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ViraCor Laboratories Launches Ultrasensitive JC Virus Test
ViraCor Laboratories, the leader in molecular diagnostic testing for infectious diseases, announced the launch of a new ultrasensitive molecular test to detect JC Virus in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). The second JCV test to be developed in ViraCor"s laboratories, the ultrasensitive JCV PCR test can accurately detect the virus in a patient sample with as few as 25 viral copies per milliliter of sample.
News of the day
Boston Globe Examines Hospital's Attempt To Reduce Emergency Department Visits, Hospital Stays Among Elderly
Efforts by Massachusetts General Hospital to reduce health spending could be indicative of the difficulty the health industry faces in trying to reduce spending growth, the Boston Globe reports. Industry groups last week pledged to seek a 1.5% overall reduction in health care spending over the next 10 years.Massachusetts General"s program, which began in 2006, aims to reduce hospitalizations among the elderly by 15% to 20%, as well as to improve the quality of care the elderly receive. A study looking at 35 efforts to improve elderly care found that only six, including Massachusetts General"s program, saved money or covered their costs, the Globe reports. Massachusetts General"s program relies on nurses in primary care practices to be in regular contact with patients and provide assistance with nonmedical services. The program also uses electronic health records to coordinate care. The hospital spent $8 million to $9 million over the first three years of the program to provide enhanced services to patients. Hospital readmissions fell by 19%, admissions decreased by 17% and ED visits dropped by 15% between 2007 and 2008, according to preliminary research. The program saved enough by reducing hospital admissions and emergency department visits to cover its costs and also to generate savings of $7 million to $10 million. The overall cost for the program was about 5% less than for a group of other patients treated in a more traditional way.According to Harvard University health care economist David Cutler, improving care and reducing costs among the elderly is a necessary component of health reform. He said, "If we can"t do this, it doesn"t bode well for health reform." Eric Weil, a primary care physician and medical director of the program at Massachusetts General, said, "Medicare is looking for any and every way to save money," adding, "This is a population of patients who are sick and will get sicker over time. Any opportunity to demonstrate savings in this group of patients is good, and 5% is very good" (Kowalczyk, Boston Globe, 5/17).
Public Health

Astronauts' Survey Suggests New Space Headache Category

Researchers are calling for space headache to be established as a new secondary disorder after carrying out a study of 17 astronauts, published in the June issue of Cephalalgia. Their study jettisons the theory that astronauts" headaches are normally caused by space motion sickness, after showing that more than three-quarters of those studied had no connection. "Our research shows that space flights may trigger headaches without other space motion sickness symptoms in otherwise super healthy subjects" says lead researcher Dr Alla Vein from Professor Michel Ferrari"s Headache Research team at the Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands. "We propose to classify space headache as a separate entity among the secondary headaches attributed to disorders of homeostasis, which is the maintenance of a constant internal environment within the body." The research team asked one female and 16 male astronauts, ranging from 28 to 58 years of age, to provide anonymous feedback on headaches experienced during four specific time frames - launch, the stay at the space station, activities outside the space station and landing. All the astronauts had undergone rigorous medical examinations before they went into space. Nine has taken part in short-duration missions averaging just under 11 days and eight had taken part in long-duration missions averaging just under 202 days. Key findings included: * 12 of the 17 astronauts (71 per cent) reported 21 headache episodes during the space missions - nine during launch, nine during the stay at the space station, one during activities outside the space station and two during landing. None of the astronauts had a history of recurrent headache on earth. * Five astronauts reported headaches during one of the time frames, six during two time frames and one during four time frames. * Headache severity ranged from mild to severe, with 29 per cent reporting mild intensity, 65 per cent reporting moderate intensity and six per cent reporting severe intensity. * Only two of the headaches, during launch, matched the international criteria for migraine and the remainder were tension-type or non-specific headaches. * In 77 per cent of the episodes the astronauts described their headache as "exploding" and, or, "heavy feeling". * Launch headaches lasted for an average of 5.6 hours and space station headaches for an average of 1.6 hours. * When each headache was assessed, 76 per cent demonstrated no association with the main symptoms of space motion sickness, such as nausea, vomiting or vertigo. "Although headaches in space are not generally considered to be a major issue, our study demonstrated that disabling headaches frequently occur during space missions in astronauts who do not normally suffer from headaches on earth" says Dr Vein. "Previous research has shown that astronauts can be reluctant to reveal all the physical complaints they experience in space, so the actual incidence could be even higher than our study suggests." The authors state that there are a number of reasons why space travel could cause headaches including the physical effects of microgravity. "Our research shows that space headache is a common and often isolated disabling complaint during space flight" concludes Dr Vein. "As such we feel that it should be classified as a new secondary headache." Space headache: a new secondary headache. Vein et al. Cephalalgia. 29, 683-686. (June 2009). Annette Whibley Wiley-Blackwell


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