Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles
Burdock Root

Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc. Awarded $1.67 Billion Patent Jury Verdict From Abbott Laboratories
Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc. announced today that a federal jury has returned a verdict of $1.67 billion against Abbott Laboratories in a patent infringement suit.
generic viagra online
Family Of Murdered Abortion Provider Tiller Announces Permanent Closure Of Clinic
The family of murdered Kansas abortion provider George Tiller announced on Tuesday that his Wichita clinic will not re-open, leading some abortion-rights advocates to voice concern about access to the procedure, the New York Times reports. Tiller was one of a handful of abortion providers who performed the procedure in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, and women for decades have traveled to the clinic from across the U.S. and other countries. The clinic, Women"s Health Care Services, also was Kansas" only clinic outside the Kansas City area (Davey, New York Times, 6/10). The Tiller family said in a statement that the clinic will be "permanently closed" effective immediately. The family also said it does not plan to be involved "in any similar clinic" but will "honor Dr. Tiller"s memory through private charitable activities" (Slevin/Stein, Washington Post, 6/10).While abortion-rights advocates expressed empathy for the family, some added that they also are concerned that the clinic"s closure could have devastating effects for women who learn of fatal health problems late in their pregnancies, the Times reports. Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said, "It is unacceptable that antiabortion intimidation and violence has led to the closing of Dr. Tiller"s clinic." She added, "Not only have we lost a fearless defender of women"s fundamental health and rights in Dr. Tiller"s murder, but the closing of his clinic leaves an immediate and immense void in the availability of abortion" (New York Times, 6/10). Suzanne Poppema, board chair of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health and a retired ob-gyn who performed abortions, said that abortions later in pregnancy would still be available, including through university hospitals that do not advertise the service. The closing is "not going to stop people who want to provide the service, but it will slow them down," she said. Marla Patrick, Kansas coordinator for the National Organization for Women, said abortion-rights advocates are working to open another Wichita-based clinic that provides abortions later in pregnancy (Bello, USA Today, 6/10). The AP/Yahoo! News reports that Kansas state law permits abortion after 21 weeks" gestation only if continuing the pregnancy would endanger the woman"s life or cause a "substantial and irreversible impairment" of a major bodily function, which courts have interpreted to include the mental health of the woman (Hegman/Hanna, AP/Yahoo! News, 6/9).According to the Times, some abortion-rights advocates had hoped other abortion providers would take over Tiller"s work at the clinic. LeRoy Carhart, a Nebraska abortion provider who also worked with Tiller, said he is "currently exploring every option to be able to continue to make second- and early, medically indicated third-trimester abortions available." Warren Hern, a Colorado abortion provider who performs procedures later in pregnancy, said, "Where does it end? The antiabortion fanatics got exactly what they wanted" (New York Times, 6/10). According to the Wall Street Journal, abortion-rights opponents" response to the closure was "subdued." Some expressed concern that antiabortion-rights extremists would think that violence "gets results where legal protest doesn"t," the Journal reports (Simon, Wall Street Journal, 6/10). Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue, said that while the group is "thankful" that the clinic is closed, they "wish it would have come through the peaceful, legal channels that we were pushing" (New York Times, 6/10).Broadcast CoverageMSNBC"s "The Rachel Maddow Show" on Tuesday reported on the clinic"s closure and included a discussion with Susan Hill, president of the National Women"s Health Organization, about violence against abortion providers and an increase in the hostility of protesters outside abortion clinics since Tiller"s murder (Maddow, "The Rachel Maddow Show," MSNBC, 6/9). NPR"s "All Things Considered" on Tuesday also reported on the clinic"s closure ("All Things
News of the day
Stimulus Funds Help Community Health Centers Expand Services, Remain Open
Nearly 1,200 community health centers nationwide have received a boost of funding from the federal economic stimulus package, which is helping some of the facilities that were on the verge of closing remain open and continue treating low-income and uninsured patients, PBS" "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" reports. More people are seeking care at such facilities as they lose their jobs and employer-sponsored health insurance as a result of the economic recession. At the same time, funding for the centers has dropped because of cutbacks in state and local funding and lower not-for-profit donations and grants. The stimulus package provides a total of $20 billion for clinics to maintain and increase services. "NewsHour" profiles community health centers in Lorain, Ohio, which likely would have closed without the additional funds from the economic stimulus package (Bowser, "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," PBS, 5/26).
Mental Health

Psychotherapy Of Depression Changes Biological Parameters?

A group of German investigators demonstrated that the early increase in phosphorylated CREB (pCREB) is related to treatment response and does not depend on pharmacological interventions or brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plasma levels. For the first time, cellular biological markers could be associated with response to psychotherapy. The cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element-binding proteins (CREB) and their interaction with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are essential elements in signal transduction pathways important for cellular resilience and neuroplasticity. They play a decisive role in the concept of altered neuroplasticity in major depression. The Authors of this study have previously demonstrated that the increase in phosphorylated CREB (pCREB) in T lymphocytes is significantly associated with clinical improvement in patients treated with antidepressants. In the present study, they focused on patients treated only with psychotherapy to exclude direct pharmacological actions. In addition to pCREB, they also measured the BDNF plasma levels. pCREB in T lymphocytes was determined by Western blot; the BDNF plasma levels with solid-phase ELISA. Psychopathology was evaluated with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD). Thirty patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for major depressive episodes (MDE) were recruited into this 6-week study. They received interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) twice weekly. After 6 weeks of IPT, 17 patients responded (reduction of 50% of baseline HAMD); after 1 week of treatment pCREB increased significantly compared to the nonresponder group. Measurement of the BDNF plasma levels revealed no differences between the responder and nonresponder groups. Furthermore, the correlations between BDNF plasma levels and pCREB were not significant. The early increase in pCREB is related to treatment response and does not depend on pharmacological interventions or BDNF plasma levels. For the first time, cellular biological markers could be associated with response to psychotherapy. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009