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Loneliness Among Older People, Study
Professor Bo Malmberg and Professor Gerdt Sundstrç¶m at the School of Health Sciences in Jç¶nkç¶ping, Sweden have studied loneliness among older people.
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Washington Post Columnist Gerson Critical Of Justice Ginsburg's Comments On Abortion In NYT Magazine Interview
"There was a scandal this week" involving Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg"s comments on abortion rights during an interview with the New York Times Magazine, according to Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson. In response to a question on access to abortion and restrictions on Medicaid coverage of the procedure, Ginsburg said, "Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe [v. Wade] was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don"t want to have too many of. So that Roe was going to be then set up for Medicaid funding for abortion." According to Gerson, the "context surrounding this passage is a simplistic, pro-choice rant." He adds, "Abortion, in Ginsburg"s view, is an essential part of sexual equality, thus ending all ethical debate." Ginsburg in the interview also said, "There will never be a woman of means without choice anymore. That just seems to be so obvious." She added, "So we have a policy that affects only poor women, and it can never be otherwise, and I don"t know why this hasn"t been said more often."Gerson writes, "Given this context, can it be argued that Ginsburg -- referring to "populations that we don"t want to have too many of" -- was merely summarizing the views of others and describing the attitudes of the country when Roe v. Wade was decided?" He continues, "It can be argued -- but it is not bloody likely. Who, in Ginsburg"s statement, is the "we"? And who, in 1973, was arguing for the eugenic purposes of abortion?" According to Gerson, "It is more likely that Ginsburg is describing the attitude of some of her own social class -- that abortion is economically important to a "woman of means" and useful in reducing the number of social undesirables."Gerson writes, "The entire Ginsburg interview is a reminder of the risks of lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court." He continues, "Immune from criticism, surrounded by plump cushions of deference, the temperament of a justice can become exaggerated over time." He adds that her statements "would have been disqualifying" had they been made during her own confirmation hearing. "Now she doesn"t give a damn," Gerson says.He continues that Ginsburg"s "timing ... is instructive" because she made the remarks as Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is "emphasizing her low-income and minority roots." According to Gerson, "It is estimated that the Hyde Amendment limiting Medicaid abortions has saved one million lives since its passage in 1976 -- some, no doubt, became criminals and some, perhaps, lawyers and judges." He concludes, "It is a defining question for modern liberalism: Are these men and women "populations that we don"t want to have too many of," or are they citizens worthy of justice and capable of contribution?" (Gerson, Washington Post, 7/17).
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Fighting Obesity In Pregnancy: New Guidelines
Starting pregnancy at a healthy weight and gaining the right amount during pregnancy is critical to giving a baby a healthy start in life, the March of Dimes said today in response to new guidelines from the Institute of Medicine (IOM).
Medical Devices

New Data Supports Significant Economic And Clinical Value Of MENOPUR(R) In IVF

New data from an economic analysis presented today at this year"s European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) congress showed that, within the parameters of the simulation model used, the in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment MENOPUR (highly-purified human menopausal gonatropin or HP-hMG) offered considerable cost-savings over recombinant follicle stimulating hormone (rFSH).1 The cost-effectiveness of HP-hMG compared with rFSH suggested by this data could make it a more attractive choice for use in infertility treatment within a fixed healthcare budget. In today"s difficult global financial situation, the cost-effectiveness of infertility treatments, such as IVF, is more important than ever. Experiencing fertility problems is deeply distressing and isolating for couples and the cost of treatment is one of many considerations for people seeking treatment. A recent audit of European infertility patient groups showed that infertile couples are calling for clear information on the cost-effectiveness, as well as the efficacy of individual treatments.2 HP-hMG and rFSH are two commonly used hormonal therapies belonging to the class of drugs known as gonadotropins that enhance egg production in IVF treatment. HP-hMG, contains both FSH and hCG-driven (human chorionic gonadotropin) LH-activity (luteinizing hormone). In contrast, rFSH is a recombinant product and contains only rFSH. "Until recently, discussions regarding funding for infertility treatment services have been hindered by a relative paucity of economic studies of the specific treatments," points out study investigator Dr Jaro Wex from PharmArchitecture, UK. "Our new study compared success rates and value for money of gonadotropins in IVF and this work is likely to have a major impact on the decision-making process with respect to IVF treatment. The study showed that HP-hMG is a more attractive option than rFSH within a fixed budget, as it offers considerable cost savings over rFSH, not only in terms of costs per treatment cycle, but also in costs per live births." Health economic data The new study determined the cost-effectiveness of different gonadotropins in IVF cycles involving frozen embryo transfers using a simulation model. The economic evaluation compared HP-hMG and rFSH using individual patient data (n=986) pooled from two large, randomised, multi-national, non-inferiority trials (EISG3 and MERiT4)5. The simulation model used both live-birth data for the compared products and published UK costs of IVF related medical res. The main objectives were to determine for each patient starting treatment consisting of one fresh and up to two cryo or fresh cycles: (1) number of live-births (2) average cost of treatment; (3) average cost per live-birth; (4) incremental cost-effectiveness; (5) impact of inclusion of maternal and neonatal costs arising from successful pregnancies. After a sequence of one fresh and up to two frozen or fresh cycles, the cumulative live-birth rate was 53.7% for HP-hMG and 44.6% for rFSH (pMENOPUR MENOPUR belongs to a class of drugs known as gonadotropins and contains both FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and hCG-driven (human chorionic gonadotropin) LH-activity (luteinizing hormone). HP-hMG is used to stimulate the development of multiple follicles in women participating in an ART programme. HP-hMG is also used to treat infertility in women caused by anovulation (low-level production of eggs). MENOPUR is used by over 75,000 patients each year and is currently licensed in over 50 countries across the world Ferring Pharmaceuticals


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