Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

Sotomayor Nomination Raises Questions About How Female Judges View Cases Differently
Following President Obama"s nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter, the differences between how male and female judges see and rule on cases has come into question, the New York Times reports. Although retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O"Connor, the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, often said that a female judge would come to the same decision as a male judge, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has said that her perspective on certain cases is different because of her gender.The Times cites two examples, one involving the strip search of a 13-year-old girl -- to which Ginsburg said that her male colleagues could not understand how the girl felt. The second example involves the issue of certain abortion procedures. When deciding about the constitutionality of a federal ban on so-called "partial-birth" abortions, Ginsburg took issue with Justice Anthony Kennedy"s majority opinion that women who undergo the procedure likely would experience attacks of conscience. She responded that Kennedy"s views reflected "ancient notions of women"s place in the family and under the Constitution -- ideas that have long since been discredited."The issue has come up again with Sotomayor"s nomination, specifically regarding her 2001 statement that she "would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn"t lived that life." The perception that female judges inherently might view cases differently than male judges has raised some concerns even among some female judges who believe it might be true, according to the Times. Judge Judith Kaye, former chief judge of New York state, said that she avoided discussing the issue with others but then accepted the idea that female judges see things differently at times. "To defend the idea that women come out different on some cases, I just feel it," Kaye said, adding, "I feel it to the depths of my soul" because women"s experiences are "just different." Attorney Lawrence Robbins, however, said, "Any person in the real world should be highly reluctant to make these broad generalizations."The most recent study comparing male and female judges found that female judges were more likely to rule in favor of plaintiffs who claim sex discrimination at workplaces. The study also found no differences in cases involving disability law, environmental issues and capital punishment (Lewis, New York Times, 6/3).

Going Gluten Free?: The Critical Test Everyone Needs To Have BEFORE They Try The Latest Celebrity Endorsed Diet
Celebrity Elisabeth Hasselbeck is generating a lot of buzz about Gluten-Free living, but International Celiac Expert Shelley Case, RD warns consumers why going gluten-free before being screened for celiac disease can be hazardous to your health!
News of the day
FDA Approves NovoLog(R) Labeling Update Increasing The Time Patients Can Use And Store NovoLog(R) In Their Pumps From Two Days To Six Days
Diabetes patients taking NovoLog® (insulin aspart [rDNA origin] injection) can now use the insulin in their pump for up to six days following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a labeling change, diabetes care company Novo Nordisk announced today.[i] The previous label allowed for NovoLog® to be stored in the pump reservoir for two days. This makes NovoLog® the first and only rapid-acting insulin with this extended in-use time.
Public Health

Device Uses Human Liver Cells To Assist Organ's Functions

The first artificial organ for liver patients that uses immortalized human liver cells, the Extracorporeal Liver Assist Device, or ELAD®, is a bedside system that treats blood plasma, metabolizing toxins and synthesizing proteins just like a real liver does. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center is currently one of only a small number of hospitals in the U.S. offering this therapy to acute liver failure patients as part of ongoing clinical trials. "These studies are looking at how well the system can extend patients" lives until a liver transplant becomes available. We"re also interested to see if it can relieve the burden on the patient"s liver enough so that it can regenerate and regain some of its function," says Dr. Robert Brown, site principal investigator, chief of the Division of Abdominal Organ Transplantation, and director of the Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Brown is also the Frank Cardile Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics (in Surgery) at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. The ongoing studies look at whether ELAD liver support improves survival compared with standard medical therapy. Patients are randomly assigned to receive either standard medical therapy plus the ELAD system, or standard medical therapy alone. Patients eligible for the study have life-threatening acute liver failure, often due to an infection. Another trial open to patients with liver failure due to drug overdose without underlying liver disease is expected to begin enrollment later this year. The current trials expand on prior results from Phase 1 and 2 trials in the U.S. and U.K., and a pivotal, randomized, controlled clinical trial at two sites in China during 2006 and 2007. In the latter study, 69 patients with hepatitis B or C who had suffered ALF were treated with either ELAD or standard therapy. Thirty-day transplant-free survival rates were statistically higher in the ELAD group compared with the control. Artificial livers have been attempted since the 1960s. Because previous designs didn"t use human liver cells, they couldn"t adequately filter toxins or create chemicals essential to metabolism and blood-clotting. With the ELAD system, four 12-inch cartridges containing cells derived from human liver cells and fibers are mounted on a standard blood-pumping unit. The patient"s blood plasma flows inside of hollow fibers to allow appropriate two-way transfer of metabolites across the fiber membrane. Liver transplantation is limited by the supply of donor livers. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), there were approximately 6,500 liver transplants performed in 2007; however, there are more than 16,000 patients on the waiting list. Each year only about one-third of those who need a donor liver will receive one, and many patients die while waiting. Acute liver failure afflicts more than 30,000 Americans each year, including those with chronic liver diseases like hepatitis, as well as those whose livers were damaged, such as by taking too much acetaminophen pain medicine. If not treated effectively and promptly -- usually by transplantation -- patients experience organ failure, bleeding, coma and death. When a donor organ isn"t available or if the patient is too sick for surgery, ELAD could be their only option. ELAD is manufactured by Vital Therapies Inc. of San Diego, sponsors of the current clinical trial. Belinda Mager New York- Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009