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Blogs Comment On Supreme Court News, Pregnant Prisoner Health Care, Withdrawal Method, Other Topics
The following summarizes selected women"s health-related blog entries.~"Considering Common Ground and Our New Supreme Court Nominee," Cristina Page, Birth Control Watch: Page writes that the fact that appeals court Judge Sonia Sotomayor, Obama"s nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter, has served on the board of Childbirth Connection is of great interest, since Sotomayor"s own views on women"s health could mirror those of the organization. Page explains that the organization "takes no policy position on abortion, but it is very much a proponent of women"s rights during childbirth." According to Page, Sotomayor"s work with Childbirth Connection "stands out" on her resume as "the only entry that does not have a purely legal focus." Page writes, "To me, it"s an important sign, and one from which pro-choice and women"s health advocates can derive some comfort," as the group is "dedicated to identifying and promoting best practices in women"s health based on rigorous scientific evidence." She adds, "If Sotomayor"s connection to the group is any indication of the value she places in science and her respect for the field of medicine, her nomination is good news for women"s health." Page also provides a link to audio of her appearance on a radio show to discuss "common ground" in the abortion-rights debate. She writes that David Gushee, an abortion-rights opponent who also appeared on the show, was genuinely "reasonable and looking for solutions." Page adds, "Listening to him gives me faith in this new and albeit small movement of pro-lifers who genuinely want to support policies that help reduce the need for abortion" (Page, Birth Control Watch, 5/27).~ "Unshackling Female Prisoners in Labor," Abigail Kramer, Salon"s "Broadsheet": Last week, the New York state Legislature passed a measure that would prevent the state"s prisons from using handcuffs or shackles on pregnant female inmates during labor. Similar laws exist in three other states. Kramer writes, "Handcuffs and shackles for women in labor pose problems beyond the obvious snafu of being brutal, inhumane and bat"s balls freaking crazy." She continues, "Having a baby is generally understood to be a wee bit uncomfortable," adding, "Not being able to move can increase the pain and slow down or complicate labor" and "restraints can cause a delay if a woman has to be rushed off for an emergency C-section -- which, as a doctor points out in Amnesty"s original report on institutional violence against women prisoners, can lead to brain damage for the baby." In addition, "women giving birth have not turned out to pose a tremendous flight risk to the nation"s criminal [justice] system: When Amnesty International asked prison administrators to provide examples of past in-labor escape attempts, they came up with exactly... well, zero," Kramer concludes (Kramer, "Broadsheet," Salon, 5/28).~ "Be Responsible: Give Your Partner Drugs!" Norah Hazelton, National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association"s "Family PlanIt": "One thing I remember pretty clearly from sex ed in high school health class ... was that if one person in a couple is diagnosed with an [sexually transmitted infection] and gets treatment, it"s very important to get the other partner tested and treated because otherwise you can just end up passing it back and forth," Hazelton writes. She continues, "Trouble is, a lot of STIs don"t have symptoms and it can be difficult getting someone with no symptoms to take the time (and money) to go see a doctor." Hazelton writes, "Thankfully, expedited partner therapy (EPT), the practice of treating partners without a medical assessment, is becoming more and more popular." She adds, "With 19 million new cases of STIs each year in the U.S. (costing an estimated $15.9 billion annually), any options that could reduce those numbers need to be considered seriously." Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended and endorsed EPT, "there are still many legal barr

Swine Influenza Daily Update: 20 July 2009, Wales
The NPHS influenza surveillance scheme, which records reports of diagnoses of flu from more than 300 GP practices across Wales, shows low but increasing levels of influenza activity across Wales. Further detail can be found on the NPHS website: click here.
News of the day
Recession-Battered States Cut Funding For Health Services
Under economic pressure, states are slashing funding for health services from Connecticut to California. The cuts frustrate providers and lawmakers are looking for ways to limit harm.
Diagnostics

46 R&D 100 Awards For 2009 Won By DOE-Funded Research Projects

U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu has announced that Energy Department-funded researchers have won 46 of the 100 awards given out this year by R&D Magazine for the most outstanding technology developments with promising commercial potential. The coveted awards are presented annually in recognition of exceptional new products, processes, materials or software developed throughout the world and introduced into the market the previous year. "The Department of Energy"s national laboratories are incubators of innovation, and I"m proud they are being recognized once again for their remarkable work," said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. "The cutting-edge research and development being done in our national labs is vital to maintaining America"s competitive edge, increasing our nation"s energy security, and protecting our environment. I want to thank this year"s winners for their work and congratulate them on this award." These awards highlight some of the successes made by the DOE national laboratories in technology transfer, moving forward basic research results into commercial products. This year, scientists and engineers from 12 of the 17 DOE National Laboratories as well as the Nevada Test Site received awards. Since 1962, when R&D Magazine"s annual competition began, DOE has been the recipient of over 800 R&D 100 awards in areas such as energy, national security and basic scientific applications. R&D 100 awards are selected by an independent panel of judges based on the technical significance, uniqueness and usefulness of projects and technologies from across industry, government and academia. The complete list of R&D 100 awards is available online at http://www.rdmag.com. A list of DOE"s winning sites, technologies and corresponding press releases is below: Ames Laboratory (Ames, IA) * Virtual Engineering Process Simulator Interface - enables process and energy industries engineers to design next-generation plants with high efficiencies and near-zero emissions by collaboratively analyzing process simulations with engineering data. (Jointly with DOE"s National Energy Technology Laboratory and Research Engineering International) Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne, Ill.) * High Performance Software for Engineering and Science - allows engineers and scientists to perform large-scale numerical simulations of physical phenomena rapidly and efficiently. The ability to perform simulations allows corporations and governmental agencies to replace costly and dangerous experiments and prototypes. Simulations have led to many new products as well as improvements in existing products. (Jointly with University of Texas at Austin, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Illinois Institute of Technology) * Super Hard and Slick Coating (SSC) - The coating can improve the performance of all kinds of moving mechanical systems, including engines. Friction, wear and lubrication strongly affect the energy efficiency, durability, and environmental compatibility of such systems. The amount of emissions produced by these engines is also strongly related to their fuel economy. SSC with its self-lubricating and low-friction nature will help to increase the fuel economy of future engines. (Jointly with Istanbul Technical University, Galleon International Co. and Hauzer Technocoating) * The Hard X-ray Nanoprobe - A new device provides X-ray imaging and analysis at a spatial resolution previously not available in the hard X-ray range. The system also provides qualitative new characterization capabilities by combining full field transmission imaging with scanning probe capabilities. This technology will significantly improve the ability of medical scientists and nanoscientists to study use of nanocomposites in tissues, cells and subscellular organelles, which helps develop new medical imaging techniques and therapies. (Jointly with Xradia Inc) * Argonne/Envia Systems Lithium-ion Battery Technology - The highest energy and cycle life of all lithium-ion systems available today for the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and electric vehicle markets, which will help facilitate meeting the stringent U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium requirements for powering 40-mile-range PHEVs. (Jointly with Envia Systems) * The Artificial Retina Project - see Lawrence Livermore National Lab Brookhaven National Laboratory (Upton, N.Y.) * Compact Gamma Camera - This high-resolution nuclear medical probe can pinpoint the locale of cancer tissue in the prostate gland in detail at an early stage. Diagnosis is easier using the gamma camera, rather than conventional ultrasound imaging, because the camera can more easily detect the small cancerous tissues and distinguish between benign and cancerous tumors. The new technology also combines the best aspects of conventional nuclear imaging detectors while minimizing their weaknesses, delivering high performance at competitive cost. (Jointly with Toronto-based Hybridyne Imaging Technologies Inc.) Idaho National Laboratory (Idaho Falls, ID) * Rfinity - An innovation that offers a low-cost, plug-n-play option that enables virtually any wireless telecommunications device to safely store sensitive personal information and perform secure transactions. The technology has been licensed to RFinity of Idaho Falls. * Water Sample Concentrator - Automated portable device that concentrates and packages a sample of suspected contaminated water for safe, efficient transport to a qualified analytical laboratory. This technology will help safeguard against pathogen contamination or chemical and biological attacks on water supplies. The technology has been licensed to Teledyne Isco, Inc. of Lincoln, Neb. (Jointly with the Environmental Protection Agency) * Precision Nanoparticles - A revolutionary technology that efficiently produces nanoparticles in uniform and prescribed sizes (1-100 nanometers) using supercritical fluids. The technology has been licensed to Precision Nanoparticles, Inc., of Seattle, Wash. (Jointly with Idaho State University) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley, Calif.) * EMGeo ElectroMagnetic Geological Mapper - The first commercially available technology for 3-D geophysical imaging of industrial-sized electromagnetic data. This technology offers oceanic subsurface mapping at a scale and resolution previously unavailable to find s of alternative energy and in guiding environmental remediation. It will allow scientists to determine if an energy exists before drilling for it, which could save millions of dollars in drilling costs, and help discover billions of dollars in oil and gas. * Nanocrystal Solar Cells - This technology perform the same function as conventional solar cells - turning sunlight into electricity - but at one-fifth the cost or less. Because of this dramatic cost savings, the technology has the potential to be the first photovoltaic cell to achieve widespread use in the energy market. (Jointly with Solexant) * NEXUS® DLC-X Coating System with Pulsed Filtered Cathodic Arc Technology - a system that promises more computer memory at less cost by depositing thin films of diamond-like carbon required by next-generation computer hard-disk heads. (Jointly with Veeco Instruments, Inc.) * TEAM Electron Microscope Stage - The TEAM Stage will make one of the world"s most powerful electron microscopes even better by enabling atomic-scale imaging in 3-D. It holds and positions samples inside electron microscopes with unprecedented stability, position-control accuracy and range of motion. (Jointly with Attocube Systems, FEI Company and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore, Calif.) * GeMini - a portable gamma-ray spectrometer based on germanium technology. The instrument is so small that it fits in the palm of a hand, and this spectrometer is outfitted with an innovative low-powered, miniature cooling mechanism. GeMini was launched on NASA"s Mercury MESSENGER spacecraft and is now taking the first-ever gamma-ray data of the planet Mercury. GeMini also can be used to help prevent terrorists from smuggling nuclear materials into the country. * The Land Mine Locator is a humanitarian aerial land mine detection system designed to lower the time and cost of demining operations, and vastly improve the safety to personnel and equipment. These technologies are combined with Hystar, a revolutionary aerial vehicle with unique flight capabilities that permit remote, reusable and safe operation for sensor platforms. (Jointly with First Alliance Technologies LLC of San Ramon, Calif. and Hystar Aerospace Corp. of Vancouver, Canada) * Artificial Retina - With this device, bio-electronic integrated circuits transform digital images from a camera mounted on a pair of glasses into electric signals in the eye that the brain uses to create a visual image. In clinical trials, 30 patients with vision loss were able to successfully identify objects, navigate in their environment, and detect movement using the "artificial retina." The implant is intended eventually to enable patients to read large print and recognize faces. (This multi-team project was jointly submitted by Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, University of Southern California (Doheny Eye Institute), California Institute of Technology, North Carolina State University, the University of California at Santa Cruz and Second Sight® Medical Products LLC.) * FemtoScope - This time microscope dramatically improves the performance of traditional recording devices in the same way a high-performance lens improves a camera"s output. When combined with an optical streak camera, the system achieves a 20-fold increase in temporal resolution simultaneous with a 30-fold improvement in dynamic range for an overall improvement of 600 times compared

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