The 81st Academy Awards, also known as The Oscars, honoring the best in film for 2008 was held on Sunday, February 22, 2009 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. The 2009 Oscars attracted such celebrities as Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz, Marisa Tomei, Diane Lane and Marion Cotillard. Hawaiian bionutrient skin care company, H. Maloha, was also invited to share the spotlight on this star filled Hollywood night. For the fourth celebrity event in the last nine months, H. Maloha pampered the most elite celebrity faces with their Hawaiian bionutrient face serum before they stepped onto the red carpet.

“There are literally hundreds of skin care companies that could have been selected for the show. For H. Maloha to be exclusively invited to be a part of one of the most prominent film award ceremonies in the world, The Oscars, it was truly an honor for us,” said Scott Mounce, mainland marketing director for H. Maloha. “We are privileged to work with celebrities who absolutely love our bionutrient face serum. It seems to have become the ‘must have’ amongst celebrities to reduce skin aging.”

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Forty-seven percent of California’s older residents cannot afford to pay for basic necessities, including health care, food and housing, according to a report released on Tuesday, the San Jose Mercury News reports (de Sa, San Jose Mercury News, 2/24). The official federal poverty index, which is used to determine how government aid is allocated, does not account for regional differences in the cost of living and relies on an outdated methodology that does not reflect true costs, Susan Smith, director of the Insight Center for Community Economic Development’s California for Economic Security project, said (O’Brien, Contra Costa Times, 2/23).

Researchers from the University of California-Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research and ICCED developed the Elder Economic Security Standard to assess the true financial need to cover cost of living in California (Hendricks, San Francisco Chronicle, 2/24). The index accounts for the costs of housing, food, health care and transportation based on geography and other factors.

The Chicago Dental Society surveyed more than 300 members to find out how the economy is affecting dental care. More than half say their patients are putting off needed dental work. More than 40 percent of dentists report that visits for preventative dental care are also on the decline.

Taking care of your teeth now can prevent expensive dental procedures in the future. And while regular dental visits do play an important role in overall care, here are some at-home remedies that will help your smile — and your wallet.

The Chicago Dental Society surveyed more than 300 members to find out how the economy is affecting dental care. More than half say their patients are putting off needed dental work. More than 40 percent of dentists report that visits for preventative dental care are also on the decline.

Taking care of your teeth now can prevent expensive dental procedures in the future. And while regular dental visits do play an important role in overall care, here are some at-home remedies that will help your smile — and your wallet.

Rinse with water in between meals, especially after drinking beverages such as soda, wine and coffee that stain teeth. Water also helps stabilize breath odors. Whenever possible, drink tap water, which has minerals that are stripped out of almost all bottled waters.

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c The study, funded by the New York State Health Foundation and provided to the state Department of Health, examined nursing home care, mental health care, and home and personal care. In addition, the study analyzed influences on spending — such as demographics, types of care and facilities, and various Medicaid programs. The study compared the New York Medicaid program with programs in 18 other large and Northeastern states.

According to the study, Medicaid spending for New York in 2006 totaled almost $45 billion — the most of any of the states — followed by California at $34 billion. New York also led all of the states on Medicaid spending for long-term care at $19 billion, followed by $12 billion for California, the study found. For long-term care for Medicaid beneficiaries older than age 65, New York spent an average of $5,500, more than twice the national average, according to the study.

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Cell lifespan is limited by telomeres, DNA sequences that cap chromosomes and control the number of times a cell may be copied. A new study reported in Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM), dmm.biologists.org, describes how telomere dysfunction in skin cells can lead to increased skin cancer risk and pigmentation.

Researchers from Spain investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying skin cell telomere dysfunction using a mouse model of Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP), a disease in which patients have increased sensitivity to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Their studies revealed that these mice have impaired skin cell regeneration, and that limiting the activity of a tumor suppressor signaling protein, p53, restores cell regeneration and reduces hyperpigmentation. Surprisingly, limiting p53 activity also advances the progression of skin cancers.

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