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IRIN Examines PEPFAR Funding Of IDU Programs
IRIN examines a recent comment piece in the journal Lancet that argues PEPFAR can do more to prevent the spread of HIV among injecting drug users (IDUs) in Africa (IRIN, 6/24). Although PEPFAR has helped to provide "antiretroviral therapy to 2.1 million people with HIV, almost all of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa, and has spent more than $18 billion on the continent," it has failed to reach "thousands of injecting drug users in PEPFAR countries in Africa, many of whom have HIV," according to the authors of the Lancet article (Kaiser Global Health Policy Report, 6/19).

Waterways Polluted With Antibiotics, Antimicrobials And Antifungals
Antibiotics, antimicrobials and antifungals are seeping into the waterways of North America, Europe and East Asia, according to an investigation published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP). Authored by Université de Montréal and Environment Canada researchers, the review found that consumption of anti-infectives for human and agriculture use contributes to their release into the environment and even into drinking water.
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Lack Of Happiness Hormone Serotonin In The Brain Causes Impaired Maternal Behavior In Mice
A lack of serotonin, commonly known as the "happiness hormone", in the brain slows the growth of mice after birth and is responsible for impaired maternal behavior later in life. This was the result of research conducted by Dr. Natalia Alenina, Dana Kikic, and Professor Michael Bader of the Max DelbrÃøck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany. At the same time, the researchers discovered that the presence of serotonin in the brain is not crucial for the survival of the animals. Furthermore, they were able to confirm that there are two strictly separate pathways of serotonin production: One gene is responsible for the formation of serotonin in the brain, another gene for the production of the hormone in the body (PNAS, June 23, 2009, Vol. 106, No. 25, pp 10332-10337)*.
Public Health

Grant Will Support Comparative Effectiveness Research On Depression

The National Institute of Mental Health has awarded Group Health a $1 million stimulus grant to research more effective treatment for depression. The award is part of the federal stimulus funds from ARRA, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The project will evaluate a new method for studying the effectiveness of treatments for depression. It will use electronic medical records to follow how individuals respond to different treatments across time. The study will track health outcomes against various factors in hundreds of Group Health patients" records, coded to protect privacy. "As long as antidepressants have existed, researchers have sought ways to match patients with the specific treatments that suit them best," explained Group Health psychiatrist Greg Simon, MD, MPH. He is also a senior investigator at Group Health"s research institute, Group Health Center for Health Studies. During the two-year study, Simon and his research team will plan a second, much larger investigation. If funded, it will be conducted by mental health researchers at several large health plans in the HMO Research Network. The Network is a consortium of nonproprietary public-interest research institutes with access to data on 10 million people nationwide. Simon"s study is an example of Group Health"s ongoing research on "comparative effectiveness." That means figuring out how well tests, treatments, and preventive actions work in real clinical settings. The federal government is calling for comparative effectiveness research as a way to base medicine - and health care reform - on the best available evidence. The goal: ensuring that people receive the most effective health care available. Researchers at Group Health Center for Health Studies have applied for other grants from the stimulus funds as well. This is the first of these grants to be awarded. Simon has participated in several well-known studies of depression, including its links to obesity and how to deliver therapy over the phone, online, and through workplace-based programs. Rebecca Hughes Group Health Cooperative Center for Health Studies


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