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Pregnancy Rates Unaffected By Single Thawed Embryo Transfer After PGD
Transferring just one embryo at a time to a woman"s womb after embryos have undergone preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and freezing at the blastocyst stage has become a real option after researchers achieved pregnancy rates that were as good as those for blastocysts that had not had a cell removed for PGD before freezing. Their results mean that it will be possible to reduce the number of multiple pregnancies after PGD and the consequent complications associated with these pregnancies.
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Studies Examine Morning Sickness Drug, Progesterone Use To Prevent Premature Birth
The following summarizes news coverage on two pregnancy-related studies. ~ Morning sickness: The commonly prescribed heartburn drug metoclopramide -- sold generically and under the brand-names Reglan, Octamide and Maxolon -- can be used to treat morning sickness without harming the health of the fetus, according to a study published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, Time reports. The drug, which also has anti-nausea properties, is not FDA-approved for use in pregnant women in the U.S., though it is commonly prescribed in European and other countries to treat morning sickness (Park, Time, 6/10). According to the Los Angeles Times, U.S. physicians occasionally prescribe metoclopramide to treat severe morning sickness cases. The new study found that there were no statistically significant differences between infants born to women who took metoclopramide and those who did not. Researchers said that the findings "provide reassurance regarding the safety of metoclopramide for the fetus when the drug is given to women to relieve nausea and vomiting during pregnancy." The study involved 81,703 births among women enrolled in Israel"s largest health HMO, including 33,458 who used the drug (Maugh, Los Angeles Times, 6/11). Jennifer Niebyl, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Iowa, said, "There are very few drugs approved for use in the first trimester of pregnancy. But this study could lead to metoclopramide getting approved to treat morning sickness because this is good data with big numbers" (Time, 6/10).~ Progesterone: The hormone progesterone was not effective at preventing premature births among women pregnant with twins, despite evidence suggesting its effectiveness at preventing premature births in single pregnancies, according to a University of Edinburgh study published in the journal Lancet, Reuters reports. Multiple pregnancies have a larger health risk for women and significantly increase the likelihood of miscarriage, premature birth and long-term health problems. The study involved 500 women who took either progesterone or a placebo daily for 10 weeks. Although previous studies have shown that progesterone might prevent premature birth in certain high-risk pregnancies, the new findings show the treatment did not reduce the likelihood of premature delivery or a fetus dying in utero in twin pregnancies. Twenty-five percent of women delivered or had a fetus die before 34 weeks in the progesterone group, compared with 20% in the placebo group (Kahn, Reuters, 6/10).
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Classification Methods For Identifying The Neural Characterics Of Antidepressant Treatment
Depression is a major public health problem, and one of the most important challenges for psychiatrists is to determine whether an individual with depression should receive cognitive-behavioral therapy or treatment with antidepressant medication. A study by researchers from Emory University, presented at the Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping in San Francisco, used brain imaging along with sophisticated statistical techniques to examine the differences in brain function that result from these two different kinds of treatment. Forty individuals with depression were scanned with magnetic resonance imaging after undergoing cognitive behavioral therapy or antidepressant therapy. The researchers found that they could distinguish the brain activity of individuals undergoing the two different treatments, and in particular that the two treatments differently affected the communication of the brain areas that are thought to play a role in depression, including the communication between the prefrontal cortex and the nucleus accumbens, and between the subgenual cingulate and the thalamus. The results provide a basis for future research that will try to predict which individuals will benefit from different treatments for depression.
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IFPMA Director General Michael D. Boyd's Remarks At WHO-UN Meeting With Vaccine CEOs

Mr Secretary General, Madame Director General, Ladies and Gentlemen, we are gathered here today in the shadow of the pandemic influenza threat posed by the Novel A / H1N1 virus. My name is Michael Boyd and I am Acting Director General of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations. I am speaking on behalf of the IFPMA Influenza Vaccine Supply international task force, which brings together sixteen of the leading research-based influenza vaccine manufacturers, from all five continents. We applaud the WHO for its leadership in addressing the H1N1 outbreak and welcome its efforts to strengthen collaboration with industry and to address the issues which have yet to be resolved. Clearly, we should do what we can to mitigate this threat. Given its potential scale, this will require a well-coordinated effort between multilateral organizations, governments around the world, public-private partnerships and industry. Our members are ready to produce an H1N1 pandemic vaccine when requested. They develop and produce most of the world"s seasonal influenza vaccine. They have also invested more than 4 billion US dollars over the last few years, both in pandemic vaccine research - to maximize the number of doses that can be made using existing capacity - and in building additional influenza vaccine production capacity. Developing a pandemic vaccine is a race against time. The WHO and the vaccine industry, in developed and developing countries alike, are working together closely to ensure rapid communication. The H1N1 outbreak shows that the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance Network works, making essential information and materials available to all manufacturers quickly and with a minimum of bureaucracy. Its rapid functioning is essential for a timely response to any pandemic threat and must not be compromised. The research-based vaccine and pharmaceutical industry is very conscious that countries differ widely in their level of economic development. Our members have voluntarily put in place a range of measures to help developing countries to access antiviral medicines and vaccines, including substantial donations to WHO stockpiles, tiered pricing adjusted to countries" ability to pay and voluntary licensing agreements with suitable local producers in developing countries. Some IFPMA member companies have also indicated to the WHO their readiness to reserve a portion of their vaccine manufacturing capacities for supply to developing countries. As Director General Chan recently said, the world has never been better prepared to face a possible pandemic. In part, at least, this is due to the combined efforts of the WHO and the vaccine industry represented by the IFPMA. Again, our companies stand ready to produce pandemic vaccines when requested and we are conscious of the need to provide access to developing countries, and are willing to work with other partners to help facilitate this. About the IFPMA The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations is the global non-profit NGO representing the research-based pharmaceutical, biotech and vaccine sectors. Its members comprise leading international companies and national and regional industry associations covering developed and developing countries. International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations


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