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Arizona Senate Approves Two Bills Related To Abortion Rights
The Arizona Senate on Tuesday approved two abortion-related bills, including one that would increase requirements for obtaining abortions in the state and one that would increase penalties for performing a certain abortion procedure later in pregnancy, the Arizona Republic reports. The first bill (H.B. 2564), which passed 16-12, would impose a 24-hour waiting period before abortion procedures, require that abortion providers inform patients about risks and alternatives, and increase parental consent requirements for minors. Although the state has had a written parental consent requirement since 2003, the new measure would require that the consent form be notarized (Newton, Arizona Republic, 6/24). According to the AP/Houston Chronicle, the bill also would "allow pharmacists and other health care providers to refuse to hand out emergency contraception on moral or religious grounds" (Davenport, AP/Houston Chronicle, 6/23). The second bill (H.B. 2400) would impose a fine or two-year prison sentence for violating the state"s law banning intact dilation and extraction procedures, which currently is punishable by one year in prison (Arizona Republic, 6/24).Paul Senseman, a spokesperson for Gov. Jan Brewer (R), said that the governor has not decided whether she will sign the bills. Senseman previously has said that Brewer "has a very consistent pro-life record. Republican leaders in the state Legislature have attempted for years to increase abortion restrictions, but former Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) vetoed every measure on the subject" (Arizona Republic, 6/24).Opponents of H.B. 2564 said that it would make it difficult for women to access abortion services, especially for women outside of urban areas who would have to make multiple trips to providers under the waiting period requirement. According to Planned Parenthood, the bill would reduce the number of communities in the state where abortion is available from 10 to three. Supporters of the bill contend that it would better inform women about risks and alternatives to abortion (AP/Houston Chronicle, 6/23).
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Popular Breast Cancer Drug Used With Certain Antidepressants Puts New Jersey Women At Risk
A new analysis finds that women in New Jersey who take the breast cancer drug tamoxifen in conjunction with certain popular antidepressants may be at a higher risk for a breast cancer recurrence.
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Democrats Squabble Over Proposed Medicare Payment Changes
"Several senior House Democrats voiced strong concern Wednesday with a proposal to empower the executive branch to restrain Medicare spending, adding fresh uncertainty to White House efforts to build support for health legislation," The Wall Street Journal reports. "The proposal is being pushed by a coalition of centrist Democrats who are demanding greater steps to control the growth of health-care costs before they consider supporting legislation that would extend health insurance to tens of millions of Americans lacking coverage." Earlier this week, "the centrists struck a tentative deal with top Obama aides and House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D., Calif.) to add the proposal to health legislation pending on Capitol Hill."
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Technique That Improves Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery

Surgeons from Hospital for Special Surgery in New York have identified a drilling technique that improves the outcome of surgery to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The news is being presented during the annual meeting of the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, June 9 -12, in Keystone. Colo. "We found that the anatomy was better reproduced with the anteromedial portal drilling technique compared to the transtibial technique," said Asheesh Bedi, M.D., a fellow in sports medicine and shoulder surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery who was involved with the study. In recent years, an improved understanding of the anatomy of the ACL has allowed surgeons to refine techniques to reconstruct the ACL. Investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) set out to compare the outcomes of surgeries using two common techniques. "The goal in repairing the ACL is to recreate the normal anatomy, and there are a variety of different techniques to prepare tunnels for ACL reconstruction that have evolved over time," said Dr. Bedi. "The focus of the study was to compare two very common techniques in terms of their ability to reproduce the native ligament anatomy and restore the stability of the knee after reconstruction in a cadaveric model." The investigators used ten matched cadaveric knees to directly compare the transtibial and anteromedial portal drilling technique. The researchers found that the transtibial technique could not reproduce the position of the ACL, whereas the anteromedial portal drilling technique could better restore the native anatomy. The transtibial technique also presented additional concerns. "In preparing the femoral tunnel using the transtibial technique, the tibial tunnel is inadvertently re-reamed as much as 30 percent and can lead to significant time-zero tunnel expansion," Dr. Bedi said. The transtibial reconstruction also performed inferiorly to the medial portal on a number of biomechanical parameters of stability assessed with computer navigation. "This study clearly demonstrates that restoring the anatomy of the ACL and the stability of the knee is far superior when the femoral socket is reamed through the anteromedial portal rather than the tibial tunnel, as has been traditionally done by most surgeons," said David W. Altchek, M.D., attending orthopedic surgeon and co-chief of the Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service at HSS. "HSS is an international leader in this innovative solution toward further improving patient outcomes in ACL surgery." According to Dr. Bedi, the work has translated into modified techniques in the operating room at HSS, where more than 800 ACL surgeries are performed each year. Tears of the ACL are quite common, with between 70,000 and 80,000 reported each year in the United States. Other researchers involved in the study are Volker Musahl, M.D., Volker Steuber, M.D., Daniel Kendoff, M.D., Answorth A. Allen, M.D., and Andrew D. Pearle, M.D., all with the Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service at HSS. Phyllis Fisher Hospital for Special Surgery


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