Diagnostics
A virus (from the Latin virus meaning toxin or poison) is a microscopic organism consisting of genetic material (RNA or DNA) surrounded by a protein, lipid (fat), or glycoprotein coat. Viruses are unique organisms because they cannot reproduce without a host cell. After contacting a host cell, a virus will insert genetic material into the host and take over the host"s functions. The cell, now infected, continues to reproduce, but it reproduces more viral protein and genetic material instead of its usual products. It is this process that earns viruses the classification of "parasite".
"Small business is suddenly playing a big role in negotiations over health care," NPR reports. "Supporters and opponents of various plans to overhaul the system are all trying to paint themselves as champions of mom and pop entrepreneurs." The National Federation of Independent Business is "not happy with the health care bill taking shape in the House this week - especially its requirement for all but the smallest employers to provide health insurance or pay a penalty." Meanwhile, "the Democratic National Committee quickly lined up its own panel of small business owners to defend the House plan."
At a news conference opening the 5th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention on Sunday in Cape Town, South Africa, Julio Montaner, president of the International AIDS Society, expressed disappointment that the "G8 ignored the HIV-AIDS issue at its annual summit this month," which was "just four years after pledging at the 2005 Gleneagles [G8] summit to fight for universal access to AIDS treatment by 2010," the Globe and Mail reports. "The silence of the G8 leaders is not just pathetic, it is criminal," Montaner said. The Global and Mail writes, "Cutting back on HIV-AIDS treatment programs during the recession will mean billions or even trillions of dollars in additional costs over the long term, especially because of growing scientific evidence that anti-retroviral medicine for AIDS patients can be crucial in preventing the transmission of the AIDS virus, Dr. Montaner said" (York, 7/20).
Diabetes UK is looking for people with diabetes to share their experiences of supported self-management to help with our campaign for World Diabetes Day (14 November).
First Minister Rhodri Morgan announced (date) that almost ÷£30 million of funding has been secured for phase two of the Institute of Life Science at Swansea University, with the promise of up to 650 jobs.
Ion channels are integral proteins of most cell membranes and play
Mild facial nerve paralysis caused by the use of forceps during birth generally resolves on its own and does not require treatment, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
About one-fourth of patients with superficial vein thrombosis-clotting in blood vessels close to the skin-also may have the life-threatening condition deep vein thrombosis, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Merck & Co., Inc. issued the following statement in response to study results published today by the World Health Organization offering the first evidence that elimination of the tropical disease river blindness (onchocerciasis) in Africa is feasible with treatment with ivermectin (registered trademark Mectizan®). As the discoverer and manufacturer of Mectizan, Merck decided in 1987 to donate the drug to all who need it for as long as necessary until river blindness is eliminated as a public health problem. The Merck Mectizan Donation Program is one of the longest-running disease-specific drug donation and public/private partnership programs in history.
Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMLN), Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) and Alkermes, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALKS) today announced positive results from a study comparing subjects randomized to either exenatide once weekly or Lantus® (insulin glargine). Patients randomized to exenatide once weekly experienced a statistically superior reduction in A1C, a measure of average blood sugar over three months, of 1.5 percentage points from baseline, compared to a reduction of 1.3 percentage points for Lantus after completing 26 weeks of treatment. At the end of the study, patients treated with exenatide once weekly achieved a mean A1C of 6.8 percent compared with a mean A1C of 7.0 percent in those treated with Lantus. Treatment with exenatide once weekly also produced a statistically significant difference in weight, with a mean weight loss of 5.8 pounds at 26 weeks, compared with a mean weight gain of 3.1 pounds for Lantus, a difference of 8.9 pounds between the treatments.
TCGRx (TCG), an industry leader in automation and design services for pharmacy markets across the U.S., announced today the launch of the C-Ray Electronic Pill Counter in the retail pharmacy market.
Researchers of the University of Granada have developed a simulator, so-called EDLUT ("Event driven look up table based simulator"), which allows reproduction of any part of the body"s nervous system, such as the retina, the cerebellum, the hearing centres or the nervous centres. This scientific advance enables them to analyze and understand the functions of the nervous centres, to do research into new pathologies and diseases or test new medicines; it will also be useful to improve the robots and machines inspired by the human body and the nervous system.
Women in Somerset now have a new of expert information and advice available to them as soon as they know they are pregnant.
Provectus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTC BB: PVCT ), a development-stage oncology and dermatology biopharmaceutical company, has initiated a new Phase 2 clinical trial of PH-10 for psoriasis involving daily dosing of patients for 28 days. After reviewing safety and efficacy data from its PH-10 trial for atopic dermatitis, Provectus determined that daily dosing of patients with psoriasis trial would be an appropriate and attractive regimen. The new study supplants an earlier Phase 2 study, using twice weekly dosing for 12 weeks, which was terminated earlier in June.
Ardea Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:RDEA) today announced that it has initiated a Phase 2b clinical trial of RDEA594, its lead product candidate in development for the management of hyperuricemia and gout. The Company also announced the selection of RDEA684, a next-generation URAT1 inhibitor, as a development candidate for the same indication.
Embera NeuroTherapeutics, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company developing novel treatments for drug addiction and obesity, announced today that the company has recently expanded its management team to prepare for its next stage of development, following the successful completion of the company"s pilot study of cocaine addiction treatment.
People with prehypertension are not at increased risk of kidney disease if their body mass index (BMI) is under 30.0 kg/m2, a first-ever examination of the combined effect of blood pressure and body weight on the risk of kidney disease shows.
Revised guidelines on when and how to induce labor in pregnant women were issued by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). The guidelines provide physicians with guidance regarding which induction methods may be most appropriate under particular circumstances, as well as the safety requirements, and risks and benefits of the different methods. ACOG"s Practice Bulletin "Induction of Labor" is published in the August 2009 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Reproductive health experts were "taken aback" by a recent study that found that the withdrawal method is nearly as effective as male condoms in preventing pregnancy, the New York Times reports. The paper -- published in the June issue of the journal Contraception -- found that 4% of couples will become pregnant over a one-year period if they consistently use the withdrawal method, compared with about 2% of couples that consistently use condoms. According to the study"s authors, a more significant finding was that the rate of "typical use" for withdrawal leads to pregnancy 18% of the time, compared with 17% of the time for typical use of condoms. They wrote in the study that "it is unfortunate that some couples do not realize they are substantially reducing their risk of pregnancy when using withdrawal, as these misperceptions may cause unnecessary levels of anxiety. More speculatively, if more people realized that correct and consistent use of withdrawal substantially reduced the risk of pregnancy, they might use it more effectively." Although the authors said the goal of the paper was to encourage discussion, some experts are concerned that spreading a message that withdrawal is effective could lead young people to have unprotected sex, potentially exposing themselves to sexually transmitted infections that can be prevented through condom use, the Times reports. Melissa Gilliam, chief of family planning and contraceptive research at the University of Chicago"s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a board member of the Guttmacher Institute, said the study"s data "don"t necessarily translate to youth today." She added, "In terms of a reliable method used over and over again, the risk of failure is quite high."Rachel Jones, the lead author of the study and a senior research associate at Guttmacher, said that dismissing the withdrawal method as a "legitimate" form of contraception is "counterproductive for the prevention of pregnancy and also discourages academic inquiry into this frequently used and reasonably effective method." She also said that health educators and providers "should discuss withdrawal as a legitimate, if slightly less effective, contraceptive method in the same way they do condoms and diaphragms." She noted that "most women have used withdrawal at some point in their lives."The study"s authors decided to examine the issue after noticing that many researchers and providers "just kind of dismiss withdrawal and don"t seem to realize that it can prevent pregnancy," according to Jones. She added, "Most people seem to be under the impression that you might as well do nothing." Martha Kempner, vice president for information and communications at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, said the results of the study have "made some classroom teachers nervous to give out the truth in this instance, but we do have to tell the truth." She added, "People, kids in particular, they"re using it. It is better than nothing, and it is always available" (Belluck, New York Times, 7/21).
Four newspapers recently published editorials responding to last week"s confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Summaries appear below.~ Boston Globe: Sotomayor "far surpassed" the "meager standard" of "just [having] to avoid saying anything damaging," according to a Globe editorial. During the hearings, she "made it clear she believes that Supreme Court justices base their decisions on the Constitution, the law and the relevant precedents," and her "judicial record offers no reason to think otherwise," the editorial states. It continues that "the hearings did nothing to undermine -- and much to underscore -- the notion that Sotomayor has the right temperament, intellect and credentials for the Supreme Court. She should be confirmed" (Boston Globe, 7/20).~ New York Times: The Senate "has learned more than enough about [Sotomayor"s] qualifications to give her a seat on the court," according to a Times editorial. However, "[i]t would also be good if senators -- and the nation -- had a deeper sense of her views on some of the most pressing legal questions of our times," the editorial continues. It adds, "We were disappointed that at her confirmation hearings last week, she continued what is becoming an unbreakable habit of nominees dodging controversy." For example, "[w]e would have liked to hear her boldly defend the idea of the Constitution as a living document, one that changes with the times," and "we would have preferred if she had used the hearings to explain to the public that the much-mentioned distinction between judges making and applying the law has little meaning," the editorial states. Sotomayor "avoided saying much of substance about abortion rights, the scope of presidential power, and other hot-button issues," although this is "not entirely her fault," as the "Senate has shown repeatedly that it will tolerate this sort of evasion." However, "the public has a right to know where judicial nominees stand on important legal issues that will have a direct impact on their lives," the editorial states. It concludes, "We hope the Senate confirms her without delay so we can see more clearly what her contribution will be" (New York Times, 7/21).~ Washington Post: During her confirmation hearings, Sotomayor "proved herself well-qualified and worthy of confirmation," according to a Post editorial. The editorial continues, "She spoke convincingly about her belief in and record of consistently respecting legislative prerogatives -- an approach that signals a modest style of judging." Although the hearings focused on Sotomayor defending her previous speeches and comments, her "attempts to explain away and distance herself" from the statement that a wise Latina might make a better decision than a white man "were unconvincing and at times uncomfortably close to disingenuous, especially when she argued that her reason for raising questions about gender or race was to warn against injecting personal biases into the judicial process." The editorial adds, "Her repeated and lengthy speeches on the matter do not support that interpretation." According to the Post, "It"s too bad that she felt she had to disavow her true intent, because, though a wise Latina won"t necessarily judge better than a white man would, diversity on the bench is indeed important" (Washington Post, 7/19).~ Washington Times: During the hearings, Republican senators "failed to ask questions of great relevance to public understanding of the judge"s record and integrity," a Times editorial states. The editorial continues, "They owe it to all Americans to get tough enough to force an examination of whether the judge may have perjured herself during her testimony." According to the editorial, "The questions for which Judge Sotomayor"s answers are almost impossible to believe involved legal briefs on abortion cases that were filed by the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund during the 12 years Judge Sotomayor sat on its board." Republican senators also "failed to ask sharp f
The tradition of American physicians handing out free drug samples to
The National Pharmacy Association and Allergy UK provided free allergy screening to the public at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show from 7-12 July. Over 7,000 members of the public picked up information on community pharmacy allergy screening or asked for advice and 75 allergy screenings were carried out.
Dietitians of Canada (DC) released a report today describing the integral role played by registered dietitians, as members of multi-disciplinary teams that contribute to promoting and supporting health among Canadians. The Role of Registered Dietitians in Primary Health Care: Moving Forward - A National Perspective presents evidence for the cost-effectiveness of nutrition services in the prevention and treatment of chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer and heart disease.
A pilot needle exchange program in Camden, N.J., - one of four in the state - "was off to a slow start" when it began 18 months ago, but "now, 976 drug users have registered with the program - more people than those at the other pilot sites in Atlantic City, Newark or Paterson," the Cherry Hill Courier-Post reports. "In Camden, 854 people are living with HIV/AIDS, the eighth-highest number among New Jersey municipalities, according to the latest data from the state Department of Health and Senior Services. About a third of them were infected by dirty needles," the Courier-Post reports. Bob Baxter, who oversees Newark"s program, said needle exchanges provide "the most immediate benefit at the cheapest cost," in reducing the spread of blood-borne diseases. "While there"s no way to count the number of people who are no longer sharing needles because of the program, organizers say they hope to see their success correlate to lowered communicable disease rates," the article states (Hirsch, 7/20).
Statistics showing that blacks and men who have sex with men are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS and the impact of the virus on Washington, D.C., residents "should shock the conscience - and spur action," a Washington Post editorial states. "The national strategy being crafted for the president must include efforts to destigmatize the disease and to get people tested and into treatment," and "HIV testing must become a routine part of medical care (akin to testing for diabetes, for instance)," the Post writes. "But none of this will work if all people from all ages and backgrounds don"t know or refuse to learn their HIV status," the editorial adds. The editorial says that the national strategy expected to be developed within the next year by Jeffery Crowley, director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, is "long overdue and desperately needed" (7/21).
Sol-Gel Technologies Ltd, a specialty pharmaceuticals company, announced today results from a comparative clinical study. The results demonstrate that the company"s two strength Anti-Acne kits achieved pronounced efficacy and markedly improved tolerability. The study will be presented at the 10th International Congress of Dermatology in Prague, May 20-23, 2009.
Chinese patients will soon have the opportunity to take part in a study of a novel therapy aimed at reversing the autoimmune disease, ankylosing spondylitis. Approximately 200 patients will be chosen to participate in a clinical trial that aims to merge the latest molecular discoveries published by the California non-profit Autoimmunity Research Foundation (ARF) with the medical expertise of physicians and researchers at West China Hospital.
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:GILD) highlighted results from a study known as DART (Development of Anti-Retroviral Treatment in Africa), which evaluated the need for routine laboratory monitoring in adults taking antiretroviral therapy in Africa. The DART trial was an open-label, randomized study comparing clinical and laboratory monitoring to clinical monitoring alone for efficacy and toxicity. In this study, 74 percent of patients were on a treatment regimen containing Viread® (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate). At baseline, more than 50 percent of patients had reduced renal function. The results indicated that Viread was well tolerated and that the incidence of renal adverse events was low. DART researchers concluded that renal function test results were similar in both arms of the trial for up to five years, suggesting that routine monitoring of Viread may not be necessary in re-limited settings when using the product as part of a first-line HIV treatment regimen. The results of the study were presented today at the 5th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2009) in Cape Town, South Africa.
A paper in this week"s Lancet raises questions about the transparency, accountability and governance of the Gates Foundation (GF). This Health Policy paper is written by Dr David McCoy, Centre for International Development, UCL (University College London), UK, and colleagues. An Editorial and Comment accompany the piece.
Results of a long-awaited study of 3,070 American adults at Johns Hopkins and 118 other U.S. medical centers show that treatment with either of the two standard antiviral drug therapies is safe and offers the best way for people infected with hepatitis C to prevent liver scarring, organ failure and death.
The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and our landmark 2007 AICR/WCRF expert report, Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective, have been drawn into a controversy over the link between processed meat and cancer risk.
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday postponed its vote on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor until July 28 at the request of Republican members who said they need one more week to review written answers she recently submitted to the panel, CongressDaily reports. Both Republicans and Democrats expect Sotomayor to be approved by the committee and confirmed by the Senate, CongressDaily reports (CongressDaily, 7/21).The delay came as Senate Republicans continued to weigh whether they would vote to confirm Sotomayor, the Wall Street Journal reports. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced plans to vote for Sotomayor and issued a statement calling the judge "committed to applying the law impartially without bias or favoritism." Four other moderate Republicans have said they will support Sotomayor, and Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) indicated that more might follow suit. "There are a number of Republicans who have announced they plan to vote for her," Leahy said, adding, "There are a number of others who"ve not made that announcement yet, but plan to vote for her" (Peterson, Wall Street Journal, 7/21). Leahy said he is confident that Sotomayor will be confirmed in time for the Supreme Court"s first meeting on Sept. 9.Some strong conservatives, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), have said they will oppose Sotomayor (Hirschfeld Davis, AP/Denver Post, 7/22). Among the Senate Republicans who have not announced their intentions are Sens. John Cornyn (Texas), who serves on the Judiciary Committee, and Judd Gregg (N.H.) (Wall Street Journal, 7/21).NARAL Endorses Sotomayor NARAL ProChoice America recently said that it will endorse Sotomayor, the AP/Seattle Times reports. The group said that Sotomayor"s testimony shows that she is a stronger supporter of privacy rights than the last two Supreme Court nominees -- Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. Sotomayor said several times during her confirmation hearings that privacy rights include a woman"s right to have an abortion, NARAL said. According to the AP/Times, NARAL did not endorse Sotomayor until now because of uncertainty over her views on abortion rights (Hirschfeld Davis, AP/Seattle Times, 7/21).
Researchers at the University of Glasgow have discovered that it takes the
A US non-profit organization filed a lawsuit on Wednesday asking a New Jersey county court to force food companies to put labels warning of
The Wall Street Journal reports that "Democratic centrists said they won a tentative commitment from the White House to back a proposal to curb the growth of Medicare costs. ... One proposal pushed both by President Barack Obama and some centrists is to give the executive branch the authority to implement cuts to Medicare spending that would be recommended by independent experts. Congress could stop the cuts, but only if it acted swiftly. Fiscal conservatives say that under the current system, which gives Congress more power, lawmakers shy away from politically tough votes to restrain Medicare costs."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that a laboratory analysis of electronic cigarette samples has found that they contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals such as diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze.
"Nationally, about a quarter of all residency graduates began their medical training abroad. And in primary care - where there is a national shortage of physicians - more than half of all graduates are immigrants," The Concord Monitor reports. "New Hampshire"s primary care doctors are aging, and as they retire, recruiters said they will increasingly be replaced by physicians who began their training outside the country."
Bracing for an outbreak of 2009 H1N1 (swine-origin) flu that a Saint Louis University infectious diseases expert estimates could sicken one in five people this fall, scientists at eight Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are launching a series of clinical trials this summer to test vaccines to protect against the illness.
CareFusion Corporation, the company that will become publicly traded following the planned spinoff of the clinical and medical products businesses of Cardinal Health, announced it has expanded its Pyxis® perioperative offerings that integrate with leading operating room information systems (ORIS), incorporate radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology1 and include new services.
Chicago high school students interested in science and health care will get a chance to learn about diagnostic tests and the laboratory professionals who perform them during the American Association for Clinical Chemistry"s 2009 Clinical Lab Expo on July 21 and 22.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given Constar (OTC: CNRN.PK) the green light for its new DiamondClear® oxygen scavenging technology for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers. Effective today, under this Food Contact Notification (FCN), Constar will begin selling DiamondClear for packaging virtually all oxygen sensitive food and beverage products, including tomato ketchup, salsas, pasta sauces, table sauces, jams, jellies, ready-to-drink teas, juices, dairy, wine, and other alcoholic beverages.
A new study has found that a currently available yet underused vaccine against typhoid fever is highly effective in young children and protects unvaccinated neighbors of vaccinees.
Topical Treatment Improves Wound Healing
Ten years ago, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) sounded the alarm about the widespread toll of medical errors in a groundbreaking report call "To Err is Human." The report prompted a rush of congressional hearings and promises of reform. But in the decade since the report was published, little progress has been made implementing key reforms recommended by the IOM to improve patient safety, according to Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports.
Earlier this month the University of Wisconsin Cancer Center Riverview became the first medical facility in the world to treat patients with a breakthrough treatment of skin cancer. Located within Riverview Hospital, Wisconsin Rapids, the UW Cancer Center Riverview is the first to treat skin cancer patients with the FDA-cleared Axxent(R) Electronic Brachytherapy System from Xoft, Inc. Electronic Brachytherapy, eBx(TM) , delivers a high therapeutic dose to a cancer tumor while sparing nearby normal tissue by using a miniaturized X-ray rather than radioactive isotopes.
Expression of a single gene programs an immune system helper T cell that fuels rapid growth and diversification of antibodies in a cellular structure implicated in autoimmune diseases and development of B cell lymphoma, scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reported today in Science Express, the advance online publication of the journal Science.
The cost of insuring a family of four with an employer-sponsored health plan in the United States averaged $12,298 in 2008, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Botox is one of the many trade names for the neurotoxic protein called botulinum toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. In large doses, the protein causes botulism, a rare paralytic illness often linked to food poisoning.
A recent Yankelovich survey unveiled that although a large majority of women know there are simple steps they can take to support breast health, few women are taking the necessary actions. What"s more, 80 percent of the women surveyed have been personally affected by breast cancer or know someone who has been. To address this issue, One A Day Women"s Multivitamins is encouraging women to join a virtual march against breast cancer through the One A Day Women"s Take A Stand Campaign.
A first-of-its-kind RAND Corporation study has linked the rapid growth in health care costs in the United States with job losses and lower output among industries that commonly provide workers with health insurance.
The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) welcomes the Federal Government"s announcement of funding to upgrade the skills of workers in aged care.
"Abortion is not explicitly mentioned in any of the major health-care bills under consideration in Congress," The Washington Post reports, but "abortion opponents charge that the legislation would make abortion more widely available and more common by requiring insurance plans to pay for the procedures and providing government funding to subsidize plans that pay for them."
"Will failing to reform health care have the same consequences for Obama"s administration as it did for Clinton"s?" CNN asks.
The administration"s negotiations with the health industry date back to first weeks after President Obama"s inauguration, according to newly released visitor logs that show numerous visits by health industry lobbyists and executives to the White House, the Associated Press/Boston Globe reports. Richard Umbdenstock, the president of the American Hospital Association, visited on Feb. 4 and Angela Braly, an executive at insurer WellPoint visited on Feb. 13.
USA Today reports that three years after mandating coverage for all, Massachusetts is emerging as national model.
A San Mateo County, Calif., program that provides in-home case management services for people living with HIV/AIDS, as well as other programs that assist people living with the virus, could be eliminated, forcing patients to obtain more expensive outpatient care, if proposed state budget cuts are approved, the San Francisco Examiner reports. John Conley, director of public health programs for San Mateo County, said case management services are alternatives to hospitalization or nursing facility care, which are more expensive. "Additionally, the state"s AIDS office will not allow municipalities to make reductions to case management activities or other requirements such as client/staff ratios, according to county officials," the Examiner reports. Conley said, the state is paying half the costs of the program, but the program is "becoming very, very expensive to run" (Koskey, 7/23).
Researchers "believe they have found a "missing link" in the evolution of the virus that causes AIDS," based on findings from a
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has received a $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to determine if painful bladder syndrome may be caused by abnormalities in the autonomic nervous system rather than in the bladder itself.
During its summer session, the Joint Committee of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) has approved funding for six new Research Units. Within these Research Units, researchers from different disciplines work together on a particular scientific topic. Funding for Research Units provides the personnel and equipment required for medium-term (usually six years) cooperation and contributes to the establishment of new research directions.
A combination of biochemical and MRI markers will allow improved measurement of osteoarthritis (OA) progression. The biomarkers, described in BioMed Central"s open access journal Arthritis Research and Therapy, will be useful for the design and interpretation of trials of new disease modifying drugs.
Women who are at risk for heart disease and who are also experiencing menopause symptoms now have an added re a highly specialized clinic in the Division of Cardiology at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute. The Advanced Preventive Women"s Clinic at the Women"s Heart Center recently opened and is offering comprehensive cardiac risk assessments designed specifically for women who are in menopause. The clinic also offers menopausal patients state-of-the-art screenings, as well as personalized medicine therapies and counseling, including high-risk hormone counseling.
Australia"s largest study of young drivers has shown that risky driving habits are putting young drivers at a significantly increased risk of crashing, irrespective of their perceptions about road safety. The study surveyed 20,000 young drivers and examined their crashes reported to police. Young drivers involved in the study who said they undertook risky driving were 50% more likely to crash.
In a commentary published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, doctors discuss the types of information pregnant women would welcome and why the advice provided to women by doctors is considered trustworthy.
Innovative research conducted by faculty of the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences contributes to a better understanding of the causes and origins of disease and aids in the development of more effective treatment approaches. Government and private-sector funding is critical to this process of scientific inquiry. The following projects recently have been awarded grants that will enable the continuation of existing projects or the pursuit of new areas of investigation:
The increased risk of persons with schizophrenia committing violent crime may be largely mediated by co-existing substance abuse problems, according to a study in the May 20 issue of JAMA.
As part of its continuing engagement in global health issues, Yale University"s Global Health Leadership Institute is partnering with Tsinghua University to launch a four-year leadership development program in healthcare management for women in China. The effort is part of the 10,000 Women initiative, a program launched by Goldman Sachs to provide business and management education to women around the world. The program is based on research from Goldman Sachs, the World Bank, and others which found that investments in women can lead to significant economic and social returns.
Cyberonics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CYBX) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") has approved the company"s proposal to amend the protocol of its D-21 post-approval dosing study in depression patients treated with VNS Therapy(TM).
Schering-Plough Corporation (NYSE: SGP) announced that its investigational agent SAPHRIS(R) (asenapine) met the primary endpoint over one year of treatment in an extension study in patients with predominant, persistent negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
UroToday.com - In the online edition of the BJU International, Dr. Richard Stock and colleagues from Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York reported on their outcomes using combined radiotherapy approach to men with high-risk prostate cancer (CaP).
Health authorities in the United States have voiced concern that 40% of the country"s whole population could be infected with the swine flu (H1N1) virus over the next 24 months. The estimates are based on data gleaned from the 1957 flu pandemic which killed nearly 70,000 people in the country. That pandemic was not as severe as the 1918-1919 Spanish flu one. If one hundred and twenty million people caught swine flu this time round, and vaccine campaigns were not successful, the eventual death toll could be in the hundreds of thousands.
Abortion opponent Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) and abortion-rights supporter Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) held a press conference on Thursday to announce a bill that aims to reduce the need for abortion by preventing unintended pregnancies, among other proposals, the New York Times" "The Caucus" reports. The bill -- crafted in part by the centrist group Third Way -- would increase access to contraceptive services, sex education, health care coverage for pregnant women and children, and adoption. It also would expand access to comprehensive sex education and adoption programs.The bill has the support of abortion-rights groups like the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and NARAL Pro-Choice America, both of which had representatives at the press conference. The bill also has the support of antiabortion-rights religious leaders like Joel Hunter of Northland, Fla., and Derrick Harkins of Washington, D.C.The bill, which has been introduced in each of the past three congressional sessions, could "broker a detente" and help "turn down the volume on the culture war," DeLauro said at the press conference. Ryan called the bill an "idea whose time has come," noting that it has gained support from advocates on both sides of the abortion-rights debate.During the press conference, Hunter said advocates of the bill, regardless of their side in the abortion-rights debate, are "taking heat" from other members of their side. He added that the bill is important because it "links together traditional adversaries in a way that advances each of our goals without compromising any of our values" (Becker, "The Caucus," New York Times, 7/23). Harkins said that he is "more optimistic now than I ever have been," adding that women "need real support that divisive debates cannot provide" (Stephenson, CQ HealthBeat, 7/23).Despite support from some antiabortion-rights advocates, the bill has not been welcomed by all groups opposed to abortion rights, including conservative groups Family Research Council, National Right to Life and Democrats for Life of America. Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life, said her group does not support the bill because preventing unintended pregnancies already is a goal of other programs. She noted that her group instead supports the Pregnant Women Support Act (HB 2035, SB 270), which focuses on services for women who carry their pregnancies to term but does not include prevention (CQ HealthBeat, 7/23). In a statement, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said the bill is "fraught with funding for abortion providers and provisions that further encourage promiscuous sex and discourage parental involvement."Although the White House has not voiced a position on the bill, there are "reasons to believe" that the Obama administration will support some of the legislation"s proposals, "The Caucus" reports ("The Caucus," New York Times, 7/23). DeLauro said that she and Ryan plan to seek Republican co-sponsors for the bill, although they do not yet have any. She added that she thinks President Obama will support the bill because it includes language similar to his rhetoric on reducing the need for abortion. In addition, Obama"s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, was a co-sponsor of the bill when he served in the House (CQ HealthBeat, 7/23). Ryan said that the bill, which does not yet have an estimated cost, is "now open for support from all quarters."According to "The Caucus," the bill is being introduced at a time when abortion is a growing topic in health care reform legislation. Policymakers on both sides of the abortion-rights debate are expressing concern about how private insurance coverage of abortion is treated in health care reform. Ryan and DeLauro both support a policy that would neither require nor forbid insurance companies from covering the procedure ("The Caucus," New York Times, 7/23). During the press conference, DeLauro said that the new bill would not force insurance providers to cover abortion services. She said, "What we don"t want to do is go backward. We
President Obama rallied support for health care at a town hall meeting in Shaker Heights, Ohio, on Thursday, despite news of a legislative delay in the Senate.
New England Journal of Medicine: Medicare Part D Update - Lessons Learned And Unfinished Business - "Since 2006, more than 40 million elderly and disabled people have had the opportunity to enroll in a Medicare Part D prescription-drug plan, as established under the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003." At that time, lawmakers focused on several features of the proposed legislation. "Issues that received particular scrutiny were the unprecedented way that the benefit would be delivered (exclusively through private plans) and its design, featuring an unusual gap in coverage (sometimes called the "doughnut hole")." Four years into the program, "the Obama administration and the Democratically controlled Congress have an opportunity to review the program and identify areas for improvement." This study, The Medicare Policy Project of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, returns to some of the key questions raised during the congressional debate and in the years that led up to the program"s start (Neuman and Cubanski, July 23). (Note: KHN is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation.)
The U.N. Development Program (UNDP) will help fund a three-year program in response to the increase in HIV/AIDS cases in the Philippines, the Manila Bulletin reports. The program aims to help the country combat the spread of the disease and reach the related U.N. Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets. "The program has five components that aim to develop intervention packages, especially among vulnerable and at-risk groups in rural areas," writes the Manila Bulletin (Sabater, 7/23).
Joel Weisman, "one of the first physicians to detect the AIDS epidemic and who became a national advocate for AIDS research, treatment and prevention," died on Saturday at his home in Westwood, Calif., the Los Angeles Times reports. Weisman was 66. Weisman was a general practitioner in southern California when in 1980 he first saw three ill gay men with a set of mysterious symptoms. He later contributed to the June 5, 1981 CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which "signaled the official start of the epidemic that the federal agency later named acquired immunodeficiency syndrome," according to the Times. Weisman was the founding chair of AIDS Project Los Angeles in 1983, helped organize the first dedicated hospital AIDS unit in Southern California and was an original board member of amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research (Woo, 7/23).
The same mechanism that helps you detect bad-tasting and potentially poisonous foods may also play a role in protecting your airway from harmful substances, according to a study by scientists at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. The findings could help explain why injured lungs are susceptible to further damage.
In 1881, the optimistic Irish economist Francis Edgeworth imagined a strange device called a "hedonimeter" that would be capable of "continually registering the height of pleasure experienced by an individual." In other words, a happiness sensor.
The release of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission report, A Healthier Future
The Federal Secretary of the Australian Nursing Federation, Ged Kearney and the Assistant Federal Secretary, Lee Thomas will be available for comment on the Prime Minister"s address on the challenges of Health Reform and the release of the NHHRC report.
Nanobiotix, an emerging nanomedicine company, announced exciting preclinical results using its patented nanoXray therapeutics platform to fight tumors. The preclinical study, performed at Institut Gustave Roussy, one of Europe"s leading cancer treatment centers, showed that an intratumoral injection of NBTXR3 nanoparticles and activated via standard radiation therapy led to complete tumor regression in mice at 60 days, compared to zero tumor regression in mice treated with xray only or NBTXR3 only. The study was led by principal investigator, Jean Bourhis, M.D., Ph.D. a prominent radiation oncologist and researcher at Institut Gustave Roussy.
The NPHS influenza surveillance scheme, which records reports of diagnoses of flufrom more than 300 GP practices across Wales, shows increasing levels of influenza activity across Wales. Further detail can be found on the NPHS website: see here.
Tranzyme Pharma announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation for the Company"s oral gastrointestinal (GI) prokinetic drug candidate TZP-102, for the treatment of gastroparesis in diabetic patients. According to the FDA, gastroparesis is a serious complication of diabetes mellitus that affects approximately 30-60% of diabetic patients.
Lutonix, Inc., a privately held medical device start-up, announced that patient enrollment is underway for its three simultaneous first-in-human clinical trials. The three studies are designed to test whether the proprietary Lutonix Drug Coated Balloon (DCB) Catheter is safe and effective in the treatment of vascular narrowing.
The health cost of obesity in the United States is as high as $147 billion annually, based on a new study from Research Triangle Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study, which appears online today in the journal Health Affairs, was released at CDC"s Weight of the Nation conference in Washington, D.C.
A major feature of the annual Pharmacy Australia Congress is the Poster Session which
Striking differences in the risk factors for developing heart failure (HF) and patient prognosis exist between men and women. Men and women may also respond differently to treatment, raising concerns about whether current practices provide the best care and reinforcing the urgency for sex-specific clinical trials for HF, according to a review article published in the August 4, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
A preliminary hearing for Scott Roeder, the man charged with the May 31 murder of Kansas abortion provider George Tiller, is set for Tuesday, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports. During the hearing, prosecutors will attempt to convince a judge they have enough evidence for a trial, according to the AP/Chronicle.Roeder is charged with one count of first-degree murder in Tiller"s death, as well as two counts of aggravated assault for allegedly threatening two ushers who tried to stop him from shooting Tiller in the foyer of his Wichita church. According to the AP/Chronicle, Roeder will enter a plea if the judge determines that the case can go to trial. He has not indicated what plea he intends to enter should that occur (Hegeman, AP/Houston Chronicle, 7/26).In related news, the New York Times on Sunday examined the life and career of Tiller, who was one of the few abortion providers who performed the procedure later in pregnancy. Throughout Tiller"s career -- which began in the 1970s -- he "made himself the nation"s pre-eminent abortion practitioner," according to the Times. In addition, antiabortion-rights advocates made his clinic the "most visible abortion battleground" in the U.S., as well as "a magnet for activists from all corners of the country," the Times reports. However, Tiller "would not budge" and "[wore] their contempt as a badge of honor." According to the Times, employees at the clinic said Tiller believed his work saved women"s lives and ensured their right to an abortion. "We have made higher education possible," Tiller said in a speech, adding, "We have helped correct some of the results of rape and incest. We have helped battered women escape to a safer life. We have made recovery from chemical dependency possible. We have helped women and families struggle to save their unwell, unborn child after a lifetime of pain."According to the Times, advocates on both sides of the abortion-rights debate "have been measuring the larger ramifications" of Tiller"s murder. Abortion-rights opponents are "bracing for a drop in support, especially from those in the murky middle ground of the debate." Abortion-rights supporters, on the other hand, are "reeling from the loss of one of their most experienced and savviest leaders," the Times reports. The article also examined Tiller"s career choice, tactics employed by abortion-rights opponents and some of the legal challenges Tiller faced (Barstow, New York Times, 7/26). In addition, the Times on Sunday included an online discussion and slide show involving a man and woman with differing views on abortion rights (New York Times, 7/26).Meanwhile, the Kansas City Star on Sunday included an interview with Roeder, during which he said he was "elated" that Tiller was dead and that he considers killing abortion providers to be justifiable homicide. In the interview, Roeder said that "[n]obody was willing to do anything" about the abortions performed at Tiller"s clinic, adding that it is wrong "for society to allow such an egregious sin to go on." Roeder also discussed his actions on the day of the murder, his past dealings with the antiabortion-rights movement and his possible trial strategy (Thomas, Kansas City Star, 7/26).
By proposing to reduce funding for abstinence-only sex education programs, "the Obama administration has reignited America"s sex education debate," Washington Times columnist Cheryl Wetzstein writes in an opinion piece. She says that the "usual answers" she receives from abstinence-only opponents when she asks about their criticism of the programs is that abstinence-only education "doesn"t work, it leaves kids ignorant about how to use birth control, it doesn"t serve gay kids, and (off the record) it"s just a return to the bad old days when unenlightened, sex-hating harpies ran sex education." According to Wetzstein, some proponents of abstinence-only programs believe that another factor -- which is "never mentioned" in the sex education debate -- "is how sexually active youth are part of the market for certain commercial sex- and disease-related products, and abstinent behavior reduces that market share."Wetzstein reports that she recently spoke with Pam Mullarkey, founder of Project SOS, who is "furious" that Presdient Obama"s budget proposal would reduce funding for abstinence-only programs and increase money for teen pregnancy prevention. Mullarkey claims that abstinence-only opponents "have spent so much money trying to destroy abstinence education" because "it directly costs them big bucks" if teens abstain. Wetzstein writes that she has "dim hopes for the survival of abstinence education as we"ve know it," concluding, "But should Congress decide to "follow the money," as Mrs. Mullarkey suggests, who knows what might turn up" (Wetzstein, Washington Times, 5/19).
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will give an additional $80 million to Avahan, a foundation initiative launched in 2003 for HIV prevention programs in India, Bill Gates said on Thursday, the Seattle Times blog, "Business of Giving" reports. Previous foundation commitments to the program, "which involves more than 100 non-profits in six Indian states," total $258 million, the blog writes (Heim, 7/23).
Congressional Republicans are releasing two health care reform proposals -- one from conservatives and one from moderates -- as alternatives to plans by Democrats, CQ Today reports (Wayne, CQ Today, 5/19). Conservative Plan
The House on Friday passed a $730.5 billion bill (HR 3293) "to fund health, education and labor programs in fiscal 2010 after narrowly defeating an attempt to strip language that would lift the ban on federal needle exchange programs," in the U.S., CQ Today reports (Wolfe, 7/24). Lawmakers voted 211-218 to reject an amendment by Mark Souder (R-Ind.) that sought to keep the ban in place, the AP/Lewiston Sun Journal reports (Taylor, 7/25). The bill that passed includes a restriction against using federal funds for needle exchanges within 1,000 feet of day care centers, schools, parks, playgrounds, pools and youth centers, the Washington Post reports.
In Chicago, 17.4 percent of gay men are estimated to be HIV-positive, compared with 1.2 percent of the general male population, according to a new report by the Chicago Public Health Department, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The report is based on data collected from 570 Chicago men through the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance system, and found that half of the men with HIV were unaware they were infected (Thomas, 7/25). "Health officials said Friday, information in the report on HIV infection mark the first time Chicago health officials have used blood-testing to determine infection rates among men," the AP/Chicago Tribune reports. In the past, estimates have relied on interviews with gay and bisexual men, according to Christopher Brown, the Public Health Department assistant commissioner. The report also found that "black men who have sex with other men have double the HIV infection rates of white and Hispanic men," the AP/Tribune reports (7/24).
Health Minister Edwina Hart announced the allocation of ÷£4million Assembly Government funding for hospices and palliative care services across Wales.
A lack of sunlight is associated with reduced cognitive function among depressed people. Researchers writing in BioMed Central"s open access journal Environmental Health used weather data from NASA satellites to measure sunlight exposure across the United States and linked this information to the prevalence of cognitive impairment in depressed people.
The rates of serious complications among individuals with type 1 diabetes appear lower than reported historically, especially when patients are treated intensively, according to a report in the July 27 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
New research suggests that current regulations have failed to remove misleading information from cigarette packaging, revealing that a substantial majority of consumers believe cigarettes are less hazardous when the packs display words such as "silver" or "smooth," lower numbers incorporated into the brand name, lighter colours or pictures of filters.
CyDex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company"s Investigational New Drug (IND) application for a clinical study of Captisol-Enabled® melphalan HCL (CDX-353). Melphalan is an FDA-approved low dose chemotherapy for multiple myeloma marketed under the brand name Alkeran® by GlaxoSmithKline.
The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) is pleased to announce that the 2009 Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc./Lymphoma Research Foundation Clinical Investigator Career Development Award has been awarded to Kai Fu, MD, PhD, Associate Professor at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
Couples struggling with fertility problems have a new option for assessing their ability to have a child with the start-up of a new Buffalo-based company called LifeCell Dx, Inc. (LCDX).
A new proposal from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to cut payments for radiation therapy treatments would cause many cancer centers to close, stop accepting Medicare patients, lay off support staff and reduce services to cancer patients, according to a survey conducted by ASTRO, the American Society for Radiation Oncology.
The Vermont Legislature has passed legislation (S 48) that bans nearly all gifts from pharmaceutical and medical device companies to health care providers, administrators and facilities in the state, the New York Times reports. The legislation specifically would prohibit drug and device makers from giving providers no-cost meals. Vermont"s legislation would go further than similar laws in other states like Massachusetts and Minnesota by requiring drug and medical device manufacturers who give gifts to health providers to publicly disclose recipients" names and dollar amounts of payments and gifts. The measure would not require manufacturers to disclose payments for clinical research of products undergoing FDA review, the Times reports. The legislation also would eliminate a loophole that allows manufacturers to conceal certain expenses by claiming them as trade secrets. In a recent report, the Vermont Office of the Attorney General said that medical product makers spent about $2.9 million on promotional efforts to the state"s health care providers in fiscal year 2008 and that nearly half of the state"s 4,573 licensed providers had received some type of incentive from drugmakers in the same year. The report, which was developed prior to passage of the new legislation, offers only aggregate data, as 83% of the manufacturer-declared payments were deemed to be trade secrets, the Times reports.Gov. Jim Douglas (R) is expected to sign the law, which would take effect July 1. Several state medical groups -- including the Vermont Association for Mental Health and the Vermont Medical Society -- have indicated support for the legislation.Marjorie Powell, a senior lawyer for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said the requirements under the new law appear redundant with new voluntary guidelines the group has issued on physician gifting practices. She said, "We think this is unnecessary, and it is not going to improve patient care," adding, "It makes it onerous not only for the company but also for the physician in Vermont, because this is going to be on a Web site" (Singer, New York Times, 5/20).
The Director of The Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute (APHCRI) based at The Australian National University has welcomed the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission"s final report and its recommendations.
A new report, released by the Manhattan Institute"s Center for Medical Progress and authored Douglas Holtz-Eakin, the former Director of the Congressional Budget Office, makes the fiscal and political case for bipartisan healthcare reform. Holtz-Eakin addresses dysfunctions in the existing healthcare delivery system; provides solutions to expanding access to affordable private health insurance in an incremental and fiscally responsible manner; and shows how improving market-based options will lead to better consumer access to information on healthcare quality. He argues that the only way to fix our broken healthcare system is through reforms that incentivize competition and pay for quality care.
RadMD LLC has become the first company to offer a broad range of accredited CME courses in the area of medical imaging for pharmaceutical, medical device and biotech clinical trials.