Medical Devices
MetLife, providing dental plan administration for over 21 million people, announced additions to its dental continuing education program today. Three new quality re guides have been added to the MetLife program, which is recognized by the American Dental Association (ADA) and the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD). The new courses focus on: 1) Assessing Orofacial Pain, 2) Assessing Risk for Chronic Periodontitis in Adults 3rd Edition, and 3) Recognition and Management of Patients with Xerostomia 2nd Edition. The courses are available online at http://www.metdental.com and can be completed for continuing education credits.
Oculus Innovative Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:OCLS), a healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets a family of products based upon the Microcyn® Technology platform, which includes new formulations intended to reduce the use of antibiotics by preventing or treating infections including those caused by bacteria and viruses, has confirmed the effectiveness of Microcyn® Technology at inactivating the H1NI Swine Influenza A. In a virucidal time-kill suspension test conducted by an independent laboratory, BioScience Laboratories, Inc., the specific Microcyn Technology formulation reduced infectivity of the swine flu virus by 4.00log10 (99.99%) reduction after just 30-seconds exposure. BioScience Laboratories, working in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, received formal approval to acquire, house and evaluate the specific swine influenza virus in April 2009.
Vetericyn Inc., a California-based animal healthcare company, has announced the launch of its new Vetericyn™ equine product, available in a 16-ounce trigger spray for horses. Vetericyn™ utilizes an FDA-cleared technology that has been used to successfully treat over one million human patients without a single serious adverse effect. Now, the innovative topical wound-care product is available to the animal healthcare market.
Efforts by Massachusetts General Hospital to reduce health spending could be indicative of the difficulty the health industry faces in trying to reduce spending growth, the Boston Globe reports. Industry groups last week pledged to seek a 1.5% overall reduction in health care spending over the next 10 years.Massachusetts General"s program, which began in 2006, aims to reduce hospitalizations among the elderly by 15% to 20%, as well as to improve the quality of care the elderly receive. A study looking at 35 efforts to improve elderly care found that only six, including Massachusetts General"s program, saved money or covered their costs, the Globe reports. Massachusetts General"s program relies on nurses in primary care practices to be in regular contact with patients and provide assistance with nonmedical services. The program also uses electronic health records to coordinate care. The hospital spent $8 million to $9 million over the first three years of the program to provide enhanced services to patients. Hospital readmissions fell by 19%, admissions decreased by 17% and ED visits dropped by 15% between 2007 and 2008, according to preliminary research. The program saved enough by reducing hospital admissions and emergency department visits to cover its costs and also to generate savings of $7 million to $10 million. The overall cost for the program was about 5% less than for a group of other patients treated in a more traditional way.According to Harvard University health care economist David Cutler, improving care and reducing costs among the elderly is a necessary component of health reform. He said, "If we can"t do this, it doesn"t bode well for health reform." Eric Weil, a primary care physician and medical director of the program at Massachusetts General, said, "Medicare is looking for any and every way to save money," adding, "This is a population of patients who are sick and will get sicker over time. Any opportunity to demonstrate savings in this group of patients is good, and 5% is very good" (Kowalczyk, Boston Globe, 5/17).
Some patient advocates are lobbying to legalize "compassionate use" of experimental drugs for people with terminal illnesses who have exhausted other treatments, prompting a debate about how and when to provide such patients with treatments that could prolong their lives, the New York Times reports. Most insurers do not cover unproven treatments, and physicians have concerns that using experimental treatment could give patients false hope and cause unnecessary pain. Drugmakers are concerned that if there are unfavorable outcomes from providing patients with an unproven treatment, it could hurt the drug"s chances of receiving FDA approval. At the same time, FDA does not want to grant drugs and their makers the opportunity to skip clinical trials. Currently, patients must individually apply to receive treatments through compassionate use (Harmon, New York Times, 5/17).
Vision loss costs Canadian society a staggering $15.8 billlion per year - significantly higher than previously estimated, according to new research study released on June 23, 2009, by CNIB and the Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS). The study"s proponents say these costs, which are expected to increase dramatically in the years ahead, underscore the urgent need for Canada to develop a comprehensive national vision health plan.
Quantitative assessments of patient quality of life are becoming increasingly important in the context of clinical trials. In addition to establishing benchmark score differences that are useful when interpreting study results, Minimal Important Differences (MIDs) inform discussions of clinically meaningful change in patient status.
U.S. Marshals, at the request of the Food and Drug Administration, today seized drug products manufactured by Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories Ltd. (Caraco), at the company"s Michigan facilities in Detroit, Farmington Hills, and Wixom. The seizure also includes ingredients held at these same facilities. "The FDA is committed to taking enforcement action against firms that do not manufacture drugs in accordance with our good manufacturing practice requirements," said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA"s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Compliance with these standards prevents harm to the public."
"Overseers of Massachusetts" trailblazing health care program made their first cuts recently, trimming $115 million, or 12 percent, from Commonwealth Care, which subsidizes premiums for needy residents and is the centerpiece of the 2006 law," according to the Boston Globe. The Connector Authority board made the cuts in response to two recession side effects: "the state budget crisis and a surge in enrollment by the recently unemployed." Commonwealth Care"s enrollment has increased in the last three months from 165,000 member to 177,000 members, and is projected to grow to 212,000 next year.
Ohio students who participate in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District"s comprehensive sex education program show more knowledge and better attitudes toward safer-sex practices than students who do not participate, according to a study released Tuesday by Philliber Research Associates, the AP/Dayton Daily News reports. The school district uses a graduated sex education program for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The program begins with instruction about the human body and inappropriate touching and progresses to discussions about sexually transmitted infections and relationships. The study, which was funded by the AIDS Funding Collaborative in Cleveland, found that more than 75% of parents of children in kindergarten through sixth grade approved of the program.The Collaborative for Comprehensive School Age Health, a coalition of northeast Ohio organizations that opposes abstinence-only sex education, said that the report validates the effectiveness of the city"s program. The study"s release coincides with advocates" efforts against two other sex education-related measures under consideration in the state budget plan. According to the AP/Daily News, the Republican-controlled state Senate wants to require the state Department of Education to apply for federal abstinence-only education funding. The state Senate also wants Ohio to continue to require legislative approval before any changes can be made in health education, although Gov. Ted Strickland (D) and the Democrat-controlled House want to change these requirements, the AP/Daily News reports (AP/Dayton Daily News, 6/23).
In a review in Science, a University of Rochester Medical Center researcher sorts out the controversy and promise around a dangerous subtype of cancer cells, known as cancer stem cells, which seem capable of resisting many modern treatments.
Scientists working at the Carnegie Institution"s Department of Embryology, with colleagues, have overturned previous research that identified critical genes for making muscle stem cells. It turns out that the genes that make muscle stem cells in the embryo are surprisingly not needed in adult muscle stem cells to regenerate muscles after injury. The finding challenges the current course of research into muscular dystrophy, muscle injury, and regenerative medicine, which uses stem cells for healing tissues, and it favours using age-matched stem cells for therapy. The study is published in the June 25 advance on-line edition of Nature.
The widely used antidepressant and pain medication amitriptyline--but not other closely related drugs -- can impersonate the brain"s own growth factors, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have shown.
Every 16 hours, give or take, the brain"s hippocampus makes six to nine thousand new neurons in the dentate gyrus, the portion of the brain which is believed to play a significant role in the preservation of episodic, or autobiographical, memory.
The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) is very disappointed with Wanda Sykes" comedic comments regarding kidney failure and Rush Limbaugh at the White House Correspondent Dinner over the weekend. While Ms. Sykes" comments were most likely made in a light-hearted manner, hundreds of thousands of kidney disease patients and their loved ones do not see kidney failure as a laughing matter. Nearly 400,000 Americans are receiving dialysis as a life saving treatment for kidney failure and 26 million Americans have been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), which means they are at risk for losing their kidney function. In addition, 20 million Americans are at risk for CKD and do not even know it.
"Eradicating global poverty starts with the health of the world"s poor," Bill Frist, former U.S. Senate Majority leader and currently a member of the Millennium Challenge Corporation"s (MCC) Board of Directors, writes in a Charlotte Observer opinion piece. "It starts with empowering them physically to contribute to the vitality of their countries," Frist says, which "makes as much good sense for the world"s poor as for our collective international economic growth."Frist says that Obama"s recent proposal of a six-year $63 billion global health initiative is "bold," and the "smart use of res improves the health of the world"s poorest and strengthens the global economic climate for us all." He writes that it"s important not to overlook "other factors that directly affect global health," such as roads and water and sanitation systems. He points to the U.S. government"s Millennium Challenge Corporation, which "takes a holistic approach to global health, laying the groundwork for poverty reduction and economic development.""By building healthier, hopeful, and productive communities, we build safer and more secure societies that can alleviate global poverty and contribute to global prosperity," Frist writes. "When communities are productive and thriving they don"t become breeding grounds for dangerous extremism" (Frist, Charlotte Observer, 5/14).
The Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) is extremely concerned about the length of time that it is taking to resolve the issues for the families of former patients at Gosport War Memorial Hospital.
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a highly contagious viral infection that can lead to paralysis, breathing problems, or even death. The term poliomyelitis is from the Greek poliÃös meaning "grey", myelÃös referencing the spinal cord, and -itis meaning inflammation.
Newly appointed IHS Director Yvette Roubideaux on Friday announced that American Indian tribes will receive $500 million as part of the $787 billion economic stimulus package to fund health care projects, the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports. According to the Press-Gazette, American Indian tribes frequently cite lack of adequate health care as a major issue on reservations. President Obama also included a $454 million increase for IHS programs in his 2010 budget proposal to address such barriers.The $500 million includes:
Understanding the molecular signals that guide early cells in the embryo to develop into different organs provides insight into ways that tissues regenerate and how stem cells can be used for new therapies. With regenerated cells, researchers hope to one day fill the acute shortage in pancreatic and liver tissue available for transplantation in cases of type I diabetes and acute liver failure.
The following summarizes selected women"s health-related blog entries.~ "Another Abortion Case Developing," Lyle Denniston, SCOTUSblog: The decision by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit to uphold Virginia"s 2003 law banning what abortion-rights opponents call "partial-birth" abortion -- known medically as intact dilation and extraction -- could send a new abortion-rights case to the U.S. Supreme Court, Denniston writes. He continues that if the case, Richmond Medical Center v. Herring, is appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, it could be a "sequel" to the court"s 2007 ruling in Gonzales v. Carhart, which upheld a federal ban on the procedure. Denniston notes that the 4th Circuit Court panel twice struck down the Virginia law. A "key factor" in those rulings was that the state law "differs in some significant respects from the federal ban," he writes. Denniston continues that the full appeals court in its opinion said that the Virginia law "is "somewhat different" from the federal ban, but still "provides sufficient clarity as to what conduct is prohibited to enable a doctor of reasonable intelligence to avoid criminal liability under it."" According to Denniston, "The most significant difference between the Virginia ban and the federal ban is that, under the Virginia law, a doctor who intends to perform an abortion that does not violate the law, but the fetus accidentally is delivered intact to a significant degree, and if the mother"s life is not at stake, the doctor has committed a crime" (Denniston, SCOTUSblog, 6/24).~ "More Restrictive Law on Late-Term Abortions Comes to Germany," Anna Wilkowska-Landowska, RH Reality Check: Pregnant German women seeking abortions after the first trimester of pregnancy "will face stringent consultations and will be required to undergo a waiting period of at least three days before a physician can make a final decision allowing the abortion" under a new German law, Wilkowska-Landowska writes. According to a 1995 German law, an abortion performed during the first three months of pregnancy is considered an unlawful act but not a punishable offense if a pregnant woman first visits a counseling center, though the woman is not required to give a reason for seeking the procedure. German law allows abortion after 20 weeks" gestation if there is a risk to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman. In May, the lower house of the German parliament enacted a law requiring women seeking the procedure after the first trimester to wait at least three days before a physician can make the decision to perform an abortion. Women also must undergo a psychological evaluation. In addition, parliamentarians voted to increase "consultations and support for families with handicapped children considering termination," Wilkowska-Landowska writes. She continues that the medical and psychological consultation requirements are aimed at reducing the number of abortions performed after the first trimester. According to Wilkowska-Landowska, church representatives and lawmakers began discussions on the issue in 2005,when it was reported that the number of abortions performed later in pregnancy were increasing (Wilkowska-Landowska, RH Reality Check, 6/25).~ "Jon Stewart and Mike Huckabee on Abortion," Jim Wallis, Sojourners" "God"s Politics": Wallis writes that he was surprised to see that The Daily Show handled a discussion on abortion between host Jon Stewart and former Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee with such "nuance and respect" for the topic. According to Wallis, although Stewart and Huckabee "didn"t solve the issue, ... the depth of their dialogue and their respect for the other"s core values and opinions was clear." Wallis writes they "never quite reached common ground, but their dialogue was a great example of the type of civil discourse our country needs to be engaged in." Wallis also includes video clips of the interview (Wallis, "God"s Politics," Sojourners, 6/24).~ "George Tiller: Health Care P
Some senators on the Finance Committee said Thursday they"ve moved closer to cutting their health reform bill"s cost to under $1 trillion.
NPR began a series of reports on the health care lobbyists who attend Congressional sessions as part of their campaign. Richard Miller, a "longtime lobbyist for the American Chiropractic Association, says it"s important that the chiropractors keep on top of the health care overhaul legislation - and also take pains to make sure that senators and staff see them doing that, because the chiropractors are small dogs in a big fight." President Barack Obama "certainly sees Washington"s lobbyists as an obstacle to change. He"s tried limiting their access to the executive branch, but that runs into the constitutional question." Lobbying is on the rise: "Between 1998 and 2008, the number of registered lobbyists on health care more than doubled, to 3,627, according to the Center for Responsive Politics." Spending also increased: "Organizations lobbying on health care spent $484.4 million in 2008, more than two and a half times the spending in 1998." The project includes an interactive panoramic photo of lobbyists in the Senate HELP Committee hearing room and asks readers to help identify the players (Overby and Seabrook, 6/25).
In malaria-endemic areas, vitamin A supplements - which cost about 2 U.S. cents each - can help reduce infections in children by one-third, according to a study published in the Malaria Journal, IRIN reports. The study analyzed results from previous studies conducted in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Papua New Guinea since 1995. It found that vitamin A supplements decreased malaria cases by one-third in Papua New Guinea and Burkina Faso.
The Miami-Dade County Department of Health on Thursday launched a campaign called "Test Miami,"" which is designed to educate physicians, at-risk communities and pregnant women on the importance of routine HIV testing, the Miami Herald reports. ""A major emphasis of the campaign is to train and educate physicians, particularly in hospitals and other medical facilities,"" Evelyn Ullah, director of the Office of HIV and AIDS in Miami, said. As part of the campaign, over the next year, four area physicians will appear in advertisements and speak at forums to encourage medical providers to offer routine HIV testing. Florida is one of the states hardest hit by HIV/AIDS (Montes-Delgado, Miami Herald, 6/26). Separately, nonprofit groups and public health departments in Southwest Florida are offering free HIV testing as part of National HIV Testing Day (Freeman, Naples Daily News, 6/25).
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.
Because tobacco use impairs military readiness, harms the health of soldiers and veterans, and imposes a substantial financial burden on the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, these agencies should implement a comprehensive strategy to achieve the Defense Department"s stated goal of a tobacco-free military, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. DOD should gradually phase in a ban on tobacco use in the military, starting at military academies and officer training programs and among new recruits, the report says. DOD should also stop selling tobacco products in Army and Air Force commissaries -- Navy and Marine Corps commissaries already do not sell them -- and should stop selling them at a discount in military exchanges and other stores. In addition, Congress should allow VA to establish tobacco-free medical centers.
A signal molecule made by the human body that triggers the immune system into action may be important in rheumatoid arthritis, according to new research published in Nature Medicine. The authors of the study, from Imperial College London, say that if scientists could block this signal, it may be possible to develop more effective arthritis treatments.
The menopause marks the time in a woman"s life when her menstruation stops and she is no longer fertile (able to become pregnant). In the UK the average age for the menopause is 52 (National Health Service), while in the USA it is 51 (National Institute of Aging). About one fifth of women in India experience menopause before the age of 41, a study found. The menopause is a normal part of like - it is a milestone, just like puberty - it is not a disease or a condition. Even though it is the time of the woman"s last period symptoms may begin many years earlier. Some women may experience symptoms for months or years afterwards.
In one of the most field-intensive efforts to explore the connection between malaria and tropical deforestation, a team led by Jonathan Patz, a specialist in the link between environment and health at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has established a strong correlation between the extent of forest destruction and the incidence of the Amazon"s most dangerous malaria vector, the mosquito Anopheles darlingi.
The American Public Health Association (APHA) applauds the House for today passing a comprehensive climate change bill that includes important provisions to protect the health of the public.
Doctors will have greater clarity around releasing a patient"s full medical notes to insurance companies after the Privacy Commissioner concluded that the law allows insurers to collect only the information that they need to make insurance decisions.
Athletes of any age, active boomers and do-it-yourselfers can finally find real, natural relief from sore, tired muscles. Hyland"s, Inc., a leading provider of natural over-the-counter medicines, announces the launch of the new Hyland"s Muscle Therapy™ product line, an arnica-based medication line that includes Arnica 30X, Muscle Therapy Gel with Arnica and Muscle Therapy Strips with Arnica. This product line is now available in natural food retailers and select food, drug, and mass retailers nationwide.
Over the last five days, the Middlesex-London Health Unit has received reports of three children with E. coli O157:H7. To receive three laboratory confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 in such a short timeframe is unusual. In two of these cases, the common food consumed was kofta (spiced ground beef) purchased on June 14 and 15 from the Westmount Halal Food Store located at 490 Wonderland Road South. The of the third child"s infection is currently unknown. This child"s family also eats halal food but did not purchase any food from the Westmount Halal Food Store.
Diabetes UK has just reached the 1,000 follower mark on Twitter, the social networking and micro-blogging site that allows its users to send and receive each other"s updates, or "tweets".
IDF, WHF and UICC join forces
A discovery by scientists at deCODE genetics (Nasdaq: DCGN) and academic colleagues from Iceland, the Netherlands and Denmark has pointed to a common biological mechanism contributing to both kidney stones and decreased bone mineral density (BMD). About 60% of the population carry two copies of a single-letter variation in the human genome (SNP) on chromosome 21, putting them at roughly 65% greater likelihood of developing kidney stones than those who carry no copies. This single variant may thus account for more than a quarter of the incidence of kidney stones, and in women carriers it is also associated with decreased BMD at the hip and spine.
Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School, along with collaborators from research institutions across Europe and the United States, have for the first time identified two genes that are involved in determining when girls begin menstruation. The work will be published in Nature Genetics this weekend.
UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers are conducting two pilot clinical trials to determine whether a single, early dose of estrogen can improve survival and neurological outcomes after severe traumatic brain injury or traumatic hemorrhagic shock.
An article published Online First and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet reports the findings of the INSPIRE trial on treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) with interferon gamma-1b (Ifn-g1b). It is written by Professor Talmadge E King Jr, of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), USA and his team. Results show no improvement in survival compared with placebo. There is no effective treatment for IPF which is a fatal disease.
Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer, diagnosed in more than 50,000 new patients in the United States annually. While the rate of incidences continues to rise, survival rate has not improved and the race is on to find the genetic and cellular changes driving melanoma and to devise new means of detection and treatment. In a study published online in Genome Research, scientists have mapped chemical modifications of DNA in the melanoma genome, finding new markers that will help develop more effective treatment strategies to fight this disease.
Antares Pharma, Inc. (NYSE Amex: AIS) and the Population Council announced preliminary positive results from the Phase 2 trial for a novel contraceptive gel containing the progestin Nestorone and the bio-identical estrogen estradiol (NES/E2) utilizing the Antares ATD (advanced transdermal delivery) gel system.
Black gay men have less choice when it comes to sexual partners than other groups and, as a result, their sexual networks are closely knit. These tightly interconnected networks make the rapid spread of HIV more likely. In a study1) looking at social and sexual mixing between ethnic groups in men who have sex with men, H. Fisher Raymond and Willi McFarland, from the San Francisco Department of Public Health in the US, show that social barriers faced by Black gay men may have a serious impact on their health and well-being. Their findings are published in Springer"s journal AIDS and Behavior.
The high-intensity training undertaken by triathletes has a significant impact on the quality of their sperm, the 25th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard 29 June. Professor Diana Vaamonde, from the University of Cordoba Medical School, Cordoba, Spain, said that the triathletes who did the most cycling training had the worst sperm morphology.
The White House remains open to taxing some health benefits to help pay for health care reform despite campaigning against the move last year, The Washington Post reports.
A long-term care program could produce some needed dollars, at least in the short range, CQ Politics reports: "A new insurance program for long-term care that Democrats have included in a Senate health overhaul bill would produce about $58 billion in revenue for the government over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office, helping to offset the cost of the legislation. Democrats acknowledge that spending in the long-term care program would increase after 10 years and that it likely would not remain a very profitable enterprise for the government. It is even possible, they say, that the program could become insolvent; in that case, the secretary of Health and Human Services would be authorized to close its enrollment. "The CBO says that premiums would have to rise significantly higher than Democrats have assumed for the program to remain financially sound."
"Major medical organizations are urging health committees in the House and Senate to make comparative-effectiveness research a key component of healthcare reform," Modern HealthCare reports. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee"s bill "plans for a new federal center on health outcomes research was seen by some GOP members as a possible means to ration healthcare." But "a letter, co-signed by the American Medical Association and more than 60 other groups, countered that comparative-effectiveness research would not lead to "cookbook" medicine or rationing of expensive forms of care" (Lubell, 6/26).
A new report finds that "a growing global trade in black market cigarettes is killing tens of thousands of people a year, causing massive health problems and costing governments billions of pounds," the Guardian reports.
Registered nurses and hospital employees will hold a patient care vigil Tuesday night, at UC Irvine Medical Center (UCIMC), to protest the administration"s retaliatory actions against Ethel Mark, an RN who has worked in the hospital"s cardiac care unit for the last seven years as a model patient advocate. Ms. Mark was informed that she could expect to be terminated by the beginning of July.
A Chinese scientist group working in College of Life Science, Zhejiang University, has shown that, as mammalian Igf2 CpG island, goldfish Igf2 CpG island has a parental differentially methylated region (DMR). These results indicate that the evolutionary foundation of genomic imprinting exists in lower vertebrates and genomic imprinting should not be considered as a unique evolutionary event of mammals. The study is reported in volume 54 (Issue 8, April, 2009) of Chinese Science Bulletin.
Between the 1932 and 2008 Olympic Games, world record times of the men"s 100m sprint improved by 0.6 seconds due to improved training techniques and technological advances. Imagine if this improvement could be achieved by a simple change in diet. Scientists at the Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology in Austria have managed to achieve an equivalent feat in mice fed on a diet high in polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Responding to the publication of High Quality Care for All, Our journey so far, Professor Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians, said
The UK spends around ÷£2.5 billion each year on dental materials to replace or strengthen teeth*. The Chewing Robot is a new biologically inspired way to test dental materials and it will be shown to the public for the first time at this year"s Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition [30 June to 4 July].
Interest and concern about possible health threats posed by endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is on the rise, yet there is currently no comprehensive coordinated approach to regulating EDCs in the United States. To address this emerging public health issue, The Endocrine Society today released a new position statement outlining the public health concerns of exposure to EDCs and proposing a series of recommendations for revising current policy and generating new policy on EDCs.
"Epidemiology is always important and topical, though sometimes unsung," says Professor Johan Giesecke, Chief Scientist at ECDC, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, "but the third applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology Conference in Stockholm in October this year will be an opportunity to put Epidemiology and infectious disease prevention and control into the spotlight; delegates will have the opportunity to discuss and share information on current and emerging infectious diseases, including influenza A (H1N1)v. The call for abstracts closes on July 3rd so there is no time to lose."
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it has found E. coli O157:H7 (a bacterium that can cause serious food borne illness) in a sample of prepackaged Nestlç© Toll House refrigerated cookie dough currently under recall by the manufacturer and marketer, Nestlç© USA. The contaminated sample was collected at Nestlç©"s facility in Danville, Va. on June 25, 2009.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the administration will rescind all or part of three Medicaid regulations that were previously issued and delay the enforcement of a fourth regulation. Each of these rules, in whole or in part, had been subject to Congressional moratoria set to expire on July 1, 2009.
To be properly diagnosed, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), the leading cause of childhood blindness in the United States and worldwide, requires a time intensive process and significant coordination between ophthalmologist and NICU staff. A recent study examining ROP diagnosis speed using indirect ophthalmoscopy versus telemedicine, remote medical consultation, is featured in the July issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology, published by Elsevier.
Some people who take the fast-acting sleep-aid zolpidem (Ambien) have been observed walking, eating, talking on the phone and even driving while not fully awake. Many often don"t remember doing any of these activities the next morning. Similarly, this drug has been shown to awaken the minimally conscious into a conscious state. A new study by Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) researchers may help explain why these "awakenings" occur.
Visitors can see how their stress levels could affect the heart rate of their unborn baby and find out why pregnant women should reduce their anxiety, at a new exhibit at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, which opens today (30 June 2009).
New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine finds that aerobic activity may keep the brain young.
Polyp detection rates at screening colonoscopy; EUS-based criteria for the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis
Adult-child conversations have a more significant impact on language development than exposing children to language through one-on-one reading alone, according to a new study in the July issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
A team of experts in biomechanics and physiology that conducted experiments on Oscar Pistorius, the South African bilateral amputee track athlete, have just published their findings in the Journal of Applied Physiology. Some of their previously confidential findings were presented to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland in May of 2008. Other findings are now being released for the first time.
Despite results which show patients are very happy with access to their GP, this year"s patient survey will result in millions of pounds being lost to general practice, potentially damaging attempts to improve GP access, the BMA said yesterday (Tuesday 30 June 2009). This year"s patient access survey results published today found nine in ten (91%) of patients were satisfied with the care they received at their surgery, nearly 17 out of 20 (84%) could get an appointment within 48 hours, and three quarters (76%) were able to book an advanced appointment. It is not possible to compare this year"s results with previous years" because the wording of the questions has changed.
PROLOR Biotech, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: PBTH), formerly Modigene Inc., announced that the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has issued two new patents for the company"s long-acting CTP-enhanced human growth hormone (hGH-CTP) and human erythropoietin (EPO-CTP). The patents cover the composition of PROLOR"s proprietary pharmaceutical compounds as well as certain associated methods. PROLOR"s CTP technology is based on a short amino acid sequence, the Carboxyl Terminal Peptide that occurs naturally in humans. When attached to a therapeutic protein, CTP extends the time that the protein is active in the body.
Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc. presented the results of a secondary analysis to determine the response rates to three doses of transdermal Divigel(R) (estradiol gel) 0.1 percent at the recent 57th Annual Clinical Meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) in Chicago. The objectives of this secondary analysis of a phase III efficacy trial were to determine the percent of postmenopausal women who achieved a greater than 50 percent reduction in the frequency of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms (MSVMS), or hot flashes, and to assess the change from baseline in a quality of life (Kupperman) index score that evaluated various menopausal symptoms. Divigel(R) doses studied included 1.0 mg, 0.5 mg and 0.25 mg of estradiol/day - the lowest effective approved dose of estradiol available for the treatment of MSVMS. The analysis showed a significantly greater percentage of women in all treatment groups versus placebo experienced > / = 50 percent reduction in the frequency of MSVMS at week 12. In the Divigel(R) 1.0 mg estradiol/day dosing group, 90 percent of women reported at least a 50 percent reduction in the frequency of MSVMS. Additionally, at 12 weeks, each of the doses of Divigel(R) significantly reduced the severity of menopausal symptoms identified by a quality of life index score compared to placebo.
Being given enough time with a GP and feeling that their problems are taken seriously are the most important factor in patients" satisfaction with their local surgery, according to new data out today. The GP Patient Survey, the biggest healthcare survey of its kind, found that overall satisfaction with surgeries was high at 91%, but there is still room for improvement in accessing GP services, especially getting through on the phone and being able to make appointments more than 48 hours in advance.
Abraxis BioScience, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABII), an integrated biotechnology company, announced the listing of ABRAXANE® for Injectable Suspension (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) (albumin-bound) 100 mg in Quebec for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer with a recommendation from the Quebec Conseil du Mç©dicament and approval from the Quebec Ministry of Health. ABRAXANE is approved and commercially available in Canada for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer, including first-line disease. The listing of ABRAXANE in Quebec offers an important new treatment option to Quebec women with advanced breast cancer.
The National Chlamydia Coalition is partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to increase public awareness and screening efforts for chlamydia, the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S., the Wall Street Journal reports. According to CDC, there were 1.1 million recorded cases of chlamydia in 2007, although experts estimate that there are twice as many cases that are not detected largely because the infection often causes few symptoms and many people go unscreened. The infection is three times more common in women than men, which experts say could be because men eliminate it from their bodies more readily than women. Chlamydia is treatable with a single dose of antibiotics, but if left untreated, it can lead to infertility or increased risk for ectopic pregnancies in women.CDC recommends that all sexually active women younger than age 26 be tested annually for the infection, as well as older women who have had a change of sexual partners. However, fewer than 40% of women in those groups are tested, the Journal reports. Chlamydia is particularly prevalent in women ages 15 to 19 and blacks, although sample studies have shown nearly 10% of all female Army recruits, 10% of female college freshmen and 14% of women in managed care plans are infected with chlamydia.Despite its prevalence, chlamydia is one of the least known STIs, which has compounded the difficulty of promoting screening efforts, the Journal reports. It causes few symptoms, and many people are unaware they were exposed to it. According to the Journal, many patients do not ask to be screened for the disease because the few symptoms it causes -- such as bleeding between periods, occasional vaginal discharge, pain during intercourse, pelvic pain in women, and burning upon urination in men -- are common to many conditions. While most screening efforts aim to identify active cases in younger women, there is a serious risk of infertility to older women who were exposed to the bacteria when they were younger, the Journal reports.According to the Journal, the chlamydia bacteria can move to a woman"s upper genital tract and set off pelvic inflammatory disease, which often leaves inflammation and scar tissue that obstructs a woman"s fallopian tubes and fertilization. PID is the most common cause of ectopic pregnancy and can cause endometriosis, a condition in which small portions of the uterine lining tissue grow outside the uterus, which can cause infertility and pain. Miklos Toth, a New York City-based ob-gyn, said, "It"s not the infection itself but the body"s response to get rid of the bacteria that causes scarring. And even if just some fragments of the bacteria remain, the immune system thinks an active infection is still present."According to the Journal, about 25% of women treated for chlamydia are re-infected within six months likely because of a partner who was not treated. CDC recommends that doctors prescribe a second course of antibiotics for partners of people with the infection. However, many doctors do not screen for or discuss chlamydia during office visits with their patients, especially pediatricians who may be uncomfortable discussing sexual activity with their younger patients, the Journal reports. Lynn Barclay, president of the American Social Health Association, said, "A lot of health care providers aren"t making the connection when they are dealing with adolescents. But to pretend that teenagers aren"t having sex is very dangerous."The Journal reports that the issue of how minors can pay for chlamydia testing can also create barriers. All 50 states allow minors to be tested and treated for STIs without parental consent. However, if a minor"s health insurance is provided by his or her parents, a lab fee listed on an explanation of benefits report for the testing could be considered a breach of confidentiality. Although some doctors suggest that minors pay the $40 to $90 cost for the test in cash, many refer younger patients to STI or family planning clinics that offer low- or no-cost testing. The Jour
Two recent advancements in ovarian transplant techniques could potentially expand the availability of the procedure for women seeking to avoid fertility problems as they age, researchers reported Monday at a meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, the AP/Yahoo! News reports. According to the AP/Yahoo! News, ovary transplants traditionally have been performed on women with cancer as a method of preserving fertility after chemotherapy or other treatments that can affect the reproductive system. The procedure involves removing the ovaries before treatment and re-implanting them after treatment is complete. Because only a handful of these procedures have been successful, ovarian transplants have been an option only for women with serious diseases. However, as more women delay having children until their 30s or 40s, researchers say the new techniques, in theory, could make it simpler for healthy younger women to have an ovary removed, frozen and then re-implanted later in life when they are ready to have children.The first study examined how many eggs were lost or preserved in fresh and frozen ovarian tissue of 15 young women prior to the start of cancer treatment. According to the study, there was no difference in the quantity of eggs in the fresh tissue and in the ovaries frozen using a new ultra-fast technique. The study found that about 50% of a woman"s eggs were lost using the traditional, slow-freezing methods of preserving the ovaries.The second study reported on a new surgical technique to restore an ovary"s function after transplantation. For the study, Pascal Piver of Limoges University Hospital and colleagues divided the transplant process into two separate procedures in an attempt to more quickly re-establish blood and hormone supplies to the ovary. In the first procedure, the researchers performed a graft of small pieces of ovarian tissue to prompt blood vessels to grow. They performed the ovary transplant three days later. The technique was successful in a woman who lost fertility because of treatment for sickle cell anemia.Sherman Silber, director of the St. Louis Infertility Center in Missouri and a researcher for the first study, said the new techniques "could dramatically expand our reproductive life span." He added, "This is not an experimental procedure for cancer patients anymore. The question is whether more women should be able to have this option" (Cheng, AP/Yahoo! News, 6/29).
A 12-year study that followed over 60,000 Britons, half of whom were vegetarian, suggests that vegetarians had a lower risk of developing
"Much of the TV advertising on health care so far has focused on the controversial public, or government-run insurance program that Democrats say would compete with private insurers and Republicans say would drive them out of business," but the Laborers" International Union of North America "will begin airing ads in two states Tuesday that deal with an equally explosive issue: Taxing health benefits," USA Today reports. The union will "run the ads at least through Thursday in North Dakota and Montana," home states of "the two most important senators on the issue, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D." The ads reveal the "fine line labor is walking" on health care: "The ads first praise Congress for taking up the health care debate but then criticize an idea that could be included in one draft of the legislation to tax health care premiums" (Fritze, 6/29).
Dr. Gary D. Kao testified Monday about botched prostate cancer treatment he gave to patients at a Veterans Affairs hospital run by the University of Pennsylvania. The New York Times reports: "The radiation oncologist whom regulators accuse of mishandling scores of radioactive seed implants at the Philadelphia veterans" hospital told a Congressional panel on Monday that while he "could have done better" with some implants, his patients over all received effective treatment for their prostrate cancer."
"Only 26 percent of likely voters in Massachusetts believe health care reform has been a success and just 21 percent believe reform has made health care more affordable, according to newly released poll results," The State House News Service/Boston Herald reports. "The Rasmussen Reports poll of 500 likely Massachusetts voters, taken in April, also found only 10 percent said the quality of health care is getting better under the reform law rules here." "The poll was taken before talks stirred in Washington about a national health care reform push and before a wave of news in Massachusetts about difficulty affording the coverage expansions authorized under the 2006 reform law" (6/29).
Oxfam Calls On G8 Leaders To Increase Agriculture Investment In Developing Countries
Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca is considering expanding an eight-year-old program at Men"s Central Jail that distributes condoms in a unit for gay men, the Los Angeles Times reports. Under the program, an outreach worker from the nonprofit Center for Health Justice visits the jail once weekly to distribute about one condom per inmate to the unit"s 300 inmates. Baca is considering doubling the number of condoms being distributed. Sheriff Department officials acknowledge that HIV is a problem in county jails and spend about $2 million annually on HIV/AIDS medication and identify about 65 new cases of HIV each month, according to the Times. Steve Whitmore, a spokesperson for the Sheriff"s Department, said, "Sex in jails is against the law, but there is a public health issue that needs to be considered." A separate condom distribution program is being piloted at the California State Prison at Solano (Bloomekatz, Los Angeles Times 6/29).
The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) warmly congratulated Rosemary Bryant - Australia"s Chief Nursing and Midwifery officer - on her appointment as President of the International Council of Nurses (ICN).
An unusual study at the Department of Surgery at Heidelberg University Hospital examined for the first time whether the incision technique used in major abdominal surgery had an effect on the results. Neither physician nor patient knew what kind of incision had been made. The study of 200 patients showed that pain perception and the healing process were unrelated to the technique used to open the abdominal cavity. Complications were also just as frequent, except for wound infections, which were more frequent for transverse incisions, possibly due to circulatory problems. The surgeons in Heidelberg thus recommend that the surgeon make an individual, case-by-case decision on the incision technique.
Transcriptomic tests have uncovered the protein composition of venom from the Scorpiops jendeki scorpion. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Genomics have carried out the first ever venom analysis in this arachnid, and discovered nine novel poison molecules, never before seen in any scorpion species.
An observer feels more empathy for someone in pain when that person is in the same social group, according to new research in the July 1 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The study shows that perceiving others in pain activates a part of the brain associated with empathy and emotion more if the observer and the observed are the same race. The findings may show that unconscious prejudices against outside groups exist at a basic level.
Each year in this country, one of every three people over age 65 suffers a fall, resulting in nearly 16,000 deaths. The federal government estimates that 1.8 million older adults who fall are treated each year in hospital emergency rooms for nonfatal injuries - including bruises, fractures and head trauma - and that 433,000 of those individuals need to be hospitalized because of their injuries. Research published this month in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society has found that a significant number of those falls - an average of 129 per day - involve the use of walkers and canes, the very devices on which millions rely to help them avoid the dangers posed by falling.
The potential of forest biotechnology to help address significant social and environmental issues is being "strangled at birth" by the rigid opposition of some groups and regulations that effectively preclude even the testing of genetically modified trees, scientists argue in a new report.
The Health and Safety Executive has warned of the danger of not maintaining plant equipment after the death of a telescopic forklift truck driver, who was crushed between the descending arm and side of his vehicle.
Treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents is recognized as a risk factor for tuberculosis (TB) in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn"s disease, psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis. Most TB cases develop as a result of reactivation of a latent TB infection, and health authorities worldwide recommend screening for latent TB and treating patients before initiating anti-TNF treatment. A new study examined cases of TB associated with anti-TNF therapy and found that the risk of TB is higher for patients receiving anti-TNF monoclonal antibody therapy (infliximab or adalimumab) than for those receiving soluble TNF receptor therapy (etanercept). The study is published in the July issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
The potential role of periodontitis, an inflammatory disease of the gums, in the risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly ischemic stroke, has received growing attention during the last decade. A new study is the first prospective cohort study to use clinical measures of periodontitis to evaluate the association between this disease and the risk of cerebrovascular disease. The study is published in Annals of Neurology, the official journal of the American Neurological Association
Tomorrow"s Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting is a crucial opportunity to focus on achieving concrete long-term health improvements for Indigenous people, the AMA said.
Pfizer Inc announced the discontinuation of the SUN 1122 Phase 3 trial that evaluated Sutent® (sunitinib malate) plus FOLFIRI (irinotecan plus infusional 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin) versus FOLFIRI alone for the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). The independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) found that the addition of sunitinib to the chemotherapy regimen FOLFIRI would be unable to demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in the primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) compared to FOLFIRI alone, in this study. No new safety issues were identified.
Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPHM) today announced that it has been awarded a European patent for a novel device and methods for linking biological agents to labels for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The technology, which is known as In-Line labeling, was developed for the production of radiolabeled anti-cancer antibodies, but is applicable to other agents as well. A study published today in the July 2009 issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine confirms that In-Line labeling can dramatically reduce the complexity and cost of producing radiolabeled cancer drugs(1). In-Line labeling is already being used for the production of Peregrine"s radiolabeled antibody Cotara(R), currently in Phase II trials for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme, a deadly form of brain cancer.
Diabetics undergoing total joint replacement often are at a higher risk of experiencing complications after surgery due to various pre-existing health conditions. According to a new study published in the July 2009 issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS), those complications are less likely to occur when a diabetic patient has glucose levels under control.
Today, during a Westminster Hall debate on the Archer Inquiry into the infection of nearly 5,000 haemophiliacs with HIV and Hepatitis C through NHS blood products, Jenny Willott, Liberal Democrat MP for Cardiff Central, revealed evidence to show that the department"s reasons for offering fair compensation to those infected is inaccurate and unjustified.
On June 11, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
HIV-Positive Babies More Likely To Contract Deadly TB If Given BCG
The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously voted to uphold Al Franken"s (D) win in the 2008 U.S. Senate election in Minnesota, effectively clearing the way for Franken to become the state"s newest senator, the Wall Street Journal reports. His election gives Democrats in the Senate a 60-vote supermajority, which could help the party pass health care reform legislation, according to the Journal. Following the ruling, opponent Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) conceded the election, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) said that he would certify the result Tuesday.Franken is expected to be seated next week. He will join the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he will vote on the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which is completing its draft of health care reform legislation (Bendavid/Hitt, Wall Street Journal, 7/1).
There is growing evidence that a procedure for identifying chromosomal abnormalities in embryos prior to in vitro fertilization is ineffective at helping older women become pregnant, the Wall Street Journal reports. The procedure -- known as pre-implantation genetic screening, or PGS -- is performed in dozen of U.S. fertility clinics and sometimes marketed to older women as a way to increase the odds of a healthy live birth. PGS involves extracting a single cell from a six-cell embryo and inspecting it for chromosomal abnormalities known as aneuploidies; unaffected embryos can then be implanted through IVF. Women older than age 35 have a higher risk of aneuploidies, in which embryos have fewer or more than the usual number of 23 pairs of chromosomes. Aneuploidies can trigger early miscarriage or certain genetics conditions, such as Down syndrome. Most medical experts agree that embryo screening is capable of significantly reducing the risk of Down syndrome and other serious chromosome-related illnesses. However, evidence from several studies increasingly suggests that the procedure does not increase older women"s chances of healthy live births. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine released an initial opinion about PGS in 2007, saying that available evidence does not support the use of embryo screening to increase live birth rates in older women. Andrew La Barbera, scientific director of the society, said, "Since that time, there have been several more trials that have reached the same conclusion." Another shortcoming is that most clinics can only test for fewer than half of the 23 chromosomes, meaning that many defects can go undetected. However, medical experts say that the use of PGS has increased in the two years since ASRM issued its recommendations. According to the Journal, PGS can add more than $2,000 to the roughly $10,000 cost of one IVF cycle. Very few health insurers cover PGS, though some pay for IVF. Some experts contend that studies showing a lack of clinical benefit from PGS do not use more efficient biopsy techniques that can prevent damage to the embryo. Santiago Munne, scientific director for Reprogenetics, said that the treatment is "effective." In a 2007 study, Munne and colleagues used PGS to reduce the rate at which patients miscarried. However, the chances of a woman getting pregnant largely were unchanged, which the authors said could be attributed to the small number of study participants (Naik, Wall Street Journal, 6/1).
"Domestic violence is a serious law enforcement and public health problem affecting as many as one in four women in this country," but "Washington has devoted too little attention to reducing domestic violence and sexual assaults generally," a New York Times editorial states. The editorial continues, "We welcome President Obama"s decision to create a new post, White House adviser on violence against women, and his appointment" of former National Network To End Domestic Violence Executive Director Lynn Rosenthal, "a seasoned advocate for victims to fill it." According to the editorial, Rosenthal will report to Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, "whose keen interest in the issue dates from his days in the Senate and his key role in enacting the 1994 Violence Against Women Act." The "challenge" facing Rosenthal and the Obama administration "will be to improve the carrying out of existing laws intended to protect women, starting with better coordination of the activities of all the government bureaucracies involved," including the Department of Justice, HHS and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the editorial states. It notes that a national survey of domestic violence shelters released in May found "a significant increase in the number of women seeking assistance since last fall, a rise largely attributable to the stresses of the economic crisis and rising unemployment." The editorial recommends that states create more emergency shelters, establish more transitional housing for "people fleeing violent situations" and "do more to help these victims rebuild their lives." Rosenthal "will need to tackle bureaucratic and legal hurdles and find more money to help states, localities and charitable groups address those needs," the editorial states. In addition, Rosenthal must "help end the scandal of the thousands of rape kits sitting untested in crime labs and police storage facilities across the country, allowing countless criminals to escape punishment." The editorial concludes, "All of this will require strong and creative leadership" from Rosenthal, Biden and Obama (New York Times, 7/1).
As the White House declines direct comment on pending health care reform bills in Congress, President Obama is readying his message ahead of his second town hall meeting in as many weeks, Roll Call reports.
"Labor unions are showing their increasing displeasure over [health reform] financing proposals that target their healthcare benefits by launching attack ads against key lawmakers, causing the Senate"s leading advocate of taxing such benefits to seek an end to one especially aggressive campaign," Congress Daily reports. The Laborers" International Union of North America pulled an ad in Montana attacking Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus at the senator"s request, and after he asked to meet with the union"s president to discuss proposals (Dann, 6/30).
Community pharmacies are urged to register to participate in Phase 2 of the Dose Administration Aids
Medicaid receives increased attention while an underused, special monthly pension benefit called Aid and Attendance can help veterans, and spouses, with assisted living.
Tiffany Niemoller, a 5th year MD/PhD student at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans Schools of Medicine and Graduate Studies, has been awarded a grant in the amount of $148,480 over four years by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health. A training grant for individual predoctoral students, the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award is an individual fellowship (F30) is given to "promising applicants with the potential to become productive, independent, highly trained physician-scientists." It is a very competitive grant. The project is being supported with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Start, a lifestyle-changing fitness program at the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine, currently is enrolling adults over age 40 for its summer session. Beginning July 18, sports medicine professionals will guide participants through fitness and education sessions twice weekly for three months, preparing them to run or walk the 5K portion of the Richard S. Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race on Sept. 27.
Kuldev Singh, MD, MPH, Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of the Glaucoma Service at the Stanford University School of Medicine, was elected to Chair the Board of the Glaucoma Research Foundation at the Board of Directors Annual Meeting held April 29. The Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF) is America"s oldest national institution dedicated solely to preventing vision loss from glaucoma.
WHAT: Food prices rose by 5.5 percent in the past year and are expected to increase up to an additional 4 percent in 2009. Americans are seeking to get the most out of their dollar, and since together, dairy foods provide a unique package of nine essential nutrients, they are a nutritional bang for the buck.
Tooth-colored fillings may be more attractive than silver ones, but the bonds between the white filling and the tooth quickly age and degrade. A Medical College of Georgia researcher hopes a new nanotechnology technique will extend the fillings" longevity.
Liver transplantation offers a good chance for survival for patients with drug induced acute liver failure, however, certain pre-transplant factors are associated with worse outcomes. Patients who are on life support, who have elevated serum creatinine, and children whose liver failure was caused by antiepileptic drugs did not fare as well after transplantation. These findings are in the July issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons. The article is also available online at Wiley Interscience.
HCL plc, the UK"s largest health and social care recruitment agency, said the Government"s proposals to reform the NHS by devolving power to frontline professionals and patients will mean a greater need for flexible staffing and more collaboration between the public and private sectors.
An additional 30 million bed nets, the development of life-saving new treatments and new funding to increase access to anti-malarial drugs are announced today in a package of measures by International Development Secretary, Douglas Alexander, as the UK continues its fight to rid the world of malaria.
Dartmouth researchers have determined that movie characters who smoke, regardless of whether they are "good guys" or "bad guys," influence teens to try smoking. The study, published in the July 2009 issue of the journal Pediatrics, is titled "Adolescent Smoking: Who Matters More, Good Guys or Bad Guys?"
Cancer experts at Johns Hopkins say a study tracking 774 prostate cancer patients for a median of eight years has shown that a three-way combination of measurements has the best chance yet of predicting disease metastasis.
The largest study to date of endometriosis in pregnant women has found that the condition is a major risk factor for premature birth, the 25th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard. Dr. Henrik Falconer, of the Department of Woman and Child Health, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, said that his team had found that women with endometriosis also had a higher risk of other pregnancy complications, as well as being more likely to give birth through Caesarean section. The research is published on-line in the journal Human Reproduction*.
Treatment with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for eight weeks induces acid-related symptoms like heartburn, acid regurgitation and dyspepsia once treatment is withdrawn in healthy individuals, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.
Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation (TSX:TKM) announced that it has initiated a Phase 1 human clinical trial for ApoB SNALP. ApoB SNALP, Tekmira"s lead RNAi therapeutic product candidate, is being developed as a treatment for patients with elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, or "bad" cholesterol, who are not well served by current therapy. ApoB SNALP is designed to reduce the production of apolipoprotein B (ApoB), a protein produced in the liver that plays a central role in cholesterol metabolism.
Better treatments for acute renal failure may be possible by blocking the mitochondrial fragmentation that occurs when kidneys don"t get enough blood or are exposed to toxins, researchers at the Medical College of Georgia report in the may issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
The second of two reviews in this week´s The Lancet discusses the primary origins of the health gap. In an effort to understand these inequalities, the authors attempt to give an Indigenous perspective. It is the work of Professor Malcolm King, of the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, and Scientific Director, Institute of Aboriginal Peoples" Health (Canadian Institutes of Health Research); Dr Alexandra Smith, of the University of Toronto, Canada; and Professor Michael Gracey, Unity of First People of Australia, Perth, Australia. In this review, the authors focus on North American Indigenous groups, although others are discussed.
Politico"s blog "Under the Radar" explores HHS" recent decision to revise documents submitted to the Federal Register regarding a change in HIV-related immigration policy. The blog looks at differences between the original document sent to the Federal Register on Monday compared to the version slated to be resubmitted by HHS Thursday, noting that while "the proposed rule was pulled from publication in Tuesday"s edition at the request of HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius" late Monday because it was ""incomplete," it was actually 12 pages longer than the replacement," with "different data than the original" that "could ease sticker shock." Politico compares the two proposals - one which estimates the number of immigrants living in the U.S. with HIV after five years; the other which estimates the number after 20 years. The blog notes, CDC, the agency responsible for the documents, did not comment on the changes when asked. The blog has links to both versions of the Federal Register documents (McGarr, 7/1).
Phill Wilson, CEO of the Black AIDS Institute (BAI), last week addressed the annual convention of the National Newspapers Publishers Association where he discussed the reasons blacks "were so slow to grasp the severity of the threat" of HIV, the NNPA/Seattle Medium reports. According to Wilson, many blacks believed that HIV/AIDS was not directly affecting their communities in the early years of the epidemic. In addition, he said when AIDS reached its peak between 1980 and 1982, blacks also were dealing with unemployment, poverty and welfare reform and, as a result, addressing HIV/AIDS was not a priority. Wilson also noted the reluctance by blacks to deal with the stigma related to the virus. Wilson said, however, "I"m more optimistic now around mobilizing black folks around HIV than [ever] before. I think we"ve made tremendous stride[s] and our institutions across the board are at a different place than they were" (Curry, 7/1).
The WHO on Wednesday announced plans for a clinical trial to test a new drug that "could halve the treatment period for river blindness [or onchocerciasis], a disease that threatens 100 million people mostly in Africa," AFP/Dow Jones Newswires/CNN Money reports (7/1). "This is a devastating illness that has plagued 30 African countries for centuries, in particular the populations in the most remote areas "beyond the end of the road,"" Uche Amazigo, director of the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC), said (ANI/Thaindian.com, 7/1).
This week Nursing Standard published some misleading and speculative information regarding the NMC"s registration fee. The story, titled "Registration fees could increase as regulator goes into black", also included factually inaccurate information about the NMC"s diversity data collection exercise which will soon be launched.
As President Barack Obama calls for streamlining heath care by fully converting to electronic medical records and as Congress prepares to debate issues of patient privacy, one question has largely gone unasked: What do patients want?
Home remains the likeliest place to suffer an eye injury, according to a survey conducted by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy) and the American Society of Ocular Trauma (ASOT). The annual Eye Injury Snapshot, a clinical survey of eye injuries across the U.S., conducted from May 17 to May 24 this year, found that nearly half (47.6 percent) of the 2.5 million eye injuries that Americans suffer annually now happen in and around the home in common places like the lawn, garden, kitchen or garage.
"As Congress prepares to do battle over health reform, a parallel dispute is shaping up among small-business groups that are staking out opposing positions on a key element of reform proposals: whether Uncle Sam will take on a bigger role in offering insurance coverage or leave the field to the private market," CNN Money reports. A fierce critic of the Clinton administration"s health care reform efforts a decade ago, the [National Federation of Independent Business] now considers universal health care to be one of its top legislative priorities. But it wants to see that care and coverage come from the private sector." The NFIB supports "a reform plan that would provide universal coverage and cut costs by increasing competition among private insurers, likely through the creation of government-mediated insurance pools." But "the Main Street Alliance, founded last year to lobby on behalf of small-business owners around health reform, says its survey of 1,200 small business operators and self-employed entrepreneurs in the 12 states where it operates found that 59% prefer a public option, with only 26% wanting more private plan choices alone" (deMaus, 7/2).
The excitement of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs will inspire young players and weekend warriors to hit the ice. But, traveling up to 30 miles an hour on a quarter inch blade of steel and stopping instantly will put anyone at risk for injury. According to American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) spokesperson Mark Mortland, PT, ATC, team physical therapist of the Pittsburgh Penguins, there are special precautions one can take to help avoid the multiple injuries that can occur in this high-speed, high-impact sport.
Planning for emergencies must take into account the growing numbers of frail elderly people who will by virtue of shifting demographics be involved in any natural or manmade disaster, according to US researchers writing in the International Journal of Emergency Management.
Women with breast cancer who receive chemotherapy appear more likely than those treated with radiation therapy to experience a major change in work status, according to a study published in the journal Cancer, Reuters reports. For the study, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researcher Michael Hassett and colleagues used a large health insurance claims database to identify 3,233 women who were first diagnosed with breast cancer between 1998 and 2002. All of the women were younger than age 64, insured, and working full time or part time as of diagnosis. About 54% of the women received chemotherapy, and 58% received radiation therapy.Hassett said that most of the women did "not experience a significant change in their employment after cancer diagnosis and treatment." However, of the 6.6% who experienced such a change, those who received chemotherapy had a 1.8-fold greater risk of leaving work, retiring or going on long-term disability leave in the subsequent year. Sixty-seven percent of women who experienced a change went from full-time employment to early retirement, while the rest went from full-time employment to long-term disability or retirement, or their status was unknown. Although the study looked at many factors, only chemotherapy and older age were associated with an increased likelihood of a change in employment. Hassett said that most of the participants in the study worked for large employers that offered health insurance. He added that further research is needed to evaluate the effect of cancer diagnosis and treatment on work status for women who are self-employed or work for smaller companies (Hendry, Reuters, 6/30).
In a snapshot survey published by Terrence Higgins Trust today, two thirds of top organisations were found to ask irrelevant health related questions on job application forms. A coalition of charities wants these questions banned to reduce the discrimination faced by people with "invisible" conditions such as mental illness or HIV.
Psychologists representing the American Psychological Association joined other invited health care practitioners, leaders and aides to President Obama today for the latest White House Stakeholder Discussion Group, emphasizing that health reform must include psychological services as part of primary care.