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Parkinson's Disease Associated With Pesticide Exposure In French Farm Workers
The cause of Parkinson"s disease (PD), the second most frequent neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer"s disease, is unknown, but in most cases it is believed to involve a combination of environmental risk factors and genetic susceptibility. Laboratory studies in rats have shown that injecting the insecticide rotenone leads to an animal model of PD and several epidemiological studies have shown an association between pesticides and PD, but most have not identified specific pesticides or studied the amount of exposure relating to the association.
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Massachusetts Health Insurance Law Has Increased Access To Care, Though Residents' Ability To Obtain Treatment Hampered By Provider Supply, Study Find
Since the implementation of the Massachusetts health insurance law in 2006, more residents have health coverage and increased access to care, but rising health care costs combined with the current economic recession could undermine some of the law"s successes, according to the third annual "Update on Health Reform in Massachusetts" report by the Urban Institute, the Boston Globe reports. The study was funded by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Commonwealth Fund, and published in the journal Health Affairs.For the report, Sharon Long of the Urban Institute and colleagues surveyed about 4,000 Massachusetts adults in 2007 and 2008 and compared their health care habits with those of residents surveyed in 2006 -- just after the law went into effect. Researchers found that although there were initial gains in health care affordability, there are now some signs that an increasing number of state residents are reporting problems paying for medical bills, and an increasing number of people -- especially lower-income residents -- not seeking care because of costs (Lazar, Boston Globe, 5/28). One in five adults reported being told in the past 12 months that a physician or clinic was not accepting new patients or would not see patients with their type of insurance (Sack, New York Times, 5/28). Lower-income residents had more difficulties finding a physician than higher-income residents, with 24% of residents enrolled in state-subsidized health plans, saying they were told that a physician did not accept their insurance, compared with 7% of residents with private coverage (Boston Globe, 5/28). Additional Findings
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Local Meeting Held In California To Discuss HIV/AIDS Spending Priorities In Face Of Proposed State Budget Cuts
The Inland Empire HIV Planning Council, an agency that makes HIV/AIDS policy in Riverside and San Bernardino counties in California, has begun a three-day summit, where they will determine how funds - primarily from HHS - will be spent, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports. The council, which oversees spending of more than $7 million for HIV/AIDS care and treatment in the counties, said proposed cuts to HIV/AIDS programs and Medi-Cal at the state level "could affect funding and treatment priorities set by the agency," the article states. Joe Acosta, co-chair of the council said they are looking for ways to make up for the expected shortfalls. The council distributes money to about a half dozen agencies in San Bernardino and Riverside counties that provide services to more than 6,800 HIV/AIDS patients, Acosta said" (Hines, 7/18).
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Also In Global Health News: HIV & TB; ITN Program; DRC's Health System

HIV-Positive Babies More Likely To Contract Deadly TB If Given BCG A three-year study in South Africa found that babies who were born HIV-positive had a higher risk of contracting a deadly form of tuberculosis if given the widely used BCG vaccine, the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. The study, which was published Wednesday in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, recommends "not vaccinating babies with HIV and delaying vaccination for those babies whose HIV status is unknown," writes the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer (7/1). Research Identifies Why People With HIV Are More Likely To Develop TB Researchers recently identified why people who have HIV/AIDS are more susceptible to getting tuberculosis, the ANI/Times of India reports. The research, which is published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, explains how HIV interferes with the lungs" cellular and molecular mechanisms used to fight TB. According to one of the scientists, this new information could lead to the development of new drugs to treat or prevent TB in HIV-positive people (7/1). VOA News Examines Nothing But Nets Campaign VOA News examines the U.N. Foundation"s campaign Nothing But Nets that is "devoted entirely to raising money to purchase bed nets." The "widespread use" of long-lasting, insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) can reduce transmission of malaria by up to 90 percent, VOA News writes. Recently, the campaign partnered with the U.N. High Commission on Refugees to distribute ITNs in refugee camps. In addition, Nothing But Nets "has remained strong, even in a troubled economy," writes VOA News (Hegg, 6/30). BMJ Examines Health Care System Of DRC, Estimates Of 1,500 Deaths Daily British Medical Journal examines how a broken health system is exacerbating the health conditions of vulnerable people living in war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, leading to the deaths of some 1,500 people per day. The article also explores the recent efforts of the U.N. to make health services in the region free (Zarocostas, 6/30). This information was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at globalhealth.kff.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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