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ATryn Effectively Prevents Serious Blood Clots
Data presented at the annual meeting of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) in Boston show that ATryn® (Antithrombin [Recombinant]) safely prevents peri-operative and peri-partum acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or other venous thromboembolic events in patients with hereditary antithrombin deficiency (HD AT). ATryn is not indicated for treatment of thromboembolic events in HD AT patients. Additionally, data validate dosing algorithms that, along with AT activity monitoring, allow physicians to normalize antithrombin levels during the high-risk situations of surgery and childbirth.
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Foreign Aid Donors Should Prioritize Maternal Mortality In Developing Countries, NYT Opinion Piece Says
One of the "most lethal forms of sex discrimination" is the "systematic inattention to reproductive health care, from family planning to childbirth" in developing countries, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof writes. According to Kristof, a woman dies every minute somewhere in the world from pregnancy or childbirth complications, and 20 times that number suffer childbirth injuries. Providers of foreign aid, including the U.S., "have never shown much interest in maternal mortality, and impoverished women are typically the most voiceless, neglected people in their own countries -- so they die at astonishing rates," Kristof writes.Kristof highlights the childbirth experience of a 19-year-old Pakistani woman named Shazia Allahdita whose infant died in childbirth after her relatives refused to take her to the hospital because they did not want to pay for the taxi fare. Kristof writes that "[i]f men had uteruses, "paternity wards" would get res, ambulances would transport pregnant men to hospitals free of charge, deliveries would be free, and the Group of Eight industrialized nations would make paternal mortality a top priority." Kristof notes that there is "the dawn of a global movement against maternal mortality," with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon working with the U.S. and other countries to plan a "landmark global health session" on Sept. 23. The session will focus, in part, on maternal health, which Kristof terms a "milestone." He concludes, "My dream is that Barack and Michelle Obama will leap forward and adopt this cause -- and transform the prospects for so many young women like Shazia" (Kristof, New York Times, 7/29).
News of the day
Study Helps To Determine Malaria Susceptibility In Children
Children who were exposed to Plasmodium falciparum "malaria before birth become tolerant to the malaria parasite, or their soluble products," according to a PLoS Medicine study, which has "unravelled the mystery behind why some children are more susceptible to malaria infection and anaemia," ANI/Newstrack India reports. This tolerance, which persists after birth and into childhood, erodes the immune system"s ability to attack and destroy parasites and increases the susceptibility of these children to develop a malaria infection and increases their risk for anemia (7/28).
Medical Devices

Molecular Machinery Related To Stem Cell Fate Revealed By Xie Lab

The Stowers Institute"s Xie Lab has revealed how the BAM protein affects germline stem cell differentiation and how it is involved in regulating the quality of stem cells through intercellular competition. The work was published by PNAS Early Edition. Maintaining the proper balance between stem cell self-renewal and differentiation is critical for normal homeostasis. An imbalance between the two can lead to tissue degeneration and to the development of tumors. It has long been known that the BAM protein is necessary for germline stem cell differentiation, but the specific molecular mechanism underlying BAM function had remained a mystery until now. Examining the fruit fly ovary, the Xie Lab established that BAM controls stem cell differentiation and competition by interfering with the function of the protein translation initiation factor eIF4A. EIF4A and BAM antagonize each other to regulate the balance between self-renewal and differentiation by promoting proper expression of E-cadherin - a molecule crucial to the stem cell"s ability to attach to its microenvironment (its niche). "Our studies contribute to the understanding of stem cell fate control," said Run Shen, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Xie Lab and lead author on the paper. "Many protein translation initiation factors have been reported to be unregulated in different human cancer tissues, so our study may help to understand how translational initiation factors participate in stem cell misregulation and the development of tumors." "Our studies have established the role of BAM as a protein translational repressor using biochemical and genetic tests," said Ting Xie, Ph.D., Investigator and senior author on the paper. "Translational control is very important in regulating gene expression. Many genes critical for stem cell development in the fruit fly germline are suggested to be translational regulators, but their exact roles have not been carefully studied. The knowledge generated by this work and the tests we have developed give us great advantage in tackling many additional questions." Ting Xie, Ph.D., Investigator, also is a Professor in the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology at The University of Kansas School of Medicine. Marie Jennings Stowers Institute for Medical Research


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