Researchers 'Turn Off' Drug Addiction In Rats Using Lasers

RTTNews

Laser treatment has show promise in controlling drug addiction in rats, according to a research team at University of California, San Francisco. In their study, the researchers effectively turned cocaine addiction in rats on and off with the use of a laser and light-sensitive proteins implanted in the brain. The genetically engineered proteins, called rhodopsins, were administered into the nerve cells in the rats' prefrontal cortex. These proteins could then be activated and deactivated using a laser.

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CVS to pay US $11 million in lawsuit settlement

KOCO Oklahoma City

A major pharmacy retailer has agreed to pay $11 million to the United States to settle civil penalty claims for record-keeping violations under the Controlled Substances Act and related regulations, announced Sanford C. Coats, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma. The United States has alleged that from Oct. 6, 2005 to Oct. 5, 2011, CVS pharmacy retail stores in Oklahoma and elsewhere violated the CSA and the record-keeping regulations by: 1. Creating, entering and maintaining invalid “dummy” DEA registration numbers or numbers other than the valid Drug Enforcement Administration registration number of the prescribing practitioner on dispensing records, which were at times provided to state prescription drug monitoring programs [..].

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Local law enforcement agencies looking to curtail prescription drug abuse

Merced Sun-Star

Some of the most commonly abused drugs also happen to be the most accessible, and law enforcement is trying to curb that trend. National Drug Take Back Day is coming up at the end of the month. The program allows residents to take unused or unwanted prescription drugs to designated drop-off sites to safely dispose of them. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 27 at the Merced County Sheriff's Department, UC Merced Police Department and for the second time at the Livingston Police Department.

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Businesses to IRS: Please Change Forgotten Obamacare Tax

CNBC

Businesses and wealthy owners of estates and trusts have asked the IRS for changes to a part of President Barack Obama's 2010 health-care law that has received comparatively little attention: a 3.8 percent tax on investment income intended to provide the bulk of the law's funding. The tax kicks in this year, with U.S. taxpayers accounting for it for the first time in their tax returns for 2013. It is projected to raise more than $100 billion over a decade to help pay for health insurance for millions of Americans who lack it.

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Immigrant Health Care: Many Not Eligible for Medicaid Expansion

California Healthline

"Despite the far-reaching potential expansion of Medicaid under the [Affordable Care Act], our estimates demonstrate that a substantial portion of low-income uninsured adults will be ineligible for Medicaid because of their immigration status." That is a key finding of a new study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which highlights four states with high percentages of immigrants: Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas. In these states, the challenge of developing "strategies for meeting the health care needs of" immigrants will be "particularly difficult for safety-net providers in states with large numbers of immigrants who will not be eligible for Medicaid."

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California Insurance Commissioner slams Anthem Blue Cross

Examiner.com

The California Department of Insurance issued a statement today condemning Anthem Blue Cross's latest rate increase in the small group market as "excessive and unreasonable." Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones cited the return on equity for Anthem, which is a for-profit organization unlike affiliated Blue Shield of California. The department also accused Anthem of charging taxes and fees in 2013 that are to be imposed in 2014.

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Dan Walters: California safety net bills will test Jerry Brown

Sacramento Bee

The first two budgets that Jerry Brown proposed after returning to the governorship cleaved deeply into California's safety net of health and welfare services serving the aged, disabled and poor. Welfare grants and medical care payments were cut, and eligibility for those and other benefits was tightened – all needed, Brown said, to bring a deficit-ridden budget under control.

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