobin levels. Most medical professionals recommend levels at 7 and below as the target for optimal health for diabetic patients. However, the results of the study of diabetic patients with heart failure showed that those with levels 7.1 to 7.8 had the lowest rate of death. Those patients at both ends of the spectrum had the higher death risks. "This doesn"t mean that diabetic patients with heart failure should change their target goal for glucose levels," Aguilar said. "The results could simply be telling us that the glycosylated hemoglobin levels are a marker for other risks that are contributing to increased risk of death, but not necessarily the cause of the problem." Aguilar said the correlation needs to be further investigated to confirm the findings and see what other factors could be contributing to the mortality rate. The research is supported by a V.A. Health Services Research and Development Service grants and a National Institutes of Health Mentored Career Development Award. Other researchers who took part in this study include, Drs. Biykem Bozkurt, Kumudha Ramasubbu and Anita Deswal, all from the Winters Center for Heart Failure Research and Section of Cardiology, and the Department of Medicine at BCM. Deswal is also at the Houston Center for Quality of Care and Utilization Studies at the Michael E. DeBakey V. A. Medical Center in Houston. Graciela Gutierrez Baylor College of Medicine


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