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CCA, AIMp And NPA Statement: Decriminalisation Of Dispensing Errors
The decriminalisation of dispensing errors is an issue that has united the profession.

HIV Prevention Efforts In Five African Countries Not Reaching At-Risk Groups, Report Says
National HIV prevention strategies in at least five African countries are not reaching the groups most at risk of infection, according to a report from UNAIDS and the World Bank conducted in conjunction with the national HIV/AIDS authorities of Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland and Uganda, IRIN/PlusNews reports. The study was conducted between 2007 and 2008 to determine how and where most HIV cases were occurring in each country. It also aimed to examine whether prevention programs and spending aligned with those findings. According to the report, most prevention initiatives are not based on evidence of the behaviors that spread HIV in the five surveyed countries. For example, most new infections in Lesotho occur because of concurrent sexual partnerships, both before and after marriage. However, the country does not have any prevention strategies aimed at concurrent partnerships, or couples who are married or in long-term relationships. In addition, the report found that in Mozambique, an estimated 19% of new HIV infections were spread through commercial sex work, 3% from injection drug use and 5% among men who have sex with men. According to the report, few programs in the country target sex workers, while none are tailored to IDUs or MSM. According to the report, spending on HIV prevention often is low in the surveyed countries. Lesotho spends 13% of its national HIV/AIDS budget on prevention, while Uganda spends 34%. Director of the World Bank"s Global HIV/AIDS Unit Debrework Zewdie said that the economic downturn makes it important to maximize the impact of HIV prevention investments. "These syntheses use the growing amounts of data and information available to better understand each country"s epidemic and response and identify how prevention might be more effective," she said. The report includes recommendations on how the surveyed countries can better implement evidence-based prevention efforts. It said that Lesotho should revise its prevention messages to address multiple concurrent partnerships and integrate the subject into future initiatives. In addition, Mozambique should focus condom promotion on groups such as sex workers, the report said. According to IRIN/PlusNews, the five-country program aims to enhance capacity to ensure that the countries can conduct similar studies in the future (IRIN/PlusNews, 5/27).
News of the day
P[acman]-Generated Fruit Fly Gene 'Library': A New Research Tool
Using a specially adapted tool called P[acman], a collaboration of researchers led by Baylor College of Medicine has established a library of clones that cover most of the genome of Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) and should speed the pace of genetic research.
Diagnostics

New Research Evaluates The Impact Of Working Memory Training And Stimulant Medication On Kids With ADHD

A study to be published in the August 2009 edition of Applied Cognitive Psychology sheds new light on how Cogmed Working Memory Training and stimulant medication address working memory impairments in children with ADHD. Working memory, acknowledged as one of the core deficits in ADHD, represents the brain"s ability to hold and process critical information related to the present moment. This study represents the latest findings from a team of independent UK researchers whose ongoing work examines the impact of Cogmed"s software-based training program on individuals with disorders of memory and attention. Conducted at the University of York, the research was led by Joni Holmes, Ph.D., and Susan Gathercole, Ph.D. The study evaluated the effects of both working memory training and medication on 25 children with ADHD. Each child performed a battery of tests to assess different aspects of working memory twice before training, once when the children were taking their medication for ADHD and once when they were not. Tests measuring the same aspects of working memory were also administered immediately after the Cogmed training program, as well as six months after training as a follow up. The results show that stimulant medication significantly increases visuo-spatial working memory, but that Cogmed training leads to significant improvements in all four critical measures of working memory; verbal and visuo-spatial short-term and verbal and visuo-spatial working memory. The training effects remained six months after training. "We"re only just beginning to understand the different ways we can boost working memory. As we continue our work with children with ADHD and those with low working memory, it is very promising to see the magnitude and sustainability of gains following training," said Holmes. "This recent study illustrates the important and lasting effects Cogmed training can have on the underlying issues in ADHD," said Jonas Jendi, Cogmed"s CEO. "We are of course pleased to note that the study finds that the Cogmed training brings the working memory capacity of these children into the normal range, and that the findings hold for all of the six-month testing period. For a family struggling with ADHD and the school challenges that follow from the disorder, this is a finding that resonates." The study adds to a growing body of research showing that Cogmed Working Memory Training can lead to a range of lasting improvements for anyone with a working memory impairment, spanning from pre-school children, adolescents, working adults and seniors. For more information on the study, please visit here. For more information about the University of York, visit http://www.york.ac.uk. For a summary of this study, and on other Cogmed studies, visit http://www.cogmedresearch.com. Cogmed


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