Diagnostics
Health experts and politicians filled Sunday talk shows as Obama administration officials push for reform.
Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. (TSX VENTURE:SSS)("SCT" or "the Company") has received a No Objection Letter ("NOL") from Health Canada for the modified REGENESIS protocol using NTx®-265 for a Phase IIb clinical trial treating acute ischemic stroke.
On the occasion of World Hepatitis Day and on the eve of the European Parliament elections, healthcare professionals and patients call on EU decision-makers to make the next 5 years about protecting the liver!
In 1989 scientists identified the gene mutation that causes cystic
Surgically removing and evaluating an increasing number of lymph nodes does not appear to identify a greater number of patients with stage III colorectal cancer, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Should the financial ties between doctors and drug companies be completely
Every time a neuron sends a signal - to move a muscle or form a memory, for example - tiny membrane-bound compartments, called vesicles, dump neurotransmitters into the synapse between the cells. Researchers report that this process, which is fundamental to the workings of the nervous system, relies on a simple mechanical reality: Tension in the axon of the presynaptic neuron is required.
Two genes may contribute to chemotherapy resistance in drugs like 5-fluorouracil, which is used in liver cancer treatment, according to Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center researchers.
For decades, scientists assumed that the ovary alone produced steroid hormones during pregnancy. In a new study in mice, however, researchers demonstrate that once an embryo attaches to the uterine wall, the uterus itself actually synthesizes the estrogen needed to sustain the pregnancy.
Nanoparticles are just billionths of a millimeter in size. Exhibiting novel and often surprising properties, they are finding their way into an endless stream of equally innovative products. In medical therapies, for example, tiny nanovehicles could one day ferry drugs or even genes into cells. So far, the only way of testing these approaches has been to wait for the desired effect to show - the activation of a transported gene inside a cell for example. Under the direction of LMU Munich physicochemist Professor Christoph Bräuchle, a research group cooperating with Dr. Christian Plank of the Technische Universität MÃønchen (TUM) has now used a highly sensitive microscopic technique to pursue individual nanoparticles as they make their way into target cells - in real-time and at high spatial and temporal resolution. They tested magnetic nanoparticles that could be used, among other things, in cancer therapy. This approach should also allow a better understanding of existing nanovectors as well as the development of new systems, as reported in the current cover story of the Journal of Controlled Release.
A new protein identified as critical to insulating the wiring that connects the brain and body could one day be a treatment target for divergent diseases, from rare ones that lower the pain threshold to cancer, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.
Researchers from the Molecular Immunology group at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, Germany have now shown that Beta-Interferon also plays a crucial role during an immune response: without Beta-Interferon immune cells are unable to show "wanted posters" of pathogens to other cells. As a consequence, these cells will not recognize the pathogen and the immune response does not start properly. The group"s results have now been published in the current issue of the scientific magazine Journal of Immunology.
Researchers at Brown University and the University of Arizona have determined that variations of three different genes in the brain (called single-nucleotide polymorphisms) may help predict a person"s tendency to make certain choices.
Two Southampton surgeons who contributed to the development of keyhole surgery to treat early stage lung cancer have been internationally commended for their work.
A significant part of the question of what causes mitral valve disease in dogs, giving scientists and medical experts clues into new possible ways to treat or prevent the disease, may have been solved by a Colorado State University veterinarian. The discovery refutes the current believe that mitral valve disease, the top heart disease in dogs, is inevitable as a part of aging in pets.
The national intern allocation period commenced yesterday, amidst concerns that some states may not be able to accommodate the increased number of medical graduates, despite a national workforce shortage.
LDR, a total spine solution company, announced that it has begun to market its ROI-C™ cervical cage following 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration. The ROI-C cage, when used with the company"s integrated VerteBRIDGE™ plating technology, offers a zero profile, stand-alone construct for fusion in the cervical spine. ROI-C addresses the growing interest within the market for stand-alone cervical fusion technology that reduces the need for thick cervical plates that may contribute to dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing.
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.
Children on the high-fat ketogenic diet to control epileptic seizures can prevent the excruciatingly painful kidney stones that the diet can sometimes cause if they take a daily supplement of potassium citrate the day they start the diet, according to research from Johns Hopkins Children"s Center.
A new paper to be published in The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist (TOG) examines the relationship between abortion and domestic violence. The authors call for greater awareness about domestic violence, and underline the need to support women seeking to terminate unwanted pregnancies associated with intimate partner violence.
A damning report from the Care Quality Commission has found multiple failings in inpatient care for patients at West London Mental Health Trust, ranging from sub-standard buildings, overcrowding, lack of staff and insufficient staff training, to failure to implement changes that could help prevent suicides on wards. In some areas, there were long delays in considering changes to help reduce suicide risk, and on one inpatient unit, bed occupancy was regularly running at over 110 per cent, resulting in patients sleeping on sofas due to lack of beds.
The Obama administration recently laid out "a clear but narrow pathway" toward asylum for foreign women who have experienced severe physical or sexual abuse, a New York Times editorial states, noting that the U.S. government has debated the issue for 15 years. According to the editorial, the "question is not the fact of persecution, but whether the women would qualify for protection under the law, which limits asylum to those who suffer due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or "membership in a particular social group."" It adds that attorneys general under former Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush "have gone both ways and in circles" in their decisions.Although "[n]ot all victims will qualify," the Obama administration "made it clear that some could," the editorial states. "A petitioner would have to demonstrate to a judge that domestic violence was widely tolerated by society and government in her country, that women were viewed as subordinate to men and that she had no place within its borders to find a safe haven," the editorial adds.Department of Homeland Security lawyers say the new definition could apply to a severely abused Mexican woman, identified only by her initials, whose asylum petition is before a San Francisco immigration court. The editorial notes that DHS "did not immediately recommend asylum" for the woman, but "it did urge that she be allowed to continue to gather evidence and to refine her case according to the standards it proposed." The editorial concludes, "Advocates who have fought for years to advance women"s rights are celebrating the department"s action, which brings reasoned compassion, and an overdue dose of clarity, to an issue of anguish and difficulty" (New York Times, 7/19).
The tradition of American physicians handing out free drug samples to
Medical device pioneer Stentys announced that it has established U.S. operations in Princeton, N.J., where the Company will focus its R&D efforts. The Princeton operation will be the cornerstone of the Company"s efforts when seeking FDA clearance to market its self-expanding and disconnectable stent platform.
"Digital medical records could cut down on office visits," and maybe even health care costs, Marketplace reports. "But for doctors, going electronic could be complicated and expensive. And nothing at all like what they learned in medical school." Relatively few doctors have made the switch so far, though new government incentives, funded by the stimulus bill, could shift the industry into gear. The doctors who have pioneered e-health have confronted a newish industry with few standards. One recalled that his early adoption of the records in 2003 was "a disaster," though he is now touted as an example for other practices (Carroll, 7/20).
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) commented on the announcement by Health Secretary Rt. Hon Andy Burnham MP of a new independent inquiry into the failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has today (22 July) published guidance on the use of rituximab for the first line treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. The guidance recommends that rituximab should be considered asa possible first treatment for people with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia who are able to take fludarabine in combination with cyclophosphamide.
According to a recent paper published in the European Journal of Clinical Microbiological Infectious Diseases, a certain kind of honey can be an effective agent in topical wound care, particularly where antibiotic resistance is an issue. The irony is that this most exciting new treatment has been around since the dawn of history-honey was first used as a first aid treatment four thousand years ago in Ancient Egypt.
Broncus Technologies, Inc., a medical device company focused on developing minimally-invasive innovations for lung diseases, announced today at the International Conference of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) the release of its first commercial products: the LungPoint™ Virtual Bronchoscopic Navigation and Treatment Planning System, Yield™ Mini Doppler Probe, and Yield™ Transbronchial Coring Needles. These devices are for use in interventional bronchoscopic procedures for lung cancer and other diseases.
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.
Purdue University researchers have created magnetically responsive gold nanostars that may offer a new approach to biomedical imaging.
As we age, our ability to adequately respond to summer heat can become a serious problem. The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, has some advice for helping older people avoid heat-related illnesses, known collectively as hyperthermia, during the summer months.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is reminding construction companies of their duties to employees after a worker was paralysed in a fall.
A research published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood reports that every hour of the day children are inactive adds three minutes to the time it takes them to fall asleep.
Cardica, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRDC) announced that the full results of the PAS-Port system multi-center pivotal trial, known as the EPIC trial, were published in the July issue of the peer-reviewed publication The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. The PAS-Port system, which received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2008, creates a secure connection, or anastomosis, between a vein graft and the aorta, the main artery in the human body, during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures.
Cell Therapeutics (CTI) (Nasdaq and MTA: CTIC) announced that researchers from the Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology at the National Cancer Institute presented new preclinical research identifying unique anti-tumor mechanisms of brostallicin that sets this agent apart from other currently used chemotherapy agents. CTI acquired worldwide rights to brostallicin when it acquired privately-held Systems Medicine LLC in 2007. Published in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapy (Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(7) July 2009; 1985-94), the researchers utilized preclinical studies to provide clues into tumor susceptibility mechanisms for brostallicin, a synthetic DNA minor grove binder, and to identify differences between brostallicin and trabectedin (Yondelis(R); ET-743), which is a natural marine product approved in Europe. Unlike other chemotherapy agents, including trabectedin, the NCI research indicates that the tumor cell DNA damaging effects of brostallicin are enhanced by high tumor glutathione levels, a hallmark of drug-resistant tumors. Brostallicin was shown to affect DNA in both dividing and quiescent cells. Its actions can be followed by induction of a specific DNA binding protein foci that can be detected in circulating blood cells. Importantly, brostallicin was active in a trabectedin-resistant cell line.
Schering-Plough announced that a New Drug Application (NDA) for a fixed-dose combination of mometasone furoate and formoterol fumarate has been filed in the United States and accepted for review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Schering-Plough is seeking marketing approval from the FDA of the mometasone furoate/formoterol fumarate combination for the maintenance treatment of asthma in patients 12 years of age and older.
Today the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH) released a national report on efforts of health plan programs to improve cardiovascular disease (CVD) care and prevention. NBCH used data from eValue8(TM), the nation"s leading standardized Request for Information (RFI), a tool utilized by employers and coalitions to measure and compare health plan performance.
For years, George Forschler knew the mitral valve in his heart was failing and would eventually need repair or replacement. Concerned about the risks associated with open heart surgery the traditional way to access a mitral valve he did his best to postpone the inevitable. Forschler, a retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General who now heads a consulting firm, kept his heart healthy by exercising at the gym and doing weekend chores on his farm near here.
The American Cancer Society estimates 192,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year with more than 40,000 individuals dying from the disease. In New Jersey alone 6,400 new cases are expected with 1,400 deaths. In an effort to combat such statistics, researchers at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) have opened a clinical trial, which will evaluate a new drug combination for patients with breast cancer who are set to undergo surgery to remove the tumor. At focus is the process of stopping angiogenesis (blood vessel growth), which is necessary for cancer tumors to grow and spread. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
The medical, legal and interpersonal processes involved with a surrogate birth have changed significantly since the controversial "Baby M" case two decades ago, the New York Times reports. In the case, the surrogate was the infant"s biological mother and unsuccessfully sought custody of the child after birth. The Times reports that the legal proceedings in the case helped reinforce the validity of surrogacy contracts, which are now standard practice.Most couples today use a gestational surrogate -- meaning that they have no genetic link to the woman carrying the fetus -- and some choose to maintain friendships with the surrogate after birth. According to the Times, people might choose gestational surrogacy if the woman lacks a uterus, has a malformed uterus, must take medication incompatible with pregnancy, or has had repeated miscarriages or failures at in vitro pregnancies. Male couples or single men might also use this option.Legal protections have strengthened since the Baby M case, although surrogacy remains illegal in some states. State laws also vary in the steps required to ensure that the parents" names, rather than the surrogate"s, are on the child"s birth certificate.Despite an increase in popularity, surrogacy remains "fraught with controversy" over criticisms that compensation to surrogates amounts to "baby selling" and exploitation of low-income women, according to the Times. However, surrogacy advocates say that most women who choose to become surrogates have altruistic motives. Surrogates typically receive between $15,000 and $20,000 as compensation for carrying the pregnancy and undergoing hormonal preparations. The Times reports that reputable agencies and lawyers who specialize in surrogacy help guard against exploitation and spurious motives for seeking a surrogate pregnancy. Prospective surrogates and parents typically undergo psychological screening and legal guidance, and most lawyers require that surrogates meet certain age and health criteria (Brody, New York Times, 7/21).
Insurers sometimes cherry-pick facts to make their case against certain aspects of reform efforts, including a public plan, The Washington Post reports.
OCHA Report Warns Of Possible, New Cholera Outbreak In Zimbabwe
Boosting the number of practice nurses who work with GPs would help improve patient access to care, the AMA said today.
Fecal incontinence (FI) is a normal part of aging, or the perception that no treatment is available. Doctors may fail to comprehend patient hints about diarrhea and FI or may be reluctant to ask about fecal leakage, perhaps because of their own embarrassment or the perception that FI is a trivial concern.
Labs Are Vital™ announced that a 2009 high school graduate from northern California, Kelly Peterson, is the grand prize winner of its national video contest. High school students around the country submitted their views on video about why careers in the clinical lab sciences are vital.
Funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will allow the National Institutes of Health to create jobs for early career scientists and increase the ranks of researchers and clinicians working in the global health field. With $3 million in funding over the next 18 months, the NIH"s Fogarty International Center will be able to support 23 additional participants in its Clinical Research Training Scholars and Fellows Program.
Medicaid health plans are producing cost savings for states, increasing access to services for individuals covered by Medicaid, improving quality of care, and earning high satisfaction ratings from enrollees, according to a Lewin Group report released today by America"s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). Twenty-four existing studies were analyzed by the Lewin Group to determine the savings achieved when states have implemented private Medicaid health plans.
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.
A research consortium based at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has been awarded $15 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to investigate how the hepatitis C virus (HCV) resists suppression and clearance by the immune system. The five-year grant will support a Cooperative Center for Translational Research in Human Immunology, which also will focus on how some individuals successfully recover from HCV while the infection becomes chronic in most of those infected, with a special emphasis on immunological events in the liver as the site of HCV replication.
Health Minister Edwina Hart is reminding people that Wales will not be part of the National Pandemic Flu Service (NPHS) when it goes live in England.
New research commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme will assess the clinical and cost-effectiveness of bone anchored hearing aids (BAHAs) for people who are bilaterally deaf (deaf in both ears). Hearing impairment is the most common sensory deficit and it is estimated that there are approximately 688,000 severely to profoundly deaf adults in the UK. According to evidence given to the House of Commons Health Committee, the NHS tariff puts the cost per person of conventional hearing aid provision from appointment and clinic time to use of equipment at about ÷£270. The price of a working BAHA per patient is estimated to be at least ÷£4500.
The increasing incidence of terrorist attacks means that doctors in civilian settings, as well as those in combat operations, need training on blast injuries. The issues surrounding these frequently devastating injuries are discussed in a Seminar published Online First and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet, written by Dr Stephen Wolf, Department of Emergency Medicine, Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, CO, USA, and colleagues.
In a new study published today in the July issue of the journal Cell Host & Microbe, UC Davis researchers report that both amyloid plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer"s patients and structures made by some gut bacteria likely elicit the same response by human immune cells.
The UK will play a leading role in coordinated European action to tackle dementia from.
The accepted dogma has been that bone-forming cells, derived from the body"s connective tissue, are the only cells able to form the skeleton. However, new research shows that specialized cells in the blood share a common origin with white blood cells derived from the bone marrow and that these bloodstream cells are capable of forming bone at sites distant from the original skeleton. This work, published online this month in the journal Stem Cells, represents the first example of how circulating cells may contribute to abnormal bone formation.
Researchers from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center have discovered a new gene fusion that is highly expressed in a subset of prostate cancers. The results may lead to more accurate prostate cancer testing and new targets for potential treatments. Experts believe that gene fusions -- a hybrid gene formed from two previously separated genes -- may be at the root of what causes cancer cells to grow more quickly than normal cells.
AlphaRx, Inc. (OTCBB: ALRX) announced positive preclinical results which demonstrated that an inhaled tobramycin nanoparticle (Zysolin(TM)) formulation was a more effective treatment in animal models of acute Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia when compared to inhaled and injected conventional tobramycin solutions. The data was presented recently in an oral podium session at the 36th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the Controlled Release Society in Copenhagen, Denmark.
"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."
Ovulation is one part of the female menstrual cycle whereby a mature ovarian follicle (part of the ovary) discharges an egg (also known as an ovum, oocyte, or female gamete). It is during this process that the egg travels down the fallopian tube where it may be met by a sperm and become fertilized.
"A typhoid vaccine proved effective in the slums of India, where it not only helped prevent infection in children who received it, but also those in close contact who were unvaccinated," according to a New England Journal of Medicine study published on Thursday, the AP/Washington Post reports (Chang, 7/22).
Reuters Examines Upcoming HIV Prevention Trial In Africa
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).
Nanotechnology scientists at two Arkansas research institutions have developed a method of detecting, tracking, and killing cancer cells in real time with carbon nanotubes.
Researchers at The University of Nottingham are hoping to find out if inflammation of the knee could be an early sign of osteoarthritis - a condition which leads to pain, stiffness, swelling and disability.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $433,100 grant to the University of Chicago to investigate how allergic reactions to food are initiated. The research is expected to lead to improved methods to assess whether pesticides produced in genetically engineered plants can trigger food allergies, which impact more than 11 million Americans each year. The study is funded through EPA"s Science to Achieve Results program (STAR).
Florida Atlantic University researcher Dr. Jianning Wei, assistant professor of biomedical sciences in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Biomedical Science at FAU, has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to further her research into the molecular mechanisms of Huntington"s disease (HD). Named after American physician George Huntington, HD is a highly complex genetic, neurological disorder that causes certain nerve cells in the brain to waste away. The disease, characterized by a selective loss of neurons in the brain, affects the basal ganglia, which controls motor control, cognition, learning and emotions. It also affects the outer surface of the brain, or the cortex which controls thought, perception, and memory. Wei and her colleagues are working to identify the pathways in the brain that are altered in response to mutant proteins, as well as to understand the cellular processes impacted by the disease in order to facilitate the development of effective pharmacological interventions.
Two papers published on bmj.com today raise serious concerns over the methods used to put a value on the benefits of different treatments in order to set healthcare priorities.
The Health Protection Agency has reported an 11% decrease in the total number of new gonorrhoea infections diagnosed in the UK last year from 18,649 infections in 2007 to 16,629 in 2008 - the lowest number of new infections recorded since 1999.
IQ is part of the reason that people from poorer backgrounds have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to a new study. Dr David Batty, a Wellcome Trust Research Fellow at the Medical Research Council Social and Public Health Sciences Unit in Glasgow, and colleagues found that people on low incomes, in jobs with low prestige and with limited education had a higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and other causes than people of a higher socioeconomic status.
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 following are stories from this week"s 5th International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention meeting in Cape Town, South Africa:
Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have identified women who are likely to gain weight while using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, more commonly known as Depo-Provera or the birth control shot. These findings dispel the myth that all women who use DMPA will gain weight and will help physicians to counsel patients appropriately.
The British Psychological Society has welcomed the publication, of New Horizons, the government"s new plan for the development of mental health services.
Merck Serono announced that it is seeking a European license for cladribine, its oral therapy that is in late-stage clinical trials for relapsing remitting MS.
Researchers are hoping that cells from pigs from a remote group of islands 300 miles from New Zealand could lead to a new treatment for Type 1 diabetes.
Roofing companies in Greater Manchester are being urged to make safety one of their top priorities after a man fell through the roof of a Swinton factory.
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.
An Article published Online First and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet concludes that radiotherapy plus chemotherapy, with or without surgery, are both treatment options for patients with stage IIIA (N2) non-small-cell lung cancer. The Article is written by Dr Kathy Albain, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Maywood, IL, USA, and colleagues.
Payment by Results has inflated NHS costs and encouraged acute trusts to become "profit centres", so nothing short of a radical overhaul will put matters right, says the NHS Alliance.
In light of health care reform measures, Rush University Medical Center has launched a study of its program to help older adults transition from hospital to home.
A shocking 1 in 10 people say they have had unprotected sex because they were too embarrassed to buy condoms from a pharmacy.
House GOP members on Tuesday sent a letter to President Obama praising him for saying that he wants to "honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion" during his commencement address at the University of Notre Dame last weekend, The Hill reports. The Republican lawmakers -- Reps. James Sensenbrenner (Wis.), Chris Smith (N.J.) and John Fleming (La.) -- said Obama"s speech indicated to them that he would reinstate the HHS provider "conscience" rule, which expanded the ability of health workers to refuse to provide services or information they objected to on moral or religious grounds and prohibited federal funding for health entities that do not comply.In March, Obama began the process for rescinding the Bush-era rule, and it is currently undergoing a White House review. In the letter, the representatives said that they "agree with [Obama] that pro-life health care providers should have the right to refuse to participate in procedures that they find morally reprehensible." Smith said he has "renewed hope, hopefully not false" that Obama will "completely forgo the rescinding of this rule" after his remarks during Sunday"s speech (Hooper, The Hill, 5/19).
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain has published its fourth Pharmacy
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced global resolution of all outstanding intellectual property litigation with Abbott Laboratories.
The most comprehensive analysis yet of the genome of childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML) found only a few mistakes in the genetic blueprint, suggesting the cancer arises from just a handful of missteps, according to new findings from St. Jude Children"s Research Hospital. The research appears in the July 27 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Mayo Clinic researchers have found that children exposed to anesthesia during Cesarean section are not at any higher risk for learning disabilities later in life than children not delivered by C-section. These findings are reported in the current issue of the journal Anesthesiology.
Age Concern and Help the Aged has welcomed the long-awaited publication of the Government"s Green Paper on reform of the care and support system.
Does posting calories on restaurant menu boards help Canadians make healthier food choices and possibly prevent obesity? Dietitians of Canada says yes - providing nutrition information in restaurants, including calorie and nutrient content of food served, is one step that may help promote healthier choices. However, a review of the evidence on this issue by Dietitians of Canada (DC) underscores the fact that there are no simple solutions to the complex issue of obesity prevention; a variety of approaches are needed. One such solution is to ensure that settings in which food choices are made, including restaurants and fast-food establishments, support healthy eating. Longer term evaluation of these types of labelling initiatives are needed before we can say whether providing calorie and nutrient information in these settings will affect obesity rates.
High-throughput sequencing has turned biologists into voracious genome readers, enabling them to scan millions of DNA letters, or bases, per hour. When revising a genome, however, they struggle, suffering from serious writer"s block, exacerbated by outdated cell programming technology. Labs get bogged down with particular DNA sentences, tinkering at times with subsections of a single gene ad nauseam before moving along to the next one.
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).
Various news outlets examined the state of the administration"s health reform push.
A leading Democratic senator, Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said Sunday Democrats would need Republican support to make ambitious proposals to overhaul the health system a reality, the Associated Press reports. "Look, there are not the votes for Democrats to do this just on our side of the aisle," said Conrad, who chairs the Budget Committee. Democrats remain divided over the plans, prompting the Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to say, "The only thing bipartisan about the measure so far is the opposition to it" (7/26).
"Fifteen months before the midterm congressional election, health care is appearing in candidate stump speeches and interviews - particularly by Republican challengersò€¦ running in districts recently claimed by Democrats," USA Today reports. "That dynamic helps explain why a $1 trillion-plus health care bill stalled last week in Congress. ò€¦ Obama has said he wants lawmakers to finish health care by the end of the year, in part because it could become mired in election-year politics. All 435 members of the House and 36 members of the Senate are up for election in 2010."
"Oregon"s hospital spending boom is winding to a close," as hospitals cut back on projects, Portland Business Journal reports. "Portland-area hospitals have opened, started construction on, or announced expansions costing at least $1.3 billion in the past 18 months. Projects include cancer treatment centers, cardiac units and pediatric care facilities. Now, spurred by economic concerns, health organizations are cutting back. ... It doesn"t make financial sense to embark on major new projects until the economy improves and hospital administrators know how health care reforms may affect their operations, said Providence Chief Operating Officer Terry Smith."
A study published in today"s issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine provides further reinforcement that tight control of blood glucose as soon as possible after a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes yields long-term benefits with regard to lowering the rates of eye, kidney and heart complications associated with diabetes. These findings stem from the landmark Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) and its follow-up study, the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC), both funded by the National Institutes of Health.
The WHO on Friday said the "H1N1 swine-flu virus could infect up to two billion people over the next two years - about one of every three people in the world," VOA News reports. According to the news service, "A separate WHO report Friday said the virus has spread to almost every country in the world, killing about 800 people since it emerged in April" (7/25).
The U.N."s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) recently allocated $6 million to address several health challenges facing Ethiopia, IRIN reports. Fidele Sarassoro, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator, said the country is having difficulty meeting the population"s basic health needs. The federal Disaster Risk Management and Food Security Sector (DRMFSS) has announced that rising malnutrition and food insecurity are a "growing concern and likely to lead to 6.2 million Ethiopians relying on food aid, out of a population of approximately 77 million," IRIN writes, adding that currently 4.9 million people in the country receive food aid (7/27).
UNICEF Using SMS Text Messages To Fight Polio In Zambia
The Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) announced that Dennis P. Whalen, Director of State Operations in the Governor"s office, will join the Association on September 9 as Executive Vice President. Mr. Whalen will play a key role in shaping HANYS" overall policies and in helping prepare the membership for national health care reform.
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) - long at the forefront of quality initiatives - is taking a leading role in health care reform. In partnership with patients, lawmakers and payers, the ACC is setting a new standard for health care delivery, one that centers on increasing the quality of care and ensuring greater patient access and value.
Not satisfied with simply thwarting its host"s defensive maneuvers, HIV actually twists one to its advantage, based on new findings from Kyei et al. in the July 27, 2009 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology. Vojo Deretic and colleagues suggest that autophagy - a stress response process - helps HIV to proliferate and that conversely, blocking autophagy lessens HIV production.
The appropriate placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) is critical to optimize their use in public places, according to two studies published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Traditional hospital factors-such as case volume and academic status-do not appear to predict whether patients with cardiac arrest at that facility are likely to experience delays in receiving defibrillation, according to a report in the July 27 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
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.
Switching off a key DNA repair system in the developing nervous system is linked to smaller brain size as well as problems in brain structures vital to movement, memory and emotion, according to new research led by St. Jude Children"s Research Hospital scientists.
Some babies who are exposed to malaria before birth develop a tolerant
Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc., announced the publication of data from a clinician sponsored investigational study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, demonstrating the utility of the Calypso® System in tracking tumor movement in the pancreas. The data will be presented at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), July 26-30, at the Anaheim Convention Center. "In areas of the body, such as the pancreas, that are susceptible to respiratory motion it can prove difficult to handle the spectrum of motion that can arise," said James Metz, M.D., Clinical Director, Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Pennsylvania Health System.
Nanoparticles are being developed to perform a wide range of medical uses -- imaging tumors, carrying drugs, delivering pulses of heat. Rather than settling for just one of these, researchers at the University of Washington have combined two nanoparticles in one tiny package.
It is widely known that the brain perceives information before it reaches a person"s awareness. But until now, there was little way to determine what specific mental tasks were taking place prior to the point of conscious awareness.
Committees in the New Jersey Senate and Assembly on Monday unanimously approved a bill that would provide insurance benefits of up to $36,000 annually for autism treatments, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The funding, provided to developmentally disabled individuals younger than age 21, would go toward diagnostic services and early behavioral intervention, as well as occupational, physical and speech therapies. The Assembly could vote on the bill as early as Thursday, while the Senate bill is being considered by the state Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D), who sponsored the Senate bill, said, "I don"t know of any parent who wouldn"t do everything in their power to give their autistic or developmentally disabled child every chance to excel. However, the enormous cost of behavior intervention ... makes it out of the realm of possibility for many families." Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts (D), who sponsored the Assembly bill, said, "In this economy, every New Jersey resident is struggling, but families with kids with special needs are struggling even more," adding, "They"re maxing out their credit cards and taking out second mortgages" to cover gaps in health insurance benefits.Citing cost issues, the New Jersey Business and Industry Association and the New Jersey Association of Health Plans were among those opposed to the bill. Christine Stearns, NJBIA vice president for health and legal affairs, said that the bill would make employer-sponsored insurance more costly and cause firms to drop such coverage, adding, "How, who and what is part of a basic health plan is all part of that." Stearns added that the bill is preferable to previous versions because it mandates that covered services be medically necessary and prescribed, places a reasonable cap on prices and ensures that the cost of educational services provided by schools is not shifted to insurers. Roberts said the bill would save money by delivering earlier treatment that could prevent more costly problems in the future (Henry, Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/19).
Health care experts at the University of California, San Francisco highlight in a new report the hidden risks and complexities that compromise patient safety for ambulatory patients with chronic disease.
CSL Biotherapies, a subsidiary of one of the world"s leading manufacturers of thimerosal-free seasonal influenza vaccine, announced that it has begun shipment of its seasonal influenza virus vaccine to a national network of U.S. distributors for the 2009-2010 season. CSL Biotherapies plans to deliver more than eight million doses of the vaccine, the majority of which will be in single-dose, thimerosal-free, pre-filled syringes.
Sunshine Heart (ASX: SHC), a global medical device company focused on innovative heart assist technologies, announced that the first two patients implanted with the C-Pulse device in April 2009 at The Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio have successfully completed their 3 month follow-up evaluation.