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California Cuts Back On Kids Insurance While New Hampshire Expands
California cuts back on health insurance for children, while New Hampshire expands state insurance to young adults. Meanwhile, a regional health commission in Missouri hopes to help the uninsured, and an Iowa report concludes that minorities face discrimination in the health care system.
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Kennedy's Absence Felt As Health Reform Push Intensifies
Congressional Democrats seeking leadership are feeling Sen. Edward Kennedy"s absence in the looming health care reform debate as he continues his battle with brain cancer, and struggles to return to Washington, The New York Times reports.
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HELP Committee Dems Block Antiabortion Provisions In Health Reform Markup
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Monday rejected several Republican abortion-related amendments to the committee" health overhaul bill but adopted a Democratic amendment allowing health care providers who oppose abortion to contract with health plans, CQ HealthBeat reports. The committee voted mostly along party lines to reject an amendment by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) that would have prohibited abortion coverage in a health care exchange for participants who receive government-subsidized coverage. Democrats said that the language could have been used to restrict abortion coverage in private insurance plans. The amendment failed in an 11-12 vote, with Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) crossing party lines to support it. The committee also voted 11-12 to reject an amendment by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) that would have specified that federal health reform legislation could not override state laws on parental notification when minors seek abortion services. The committee adopted by voice vote an amendment submitted by Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) on behalf of committee Chair Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), who is battling brain cancer. The amendment states that health care providers could not be excluded from contracting with health plans taking part in a health insurance exchange on the basis that the provider performs abortions or refuses to perform abortions except in an emergency if "performing abortions is contrary to the religious or moral beliefs of the provider or entity." Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) said that he is concerned the amendment might be unconstitutional because Congress cannot legislate on religious issues. Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) expressed concern that the phrase "except in emergency" was not more clearly defined. Dodd declined Enzi"s request to withdraw the amendment until it could be clarified. The committee rejected Coburn"s amendment that was a more sweeping version of "conscience" protections for health care providers with religious or moral objections (Norman [1], CQ HealthBeat, 7/13). Dodd said he expects the committee to complete its work on the bill Tuesday night (Norman [2], CQ HealthBeat, 7/13).According to NPR"s "Morning Edition," abortion is one of the most likely issues to "throw a wrench into the already fragile gears" of health reform legislation. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said, "I take a view that there"s almost anything (that can be compromised) in public affairs except probably the issue of abortion." Nineteen House Democrats recently sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), saying, "We cannot support any health care reform proposal unless it explicitly excludes abortion from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan." Democratic pollster Mark Mellman said any new restrictions on abortion coverage in government-subsidized health plans might be unpopular with the public. "Right now most health care plans cover abortion, cover contraception, cover women"s reproductive health," Mellman said. He added, "To some extent what they"re talking about on Capitol Hill is taking away coverage that people already have. Americans want health care reform. But they will oppose health care reform if it takes away the coverage they now have for things like abortion and contraception." Mellman recently conducted a poll for the National Women"s Law Center that found that 75% of respondents would prefer to have an independent commission of medical experts and citizens, rather than lawmakers, decide what should be covered (Rovner, "Morning Edition," NPR, 7/14).
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Green Tea Compounds Reduced Prostate Cancer Markers, Study

US researchers found that men with prostate cancer who consumed a mix of polyphenols found in green tea experienced a significant reduction in serum markers such as PSA, VGF and VEGF that predict the progression of prostate cancer. The study was the work of Dr James A Cardelli, professor and director of basic and translational research in the Feist-Weiller Cancer Center, LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, Louisiana, and colleagues and is published in the 19 June issue of Cancer Prevention Research. Some studies have shown that green tea, the second most popular drink in the world, has many health benefits, and can reduce the incidence of prostate cancer, but trials in humans have been contradictory, said Cardelli, explaining that the few trials done so far have evaluated green tea"s clinical efficacy but not its effect on biomarkers of prostate cancer, which indicate cancer progression. He told the press that: "The investigational agent used in the trial, Polyphenon E (provided by Polyphenon Pharma) may have the potential to lower the incidence and slow the progression of prostate cancer." "There is reasonably good evidence that many cancers are preventable, and our studies using plant-derived substances support the idea that plant compounds found in a healthy diet can play a role in preventing cancer development and progression," he added. For the trial, Cardelli and colleagues recruited 26 men aged 41 to 72 who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer (their biopsies had proved positive) and were scheduled to have a radical prostatectomy. The patients consumed four capsules of Polyphenon E a day for an average of just over a month (ranging from about 12 to 73 days) until their operation. Each capsule contained 1.3 g of tea polyphenols, comprising 800 mg of (--)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and lesser amounts of (--)- epicatechin, (--)-epigallocatechin, and (--)-epicatechin-3-gallate. Each patient gave a blood sample the day before they started the drug trial and then on the day of their operation. The researchers looked at changes in 5 biomarkers, including: hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), insulin- like growth factor (IGF)-I, IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA). The results showed that over the period of the study, levels of HGF, VEGF, PSA, IGF-I, IGFBP-3, and the IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio decreased significantly, as did 5 of the liver function tests, such as total protein, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and amylase. Other liver function tests also decreased, but not significantly. Thus liver function remained normal. Some patients showed more than a 30 per cent reduction in HGF, VEGF and PSA levels. Cardelli and colleagues concluded that: "Our results show a significant reduction in serum levels of PSA, HGF, and VEGF in men with prostate cancer after brief treatment with EGCG (Polyphenon E), with no elevation of liver enzymes." This suggests there might be a place for Polyphenon E in the treatment or prevention of prostate cancer, they said. Researchers in Italy studying the effects of green tea polyphenols found they reduced the risk of developing prostate cancer in men with high-grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN), said the researchers in a separate statement. Cardelli said: "These studies are just the beginning and a lot of work remains to be done, however, we think that the use of tea polyphenols alone or in combination with other compounds currently used for cancer therapy should be explored as an approach to prevent cancer progression and recurrence." Unfortunately the study was not a randomized trial so we can"t rule the possibility that some other factor, such as changes to lifestyle, taking other supplements, improved diet, and so on, may be responsible for the lowering of biomarkers, commented Dr William G Nelson, professor of oncology, urology and pharmacology at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. However, he added that: "This trial is provocative enough to consider a more substantial randomized trial." Cardelli and his team are doing a similar trail with breast cancer patients and plan to carry out further investigations to determine why Polyphenon E had a dramatic effect in some patients and not others. Cardelli said that controlled clinical trials to see if other combinations of plant phenols might be even more effective than Polyphenon E. "Tea Polyphenols Decrease Serum Levels of Prostate-Specific Antigen, Hepatocyte Growth Factor, and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Prostate Cancer Patients and Inhibit Production of Hepatocyte Growth Factor and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor In vitro." McLarty, Jerry, Bigelow, Rebecca L.H., Smith, Mylinh, Elmajian, Don, Ankem, Murali, Cardelli, James A. Cancer Prevention Research, Published Online First on June 19, 2009. DOI: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-08-0167 Additional s: American Association for Cancer Research. Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today


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