Nutrition
Infighting among Democrats over inclusion of a public plan in health care reform is turning disagreement between moderates and liberals into a "Democratic civil war" with outside groups taking part in the attacks, Politico reports.
"The prices of hundreds of brand-name drugs are about to be cut 4%, and millions of Americans may soon receive a check in the mail as compensation for having overpaid for their prescriptions," but "the extent to which the average consumer will benefit isn"t yet clear," the Wall Street Journal reports. "The price cuts and expected payments are the result of federal class-action settlements involving two drug-price publishers and a major drug wholesaler that were accused of inflating drug prices."
A bill introduced Wednesday in the House would create an artificial joints database to root out bad practices and unnecessary surgeries, The New York Times reports. "The bill, co-sponsored by (Democrats) Bill Pascrell Jr. of New Jersey and Lloyd Doggett of Texas, would establish a government-backed registry to track patients" results over time and help detect ineffective surgical practices and faulty devices. Patient registries, in areas like orthopedics, are expected to play an important role in "comparative effectiveness" reviews that the Obama administration hopes will help identify which medical procedures and products work best."
Twenty-five diabetic patients will be given computers that connect them to health care providers to maintain an ongoing dialogue about their condition, and allow doctors to monitor their status, in a new patient-care experiment by Microsoft and the University of Miami, the Miami Herald reports. The patients can send blood-sugar levels and other data in real time, while physicians can "nudge" patient"s who veer from appropriate care "with an e-mail."
The Urban Institute: "Capping The Tax Exclusion Of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance: Is Equity Feasible?"
In a posting aimed at health care professionals, FDA on its Web site on Wednesday said that recipients of Merck"s human papillomavirus vaccine, Gardasil, should be closely observed afterward for 15 minutes while they remain seated or lying down to avoid the possibility of fainting, the Wall Street Journal reports. FDA said that since October 2007, Gardasil"s labeling for both health care providers and patients has included a discussion about fainting. The agency said the strengthened recommendation comes in response to reports of "traumatic injuries" among some recipients who experienced fainting (Corbett Dooren, Wall Street Journal, 6/10). Gardasil protects against the strains of HPV that cause most cases of cervical cancer and genital warts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that girls ages 11 and 12 receive the three-dose vaccine before they are sexually active. Girls and women ages 13 to 26 who have not been vaccinated or completed the vaccine series also should receive the vaccine (CDC fact sheet, June 2008). On Wednesday, FDA also approved changes to Gardasil materials that place warnings about fainting in a more prominent place on drug labels and handouts. The agency said that the new recommendations are intended to "prevent falls and injuries" (Wall Street Journal, 6/10).
As GPs across the UK gathered in London for the Annual Conference of Local Medical Committees, Dr Dean Marshall, chairman of the BMA"s Scottish General Practitioners Committee, slammed the government for trying to strip GPs of funding and called for the profession to make decisions about general practice, not civil servants.
Dr. Damon T. Arnold, state public health director, announced a mosquito batch collected in St. Clair County has been confirmed as the first positive West Nile virus test results in southern Illinois this year.
Dr. Mark Horton, director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), warned consumers not to eat SENG Chen PiMei Candy, after tests by CDPH found unacceptable levels of lead. Consumers in possession of the candy should discard it immediately.
A few minutes might not seem like a long time, but there are circumstances when it can mean the difference between life and death. As temperatures begin to heat up, children are at a serious risk for heat stroke when left alone even for a few minutes in a closed vehicle.Last year, at least 42 children across the United States died from heatstroke caused by being left or trapped in a vehicle.
Recovering stroke patients and others who find it hard to swallow when they eat and drink are now at a lower risk of developing pneumonia or chest infections, thanks to new technology which will help assess and treat their swallowing difficulties. Many patients suffering from stroke, head injury or major trauma often have swallowing difficulties when food and drink can go down the wrong way - patients can later develop nasty chest infections and pneumonias.
Serum levels of the pro-inflammatory biomarkers myeloid-related protein (MRP) 8 and 14 are increased to a greater extent in patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) during flare than in patients with Neonatal-Onset Multisystem Inflammatory Disease (NOMID) or patients with Muckle Wells Syndrome (MWS), according to the results of a new study presented today at PReS 2009, a joint congress with the 2009 Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Nutricia, the European market leader in advanced medical nutrition, has announced the launch of Neocate Nutra, the first and only weaning product made from 100% non-allergenic amino acids. Neocate Nutra has been specifically developed for weaning infants and older children with cows" milk protein allergy (CMPA) and multiple food protein intolerance (MFPI). Unlike many weaning products, Neocate Nutra contains no hidden allergens and is designed to provide children with the key essential nutrients they need for development. With its unique format, Neocate Nutra is suitable for taking infants through the various stages of weaning and also for older children on very restricted diets who are looking for convenient and varied food options.
A research published on bmj.com reports that individuals with a family history of genetic disease are frequently discriminated by their relatives, friends and also by insurance companies.
Following the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of swine flu pandemic, the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) announced it has successfully developed an adjuvant that could significantly enhance both the effectiveness and supplies of pandemic flu vaccines. The Seattle-based not-for-profit organization will make its adjuvant technology available to flu vaccine manufacturers for the production of A (H1N1) or future pandemic flu vaccines.
In a letter published in this week´s BMJ, Professor David Colquhoun from the University College of London, says that the UK Medicines and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) "has made a mockery of its own aims" by allowing the labeling on the first homeopathic product that has gotten a license. It classifies the Arnica 30C pills as "a homoeopathic medicinal product used with the homoeopathic tradition for the symptomatic relief of sprains, muscular aches, and bruising or swelling after contusions". He claims this label should be illegal because it breaches the Unfair Trading Regulations.
South Carolinians are encouraged to join in obesity prevention efforts where they live, work, and play, and to make healthier decisions in their day-to-day lives during Obesity Awareness Month, the state Department of Health and Environmental Control announced today.
University of Florida researchers have come up with a new gene therapy method to disrupt cancer growth by using a synthetic protein to induce blood clotting that cuts off a tumor"s blood and nutrient supply.
More than 300 infection prevention experts have completed a text that serves as one of the most valuable tools for infection preventionists throughout the world, the APIC Text of Infection Control and Epidemiology. The 1,700-page document, now in its 3rd edition, has been completely revised and is now available, offering a concise information re containing more than 120 expanded and enhanced chapters.
Cytokinetics, Incorporated (NASDAQ: CYTK) announced that a
Statement from Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, FACEP (E), Executive Director, American Public Health Association, "The American Public Health Association applauds the Senate for today passing the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The legislation will protect the health of Americans, particularly children, by giving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate tobacco products.
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health are conducting a study to determine if collaborative virtual environments improve public health preparedness and response planning.
Dr. Jared Strote at the University of Washington Medical Center led a group that examined the medical records of nearly 900 patients subdued by the Seattle Police Department with a Taser over a six-year period. Less than one percent required hospital admission for an injury related to the restraint incident. No deaths occurred, even when patients exhibited signs of excited delirium.
Results from an international online survey, carried out by UCB in conjunction with Lupus Europe and the Lupus Foundation of America, the two principal advocacy groups that represent people with lupus, were presented during the EULAR (European League Against Rheumatism) congress at a symposium called, "Lupus - considering the future."
When a hospital"s emergency department is overcrowded with seriously sick and injured patients, it may "go on diversion," re-routing ambulances to other emergency departments. But the benefits of "diversion" are largely unproven. Often those emergency departments are just as crowded, and the greater distance to that other hospital can worsen the condition of some patients.
The UK Revalidation Programme Board (UKRPB) has reviewed the strategy and timetable for developing local systems to support the introduction of revalidation for doctors. The Board expects that these systems will be in place in some parts of the country by 2011. The GMC is committed to a phased approach to introducing revalidation from 2011. This will mean starting where the systems needed to support revalidation are ready and fit for purpose.
Power of the Dream Ventures, Inc. (OTCBB: PWRV), Hungary"s premier technology acquisition and development company, is pleased to present this Genetic Immunity release, based on a previously announced agreement whereby Power of the Dream Ventures will issue communications for Genetic Immunity on a going forward basis.
The All Wales Medicine Strategy Group (AWMSG) has today recommended two Pfizer medicines, Celsentri® (maraviroc) and Ecalta® (anidulafungin) for use in NHS Wales.1
GPs have warned that the reorganisation of health visitor services is putting children at risk and underlined the importance of them remaining in practice based teams. The call came at the Annual GPs Conference being held in London.
Insomnia is associated with increased frontal cerebral metabolism during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. Cerebral hypothermia, or cooling of the brain, has been found to reduce cerebral metabolism in other medical conditions, but its effects in insomnia are unknown.
Following today"s decision by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise its H1N1 influenza pandemic alert to Phase 6, its highest level, Marsh, the world"s leading insurance broker and risk advisor, is recommending that all organizations continue to focus on potential economic and jurisdictional issues in shaping their response to the current pandemic.
Ardea Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:RDEA) announced positive interim results from an ongoing Phase 2a, proof-of-concept study of RDEA594, its lead product candidate for the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout, as well as additional positive results from completed Phase 1 studies of RDEA594 in normal, healthy volunteers. The Phase 1 results, along with additional preclinical data, were presented at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology hosted by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) in Copenhagen, Denmark.
A study involving 678 individuals who apply pesticides, culled from a U.S. Agricultural Health Study of over 50,000 farmers, recently found that exposure to certain pesticides doubles one"s risk of developing an abnormal blood condition called MGUS (monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance) compared with individuals in the general population. The disorder, characterized by an abnormal level of a plasma protein, requires lifelong monitoring as it is a pre-cancerous condition that can lead to multiple myeloma, a painful cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow. The study will appear in the June 18 issue of Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology.
Orphan Therapeutics, LLC and Ikaria Holdings, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the final section of the New Drug Application (NDA) filing seeking marketing approval for LUCASSIN(R) (terlipressin for injection) for the treatment of hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) Type 1. The filing was completed on May 4, 2009, and LUCASSIN has been granted Priority Review as well as Orphan Drug status and Fast Track designation.
Seeing others in pain can automatically engage the brain"s empathy systems even if we are not paying attention, according to new research from Mount Sinai School of Medicine presented at the Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping. The investigators showed people images of hands and feet in painful or non-painful situations while scanning the brain using magnetic resonance imaging. Under some conditions the subjects paid attention to whether the situation was painful, while in other conditions they paid attention to other aspects of the images. The results showed that a brain area called the insula responded to pain even if the subject was not paying attention to pain, while another area called the anterior cingulate cortex was important for the voluntary control of empathy for pain. The research provides a better understanding of how the social brain responds to others" pain.
Brain-computer interfaces "translate" what a person is thinking in words or actions. Researchers from Maastricht University in the Netherlands performed functional MRI brain scans on healthy participants, instructing them to "type" by performing mental tasks corresponding to different letters in the English alphabet. Researchers were able to use signals from the participants" brain activation patterns to decode information about the intended letter that a participant was thinking about, and to use this in a conversation with the experimenters without any spoken words. It is hoped that such technology can enable communication with "locked-in" patients or assessment of consciousness in non-responsive patients.
"Vaccines are not just for children any more."
When Jason Martin gives a talk about his research, he begins with the dramatic story of Mariana Bridi da Costa: The young Brazilian supermodel died from severe sepsis in January after amputation of both her hands and feet failed to stop its spread.
In a study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, Saint Louis University"s Center for Vaccine Development is investigating whether the standard vaccine used in foreign countries against tuberculosis offers better protection as a shot, drink or combination of both.
In these difficult times, when the global health community is facing the dangers of an important new influenza pandemic, a new partnership is forming. The lancet, one of the world÷´s leading medical journals has announced its partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation and the China Medical Board. Together they will develop a major series to evaluate the state of public health in Southeast Asia.
Prevalence of multiple sclerosis in the United Kingdom - study estimates now 100,000 people with MS in UK.
An expert group has been set up to review pharmacy services across Wales as part of the Welsh Assembly Government"s commitment to develop community pharmacy services and pharmacy-based drop-in centres.
Thousands of people with Alzheimer"s will continue to be denied access to the only drug treatments for the disease following the publication of revised guidance by the NICE.
St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) today announced that it is the leading sponsor of the Catheter Ablation Versus Anti-arrhythmic Drug Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation (CABANA) Trial. The pivotal trial, announced by Mayo Clinic, is intended to determine the effectiveness of catheter ablation (using long, narrow tubes to non-invasively reach and destroy abnormal heart tissue) in eliminating atrial fibrillation (AF), a condition in which the upper chambers of the heart beat quickly and erratically.
Exercise physiologist Lynne Kammer, from The University of Texas at Austin, led a group of researchers who investigated the post-exercise physiological effects of the foods. Kammer and her team studied 12 trained cyclists, 8 male and 4 female. In contrast to many sports nutrition studies, however, the exercise protocol was designed to reflect a typical exercise session. After a warm-up period, the subjects cycled for two hours at a comfortable work rate, rather than the more frequently seen test-to-exhaustion.
PTI/Hindu reports on the Worldwide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN) - an "international network of malaria scientists," which will be "established to map the emergence of resistance" to malaria drugs and "guide global efforts to control and eradicate the disease." The goal of WWARN, which "will integrate the efforts of researchers, NGOs and public health experts in malaria-endemic areas around the world," is to provide "comprehensive and rigorous evidence" for policy makers, which will help them "select the best anti-malarial treatments and to formulate strategies to control the critical problem of resistance wherever it arises," PTI/Hindu writes.
Twenty-two people in the adult film industry have tested positive for HIV in the last five years in Los Angeles County, according to a new report released on Thursday by county health officials, the Los Angeles Times reports. Officials were prompted to release the report after an adult film star last week tested positive for HIV. An outbreak occurred in 2004, in which at least five people tested positive for HIV, and caused the industry to shut down for one month. The cases in 2004 prompted a series of public hearings over the years that sought to require the industry to adopt safer practices, but no legislation was introduced. "The report ò€¦ is bringing renewed scrutiny to the estimated $12-billion-a-year industry"s long history of resisting regulation and condom use," according to the Times. Michael Weinstein, president of the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, said, "This industry screams for regulation," adding that the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health "needs to require that condoms be used in any film." Sharon Mitchell, co-founder of the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation, the clinic which tests people in the adult film industry for sexually transmitted infections, said the clinic promotes HIV prevention and testing, but added "we are not the police department of the industry nor wish to be" (Yoshino/Rong-Gong, Los Angeles Times, 6/12).
The Los Angeles County"s Commission on HIV this week backed down on a proposal that would have cut $350,000 from nutrition programs that serve people living with HIV, the Los Angeles Daily News reports. The commission members voted on Thursday to send the proposal back to a committee for further review after protests by food pantry clients and volunteers and staff from AIDS Project Los Angeles, Project Angel Food and other organizations attending a hearing on the issue. While this year"s Ryan White Program funds, which the county uses for its programs, were increased from last year, the bad economy and increasing medical and pharmaceutical costs for people living with HIV prompted the commission to consider using the $350,000 slated for nutrition for other services, according to the Daily News. Roughly 3,000 people use the nutrition services monthly (Abram, Los Angeles Daily News, 6/11).
Men are almost 40 per cent more likely than women to die from cancer, reveals a report published today (Monday) by the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) and Cancer Research UK together with the Men"s Health Forum to mark Men"s Health Week.
The New York Times on Thursday examined how thousands of women have posted videos on YouTube showing themselves giving birth. According to the Times, the women believe the videos help "demystify" childbirth by candidly presenting the process in a manner that pregnant women and their partners otherwise might not see. Along with YouTube, Web sites like Internet chat rooms and pregnancy blogs are helping to shift dynamics between pregnant women and their care providers, the Times reports. Eileen Ehudin Beard, an adviser for the American College of Nurse-Midwives, said, "The more information you have, the more s you have, the more informed you are, the better questions you ask." However, she added that the videos could have negative effects, particularly if they make women more fearful of childbirth. The childbirth videos are relatively controversial because of their graphic nature, which has challenged some of YouTube"s rules and raised issues of propriety. Victoria Grand, the head of policy for YouTube, said that nudity generally is banned from YouTube but that the site "make[s] exceptions for videos that are educational, documentary or scientific." Most childbirth videos on YouTube are age restricted to ages 18 and older. A majority of them show home births because most U.S. hospitals prohibit patients from recording births due to liability concerns, the Times reports. Although childbirth education classes have shown edited videos of births since the 1970s, the Internet and YouTube could change the way such classes are taught, according to Jeanette Schwartz, president of the International Childbirth Education Association. She noted that most videos currently used in childbirth classes are heavily edited and out of date, adding that the YouTube videos "create a wonderful opportunity to show free, real life, candid videos in a classroom setting." Eugene Declercq, a professor at the Boston University School of Public Health, said, "A hundred and fifty years ago, women viewed birth on a pretty regular basis -- they saw their sisters of neighbors give birth." He said that changed with a trend toward hospital births beginning in the late 19th century. "But now, with YouTube, we"ve come back around and women have this opportunity to view births again," Declercq said (Wollan, New York Times, 6/11).
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).
Individuals suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) can experience significant savings in healthcare costs by employing a self-treatment program with the judicious use of medications, according to the results of a new study. The self-treatment program achieves these savings by reducing the duration of flare-ups.
It"s happy hour for Texas wineries.
Warwickshire, Solihull & Coventry Breast Screening Service (WSCBSS), which installed its first Sectra MicroDose system in 2005, has now invested in another two systems. With the new units, WSCBSS will become one of the first publicly operated breast screening services in the UK to provide a fully direct digital mammography screening service.
Three new studies have individually shown the anti-TNF (tumour necrosis factor) therapy etanercept to be effective, with a good safety profile, in children under four years of age with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and associated with improved Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in a substantial proportion of children with JIA. The data are being presented at the Paediatric Rheumatology European Society Congress (PReS) 2009, a joint congress with the 2009 Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) in Copenhagen, Denmark.
New figures from the NHS Information Centre reveal a sobering tally of over 300 heart attacks, 300 strokes, 65 foot or toe amputations and 38 leg amputations among people with diabetes each week.
People over the age of 60 are more likely than younger people to take risks with "use by" dates, according to new research findings published by the Food Standards Agency.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is reminding employers of their duties to the safety of staff following an incident in Kettering where an employee fell six foot and suffered serious injury.
Yissum Research Development Company Ltd., the Technology Transfer Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, announced today at the ILSI-Biomed Israel 2009 conference, it has signed an agreement with Aurum, Ventures MKI, the technology investment arm of Mr. Morris Kahn, for the development of a nanotechnology controlled release drug delivery platform that increases the bioavailability of orally administered lipophilic drugs. The technology was developed by Prof. Simon Benita at the Hebrew University"s School of Pharmacy.
Members of The AMT (Association for Meridian & Energy Therapies) in the UK have noticed a dramatic increase in the number of clients attending therapy sessions because of anxiety, stress and in more severe cases, Panic Attacks. This has been directly related to the Credit Crunch and personal money worries.
Physio-Control Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Medtronic, Inc., (NYSE: MDT), announced that it has received a Gold Medical Design Excellence Award (MDEA) for its LIFEPAK® 15 monitor/defibrillator.
Early results from the second series of trials have demonstrated a 5 log reduction (99.999%) in Pseudomonas aeruginousa and a 4.4 log reduction (99.994%) in Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA). Both of these pathogens are of major concern to medical treatment facilities world wide with the spread of MRSA infection often being referred to as the "silent epidemic". The CDC reported (JAMA 2007) that MRSA alone is now associated with an estimated 19,000 deaths annually in the US. Dr. Michael E. Shannon, Medizone"s Director of Medical Affairs commented, "Although the results from our first round of trials were very encouraging, introducing several procedural refinements in this second round resulted in levels of bactericidal action well above what was expected. Indeed, breaking through the 5 log barrier has led us to conclude that with a third technological development still to be introduced in this series of trials, the bactericidal ceiling for our system is now unclear, but well above what we ever expected. Needless to say, we are very excited over these findings and even more convinced that our new technologies will save hundreds of thousands of lives each year world wide. Add to the system"s efficacy the fact that it will be safe, extremely cost effective and adaptable to virtually any situation anywhere, leads me to conclude that AsepticSure will have a global reach."
FluoroPharma Inc., a company developing breakthrough PET molecular imaging agents, announced that it will present Phase I data relating to the safety, dosimetry, and pharmacokinetics in human subjects of BFPET, its novel 18-F labeled PET tracer for myocardial perfusion imaging, at the Society of Nuclear Medicine 2009 Annual Meeting in Toronto.
Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) announced that results from nine studies involving the Company"s Urology/Gynecology products will be presented at the 34th Annual Meeting of the International Urogynecological Association (IUGA). Presentations will feature Boston Scientific"s pelvic floor reconstruction systems and mid-urethral sling systems used to treat pelvic floor prolapse and stress urinary incontinence (SUI). The Company will also sponsor a symposium highlighting long-term registry data comparing the benefits of experienced-based versus evidence-based outcomes for patients treated with mid-urethral slings. The IUGA Congress will be held June 16-20 at the Villa Erba Conference Center in Como, Italy.
A marker in the blood of both cats and humans that was identified in a recent study might signal both species" susceptibility for a painful bladder disorder called interstitial cystitis, a condition that is often difficult to diagnose.
The California Medical Association called on President Obama today to fix the flaws with Medi-Cal and Medicare, the government"s two biggest health care programs, as part of efforts to reform health care and extend coverage to those who are uninsured.
Rich Umbdenstock
The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, announced today the appointment of Dr. Alexander (Sandy) McEwan as Special Advisor on Medical Isotopes to the Minister of Health for the duration of the isotope shortage.
Several reports today focus on inadequate health care for certain population groups within the United States.
Governments and drug companies are struggling with efforts to prepare for a possible resurgence of swine flu in the fall as well as questioning who should receive swine flu vaccines as they ramp up production.
The Los Angeles Times examined the documentary movie "Sex Positive," which chronicles the lives and efforts of three men who sought to promote safe sex during the early years of HIV/AIDS in the U.S. According to the Times, late singer-songwriter Michael Callen, activist Richard Berkowitz and Joseph Sonnabend, a virologist and personal physician of Callen and Berkowitz, together "actually invented the notion of safe sex." With professional guidance from Sonnabend, in 1983, Callen and Berkowitz co-authored "How to Have Sex in an Epidemic: One Approach," the "first document to identify and advocate "medically safe sex," which encouraged condom use" along with other practices, the Times reports. "Sex Positive" will debut in theaters on Friday (Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 6/14).
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a non-profit professional organization of
Atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries with plaque buildup, is the underlying cause of heart disease and stroke, which together account for more than half of all death and disability in developed nations. The world"s largest forum for new research on the topic, the International Symposium on Atherosclerosis (ISA), will hold its 15th triennial meeting at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center in Boston, June 14 to 18.
The Louisiana Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday approved a bill (H.B. 517) that would expand the ability of health care workers to refuse to provide services for moral or religious reasons, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports. The bill passed by a 3-2 vote after the addition of amendments to narrow the scope of the legislation. According to the Advocate, the bill would allow a medical worker to choose not to participate in any service "that violates his conscience," which it defines as a religious belief or moral conviction. Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) supports the legislation, as do conservative groups like the Louisiana Family Forum and the Louisiana Right to Life Federation. Several groups oppose the bill, including Planned Parenthood, the Forum for Equality, Louisiana Agenda for Children and the American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU of Louisiana"s Marjorie Esman said that the bill could "lead to all kinds of unintended consequences," based on assertions of moral and religious objections (Blum, Baton Rouge Advocate, 6/11).
When Jason Martin gives a talk about his research, he begins with the dramatic story of Mariana Bridi da Costa: The young Brazilian supermodel died from severe sepsis in January after amputation of both her hands and feet failed to stop its spread.
It"s common for retailers to bundle two different products (like razors and blades) together and describe one as free. A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research shows that this strategy leads consumers to devalue the items when they"re sold individually.
Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (NasdaqCM:PSTI) (DAX: PJT), a bio-therapeutics company dedicated to the commercialization of unrelated donor-patient (allogeneic) cell therapy products for a variety of disorders, announced today that the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), the German competent authority in the European Union, has approved the Company"s Clinical Trial Application (CTA) and granted approval to begin clinical trials with its placental-derived adherent stromal cell product, termed PLX-PAD, for the treatment of critical limb ischemia (CLI), the end-stage of peripheral artery disease (PAD). In addition, Pluristem has already received approval from the Ethics Committee and, as previously announced, the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) had cleared the Company"s Investigational New Drug (IND) application to initiate a similar trial in the United States. Both approvals of the CTA and IND clear the way for the world"s "first-in-man" clinical trial using PLX-PAD.
ExonHit Therapeutics (Paris:ALEHT) announced that clinical testing of EHT 0202, its lead therapeutic compound in Alzheimer"s disease, is progressing well. Final patient dosing for the Phase IIa proof-of-concept clinical trial assessing EHT 0202 in patients with Alzheimer"s disease is completed.
Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ: CELG) announced the preliminary results of a phase II, multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, three-arm study of apremilast - a novel, orally available small molecule that exhibits anti- inflammatory activities through the suppression of multiple pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines - in adult patients with psoriatic arthritis (CC-10004-PSA-001). The study met its primary objective of assessment of ACR20 at 12 weeks. ACR20 is defined as the percentage of patients achieving a 20% or better improvement according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria. ACR20 is the primary assessment utilized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for assessment of efficacy in psoriatic arthritis, as well as rheumatoid arthritis.
Scientists from A*STAR"s Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN) and the University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy, have discovered another signaling pathway for the activation and apoptosis, or programmed cell death, of dendritic cells[1] . This discovery was published in the advanced online publication of Nature on 15 Jun 2009.
The most common form of human heart beat irregularity (atrial fibrillation) can be fatal if left untreated. It has been suggested that it is caused, in part, by calcium leaking from a cellular store in heart cells, potentially through the RyR2 channel, although this mechanism remains controversial. However, a team of researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, and Dresden University of Technology, Germany, has provided support for this hypothesis by showing that the protein CaMKII can enhance RyR2-mediated calcium leak, promoting atrial fibrillation in mice.
Calcium Supplementation Has No Weight-loss Benefit for Obese Patients
The University of California, San Francisco, has partnered with Abbott, a global health care company, to launch a first-of-its kind, non-profit viral diagnostics center near the UCSF Mission Bay campus to help identify unknown viruses from around the world.
Responding to the World Health Organisation"s recent confirmation of swine flu as a pandemic, BMJ Learning, the medical education arm of the BMJ Group, has updated and revised its guide "Influenza pandemics: why, what, and how to prepare" which covers all the information doctors need to know about pandemic flu including details of the epidemiological features and a description of the viruses involved.
Rush University Medical Center is the only hospital in Illinois and the only hospital in the Midwest to receive the highest possible rating in the Healthcare Equality Index 2009 (HEI), which is an annual survey that evaluates the nation"s hospitals on their treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) patients, their families and hospital employees.
New data announced at Heart Rhythm 2009, the annual congress of the Heart Rhythm Society, demonstrate that patients implanted with the investigational EnRhythm MRI™ SureScan™ pacing system experienced no complications related to the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Sponsored by Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), the study confirms that the pacing system can help cardiac device patients benefit from the use of MRI, a critical imaging technique commonly used in disease diagnosis. Currently, due to safety considerations, there are no implantable pacemakers or defibrillators approved for use with MRI in the United States. Commercially released in Europe last fall, the EnRhythm MRI SureScan system is the world"s first and only pacing system designed and approved for use with MRI.
Marking a unique milestone in prostate cancer surgery, the director of urologic oncology at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) has completed his 500th robotic prostatectomy at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), the Flagship Hospital of CINJ, which is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
Previous studies have shown that fibromyalgia is associated with reductions in gray matter in parts of the brain, but the exact cause is not known. Using sophisticated brain imaging techniques, researchers from Louisiana State University, writing in The Journal of Pain, found that alterations in levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine might be responsible for gray matter reductions.
President Barack Obama told the American Medical Association Monday that a health care fix can"t wait, The New York Times reports. ""The public option is not your enemy," Mr. Obama said. "It is your friend, I believe." Saying it would "keep the insurance companies honest," the president dismissed as "illegitimate" the claims of critics that a public insurance option amounts to "a Trojan horse for a single-payer system" run by the government. Mr. Obama twice referred to the use of such "fear tactics" about "socialized medicine" in past legislative battles, without pointing out that the A.M.A., a traditionally Republican-leaning group, was among those using the charge, as in the mid-1960s debate over creating Medicare for people 65 and older"
A fee for patients at Cleveland Clinic is upsetting some patients who are complaining to the Ohio hospital, their insurance companies and even members of Congress. They say they can"t afford the expense in the current economy, according to The Plain Dealer.
The three nursing organizations at the heart of the newly announced national RN SuperUnion today announce a new television and internet advertising campaign in conjunction with the debut of HawthoRNe, one of the new TV shows debuting this season that features nurse characters.
The following statistics were released by the Department of Health:
You Be Obama New York Times
The Delaware State Senate recently passed a bill (SB 86) that would add HIV testing to the standard battery of tests given to all pregnant women, WMTD.com reports. Lawmakers hope that the bill will help reduce the rate of mother-to-child HIV transmission. Women would be able to choose to "opt out" of taking the test, according to WMTD.com (Saki, WMTD.com, 6/14).
Despite significant efforts from Pakistani authorities and humanitarian organizations to respond to the world"s largest and fastest displacement of people in more than a decade, relief efforts are barely coping, according to an Oxfam report published on Monday, the International News reports.
Ark Therapeutics Group plc (AKT:LSE) announces that Named Patient Supply (NPS) for Cerepro® (sitimagene ceradenovec) has been approved in Finland by the National Agency for Medicines (NAM). The approval follows an application made by a neuro-surgeon in Finland for the use of Cerepro®.
On Monday, USA Today examined how the popularity of vasectomies remains relatively low compared with other contraceptive methods, despite the procedure"s high level of effectiveness. However, some physicians believe that the current economic recession might be a factor in the recent surge of men seeking the procedure, according to USA Today. Charles Wilson, founder of The Vasectomy Clinic in Seattle, said although it has been a "long-term struggle trying to sell vasectomy," he now performs about 140 vasectomies monthly, compared with the usual 100. Lawrence Ross, a professor of urology at the University of Illinois-Chicago, said vasectomy consultations have about doubled compared with one year ago.Despite the recent uptick, experts say that sterilization surgeries for women remain much more popular than vasectomies. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 50% of women ages 40 to 44 who used birth control in 2002 had undergone sterilization surgery, but fewer than 20% of their male partners had undergone a vasectomy. According to USA Today, physicians cite several reasons for the lower popularity of vasectomies. Compared with women, men generally are less comfortable with medical procedures, particularly procedures involving sexual organs. In addition, myths about side effects of the procedure -- such as reduced testosterone levels and diminished sexual function or desire -- continue to persist.Some men experience feelings of regret post-surgery, but there is a lack of data on the number of men who seek vasectomy reversals, USA Today reports. Wilson said that although the recent increase in vasectomy surgeries might be tied to the economy, the trend probably does not reflect a long-term shift. He said that fears of losing a job and health insurance might play a role in convincing some men to go ahead with a vasectomy but that most of these individuals would eventually have had the procedure anyway (Painter, USA Today, 6/14).
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking steps to improve contact lens safety by reminding consumers of the importance of following proper cleaning and storing procedures. Consumers who do not follow instructions for contact lens care and use increase their risk of serious eye infections that can lead to blindness.
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) has named Fela Viso-Gurovich, Ph.D., an honorary member of the Society for her pioneering work in the development of hospital pharmacy in Mexico. Dr. Viso-Gurovich received the honor during ASHP"s Summer Meeting in Rosemont, Ill.
A new study by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) researchers contradicts the conventional wisdom that living near a fast food outlet increases weight in children and that living near supermarkets, which sell fresh fruit and vegetables as well as so called junk food, lowers weight.
Using an opioid drug to induce a hibernatory state in rats reduces the damage caused by an artificial stroke. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Biology have shown that those animals put into the chemical fugue suffered less behavioral dysfunctions after a period of cerebral artery blockage than control rats.
Pablo Sobrado, assistant professor of biochemistry with the infectious disease research group at Virginia Tech, has received a Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award for his research on enzymes that are essential for infection in two important human pathogens.
How molecules of the oldest branch of the human immune system have interconnected has remained a mystery. Now, two new structures, both involving a central component of an enzyme important to the complement system of the immune response, reveal how this system fights invading microbes while avoiding problems of the body attacking itself.
In a study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified cells in blood that predict which HIV-positive individuals are most likely to develop deadly fungal meningitis, a major cause of HIV-related death. This form of meningitis affects more than 900,000 HIV-infected people globally most of them in sub-Saharan Africa and other areas of the world where antiretroviral therapy for HIV is not available.
A research team led by Professor Einar Hallberg at the Department of Life Sciences at Sç¶dertç¶rn University in Sweden has discovered a new protein in the inner membrane of the cell nucleus. This protein may play an important role in cell division and now provides a new piece of the puzzle to study in cancer research.
Data published in the June issue of the Journal of Alzheimer"s Disease demonstrated that minimally-invasive biospectroscopy was able to identify changes in oxidative stress (OS) levels in blood plasma, which may prove to be a useful biomarker in the early detection of Alzheimer"s disease. There is currently no accepted laboratory test for diagnosing Alzheimer"s disease.
A review of the NICE decision on the approval of lenalidomide is published in a special report Online First and in the July edition of The Lancet Oncology. About 2,000 multiple myeloma sufferers in the UK could benefit from the drug and improve their life expectancy pending a decision by The UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). Patients who have received two or more previous therapies could receive lenalidomide, and the cost of cycles beyond the twenty-sixth cycle of treatment would be met by the drug manufacturer.
Humans can tell if two strangers are related, even if they are generations apart, just by looking at their faces. So say scientists writing today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B , who believe this ability helps us to interpret situations and understand the motives of others in a social setting.
The up to $1.6 trillion price tag for one version of health care reform has left Democrats scrambling to find a way to rein in costs while not sacrificing the basic tenets of a plan they favor, The Washington Post reports.
Wellness programs are not faring well as a campaign is mounting to strike a provision for them from reform legislation. Roll Call reports that "innocuous sounding "wellness programs" that many employers would like to see included as part of health care reform legislation have sparked a lobbying campaign by disease groups, consumer organizations and unions. They argue that the programs could potentially make health insurance unaffordable for some people and could compromise workers" privacy" (Ackley, 6/17).
According to the latest ratings of two watchdog groups, medical schools are "improving their conflict-of-interest policies to police their ties with drug and medical-device makers. But more than half the schools still have inadequate policies or no policies at all," the Wall Street Journal"s Health Blog reports. The American Medical Student Association and the Pew Prescription Project said the number of schools earning top marks had more than doubled, in part because of pressure from lawmakers like Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa. But, "there are a lot of schools that are yet to look seriously at these issues," the director of the Pew project said.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn., announced Tuesday that "health and human services will come in for $236 million in additional cuts as part of his unallotment strategy," the Star Tribune reports. The "list of about 20 cuts to health services" includes ending a health care program for the poor "six weeks sooner than expected, saving $15 million" and "reducing hours for personal care attendants, who serve fragile and disabled people." Pawlenty "noted he was proposing no new payment reductions for primary care doctors and clinics, and no additional cuts in Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals that serve a large number of poor patients."
VaxInnate Corporation today reported positive preclinical results for a recombinant swine flu vaccine it developed in less than three weeks, making it one of the first companies in the world to begin testing a vaccine that could help halt the spread of the swine flu pandemic.
Antigenics Inc. (NASDAQ: AGEN) announced that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has launched a Phase 3 study with the world"s most clinically-advanced malaria vaccine, RTS,S, which contains Antigenics" QS-21 Stimulon® adjuvant.