Oncology
Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama"s nominee for the Supreme Court, on Thursday will hold a third round of private meetings with senators who will be voting on her confirmation, the AP/Chicago Tribune reports. The AP/Tribune reports that by Friday, Sotomayor will have met with more than one-quarter of the Senate and a majority of members on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will lead an as-yet-unscheduled set of hearings for her confirmation.The Judiciary Committee is expected to receive and examine a large collection of documents for the hearings -- including Sotomayor"s writings, speeches and unpublished rulings -- as part of a questionnaire response on personal and financial data, possible conflicts of interest and the procedure that led to her nomination. According to the AP/Tribune, the White House in recent days has been rallying support for Sotomayor, with first lady Michelle Obama on Wednesday talking about the nominee at a high school graduation (Hirschfeld Davis, AP/Chicago Tribune, 6/4).Meanwhile, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) on Wednesday failed to reach an agreement on a timeline for Sotomayor"s confirmation hearings and vote, CongressDaily reports. According to CongressDaily, Democrats and Republicans generally are "at odds" over the issue, particularly over when the confirmation hearings should start (Friedman, CongressDaily, 6/3). Leahy said that he would like hearings to begin next month, with the goal of scheduling a confirmation vote before the month-long congressional recess that begins in early August. Sessions has called for the process to be spread out over the summer to allow committee members to analyze the large volume of Sotomayor"s records, with hearings beginning in September (AP/Chicago Tribune, 6/4).Leahy -- who will have the final say on the start of the hearings -- on Tuesday said that "it would be irresponsible to leave [Sotomayor] hanging out there" until September (CongressDaily, 6/3).
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) yesterday contributed $75 million to improve and expand children"s immunization programs in developing countries.
Everyone checks their body to some extent, but many people with eating disorders repeatedly check their body and often in a way that"s unusual.
With more than $19 billion in new spending planned for health information technology, the Obama administration is taking serious steps toward modernizing the U.S. health care system. Implementing health IT can reduce both costs and errors, but it requires extensive information infrastructure upgrades. Few hospitals, clinics or private practices have the funds to pay for new technology. The new Brookings Institution Press book Digital Medicine: Health Care in the Internet Era investigates the factors affecting digital technology"s ability to remake health care.
Approximately 30 percent U.S. children live more than one hour away from a pediatric trauma center by ground or by air transportation, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Adding AZD3355, a novel GABAB receptor agonist, to a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) in patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), resulted in a 35% reduction in the mean total number of reflux episodes 0-24 hours after dose, compared with placebo.[i] These data were presented at the Digestive Diseases Week annual meeting (DDW®, 30 May - 4 June, Chicago).
The California Medical Association issued the following statement about the tragic shooting of Dr. George Tiller of Kansas:
Meridian Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIVO) announced that it has received FDA clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new rapid test for Campylobacter, ImmunoCard STAT!® CAMPY. This new test provides fast and accurate detection of Campylobacter bacteria, one of the most common causes of diarrheal illness and the most common bacterial cause of foodborne illness in the United States. Approximately 20 million stool culture tests are conducted each year in the U.S. to detect the illness, known as Campylobacteriosis. Campylobacter is most often transmitted by poorly cooked poultry or person-to-person contact.
Pfizer Animal Health today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first canine cancer therapy in the U.S. - PALLADIATM (toceranib phosphate) - which was developed by Pfizer to treat mast cell tumors in dogs. Pfizer made the announcement to veterinarians attending the 2009 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum and Canadian Veterinary Medical Association Convention.
Professor Murali Doraiswamy, from the Duke University Medical Center in Carolina, has suggested that curcumin, found in the popular curry ingredient tumeric, could help prevent the onset of dementia. Following a pilot study, a clinical trial is underway at the University of California to test the effects of curcumin on the amyloid plaque proteins that build up in the brain of patients with Alzheimer"s disease. Professor Doriaswamy made his comments at the Royal College of Psychiatrists" Annual Meeting in Liverpool.
Huge economic gains could be made if eyeglasses were provided to approximately 150 million people in need, according to research published today in the international public health journal, the Bulletin of the World Health Organization.
Legislation requiring an independent review of decisions by health plans and insurers to rescind coverage for patients passed the Assembly on a 46-24 vote today.
More than one kind of stem cell is required to support the upkeep and repair of the lungs, according to a new study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
Patients with psychiatric disorders occupy around 15% of total bed days in the NHS - and have a longer length of stay than people with other medical conditions.
Shortly after the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed in February, there was a government affairs retreat of the eHealth Initiative to discuss concern regarding the $19 billion allocated for health information technology. A feature article in the June issue of the Journal of AHIMA examines conclusions policy makers made about the investment in health IT and how to engage healthcare consumers in productive use of it.
The Extremadura Regional Government of Spain and IBM (NYSE: IBM) have launched an electronic prescription system in 680 pharmacies in Extremadura, where health centres and pharmacies are now computerised and able to prescribe and dispense prescription medications electronically.
The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, is pleased to announce another measure to address the H1N1 flu virus. The Government of Canada will fund a national influenza research network focused on pandemic vaccine evaluation. The network will strengthen Canada"s capacity to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a pandemic influenza vaccine and vaccination programs.
SAGE have announced that flagship medical journal Palliative Medicine is to become the official journal of the Association for Palliative Medicine.
President Obama has named Alexia Kelley -- Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good co-founder and former executive director -- to the position of director of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships at HHS, Salon"s "War Room" reports. According to Salon"s the "War Room," CACG primarily has worked to find ways to reduce the demand for abortion procedures rather than advocate for laws to restrict access. However, CACG"s Web site reads, "Catholics in Alliance believes in the sanctity of all human life -- from conception until natural death" (Madden, "War Room," Salon, 6/4).Catholics for Choice President Jon O"Brien writes in The Hill"s "Congress Blog" that the appointment is "a defeat for reason and logic" and "calls into question whether President Obama"s administration is serious about reducing the need for abortion." According to O"Brien, Kelley "is on record with her support for restrictions on access to abortion," although CACG has sought to "avoid the question of legalization at every turn." O"Brien continues that the group also used "flawed economic data to support anti-poverty measures as a means to reduce the number of abortions," and "opposed evidence-based prevention methods such as contraception and comprehensive sexuality education" (O"Brien, "Congress Blog," The Hill, 6/4).Officials at the White House and HHS did not return calls for comment. CACG spokesperson Jennifer Goff said, "Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good is working toward reaching common ground in order to make real progress on the moral and political challenges our country faces instead of resorting to spurious attacks launched by those who are more concerned with inflaming the culture wars than effecting positive change" ("War Room," Salon, 6/4).
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Finance Committee expects the Senate"s health care overhaul proposal to include a public health insurance plan, Dow Jones Newswire reports, adding that Baucus was "following the lead of President Obama and drawing a line in the sand on the controversial issue." The President strongly supported the public option in a letter to senators Wednesday.
To reduce an estimated half million deaths and two million hospitalizations from diarrhea caused by rotavirus each year, the WHO on Friday recommended that oral rotavirus vaccines be added to national childhood immunization programs, broadening access to the vaccine in the developing world,
The CDC has released a fact sheet informing people that there is some risk of transmitting HIV to others through oral sex, even though it is much lower than the risk of transmission from vaginal or anal intercourse, the Lakeland Ledger"s "Robin"s Rx: Medical Blogging in Polk County" reports. According to the CDC, many people believe that oral sex is safe or has no risk of transmitting disease. The CDC fact sheet said that abstaining from any sexual activity or engaging in mutual monogamy where both partners are uninfected are the only ways to completely prevent HIV transmission, but that condoms and other barriers between the mouth and genitals can reduce the risk of transmission through oral sex (Adams, "Robin"s Rx: Medical Blogging in Polk County," Lakeland Ledger, 6/4).
"ADAP Watch," National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors: The report found that as of May 20, 2009, there were 99 people on AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) waiting lists in Indiana, Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming -- 37 more people than the previous ADAP Watch report, published in March 2009. The report also found that 11 ADAPs anticipate implementing new cost-containment measures by the end of March 2010, six of which anticipate implementing a waiting list. In addition, the report identifies factors contributing to the need for cost-containment measures, and discusses how state budget deficits are affecting HIV programs, including ADAPs ("ADAP Watch," NASTAD, 6/4).
The Medical Defence Union (MDU) the UK"s largest medical defence organisation has reassured doctors that they are not admitting liability if they apologise when something has gone wrong with their treatment of a patient.
UroToday.com - In the online version of The Prostate, Dr. Ravishankar Jayadevappa and colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania analyzed the association between race, risk of biochemical recurrence and recovery pattern of patient reported outcomes such as satisfaction with care, HRQoL (generic and prostate-specific) and cost in younger men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer (CaP). The investigators hypothesized that younger African American men will have impaired HRQoL outcomes and will present with higher cost compared to younger Caucasian CaP patients.
UroToday.com - "Good judgment comes from experience, experience (unfortunately) comes from bad judgment." So the saying goes, but perhaps good judgment can (hopefully) come from carefully done reading of the "experiences" of others.
UroToday.com - The prevailing view is that MRI has a limited role in the management of prostate cancer. Currently, the threshold for requesting a pre-treatment staging MRI is variable with most advocating this for only those classified as high risk localized prostate cancer, although some also advocate men with intermediate risk disease.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that rotavirus vaccination be included in all national immunization programmes in order to provide protection against a virus that is responsible for more than 500,000 diarrheal deaths and two million hospitalizations annually among children. More than 85 percent of these deaths occur in developing countries in Africa and Asia. This new policy will help ensure access to rotavirus vaccines in the world"s poorest countries.
Memgen announced that the ongoing Phase Ib study of its cancer immune therapy, ISF35, has produced positive results, including a complete remission in the trial"s first patient who had 17p deleted chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. (OTCBB: IMUC) (IMUC), a biotechnology company, presented promising clinical data from a Phase I trial evaluating ICT-107, the company"s dendritic cell-based cancer vaccine product candidate for the treatment of glioblastoma. These data were reported at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting in Orlando, Florida (Abstract #2032), and supplement the preliminary data from the completed clinical trial that the Company reported in December 2008.
DaVinci Biosciences LLC in collaboration with University of Utah, Southern California Center for Regenerative Medicine and Omni Hospital in Ecuador, announce the discovery of a previously unidentified stem cell population from adult human testis in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (BBRC), an international peer-reviewed journal focused on the rapid dissemination of timely and significant experimental results in diverse fields of biological research. Termed gonadal stem cells (GSCs) these adult derived stem cells, unlike previous reported population of stem cells found within the testis, have been found to demonstrate adult stem cell properties. Published in the current journal of Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, the data from this collaborative study describes a multipotent adult stem cell population that has the capacity to readily differentiate into multiple cell types. The study evolved from an international collaboration aimed at identifying novel cell populations at different geographical laboratory locations and for different HLA types.
Joe Korner, Director of Communications at The Stroke Association said: "This audit shows that there is still a long way to go to make sure people get urgent preventative treatment that could prevent a catastrophic stroke.
Health professionals need to look no further than their iPhone to support them at the point of care. Wave Medical, who provides clinical decision support applications to general practitioners, nurses, emergency doctors and medical students has recently expanded its mobile platform offering to include the iPhone™ and iPod® Touch. Now all healthcare professionals can easily access any of Wave Medical"s specialty-focused clinical decision support applications through iPhone"s innovative platform.
New treatments to ease or even cure the most common cancer affecting Australian men are a step closer to reality with a $1.25 million grant awarded to QUT prostate cancer researcher Professor Colleen Nelson today.
Commenting on the news that the Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP has been appointed as the new Secretary of State for Health, Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said:
Mark Lever, NAS chief executive said; "In the current economic climate the Government cannot possibly ignore the huge cost savings and benefits, identified by their own auditing body, of providing adults with autism with the right support at the right time. Neither the Government, people with autism nor the taxpayer are getting value for money from existing autism services and support, leaving those affected by the condition feeling isolated, ignored and often at breaking point. This is simply unacceptable.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) is demanding the closure of a
A study in the June issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, published by Elsevier, demonstrates that the Hepascore(TM) liver fibrosis blood-serum test panel may help physicians more accurately diagnose and stage liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV), potentially alleviating the need for liver biopsy, the standard of care for staging fibrosis, in a particular subset of patients. The Hepascore test panel is provided exclusively by Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX), the world"s leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services.
New data show that Afinitor(R) (everolimus) tablets significantly shrunk tumors in 33% of patients with relapsed non-Hodgkin"s lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin"s disease(1). Based on results from this study and other early-stage research, Novartis has initiated a Phase III trial in the most common NHL, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).
Sexual abuse in childhood damages women far more than men and could account for just over a quarter of suicide attempts in women, according to new research.
1994 Group universities are continuing to widen access to higher education, attracting over 4/5 of their students from state schools for a third consecutive year, as highlighted by statistics published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA.) As well as increasing their average percentage of entrants from state schools by three times the national average, 1994 Group universities have also achieved drop-out rates well below the sector-wide average for a forth year running, signalling that wider participation and high quality student experience can go hand in hand.
Mental health care must improve to halt the staggering number of suicides occurring in prisons, new research has revealed.
The Washington Independent examines a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, which found that a federal law requiring most international food aid to come from U.S. farmers could be "hobbling efforts to feed the world"s hungry." Currently, Food for Peace - the nation"s largest food aid program - "requires that the crops be purchased from U.S. growers, processed through U.S. companies, and shipped using U.S.-flagged vessels," according to the article.
The St. Petersburg Times examines the work of Paul Farmer - "the Harvard-educated doctor who, starting in Haiti, built a multinational organization on the radical idea that poor patients deserve the same care as rich ones" and is reportedly being considered for a high-level job with USAID or the State Department. The newspaper reports that though it"s "not a sure thing, even his candidacy indicates how far the international aid establishment has come around to Farmer"s way of thinking, health care experts say."
Obama"s Health Cost Illusion Wall Street Journal
Antiabortion-rights legislators in Kansas plan to push for harsher restrictions on abortion when the next legislative session begins in January 2010, despite increased tensions following the murder of abortion provider George Tiller, the AP/Indianapolis Star reports.According to state House Judiciary Committee Chair Lance Kinzer (R), the debate over abortion rights should continue in the state because some laws aimed at restricting abortion access are not being enforced properly. This year, Kinzer pushed legislation (S.B. 218) to strengthen the state"s restrictions on abortions performed later in pregnancy, but the bill was vetoed by former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D). Gov. Mark Parkinson (D) has said his views are "very similar" to those of Sebelius on abortion rights. On Monday, he called on advocates on both sides of the issue to tone down their rhetoric. Parkinson also has said that Kansas should aim to reduce unplanned pregnancies.State Rep. Tom Sawyer (D), who supports abortion rights, said he would like to see legislators take one year off of debating the issue, adding that he thinks this is unlikely. He said, "It"d be nice to have one session where we didn"t have to debate it," adding, "People who are adamant, who keep bringing up these issues, are going to keep bringing them up. I don"t think [Tiller"s murder] is going to slow them down."However, state House Speaker Mike O"Neal (R) said tensions over abortion rights "will calm down a great deal" in the coming months. He added, "All those issues are still there. As long as the parties on both sides behave themselves and not let the rhetoric get out [of] hand, I think we can stay focused on the issues." State Sen. Tim Huelskamp (R) said that abortion-rights opponents likely will focus in the short term on the Board of Healing Arts, which licenses and regulates physicians, and the courts. A criminal case against a Planned Parenthood clinic in Johnson County, Kan., is pending (Hanna, AP/Indianapolis Star, 6/5).
A study available ahead of print in Tobacco Control reports that the cost of tobacco illnesses to the National Health Services in The United Kingdom is five times the accepted figure, resulting in more than 5 billion pounds a year.
Clinical investigators observed that Soliris® (eculizumab), a first-in-class terminal complement inhibitor developed by Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALXN), reduced hemolysis (red blood cell destruction) and improved symptoms in nine patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) who had received no blood transfusions prior to initiating Soliris therapy.
A team of researchers sponsored by three major international diabetes organizations has definitively established that the GlycoMark® test (1,5-AG), a simple blood test used to measure glucose control in patients with diabetes, accurately reveals potentially dangerous fluctuations in blood sugar that are undetectable by other means.
Hemophilia A is an inherited bleeding disease caused by a lack of the blood clotting protein Factor VIII. It had been hoped that gene therapy would provide a breakthrough in treatment, but the most common gene therapy approach has had little clinical success. However, a team of researchers, at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, has now developed a new approach to target genes specifically to mouse liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (the cells that are the main of Factor VIII) and used it to provide long-term expression of Factor VIII in hemophilia A mice, markedly reducing their disease. They hope that their data might prove to be a step toward successful human clinical trials in individuals with hemophilia A.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine are trailblazing the molecular pathway that regulates replication of pancreatic beta cells, the insulin-producing cells that are lacking in people who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
Radiologists, like professional pilots for example, depend on good vision as part of their occupation. However, radiologists unlike pilots are not required to undergo regular vision testing. A new study found that approximately 50% of radiologists surveyed indicated they don"t recall ever having their vision tested or it had been 24 months or longer since their last vision exam.
According to a research abstract presented on June 8, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, race significantly influences the risk of obesity conferred by short sleep duration, with blacks having a greater risk than whites.
Men with insomnia and sleep duration of six or fewer hours of nightly sleep are at an increased risk for mortality, according to a research abstract presented on June 8, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies
The process of achieving the merger of the Postgraduate Medical Education Training Board (PMETB) with the General Medical Council (GMC) has taken a significant step forward with the launch of Department of Health (England) consultation document and draft legislation. Subject to the outcome of the consultation and Parliamentary scrutiny, the legislation will transfer the functions of PMETB to the GMC by April 2010.
Being overweight is a health concern, and using only body mass index (BMI) to determine weight classification may not give an accurate picture of a person"s health, according to an advisory published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Four well-known risk factors for heart attack significantly increased the size of the heart"s left ventricle, a key precursor of heart failure, according to a study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Overweight individuals who ate a low-calorie, low-carbohydrate diet high in plant-based proteins for four weeks lost weight and experienced improvements in blood cholesterol levels and other heart disease risk factors, according to a report in the June 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. A high-carbohydrate, low-fat vegetarian diet also resulted in weight loss but without the additional cardiovascular benefits.
Middle-aged adults who sleep fewer hours appear more likely to have high blood pressure and to experience adverse changes in blood pressure over time, according to a report in the June 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Although alcohol consumption is known to be associated with chronic pancreatitis, new evidence indicates that a threshold of five or more drinks per day is required to significantly raise risk; however, most patients with chronic pancreatitis do not drink this amount, according to a report in the June 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. In addition, smoking is an independent, dose-dependent risk factor.
Micro Imaging Technology, Inc. (OTCBB: MMTC) announced that it has received AOAC Research Institute (AOAC RI) Performance Test Method™ (PTM) certification for the MIT 1000 System"s (System) identification of Listeria species (PTM Certificate Number 060901). Listeria are known to be the bacteria responsible for listeriosis, a rare but lethal food-borne infection that has a devastating case fatality rate of 25% (Salmonella, in comparison, has a less than 1% mortality rate). They are incredibly hardy and able to grow in temperatures ranging from 4°C (39°F), the temperature of a refrigerator, to 37°C (99°F), the body"s internal temperature. Furthermore, listeriosis" deadliness can be partially attributed to the infection"s ability to spread to the nervous system and cause meningitis.
When it comes to concussions, children and teens require different treatment, according to international experts who recently published consensus recommendations. The British Journal of Sports Medicine"s new guidelines say children and teens must be strictly monitored and activities restricted until fully healed. These restrictions include no return to the field of play, no return to school, and no cognitive activity.
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences has published a new collection of essays, "Using Imaging to Identify Deceit: Scientific and Ethical Questions," examining the scientific support for using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to recognize deception.
A synthetic DNA binding compound has proved surprisingly effective at binding to the DNA of bacteria and killing all the bacteria it touched within two minutes. The DNA binding properties of the compound were first discovered in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Warwick by Professor Mike Hannon and Professor Alison Rodger (Professor Mike Hannon is now at the University of Birmingham). However the strength of its antibiotic powers have now made it a compound of high interest for University of Warwick researchers working on the development of novel antibiotics.
When mothers become infected with influenza during their pregnancy, it may increase the risk for schizophrenia in their offspring. Influenza is a very common virus and so there has been substantial concern about this association. A new study in the June 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier suggests that the observed association depends upon a pre-existing vulnerability in the fetus.
A new analysis demonstrated that a greater proportion of patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who had prior treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha agents and received subcutaneous injections of SIMPONI(TM) (golimumab) once every four weeks experienced significant improvements in signs and symptoms through week 24, compared with patients receiving placebo. Patients continued to receive stable doses of methotrexate, sulfasalazine and/or hydroxychloroquine if receiving them at baseline. These data were presented at the 2009 European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Annual Congress.
Methuselah Foundation has identified Organovo, Inc. as a leader in the extraordinary science of bio-printing. The US Department of Health and Human Services predicts: "Within 20 years regenerative medicine will be the standard of care for replacing all tissue/organ systems in the body." Organovo, with the support of Methuselah Foundation, is applying its breakthrough organ printing technologies to make that prediction a reality.
A groundbreaking study released today in the June 9 Journal of the National Cancer Institute reports on a set of expert consensus-based quality indicators to evaluate pancreatic cancer care across the United States. The research team not only discerned noticeable variances in treatment outcomes, but they were also able to use these new quality indicators to evaluate and identify areas for improvement.
Unilever and the World Heart Federation announce a joint initiative to promote awareness of Heart Age - a new, personally motivating way of expressing an individual"s risk of developing heart disease and stroke.
Mental Health America, celebrating its 100th Anniversary as the founder of the organized mental health movement, will honor Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Pete Domenici for their legendary work on behalf of individuals with mental health conditions at its Centennial Gala on Thursday, June 11, in Washington, D.C.
Two chemicals - trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) - found to have contaminated drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune from the 1950s to 1985 have been linked to certain diseases and disorders, including various cancers. A new report from the National Research Council, Contaminated Water Supplies at Camp Lejeune - Assessing Potential Health Effects, reviews scientific evidence about the potential adverse health effects that could occur after exposure to TCE, PCE, and other contaminants; recommends the usefulness of conducting additional studies on former residents of the base; and identifies scientific considerations that could help the U.S. Department of the Navy, under which the Marine Corps operates, set priorities on future actions. The report will be released at a 90-minute public briefing.
The Escambia County Health Department established a mosquito control program in 2008 that
"The new swine influenza virus [H1N1], which appeared suddenly after years of warning about a potential pandemic of avian influenza, upset the WHO"s assumptions that most people have the same understanding of the word pandemic," says the New York Times in a report that examines the difficultly health experts have had when attempting to agree upon what constitutes a pandemic.
High-quality one-stop breast clinics could be the most effective way to spot breast cancer early, a study published in the British Journal of Cancer * reveals today (Wednesday).
UroToday.com - In the Lancet Oncology online edition, Dr. Andrew Vickers and collaborators report that prostate cancer (CaP) recurrence is significantly reduced with increasing surgical experience among urologists performing laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP). The learning curve appears greater than that for open radical prostatectomy.
President Obama"s carefully worded health care reform letter to key Senate Democrats last week highlighted the growing role the president is taking in overhaul efforts, Politico reports.
Statement of Charles D. Connor, American Lung Association President and CEO:
Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have elucidated the action of a protein, harmonin, which is involved in the mechanics of hearing. This finding sheds new light on the workings of mechanotransduction, the process by which cells convert mechanical stimuli into electrical activity. Defects in mechanotransduction genes can cause devastating diseases, such as Usher"s syndrome, which is characterized by deafness, gradual vision loss, and kidney disease, which can lead to kidney failure.
The Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post recently published opinion pieces responding to the shooting death of Kansas abortion provider George Tiller. Summaries appear below.~ Suzanne Poppema, Los Angeles Times: "We must turn [Tiller"s] terrifying end into the beginning of a new era when doctors can save lives without risking their own," Poppema, a former abortion provider and current board chair of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health, writes in a Times opinion piece. Poppema, a friend and colleague of Tiller"s, writes that the state and local police, the FBI, the state of Kansas and the federal government all "should have done more to protect" Tiller, who since the 1970s had endured bombings, a nonlethal shooting, harassment of his family and other threats. "We can all pay tribute to [Tiller"s] legacy by treating abortion providers as physicians, not pariahs, and by explaining and openly supporting their work as doctors," Poppema writes, adding, "Wherever women"s access to abortion is in danger, our government, our medical institutions and the public must step forward to protect it." She continues, "A show of strength and support will give courage to doctors who have the training to provide abortions but are afraid to use it." Poppema writes that Tiller "trained hundreds of doctors in abortion procedures," concluding, "We must erase fear as the reason young physicians won"t enter the field that George found so rewarding. ... We owe it to George to let them practice" (Poppema, Los Angeles Times, 6/6).~ Rozalyn Farmer Love, Washington Post: Deciding to terminate a pregnancy is "a very private, intensely personal decision," Farmer Love -- a University of Alabama-Birmingham third-year medical student studying obstetrics and gynecology -- writes in a Post opinion piece. Farmer Love writes that she was raised in a conservative Christian household and used to "believe that abortion is wrong," but now supports abortion rights and hopes to eventually provide abortion services as part of her ob-gyn practice. She adds that she formerly felt that abortion in the third trimester of pregnancy "crossed a line," but she "began to see late-trimester abortions in a very different light" while working in a research job in graduate school. In a case involving a fetus with a lethal congenital abnormality, Farmer Love says she learned how the woman and her partner "needed a caring and compassionate physician to help them through this dark moment, and if they chose not to continue the pregnancy, they also needed a physician who was both skilled enough and brave enough to provide them with the care they needed. They needed Dr. Tiller" (Farmer Love, Washington Post, 6/7).
Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) introduced the Trilogy100 portable at-home life-support ventilator. The highly versatile, lightweight (11 lb / 5 kg) device marks a milestone in home ventilation from a recognized leader in respiratory care. Respironics first introduced bi-level positive airway pressure for noninvasive ventilation nearly 20 years ago.
The findings of two 52-week studies show that the investigational ultra rapid acting insulin AFRESA® (insulin human [rDNA origin]) Inhalation Powder combined with basal insulin is comparable to standard of care therapies in controlling post-meal blood sugar levels, and also results in significantly less weight gain and risk of hypoglycemia for adult patients with diabetes. The data were presented at the American Diabetes Association"s 69th Scientific Sessions.
According to a research abstract that will be presented on Wednesday, June 10, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, caffeine use prevents increased risk taking that occurs after several nights of total sleep deprivation.
Almost three-quarters (74%) of people providing unpaid care for a loved
Aurora Information Technology (Aurora IT), a developer of highly customized medical website designs, introduces the launch of the new Ovu-Trac® site (http://www.ovu-trac.com). Created with Bitrix Site Manager, the Ovu-Trac® website is an informational and educational portal that markets its signature product, the Ovu-Trac® Ovulation Predictor Kit. Manufactured by OvumOptics, Inc., the kit uses saliva to accurately identify fertility and ovulation. Customers can purchase the kit through the site"s Fertilit-eStore and read testimonials from customers who have used the product. The site also features market comparisons, product background and scientific research behind the concept of saliva testing for predicting ovulation.
UK charity the Blood Pressure Association has responded to the American Medical Association CARDIA Sleep Study - "Association Between Sleep and Blood Pressure in Midlife", published in Archives of Internal Medicines (volume 169, no. 11)
Scientists at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and a team of collaborators from across the country have identified a new risk factor gene for rheumatoid arthritis. The paper will be published in Nature Genetics and the finding brings light to the nature of the disease. The gene, dubbed REL, is a member of the NF-íºB family, important transcription factors that have many roles in the body. The NF-íºB family seems to have a big hand in regulating the body"s immune response as well.
To grow and spread, tumors need new blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis. One growth factor that causes angiogenesis has been identified - vascular endothelial growth factor or VEGF - and drugs to inhibit VEGF are already in use. But not all tumors respond to the therapy initially or over the long term. Thus new growth factors need to be identified to aid in developing the next generation of angiogenesis inhibitors.
In a world-first breakthrough, University of New South Wales (UNSW) medical researchers have used stem cells cultured on a simple contact lens to restore sight to sufferers of blinding corneal disease.
When we talk about exercise, we nearly always refer to physical exercise. Exercise is the physical exertion of the body - making the body do a physical activity which results in a healthy or healthier level of physical fitness and both physical and mental health. In other words, exercise aims to maintain or enhance our physical fitness and general health. People exercise for many different reasons. Some of them are included below:
The virus that causes winter vomiting disease invades cells by attaching to particular sugar molecules on the surface of the cells. This is the conclusion of a thesis presented at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. This result may be an important step in the development of a drug against the regular hospital-based epidemics caused by the virus.
Weekly tablet delivers major new benefits for patients, doctors and payors: avoiding the need for burdensome and costly infusions and related infection risks; weekly tablet dosing offers potential for better safety and side effect profile of a "gold standard" oncology drug.
Black women in Washington, D.C., have higher rates of AIDS and other chronic health conditions such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease than women of other races, according to a study released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Washington Post reports. According to the study - which is based on CDC and federal population data - the incidence of AIDS cases for black women is 176 per 100,000, higher than that of any other group of women in the district. Lack of education, poverty, unemployment, stress, and inadequate living conditions and health care coverage contribute to black women"s poorer health, the study finds (Fears, Washington Post, 6/10).
The H1N1 (swine flu) outbreak could soon be declared the first flu pandemic in 41 years after a recent jump in the number of confirmed cases in Australia, WHO officials said Tuesday, the AP/Google.com reports (Jordans, AP/Google.com, 6/9).
Democratic leaders have begun moving the rank and file closer to acceptance of basic tenets of health reform proposals, but concerns remain among the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats on how it will be paid for, Politico reports.
"Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., said Tuesday he expects Senate health-care legislation will include provisions encouraging doctors to compare drugs and therapies for their effectiveness," Dow Jones Newswires reports. At a conference at the Brookings Institution, "Baucus said he plans to re-introduce legislation with Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., that further boosts" comparative effectiveness research. The research, which "saw $1.1 billion from the federal stimulus package earlier this year," lets "doctors and patients to utilize publicly-available information on medical treatments, has emerged as something of a political lightning rod this year. Some conservative Republicans are suggesting it would result in rationing of health care." But Baucus "sought to dispel that notion Tuesday, saying that the research would not be used solely to cut costs" (Yoest, 6/9).
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and White House Health Czar Nancy Ann DeParle held a discussion of minority health issues at the White House yesterday, where Sebelius "said the Obama administration is committed to addressing the "alarming disparity in the delivery of quality health care"," which she said was necessary to lower costs, the Associated Press reports. The White House also "issued a summary report on minority health care showing that African-Americans are seven times more likely as whites to have HIV/AIDS, that blacks and Hispanics have diabetes rates nearly twice as high as whites, and that black men are 50 percent more likely than whites to have prostate cancer" (Evans, 6/9).
Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of African Americans with high blood pressure (also known as hypertension) say they worry more about their finances than their personal health, according to a new "My Pressure Points"(TM) national survey commissioned by Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., in collaboration with the Association of Black Cardiologists.(1) In addition, almost half (48 percent) are stressed about their work and careers. Everyone juggles many external pressures in everyday life like jobs, finances and family care. But while those African Americans surveyed have increased their focus on the external pressures, have they lost sight of a critical internal pressure - one that can impact every facet of their lives? The survey was designed to test this hypothesis.
It"s June, the month when many couples promise to stay together "in sickness and in health."
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.
Researchers at The Wistar Institute have defined a key target of an evolutionarily conserved protein that regulates the process of aging. The study, published June 11 in Nature, provides fundamental knowledge about key mechanisms of aging that could point toward new anti-aging strategies and cancer therapies.
An analysis of previous studies indicates that allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) (stem cells from a compatible donor) is associated with significant overall and relapse-free survival benefit among adult patients with intermediate- and poor-risk but not good-risk acute myeloid leukemia in first complete remission, compared with nonallogeneic SCT therapies, according to an article in the June 10 issue of JAMA.
Benefit of bupropion proven - Benefit of reboxetine not proven: manufacturer conceals study data
Ninety percent of the 5.5 billion kilograms of toxic pollutant releases and transfers reported in North America in 2005 can be traced to just 30 substances from 15 industrial sectors across the United States, Canada and Mexico, according to the latest tri-national pollution report from the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC).
Commenting in response to today"s report from the NHS Confederation on the financial prospects for the NHS, The King"s Fund"s Chief Executive Niall Dickson said:
Lambda Legal, a group that represents HIV-positive people, on Tuesday filed a law suit against the Fox Ridge assisted-living facility in North Little Rock, Ark., for allegedly evicting a resident because he is HIV-positive, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.The Rev. Robert Franke, a retired biology and religion professor who was diagnosed with HIV in 1987, moved into Fox Ridge, which is operated by Parkstone Living Center, in February. The day after he moved into the facility, an unidentified administrator told his daughter, Sara Franke Bowling, that her "superiors" said Franke needed to be discharged from the facility "because of his HIV." Franke disclosed his HIV status on application materials before moving into the facility. The suit alleges that Parkstone violated the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Arkansas Civil Rights Act and requests a permanent injunction to prevent the facility from denying apartments or services to people living with HIV/AIDS. The suit also seeks compensatory and punitive damages and attorneys" fees and costs. The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Eisele. The facility declined to comment on the suit. Julie Munsell, a spokesperson for the state Department of Human Services, said Arkansas law allows for people who have been discharged for assisted-living facilities to remain in the facility pending a hearing if the discharge is appealed. Munsell said the department"s Long-Term Care Division received notice that Franke was appealing the discharge but that the appeal was later dismissed without a hearing. According to Munsell, facilities are not permitted to discharge residents based on medical diagnoses but that some facilities have said they do not have the capacity to provide care for certain conditions. Munsell also said that Fox Ridge is "claiming that they did not admit this client so there is no need for a hearing." Scott Schoettes, staff attorney for Lambda"s HIV Project, said that Franke was not seeking medical care from Fox Ridge, although the facility does provide medical services. "He didn"t require any services beyond which they were licensed to provide," Schoettes said. Franke"s eviction is "particularly blatant and egregious, but unfortunately, not all that uncommon," Schoettes said, adding, "This happens all across the country. We want to send a message that this kind of discrimination is not going to be tolerated" (Satter, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 5/13).
Aine Brady, T.D., Minister for Older People, officially launched the Pilot Project on Elder Mediation as part of the Elder Mediation World Summit and Symposium.
Scientists from the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre based at the Institute of Cancer Research have shown for the first time that it is possible for one drug to simultaneously attack cancer cells in two completely different ways. Researchers now hope this discovery could lead to further two-in-one treatments - meaning breast cancer patients could potentially need to take fewer drugs to treat tumours in the future.
New research by a team of scientists at the University of Cincinnati (UC) shows that bisphenol A (BPA) may be harmful for the heart, particularly in women.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases (EFA) today announced that they are bringing together over 150 international delegates to discuss the growing epidemic of Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRD) that affects one billion people worldwide1, [2], [3] and is responsible for four million deaths annually1. The conference which will discuss the implementation of a five-year initiative to unite policy makers, providers and patient groups will be hosted by the Italian Ministry of Health in Rome on June 12 and 13.
ENT and Allergy Associates, LLP (ENTA), is pleased to announce the formation of OASIS (i.e., Otolaryngology, Allergy Specialty Insurance Services), a separate company that will be a vehicle to provide Otolaryngology and Allergy Specific medical malpractice coverage. OASIS, which will be domiciled in the State of Vermont, is the first RRG to provide medical malpractice coverage exclusively to ENT physicians and Allergists. ENTA decided to embark on this path as a means of stabilizing its malpractice premiums in the face of mounting deficits among the State"s largest carriers and the failure of the legislature to pass any meaningful tort reform. These factors will most likely result in substantial premium increases well into the future. In addition, ENTA, now a 96 physician practice, will be able to focus on controlling the risks unique to its specialty to ensure patient safety and physician compliance with its risk management policies.
COPENHAGEN - The interleukin (IL)-6 receptor inhibitor tocilizumab (ActemraR) combined with methotrexate is more effective than methotrexate monotherapy in inhibiting the progression of structural joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis patients, according to results released at the 10th Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) 2009.
A realistic computer game will soon be used to help dental students worldwide learn and reinforce dental implant procedures.
Checkpoint with forkhead and ring finger (CHFR) is a mitotic stress checkpoint gene whose promoter is frequently methylated in various kinds of cancer. In gastric cancer, CHFR promoter hypermethylation has been reported to lead to chromosome instability (CIN) and genetic instability is one of the hallmarks of human cancer.