Diagnostics
House Democrats, who last week touted their health overhaul bill after it passed two of three committees have fight on their hands this week.
A virus (from the Latin virus meaning toxin or poison) is a microscopic organism consisting of genetic material (RNA or DNA) surrounded by a protein, lipid (fat), or glycoprotein coat. Viruses are unique organisms because they cannot reproduce without a host cell. After contacting a host cell, a virus will insert genetic material into the host and take over the host"s functions. The cell, now infected, continues to reproduce, but it reproduces more viral protein and genetic material instead of its usual products. It is this process that earns viruses the classification of "parasite".
There are 1.8 million disabled Americans who wait two-years to enroll in Medicare. Many say that waiting period can be devastating.
At a news conference opening the 5th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention on Sunday in Cape Town, South Africa, Julio Montaner, president of the International AIDS Society, expressed disappointment that the "G8 ignored the HIV-AIDS issue at its annual summit this month," which was "just four years after pledging at the 2005 Gleneagles [G8] summit to fight for universal access to AIDS treatment by 2010," the Globe and Mail reports. "The silence of the G8 leaders is not just pathetic, it is criminal," Montaner said. The Global and Mail writes, "Cutting back on HIV-AIDS treatment programs during the recession will mean billions or even trillions of dollars in additional costs over the long term, especially because of growing scientific evidence that anti-retroviral medicine for AIDS patients can be crucial in preventing the transmission of the AIDS virus, Dr. Montaner said" (York, 7/20).
As the UK enters a summer of discontent, one company has a vision to make the outlook decidedly brighter - by looking at life through blue-tinted spectacles.
This country is at war with obesity and now men join their women in the fight, says Exante Diet.
In 1989 scientists identified the gene mutation that causes cystic
Two and a half years after children with sleep-related breathing disorders had surgery to remove their tonsils and adenoids (glands in the back of the throat), they appear to sleep better than they did before the procedure but not as well as they did six months after, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Initial improvements in their behavior were maintained except when measured by an index of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms.
The time it takes to map a single human genome could be radically reduced thanks to two new next generation DNA sequencers to be unveiled at The John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR) at The Australian National University tomorrow.
Following the disbandment of the STEP trial to test the efficacy of the Merck HIV-1 vaccine candidate in 2007, the leading explanation for why the vaccine was ineffective - and may have even increased susceptibility to acquiring the virus - centered on the hypothesis that high levels of baseline Ad5-specific neutralizing antibodies may have increased HIV-1 acquisition among the study subjects who received the vaccine by increasing Ad5-specific CD4+ T-cells that were susceptible to HIV-1 infection.
Prenatal exposure to environmental pollutants known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can adversely affect a child"s intelligence quotient or IQ, according to new research by the the Columbia Center for Children"s Environmental Health (CCCEH) at the Mailman School of Public Health. PAHs are chemicals released into the air from the burning of coal, diesel, oil and gas, or other organic substances such as tobacco. In urban areas motor vehicles are a major of PAHs. The study findings are published in the August 2009 issue of Pediatrics.
A joint Department of Health and Home Office review group has published its findings on a review into access to the NHS by foreign nationals, Health Minister Ann Keen announced today.
LDR, a total spine solution company, announced that it has begun to market its ROI-C™ cervical cage following 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration. The ROI-C cage, when used with the company"s integrated VerteBRIDGE™ plating technology, offers a zero profile, stand-alone construct for fusion in the cervical spine. ROI-C addresses the growing interest within the market for stand-alone cervical fusion technology that reduces the need for thick cervical plates that may contribute to dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing.
Debiopharm Group (Debiopharm), a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical group of companies with a focus on the development of prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs, announced that the Swiss agency for therapeutic products, Swissmedic, has issued a marketing authorisation for Moapar(R) 11.25mg, the first 3-month injectable formulation, prescribed for a reversible reduction of serum testosterone to the level of castration in adult men suffering from sexual deviations. Developed by Debiopharm, Moapar(R) contains a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist analogue.
Children on the high-fat ketogenic diet to control epileptic seizures can prevent the excruciatingly painful kidney stones that the diet can sometimes cause if they take a daily supplement of potassium citrate the day they start the diet, according to research from Johns Hopkins Children"s Center.
Secondhand smoke (SHS) is not only a nuisance, but a potential health concern for many college students, and administrators should be taking steps to reduce students" exposure, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), the nation"s largest, independent medical student organization, is proud to announce the 2009-2010 editorial board for its online international health journal, Global Pulse.
Democratic leaders may scale back a plan to tax the highest American earners, The New York Times reports.
"The ad wars over the health care campaign are heating up once [again] this week," The New York Times reports. At a speech on Monday, Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, released a party television ad "which its spokeswoman says will first be broadcast in Arkansas, North Dakota and Nevada." The ad "opens with a tiny infant, and spools out with a narrator"s voice saying: "They"ve loaned Barack Obama their future, without even knowing it. Trillions for rushed government bailouts and takeovers, banks, the auto industry." And then it continues, as children appear on the screen: "The biggest spending spree in our nation"s in history. And they"ll have to pay. The next big ticket item? A risky experiment with our health care. Barack Obama"s massive spending experiment hasn"t healed our economy. His new experiment risks their future and our health.""
With the possibility of a major health care overhaul looming on the horizon, commentators, analysts and advocates have been seeking out points of comparison.
AccuVein LLC announced the launch of AccuVein AV300, the world"s first hand-held, non-contact vein illumination device that helps healthcare professionals locate hard-to-find veins. IV starts and blood draws (venipuncture) can be a of patient anxiety and discomfort, and accessing veins in difficult patients can take up to 10 minutes and require multiple needle sticks. Venipuncture is the most common invasive medical procedure with an estimated 2.7 million procedures conducted every day in the United States alone. The AV300 can help reduce the need for multiple needle sticks, with the goal of improving patient care and the time to access veins.
The National Pharmacy Association and Allergy UK provided free allergy screening to the public at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show from 7-12 July. Over 7,000 members of the public picked up information on community pharmacy allergy screening or asked for advice and 75 allergy screenings were carried out.
Chrysalis Ventures, a venture capital firm in Kentucky, is looking for health care start-ups that save money and betting that they will get a greater share of health dollars once reform takes shape, The New York Times reports. ""Whatever form health care reform takes, we believe companies that can improve the productivity and efficiency of improvement of health care services and avoidance of medical problems are going to prosper, and we"re putting our money behind that belief," (Chrysalis Ventures Chairman and Managing Director David) Jones said."
The Connecticut legislature used its override in both chambers to undo seven vetoes by the governor, including one to cover most Connecticut residents, called SustiNet, The Hartford Courant reports: "Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney said that healthcare, "in many ways, has become a cloud of worry"" over much of society. SustiNet"s nine-member board of directors will study the issue (covering people and cost) for 17 months before giving its recommendations to the legislature in January 2011" (Keating, 7/20).
The British Dental Health Foundation has called into question the basis of a Conservative party pledge to provide free check-ups in primary schools.
The Department of Health announced there would be an independent investigation into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and has proposed changes to legislation governing Foundation Trusts.
Sol-Gel Technologies Ltd, a specialty pharmaceuticals company, announced today results from a comparative clinical study. The results demonstrate that the company"s two strength Anti-Acne kits achieved pronounced efficacy and markedly improved tolerability. The study will be presented at the 10th International Congress of Dermatology in Prague, May 20-23, 2009.
A pioneering University of Wolverhampton lecturer has won a ÷£25,000 grant to research the healing effect of sugar on cuts and wounds.
John Muir Health Foundation, the charitable fundraising organization for all John Muir Health programs and services, has provided funding to enable John Muir Health to purchase two advanced high definition daVinci® Surgical Systems for its Walnut Creek and Concord campuses. Surgeons at John Muir Heath will use the daVinci® "robots" for a variety of minimally invasive urological, gynecological, gynecologic/oncologic and colorectal treatments.
Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (NasdaqGM: SPPI) and Allergan, Inc. (NYSE:AGN) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track Designation for the investigation of apaziquone (EOquin®) for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, a form of bladder cancer localized in the surface layers of the bladder that has not spread to the deeper muscle layer. Approximately 70% of all newly diagnosed patients with bladder cancer have non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.1 More than one million patients in the United States and Europe are estimated to be affected by the disease.2
Compugen Ltd. (NASDAQ:CGEN) announced that CGEN-25017, a novel peptide antagonist of the Angiopoietin/Tie-2 pathway, has shown positive therapeutic effects in an animal model of retinopathy, a very serious eye condition characterized by over-growth of blood vessels. CGEN-25017, which was initially discovered using Compugen"s Disease-Associated Conformation (DAC) Blockers discovery platform, had previously demonstrated significant inhibitory activity in two other models of angiogenesis, an in vitro multi-cellular assay and the widely recognized chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model.
A paper in this week"s Lancet raises questions about the transparency, accountability and governance of the Gates Foundation (GF). This Health Policy paper is written by Dr David McCoy, Centre for International Development, UCL (University College London), UK, and colleagues. An Editorial and Comment accompany the piece.
New research from The Children"s Hospital of Philadelphia sheds light on the role of cell receptors in acting as gatekeepers for infectious viruses. By using mice genetically engineered to lack a particular receptor in heart and pancreas cells, the study team prevented infection by a common virus that causes potentially serious diseases in humans.
Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX) announced final selection of a Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine candidate that will be advanced into additional preclinical studies to support an Investigational New Drug (IND) application. As previously announced, Novavax has been evaluating a number of RSV vaccine candidates, all of which have successfully induced antibody responses in mice. Novavax scientists have now engineered a new vaccine candidate which has been shown to protect mice against RSV disease and can be produced at sufficient yields to allow commercial manufacture. This new candidate is directed against a protein on the surface of the virus, the "F" or "fusion" protein, which is the protein that the virus uses to infect and fuse with cells in the respiratory tract and cause disease.
Tobira Therapeutics Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company committed to research and product discovery for the treatment of life-threatening and life-altering infectious diseases, today announced pharmacokinetic data and results from two Phase I pharmacokinetic studies for TAK-652, an investigational compound being developed for the treatment of HIV. These data suggest that TAK-652 is rapidly absorbed and demonstrate relatively good oral bioavailability (as shown by the plasma TBR-652 concentration data) and has a long plasma half-life of TBR-652 (approximate mean of 35 hours) supporting once-daily dosing. Mean TBR-652 plasma concentrations were well above the predicted target plasma concentration (2ng/mL) with or without food. In both studies TBR-652 was safe and well tolerated in this healthy subject population when administered over a dose range of 10 mg to 800 mg in 2 tablet formulations. "These two Phase I studies provide encouraging support for TAK-652 as a therapeutic option for the treatment of HIV. We look forward to results from our on-going proof-of-concept study," said James Sapirstein, CEO.
Today the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH) released a national report on efforts of health plan programs to improve cardiovascular disease (CVD) care and prevention. NBCH used data from eValue8(TM), the nation"s leading standardized Request for Information (RFI), a tool utilized by employers and coalitions to measure and compare health plan performance.
Updates on the impact of sexually transmitted diseases, infection risk from animals in the home and public settings, seasonal and H1N1 influenza, and foodborne diseases were presented today at a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The news conference was sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID).
President Barack Obama prepares his primetime address for tonight as he ups the ante for reform. This week alone, Obama has visited two hospitals, made a trip to Cleveland for a town-hall meeting and conducted a conference call urging bloggers to motivate their followers. Such efforts come amid increasing difficulties and roadblocks set by the GOP as health care bills stall in Congress.
As the public face of health reform devolves into a partisan fight - with one GOP Senator [Jim DeMint, S.C.] saying the reform push is President Obama"s "Waterloo," and Democrats retorting that Republicans would derail the overhaul for political gain - a group of legislators in the Senate Finance Committee has continued to strive for a compromise behind closed doors, the Christian Science Monitor reports. "If a bipartisan compromise is to clear Congress this year, its main lines are likely to emerge here."
Young adults are facing tough times with limited job prospects and no health insurance. The Associated Press reports on recent college graduate Emily Weinstein as being representative of the many young uninsured Americans: "Like millions of other uninsured adults in their 20s, Weinstein is watching Congress as it advances legislation to overhaul health care. The recession has deepened young adults" career struggles. It has also sharpened their interest in health insurance. Already the least likely of any age group to have coverage, adults in their 20s face brutal job searches and more time uninsured because of the recession. Nearly 30 percent, 13.2 million, were uninsured in 2007, according to the Commonwealth Fund, a New York-based research center. Many young adults work entry-level jobs without insurance and, despite new laws in some states, they"re eventually too old to stay on their parents" policies."
The F-22 Model For Medicare The Washington Post
The worldwide death toll from the H1N1 (swine flu) virus has doubled in the past month, reaching over 700, the WHO announced Tuesday, the AP/Google.com reports. "WHO did not give a breakdown of the deaths Tuesday. But as of last week, the U.S. reported 263 deaths, Canada reported 45 deaths and Britain had 29. According to WHO"s last update on July 6, there were 119 deaths in Mexico," the news service writes. "Yet even Tuesday"s figure of 700 deaths may seriously underestimate the true toll, experts say, because not all swine flu cases are being picked up due to testing limitations" (Jordans, 7/21).
Rush University Medical Center and surgical robotics company Prosurgics announce the completion of the first colorectal surgeries in the U.S. using the FreeHand® laparoscopic camera controller.
The term Cnidophobia may be uncommon but what it describes is not. Cnidophobia is the fear of insect stings. Although a "phobia" may seem to be an overreaction to what some consider nuisance pests, homeowners must recognize the health threats associated with stinging insects. The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) reports more than half million people are sent to the emergency room every year due to stinging insects, which is why these summer pests must be addressed efficiently and effectively.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given Constar (OTC: CNRN.PK) the green light for its new DiamondClear® oxygen scavenging technology for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers. Effective today, under this Food Contact Notification (FCN), Constar will begin selling DiamondClear for packaging virtually all oxygen sensitive food and beverage products, including tomato ketchup, salsas, pasta sauces, table sauces, jams, jellies, ready-to-drink teas, juices, dairy, wine, and other alcoholic beverages.
Americans living with undiagnosed diabetes incur an estimated $18 billion in healthcare expenditures each year, or $2,864 per person in medical services and lost productivity from diabetes-related complications, according to a new study initiated by the National Changing Diabetes(R) Program and published in the journal, Population Health Management.
Applying biological molecules from cell membranes to the surfaces of artificial materials is opening peepholes on the very basics of cell-to-cell interaction.
Urban allotments, reading groups and computer training for the over 50s are just some of the good practice initiatives featured as part of a new approach to public mental health and well-being, announced by Care Services Minister Phil Hope today.
The UK will play a leading role in coordinated European action to tackle dementia from.
Diarrhea is the frequent passing of loose or watery stools. Acute diarrhea, which is a common cause of death in developing countries, appears rapidly and may last from five to ten days. Chronic diarrhea lasts much longer and is the second cause of childhood death in the developing world. Diarrhea is sometimes accompanied by abdominal cramps or fever. It may be caused by infection, allergy, or could be a sign of a serious disorder, such as IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), or Crohn"s disease.
A new study by scientists at the University of Iowa shows why muscle membranes don"t rupture when healthy people exercise.
University of Utah researchers and their colleagues have identified the gene that is mutated in a hereditary form of a rare neuroendocrine tumor called paraganglioma (PGL). The gene, called hSDH5, is required for activation of an enzyme complex that plays a critical role in the chemical reactions that take place within cells to convert biochemical energy into usable energy. This study is published in the journal Science
A first-of-its-kind RAND Corporation study has linked the rapid growth in health care costs in the United States with job losses and lower output among industries that commonly provide workers with health insurance.
The World Health Organization is reviewing its 2006 guidelines on the use of antiretroviral drugs by HIV-positive pregnant and breastfeeding women because of new evidence that prolonged use can cut the risk of mother-to-child transmission, Reuters reports. Current guidelines recommend that these women receive a short-course antiretroviral regimen. However, a new study released at an international AIDS conference on Wednesday shows that a stronger regimen over a prolonged period significantly lowers the risk of mother-to-child transmission.The study examined 824 pregnant women in Burkina Faso, Kenya and South Africa who received either the standard antiretroviral regimen or a combination of three antiretrovirals. The combination regimen was administered during the last trimester and for a maximum of six months during breastfeeding, according to study leader Tim Farley of WHO"s Department of Reproductive Health. Farley said women who received the combination regimen during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding had a 42% lower risk of transmitting HIV to their infants than women given the standard course.Farley added, "The results of this study show an almost twofold reduction in the risk of HIV transmission during the breastfeeding period and also [show] there is no short-term toxicity" to the women or their infants. He said that participants will be monitored for any long-term health effects. WHO is expected to release the updated recommendations by the end of the year (Roelf, Reuters, 7/21).
Congress is starting to tackle long-term care through a measure for a national long-term insurance program, according to the New York Times The New Old Age blog.
"You hear the pitch in drug ads all the time: "Ask your doctor if this medication is right for you,"" reports MSNBC. However, evidence to show whether a treatment is appropriate for a given patient is often scarce. Matching therapies to patients is further complicated by vast difference in how people respond to medicines. However, a national push for so-called comparative effectiveness research could make that job easier. The economic stimulus package includes $1 billion to support the research.
Police detectives searched the offices of one of Michael Jackson"s doctors for evidence of manslaughter on Wednesday, according to various US
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) asked state drug licensing authorities to avoid authorizing new licenses for single drug formulations of artemisinin and withdraw existing licences for these types of drugs by the end of this month, livemint.com reports. To prevent drug resistance, the WHO has advised against the use of drugs that only contain artemisinin to treat malaria and recommends using artemsinin in combination with other drugs. "India"s drug advisory body, the drug consultative committee, had in December approved the phasing out of the [artemisinin only] drug[s] from the market," livemint.com writes.
Reuters Examines Upcoming HIV Prevention Trial In Africa
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Wednesday announced that it will provide several housing assistance grants to help low-income families living with HIV/AIDS, the Boston Globe reports (7/23). "A record $310 million will assist 58,000 U.S. households annually, officials said," KITV.com reports. The grants were distributed based on the number of AIDS cases reported nationwide. The Gregory House Programs of Honolulu, a nonprofit that provides housing assistance, substance use and other services, will receive $1.3 million (KITV.com, 7/22). The Frannie Peabody Center in Portland, Maine, will receive $1.3 million; the city of Portland will receive $1.4; New Hampshire will receive over $716,000; and the Burlington Housing Authority in Vermont will receive over $392,000, the Globe reports (7/23).
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned small companies to take their responsibilities seriously, after a man fell through the roof of a DIY superstore in Wigan and later died.
Researchers from Rhode Island Hospital"s department of psychiatry propose that the definition for major depressive disorder (MDD) should be shortened to include only the mood and cognitive symptoms that have been part of the definition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) for the past 35 years. Their recommendation would exclude those symptoms that are currently part of the definition that may be associated with medical illness rather than depression. The proposal is based on a study that appears in the July 23 online first edition of the journal Psychological Medicine.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $433,100 grant to the University of Chicago to investigate how allergic reactions to food are initiated. The research is expected to lead to improved methods to assess whether pesticides produced in genetically engineered plants can trigger food allergies, which impact more than 11 million Americans each year. The study is funded through EPA"s Science to Achieve Results program (STAR).
It may be possible to improve impaired attention after stroke - which could aid recovery - according to research reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Women who are at risk for heart disease and who are also experiencing menopause symptoms now have an added re a highly specialized clinic in the Division of Cardiology at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute. The Advanced Preventive Women"s Clinic at the Women"s Heart Center recently opened and is offering comprehensive cardiac risk assessments designed specifically for women who are in menopause. The clinic also offers menopausal patients state-of-the-art screenings, as well as personalized medicine therapies and counseling, including high-risk hormone counseling.
Human leukemia stem cells escape detection by co-opting a protective molecular badge used by normal blood stem cells to migrate safely within the body, according to a pair of studies by researchers at Stanford University Medical School.
Researchers appear to have a new way to fix a broken heart. They have devised a method to coax heart muscle cells into reentering the cell cycle, allowing the differentiated adult cells to divide and regenerate healthy heart tissue after a heart attack, according to studies in mice and rats reported in the July 24th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication. The key ingredient is a growth factor known as neuregulin1 (NRG1 for short), and the researchers suggest that the factor might one day be used to treat failing human hearts.
Pictures paint concepts of a thousand words - now, for the first time, scientists studying the brain have worked out how words paint concepts in our minds.
More than half of clinic patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) report they also drink heavily. While highly active antiretroviral therapy has helped to reduce HIV-related cognitive and motor deficits, neuropsychological deficits may continue and even be exacerbated by alcohol. A study of memory deficits has found that HIV infection and chronic alcoholism have synergistic, damaging effects on brain function.
When Tony Goldberg is not whacking through the brush of central
In a commentary published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, doctors discuss the types of information pregnant women would welcome and why the advice provided to women by doctors is considered trustworthy.
The injection of bone marrow cells into the heart of patients with chronic myocardial ischemia (reduced blood flow to some areas of the heart) was associated with modest improvements in blood flow and function of the left ventricle, according to a study in the May 20 issue of JAMA.
BioOut is a strategic partner for several of the world"s leading vaccine manufacturers. As such, BioOut is currently working with partners on projects to develop vaccines against Pandemic Influenza (Swine Flu and Avian Flu).
IQ is part of the reason that people from poorer backgrounds have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to a new study. Dr David Batty, a Wellcome Trust Research Fellow at the Medical Research Council Social and Public Health Sciences Unit in Glasgow, and colleagues found that people on low incomes, in jobs with low prestige and with limited education had a higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and other causes than people of a higher socioeconomic status.
Expectant mothers who are obese are much more likely to suffer from minor complications such as heart burn and chest infections during pregnancy, a study suggests.
Good vision can be directly correlated with a child"s learning ability. As much as 80% of the learning a child does occurs through his eyes and approximately 1 in 4 school-age children have some type of vision impairment.
Merck KGaA announced the submission of a marketing authorization application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for Cladribine Tablets, Merck"s proprietary investigational oral formulation of cladribine, as a therapy for patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). Cladribine Tablets could become the first orally administered disease-modifying therapy available for patients with MS, as all disease-modifying therapies currently approved for the treatment of MS are injectable.
The biotechnology medicine Ilaris® (canakinumab) has passed another major milestone with a recommendation for approval in the European Union to treat patients with a life-long and potentially fatal auto-inflammatory disease called cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS). When approved, Ilaris will be the only treatment in the EU indicated for CAPS patients aged four years and older[1].
Sleep apnea has long been known to be associated with obesity. But a new study published in the June issue of Diabetes Care finds that the disorder is widely undiagnosed among obese individuals with type 2 diabetes - nearly 87 percent of participants reported symptoms, but were never diagnosed.
Insurers are testing a concept called "medical home" that uses electronic records and coordinates care, and could transform the delivery of health care. Advocates say such medical homes could save consumers time and money and insurers back the idea. Meanwhile, skeptics say financial savings still need to be proven and incentives need to put into the system to encourage such care.
"Three years into its experiment with near-universal health care, Massachusetts has some "dos and don"ts" for the nation as it grapples with the best way to cover tens of millions of uninsured Americans," the Associated Press reports. "Do require that virtually everyone have health insurance, the overriding goal in Massachusetts. Don"t ignore rising costs, the single greatest threat to the law"s long-term affordability."
"Despite making strides in addressing HIV/AIDS, we have not reached all individuals and communities with the full range of prevention tools needed to reverse the epidemic," Jirair Ratevosian, chair of the American Public Health Association International Health Section"s Advocacy and Policy Committee, writes in a Washington Post letter to the editor. Ratevosian continues, "Congress has a chance to help by lifting the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange programs," adding, "Such programs do more than just distribute clean syringes; they link people into the health care system and drug treatment programs." Ratevosian also discussed support of needle exchange programs by several national health organizations and concludes, "It is imperative that effective approaches to preventing HIV be accessible without delay" (Ratevosian, 7/24).
A new report from the Institute of Medicine finds suggestive but limited evidence that exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides used during the Vietnam War is associated with an increased chance of developing ischemic heart disease and Parkinson"s disease for Vietnam veterans. The report is the latest in a congressionally mandated series by the IOM that every two years reviews the evidence about the health effects of these herbicides and a type of dioxin -- TCDD -- that contaminated some of the defoliants.
The results of a national assessment of indoor location systems for firefighters and other first responders will be announced at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) during the 2009 Workshop on Precision Indoor Personnel Location and Tracking for Emergency Responders, which runs from Aug. 3 to 4. The assessment was conducted by WPI researchers this spring with funding from the Department of Homeland Security and oversight from the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center (NSRDEC).
83% of young people surveyed by UNICEF UK and Terence Higgins Trust say they need a sexual health information service similar to the Government"s "Talk to Frank" drugs service.
The Federal Secretary of the Australian Nursing Federation, Ged Kearney and the Assistant Federal Secretary, Lee Thomas will be available for comment on the Prime Minister"s address on the challenges of Health Reform and the release of the NHHRC report.
Nanobiotix, an emerging nanomedicine company, announced exciting preclinical results using its patented nanoXray therapeutics platform to fight tumors. The preclinical study, performed at Institut Gustave Roussy, one of Europe"s leading cancer treatment centers, showed that an intratumoral injection of NBTXR3 nanoparticles and activated via standard radiation therapy led to complete tumor regression in mice at 60 days, compared to zero tumor regression in mice treated with xray only or NBTXR3 only. The study was led by principal investigator, Jean Bourhis, M.D., Ph.D. a prominent radiation oncologist and researcher at Institut Gustave Roussy.
With just $399 and a bit of saliva in a cup, consumers can learn about their genetic risk for diseases from breast cancer to Alzheimer"s. Now, thanks to social networking sites set up by personal genomics companies, they can also share that information with family, friends and even strangers on the Internet.
Using ultrasound imaging, UQ physiotherapist Dr Julie Hides is helping a world-champion cyclist ride her bike pain free.
A patient centered medical home pilot project that could become a model for South Carolina has completed its first quarter with 1,110 patients enrolled. It is also attracting the attention of S.C. physicians not involved in the program, and S.C. businesses are interested in it as a means to managing their health care costs.
Eli Lilly and Company continues to lead the way in advancing lung cancer treatment. On the heels of new FDA and European Commission approvals for ALIMTA((R)) (pemetrexed for injection) as a treatment for nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the maintenance setting, the company will release findings from more than 30 lung cancer studies at the 13th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in San Francisco, Calif., from July 31 to Aug. 4, 2009. WCLC is sponsored by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Data will feature Lilly"s ALIMTA and GEMZAR((R)) (gemcitabine HCl for injection).
Lutonix, Inc., a privately held medical device start-up, announced that patient enrollment is underway for its three simultaneous first-in-human clinical trials. The three studies are designed to test whether the proprietary Lutonix Drug Coated Balloon (DCB) Catheter is safe and effective in the treatment of vascular narrowing.
The current economic recession has prompted more women in California to seek health care -- including routine gynecological exams, contraceptives and abortions -- at clinics and family planning agencies, the Los Angeles Times reports. Many of the services, such as contraception and abortion, are related to avoiding or ending pregnancies as women experience job losses and subsequent loss of insurance coverage amid the recession, according to the Times. For example, Planned Parenthood clinics report that they are performing a record number of abortions, while other women"s health agencies report higher call volumes, more visits and additional requests for abortion funding. Clinic officials also report that women increasingly are switching their contraceptive methods to longer-term options than can last five to 10 years.According to the Times, the increased demand for reproductive health services -- particularly abortions funded by Medi-Cal, the state"s Medicaid program -- are putting a strain on some clinics. In addition, paying for an abortion can be difficult for women who already are struggling financially. The Times reports that as women attempt to raise the money for abortions, thereby postponing the procedure, the cost increases from about $450 during the first trimester to $1,200 during the second trimester. Delays in abortion funding also can cause more difficult choices for some women. Destiny Lopez -- executive director of ACCESS, a group that helps low-income women seeking reproductive health care -- said that some women who decided to terminate an early pregnancy are forced to decide between a second-trimester abortion or continuing an unwanted pregnancy because of funding delays. "It"s not like women are making these decision at the drop of a hat," she said, adding, "They are considering their life situations."Stephanie Poggi, executive director of the National Network of Abortion Funds, said, "We are seeing poor women get poorer and we"re also seeing low-wage women become poor," adding, "The economy is definitely having an impact. ... We see a greater demand for assistance." According to clinic officials, pregnant women who call in for assistance increasingly are considering the costs of raising a child when deciding how to proceed with their pregnancies. Lopez said, "Women are really having to make thoughtful decisions whether now is the right time to get pregnant or not."According to a recent Gallup Organization survey conducted on behalf of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, nearly one in 10 married women reported that the recession is a contributing factor in a decision to postpone a planned pregnancy; one in five women reported being more concerned now than one year ago about an unintended pregnancy; and about one in five women reported being more conscientious about using contraceptives (Yoshino, Los Angeles Times, 5/20).
Investigators at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), along with collaborating teams at the Cleveland Clinic and the University of Michigan, have completed the first large- scale, multi-institutional study of prostate cancer death after standard treatment to remove the prostate since PSA screening has become widely used as a method to screen for the disease.
The House on Friday voted 264-153 to approve its fiscal year 2010 Labor-HHS-Education spending bill (HB 3293) after voting on five amendments addressing price and policy issues, CQ Today reports. The bill would appropriate $730.5 billion. The Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to begin markup of its version of the bill on July 28.The House voted 183-247 to reject an amendment offered by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) that would have prohibited family planning funding through the Title X program to Planned Parenthood clinics. The House also voted 211-218 to reject an amendment by Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) that would have stripped language to lift the ban on federal funding for needle-exchange programs. Lawmakers did approve an amendment offered by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) to strip $5 million in funding for three NIH grants to study the HIV/AIDS risks associated with alcohol and substance use among sex workers in Asia and alcoholics in Russia (Wolfe, CQ Today, 7/24).
By proposing to reduce funding for abstinence-only sex education programs, "the Obama administration has reignited America"s sex education debate," Washington Times columnist Cheryl Wetzstein writes in an opinion piece. She says that the "usual answers" she receives from abstinence-only opponents when she asks about their criticism of the programs is that abstinence-only education "doesn"t work, it leaves kids ignorant about how to use birth control, it doesn"t serve gay kids, and (off the record) it"s just a return to the bad old days when unenlightened, sex-hating harpies ran sex education." According to Wetzstein, some proponents of abstinence-only programs believe that another factor -- which is "never mentioned" in the sex education debate -- "is how sexually active youth are part of the market for certain commercial sex- and disease-related products, and abstinent behavior reduces that market share."Wetzstein reports that she recently spoke with Pam Mullarkey, founder of Project SOS, who is "furious" that Presdient Obama"s budget proposal would reduce funding for abstinence-only programs and increase money for teen pregnancy prevention. Mullarkey claims that abstinence-only opponents "have spent so much money trying to destroy abstinence education" because "it directly costs them big bucks" if teens abstain. Wetzstein writes that she has "dim hopes for the survival of abstinence education as we"ve know it," concluding, "But should Congress decide to "follow the money," as Mrs. Mullarkey suggests, who knows what might turn up" (Wetzstein, Washington Times, 5/19).
The AP/KTVZ.com examines how after years of strained relationships between the "military-run nation" of Myanmar and international donors that led to a large reduction in HIV/AIDS funding, donors are considering reinvesting in the country"s HIV/AIDS programs. According to AP/KTVZ.com, "Myanmar receives only about $3 per capita in aid, compared with $23 for Vietnam and $50 for Laos."
UNICEF Using SMS Text Messages To Fight Polio In Zambia
The Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) announced that Dennis P. Whalen, Director of State Operations in the Governor"s office, will join the Association on September 9 as Executive Vice President. Mr. Whalen will play a key role in shaping HANYS" overall policies and in helping prepare the membership for national health care reform.
A lack of sunlight is associated with reduced cognitive function among depressed people. Researchers writing in BioMed Central"s open access journal Environmental Health used weather data from NASA satellites to measure sunlight exposure across the United States and linked this information to the prevalence of cognitive impairment in depressed people.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Tuesday began marking up a bill (S 982) that would allow FDA to regulate tobacco products, CongressDaily reports. The bill would allow FDA to place larger, color warning labels about the health risks of smoking on cigarette packs, as well as to regulate the marketing of tobacco products and advertising to children. The agency could not ban tobacco products or eliminate nicotine from cigarettes, but it could regulate their production and ban flavored cigarettes other than menthol. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) said, "Over the years, this bill has been reviewed; it has been vetted; it has been debated, over and over and over again. The time has come to act." The House in April passed its version of the bill, 298-112 (Hunt, CongressDaily, 5/20). The committee by voice vote approved an amendment proposed by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) that would give FDA priority to review products that contain nicotine, such as candies. Committee ranking member Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) proposed two amendments, one that would have given regulatory authority over tobacco to CDC and another that would have ordered FDA to study which flavors to ban, instead of a current provision that bans specific flavors. Both amendments were defeated. Enzi said, "I think the FDA is the wrong regulator. It approves cures, not poisons." The only Democrat who opposed the bill was Sen. Kay Hagan (N.C.), who said the measure would harm the tobacco industry in her home state (Armstrong, CQ HealthBeat, 5/19). The panel"s other member from North Carolina, Sen. Richard Burr (R), said he would filibuster the bill. He said, "I put my fellow senators on notice: This is something that will be a much longer time on the floor than it will be in this hearing" (CongressDaily, 5/20). The committee plans to continue marking up the bill Wednesday and possibly Thursday.The Obama administration has expressed its support for the bill (CQ HealthBeat, 5/19). FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg also has said her agency should regulate tobacco (Armstrong, CQ HealthBeat, 5/18).
Researchers have devised a scheme for identifying genes in yeast that
By a wide margin, health care leaders believe that individuals should have a choice of public and private health plans, and strongly support other central components of health reform such as innovative provider payment reform and a national insurance health exchange with strong standard-setting authority. In addition, two-thirds (68%) of opinion leaders feel it is urgent to enact comprehensive health care reform this year, according to the latest Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey.
Scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have discovered a set of brain proteins responsible for some of the most common and devastating brain diseases. The proteins underlie epilepsy, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disease, mental retardation and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer"s and Huntington"s diseases.
The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) is pleased to announce that the 2009 Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc./Lymphoma Research Foundation Clinical Investigator Career Development Award has been awarded to Kai Fu, MD, PhD, Associate Professor at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
A person"s absolute risk of fracture over the next 5 or 10 years can be predicted with reasonable accuracy according to their age, sex, bone density and history of fractures and falls.
Doctors are being reminded that assisting a suicide is illegal in England and Wales and that they should not give advice to patients to help them travel abroad to take their own lives.
The International Diabetes Federation African Region (IDF Africa) launched a critical action plan today to address the escalating threat that diabetes poses to the region. The plan identifies three key areas of action: government, primary healthcare and the community, defining a clear step-based strategy for tackling diabetes and implementing the UN Resolution on diabetes in Africa. IDF Africa is now calling for immediate adoption and implementation of the action plan, to tackle a disease which if not addressed soon has potential to threaten the viability of many African economies.1
A team of astronomers has discovered a group of rare galaxies called the "Green Peas" with the help of citizen scientists working through an online project called Galaxy Zoo. The finding could lend unique insights into how galaxies form stars in the early universe.
Patients and physicians "need to know not just whether a new drug outperforms a placebo, but whether it"s a real advance on what"s already on the market," Richard Friedman, a professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, writes in a New York Times opinion piece. According to Friedman, "Doctors and patients alike are inundated by drug company marketing." Friedman states he has seen "scores of patients" who are "eager to get the latest antidepressant or mood stabilizer that promised them tranquility on their TV screens." He continues that these new treatments are not necessarily better than older, proven treatments. Comparative effectiveness research would allow "head-to-head trials comparing new and standard treatments," which is why the practice has "provoked strong resistance from the makers of drugs and devices who fear that their fancy new products may not be any better than current ones," according to Friedman. He concludes, "I"d opt for an old drug with a known track record of efficacy and safety over an expensive newcomer with no added benefit -- any day of the week" (Friedman, New York Times, 5/19).
Decision Res, one of the world"s leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, if Dendreon"s Provenge receives regulatory approval, surveyed oncologists expect to prescribe Provenge to 54 percent of patients with asymptomatic hormone refractory metastatic prostate cancer. Due to the side effects associated with currently available chemotherapy, most oncologists recommend that men who have stopped responding to hormone therapy wait for the development of symptoms before starting chemotherapy.