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Florida Newspaper Examines Impact Of HIV/AIDS On Black Community
Polk County, Fla., health officials have made educating the black community a top priority in addressing HIV/AIDS in the state, where blacks are disproportionately affected by the virus, the Lakeland Ledger reports. The Polk County Health Department has expanded its community outreach and testing efforts to different types of settings such as beauty salons, community centers and churches. County outreach workers hope that offering education and screening in such settings will encourage residents to get informed and tested for HIV (Williams Adams [1], Lakeland Ledger, 6/24). In addition, the Ledger examined the complex issues the black community faces with regard to HIV/AIDS and the barriers that need be addressed to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS on minorities (Williams Adams, Lakeland Ledger, 6/25). The Ledger also profiled Bonnie Munson, a local resident who performs volunteer outreach efforts in her community, including distributing condoms and informational material to other residents (Williams Adams [2], Lakeland Ledger, 6/24).

New Data Say Uninsured Account For Nearly One-Fifth Of Emergency Room Visits
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released new data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample -- the largest, all-payer emergency department database in the United States. The Nationwide Emergency Department Sample is designed to help public health experts, policymakers, health care administrators, researchers, journalists and others find the data they need to answer questions about care that occurs in U.S. hospital emergency departments.
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Major Award From NIH For Further Exploration Into The Mechanisms Of Obesity
Timothy J. Bartness, Regents" Professor of Biology at Georgia State University, has received a multi-million dollar award from the National Institutes of Health to further research into the biological mechanisms of obesity.
Public Health

New Endograft Introduction System Enhances Physician Control During Minimally Invasive Treatment For Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms

In a development aimed at improving patient outcomes, physicians treating thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) will now experience a new level of control while placing endografts during thoracic endovascular repair procedures. With the launch of Cook Medical"s new Z-TRAK PLUS™ Introduction System, physicians are provided with improved maneuverability for controllable device orientation and deployment of the Zenith® TX2™ TAA Endovascular Stent Graft compared to earlier Cook delivery systems. "The addition of the advanced Z-TRAK PLUS delivery system to Cook"s TX2 Thoracic Endograft System has given me a degree of control during stent-graft deployment that no other system I"ve used can match," said Anthony Lee, M.D. "I"ve performed approximately 410 thoracic aneurysm cases using this improved delivery system, and am very pleased with the patient outcomes I"ve been able to achieve." The launch of the new introduction system comes as physicians are increasingly turning to thoracic endovascular repair (TEVAR) as the preferred, minimally invasive option for treating TAAs. TAAs occur when the section of the aorta that runs down the chest weakens and bulges outward like a balloon, often caused by a hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, or trauma. Aneurysms of the thoracic aorta are potentially fatal, and open surgical repair is a highly invasive procedure many TAA patients cannot survive, making TEVAR their only treatment option. Untreated, five-year survival is estimated at between 10 to 15 percent. The Zenith TX2 and the Z-TRAK PLUS Introduction System Cook"s Zenith TX2 TAA Endovascular Graft, indicated for the treatment of descending TAA, is a tube of surgical graft material reinforced with self-expanding stainless steel Z-stents and an open stent with barbs designed to hold the device securely in place within the aorta after deployment. It is sized to the length of the thoracic aorta that needs to be covered to seal off the aneurysm. The graft is positioned in the aorta under the physician"s image-guided control across the aneurysm to prevent blood flow into the aneurysm. Cook"s Zenith TX2 is the only endograft with circumferentially anchoring barbs on both the proximal and distal segments of the device, which provides best-in-class fixation. Radial force from the self-expanding Z-stents enables the graft to provide an excellent seal within the patient"s aorta. "Properly aligning the stent graft for deployment is a crucial step during endovascular treatment for TAAs," said Phil Nowell, global leader of Cook Medical"s Aortic Intervention strategic business unit. "Our new delivery system combines high kink-resistance and flexibility with a low coefficient of friction to offer control that rivals leading trackable devices used in coronary angioplasty. The added control provided by Z-TRAK PLUS enables surgeons to even make last-minute adjustments prior to stent deployment, regardless of scenario." Utilizing a hydrophilic-coated Cook Flexor sheath and super-elastic alloy inner cannula, Z-TRAK PLUS was designed to provide enhanced control and flexibility of entry and tracking. Cook"s renowned Flexor sheath features kink-resistant tubing technology for superior flexibility and trackability during use. A semi-deployed tri-fold configuration prevents a "wind-sock" effect during deployment, thus enabling the physician to avoid slowing or stopping of the heart. TEVAR - A Minimally Invasive Alternative to Open Surgery Historically, open surgical repair has been the standard treatment for TAAs. Under this approach, the chest cavity is opened and the aorta is clamped, allowing the surgeon to sew a surgical graft into place to prevent a rupture. Surgical repairs may carry health risks for older patients as they likely suffer from other significant medical conditions. TEVAR, a minimally invasive alternative to traditional, open surgery, involves an endograft guided into the body with a catheter to seal off the aneurysm from within. Patients undergoing TEVAR typically experience shorter recovery times and are also at a lower risk of the co-morbidities associated with open surgical repair. In particular, the Zenith TX2 device is inserted through a small incision in the groin to access the patient"s femoral artery. The device is guided into position through the patient"s arteries under fluoroscopy. The fabric-covered self-expanding stent-graft is then placed in the weakened section of the thoracic aorta to relieve pressure on the aneurysm to reduce the risk of rupture. For more information, visit http://www.zenithstentgraft.com. Cook Medical


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