Oncology
An initial version of health reform legislation could be available "in the next several days," Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, told Dow Jones Newswires. Dodd added that another Democrat had presented ""four or five" different versions of a public plan Wednesday," but that the committee had not yet ironed out those controversial details (Yoest, 6/3).
A nationwide vaccination effort in Mozambique helped to slash the number of reported cases of measles in Mozambique in 2008, Health Minister Ivo Garrido said Wednesday when addressing the country"s parliament, Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique/allAfrica.com reports.
With the U.N. Human Rights Council"s June session coming up, governments have a "chance to prove that they value women"s lives by taking concrete action" to recognize "preventable maternal death as a violation of women"s rights," Mary Robinson and Alicia Yamin, advisory council members of the International Initiative on Maternal Mortality and Human Rights, write in a Boston Globe opinion piece.
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to receive and examine a large collection of documents for the hearings -- including Sotomayor"s writings, speeches and unpublished rulings -- as part of a questionnaire response on personal and financial data, possible conflicts of interest and the procedure that led to her nomination.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).
"If Sonia Sotomayor is a radical activist eager to push the law leftward or to rule according to personal whims rather than constitutional commands, she"s done an impressive job of hiding it all these years," Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus writes, adding that the "amazing thing about the case against Sotomayor is how thin it is." She writes, "If Sotomayor is the judicial radical of conservative imaginings, certainly there ought to be something more in her paper trail."Marcus continues that an "examination of Sotomayor"s decisions shows a careful judge who tends to rule for the government over criminal defendants; who has been skeptical of most civil rights claims that have come before her; and who, to the extent that she has ruled on cases that touch on abortion, has come down against the abortion-rights side." According to Marcus, Sotomayor is "not apt to be David Souter in reverse -- a Democratic pick who turns out to be a close conservative." However, there also is "no evidence that she will be outside the liberal mainstream on the current court," Marcus writes. Marcus notes that Sotomayor "has ruled in favor of abortion protesters who claimed police used excessive force in removing them from outside a clinic," and she "refused to overturn the federal policy barring international family planning funds to organizations that perform or promote abortion," known as the "global gag rule." Marcus concludes, "Perhaps Sotomayor the radical has been biding her time, awaiting the day when the freedom of a Supreme Court seat would liberate her from precedent and moderation," but "the record suggests" that outcome is "unlikely" (Marcus, Washington Post, 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.
Some simple changes in the design and location of staircases could help to make buildings more "physical activity friendly" and contribute to the fight against obesity, according to an article in the June Southern Medical Journal, official journal of the Southern Medical Association. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry.
The Institute for OneWorld Health, the US-based non-profit pharmaceutical company that develops drugs for people with neglected infectious diseases in the developing world, today announced that it has successfully completed its first screening campaign of the Roche proprietary compound library and will select up to 40 new drug leads for further study intended to identify a new treatment for childhood diarrhea.
The California Medical Association issued the following statement about the tragic shooting of Dr. George Tiller of Kansas:
Novocell, Inc., a stem cell engineering company, announced that it has received U.S. Patent No. 7,541,185 with method claims covering the use of endoderm cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) for drug discovery. This is the second U.S. patent issued to Novocell related to human endoderm. U.S. Patent No. 7,510,876, issued on March 31, 2009, is directed to an in vitro human endoderm composition.
"Flying into a developing country, operating on people for a few days or weeks and flying out again helps individual persons but has nothing to do with sustainable development work." Professor Martin Salzer, Vice-president of "Austrian Doctors for Disabled" -- the Austrian society for medical development assistance -- is convinced that "it makes even less sense to fly in people from such countries for difficult operations, as humanitarian the motive may be. That money can be invested more effectively." For the group of physicians and medically interested persons around Prof. Salzer it is a question of sustainability in the field of development cooperation, something to which they can contribute their medical experience. "After care for the disability or sickness, our concern is networked interdisciplinary and sustainable rehabilitation. We also hope to thereby make a contribution toward combating poverty" Prof. Salzer says in summing up the main concern of the organization.
He doesn"t care for the term "caveman therapy." But Stephen Ilardi, associate professor of clinical psychology at the University of Kansas, has turned to our hunter-gatherer ancestors for clues about how to best combat major depressive disorder.
Patients with heart attacks and other forms of chest pain are three to five times more likely to experience serious complications after hospital admission when they are treated in a crowded emergency department (ED), according to a new study published in the journal Academic Emergency Medicine. The authors say that this dramatic difference in rates of serious complications underscores the need for action on the part of hospital administrators, policymakers and emergency physicians to find solutions to what has been termed "a national public health problem." More than six million patients per year come to U.S. emergency departments with chest pain.
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.
An Australian psychiatrist believes Britain"s stiff upper lip culture, class system and the NHS means we are not supporting the mental health needs of war veterans adequately.
Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas is the first hospital in the country to collaborate with GE Healthcare and BrainLAB to open technically advanced neurosurgery operating room (OR) suites that will allow neurosurgeons to use real-time, intra-operative images of the brain during surgery. The $16.5 million operating suites will be the first to combine the BrainSUITE(R) iMRI and GE Healthcare MR Surgical Suite.
Can a patient be awake and communicating with the anesthesiologist and surgeon during general anesthesia? With a new "cooperative patient" anesthesia technique, the answer is yes, according to a study in the June issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).
Ultrasound examination of the carotid artery is a patient-friendly and inexpensive method for assessing atherosclerosis and thereby predicting the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Peter Holdfeldt, who recently defended his doctoral thesis at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, has developed new analytical methods for ultrasound images that can provide more reliable and more exact assessments of atherosclerosis.
The axon is a part of the neuron through which nerve impulses are transmitted, and at the end of which is located the synapse, which connects it to another neuron. In the event of a lesion, the axon is the component which must be regenerated in order to restore the connections between the different neurons and re-form the nerve.
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.
The transition from basic education to upper secondary school is a challenge for many young people. According to a study of school burnout at different stages of school and higher education, upper secondary school is a particularly challenging stage for many young people. Success-oriented female upper secondary school pupils are at the greatest risk: up to 20 cent of them suffer from school burnout. Burnout is a phenomenon to be taken seriously, as it can lead to depression.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology"s number-two man, Charles Friedman, told industry members that an official definition of the term "meaningful use" of health information technology is "in the works" and they should expect its release "in the not too distant future." "Meaningful use" refers to the criteria the government will use to determine whether to pay providers for adopting the technology, Modern Healthcare reports.
Musculoskeletal problems are among the complaints most frequently reported in health interview surveys. Typically around 50 percent of the population report having had musculoskeletal pain in one or more areas for at least one week during the past month. Musculoskeletal disorders are also the most common work-related health problems in the EU: 25 percent of European workers complain of backache and 23 percent of muscular pains. The trend will become even more acute as demographic changes lead to an ageing society.
Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SOMX), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the in-licensing, development and commercialization of proprietary branded pharmaceutical products and late-stage product candidates for the treatment of diseases and disorders in the central nervous system therapeutic area, today announced that it has resubmitted its New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Silenor® (doxepin) for the treatment of insomnia.
The NMC has started work to improve its advice and information on whistle-blowing for nurses and midwives.
More than 1,500 registered dental hygienists (RDH) from across the United States will travel to Washington D.C. to attend the 86th Annual Session of the American Dental Hygienists" Association (ADHA) June 17-23.
The decriminalisation of dispensing errors is an issue that has united the profession.
New results from a one-year Phase III study have confirmed that the investigational biological therapy Ilaris® (canakinumab, formerly ACZ885)[1] produced rapid and sustained remission of symptoms in the majority of children and adults with a rare and potentially life-threatening auto-inflammatory disease called cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS)1,2,3.
The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme is expanding the evidence base surrounding the treatment of traumatic brain and head injury (TBI) by commissioning four new research projects. If left untreated many patients with head injury will rapidly develop complications which may lead to death or permanent disability. More than 100,000 people in the UK have long-term effects caused by such injuries. Prompt medical treatment may prevent the worsening of symptoms and lead to a better outcome.
Nine of the top 20 health issues researched on the internet relate to dieting, weight loss and healthy living.
Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) Federal Secretary Ged Kearney said comments made by Senator Nick Xenophon today display a lack of understanding of the award modernisation process and the benefits this process brings to nursing staff, employers and the aged care industry.
The National Audit Office (NAO) on Friday released findings from a new report exploring the problems and challenges of supporting adults with autism. The aim of the report was to assess current service provision in areas including: health, social care, education, benefits and employment support. It also identified how these areas could be made more effective, efficient and appropriate to the needs of adults with autism and their carers.
A new wrinkle-smoother will be arriving in doctors" offices in July: the U.S. FDA has approved the cosmetic injectable Dysport®. Dysport®, approved in the European Union, Brazil, Argentina and more than 26 countries worldwide is a form of botulinum type A, similar to the protein found in Botox® Cosmetic, approved for fighting wrinkles in the U.S. since 2004. Dysport® and Botox® are both cosmetic injections that temporarily relax the muscles in the face that create expressions, such as frown lines between the brows, that over time result in visible facial lines and deeper creases. "Although their action is similar, Dysport® and Botox® Cosmetic are two different drugs," said oculoplastic surgeon Dr. Brian Biesman, Coalition leader and Assistant Clinical Professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. "Both temporarily modify the action of facial muscles, smoothing out undesirable lines between the brows, across the forehead or crow"s feet to restore a more youthful, less stressed appearance. But they are not interchangeable, they have distinct dosing differences."
Advancing the trend toward ever less invasive surgery, University Medical Center at Princeton (www.princetonhcs.org) is now performing laparoscopic surgery by way of a single incision through the belly button -- becoming one of a handful of centers in the Northeastern United States to offer the procedure.
Amgen Inc. (Nasdaq: AMGN) today released the results of a new study comparing Nplate(R) (romiplostim) to the medical standard of care (SOC) in non-splenectomised adult patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Chronic ITP is a serious autoimmune disorder characterised by low platelet counts in the blood (thrombocytopenia), which can lead to serious bleeding events. The study results show Nplate significantly reduced the incidences of splenectomy and treatment failures in non-splenectomised adult patients with chronic ITP when compared to medical SOC. The results were presented today as an oral presentation at the 14th congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA abstract #1672).
A meeting of the WHO"s emergency committee held Friday to discuss the H1N1 (swine) flu ended without a pandemic declaration, but experts concluded that declarations would now be based upon the severity and transmission pattern of a virus, Reuters reports (Nebehay, Reuters, 6/5). "The Emergency Committee is composed of international experts and its task is to give advice to the WHO chief on influenza outbreak responses," according to Xinhua writes (Xinhua, 6/6).
BioVex Inc, a company developing next generation biologics for the treatment and prevention of cancer and infectious disease, announced that the results from a Phase I/II combination study in previously untreated patients with head and neck cancer will be presented at the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, which will take place May 29, 2009 - June 2, 2009 in Orlando, FL.
For patients with the most common form of hepatitis C, the addition of a hepatitis C-specific protease inhibitor called telaprevir to the current standard therapy can significantly improve the chances of being cured, and it does it in half the time of standard therapy alone.
Democrats working feverishly on health care reform "face increasingly noisy protests from those on the left who complain that a national program like those in Europe has been excluded from the debate," The Washington Post reports.
DrugScope has welcomed the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse"s announcement of an extra ÷£11.8m government investment in drug treatment.
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.
According to a research abstrac presented on Monday, June 8, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, white Americans are more likely to report experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) more days per month than Asians, African Americans and Hispanics, but African Americans experience more severe EDS.
St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) announced the completion of patient implants in its U.S. pivotal clinical study of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the symptomatic treatment of Parkinson"s disease, a neurological disorder affecting approximately 6.3 million people worldwide that progressively diminishes a person"s control over his or her movements. The announcement was made at the Movement Disorder Society"s 13th International Congress of Parkinson"s Disease and Movement Disorders in Paris.
Registered nurses, healthcare workers and community leaders will hold a major protest rally Tuesday at noon, outside of the Alameda County Administration building. The action, one of many occurring over the last two months, is being held on the day that the board is scheduled to vote on Sutter Health"s plan to rebuild Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley as a luxury hospital with all private rooms and 48 fewer beds. It is likely that approval will result in closure of the 122-bed San Leandro Hospital, also owned and operated by Sutter.
Entries are invited for the 2009 NHS Alliance Acorn Awards. This year, the awards, which recognise excellence in primary care, have nine categories. Since last year, the NHS Alliance introduced a new category, Pharmaceutical Services Commissioning, which has been designed to showcase Primary Care Trusts which are excelling at world class commissioning of pharmaceutical services.
Canadian Light (CLS) staff scientist Luca Quaroni and Dr. Alan Casson, Head of the Department of Surgery at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) used the synchrotron"s infrared microscope to identify tissue afflicted with a condition known as Barrett"s Esophagus from chemical fingerprints associated with the disease, which can lead to esophageal cancer. The finding is published in the June, 2009 issue of the Royal Society of Chemistry journal, The Analyst.
Prenatal multivitamin supplements are associated with a significantly reduced risk of babies with a low birth weight compared with prenatal iron-folic acid supplementation, found a new study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).
Ontario children are more likely to get diagnosed with diabetes than their American counterparts. A study out of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) has found a 3 per cent increase per year in the rate of diabetes in Ontario children from 1994 to 2004.
Low income, conflict-affected countries such as Afghanistan, Sudan and
Judges often make poor decisions about the stories asylum seekers tell them because their decisions are based on false assumptions.
If somebody asks you "Do you remember what you did on March 13, 1985?" you are very likely to answer "I don"t know", even if your memory is excellent. In a study conducted by Dalla Barba and Decaix from the Institut National de la Santçİ et de la Recherche Mçİdicale and the Department of Neurology of the Hç´pital Saint Antoine in Paris and published by Elsevier in the May 2009 issue of Cortex, researchers found that a patient with severe amnesia reported detailed false memories in answering this type of question. People with normal memories are unable to answer this type of question because it is beyond their memory capacity. This is the first reported case of a pathological condition that the authors of the article named "Confabulatory Hyperamnesia".
Three top researchers corrected inaccuracies and misunderstandings concerning high fructose corn syrup"s impact on the American diet. They also examined how the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) considers this sweetener in light of the upcoming 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans in a session, High Fructose Corn Syrup: Sorting Myth from Reality, at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California.
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.
A clinical trial has demonstrated that HIV-infected adults in a re-limited setting are more likely to survive if they start antiretroviral therapy (ART) before their immune systems are severely compromised.
On June 4, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it is considering a pathway for coverage of Sodium Fluoride (NaF-18) for PET bone imaging as an alternative to Technetium-99m imaging. Currently, Tc-99m bone imaging is one of the more commonly performed procedures using this radioisotope. Technetium-99m is in scant supply because of ongoing production outages, resulting in serious delays in patient imaging studies for many medical problems, including oncologic, cardiac and neurologic conditions.
This statement updates Members on the swine flu outbreak and the latest developments in Wales and across the UK.
One of the world"s most respected medical journals, the New England Journal of Medicine, is publishing a landmark study this week that explores treatments for people with both Type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease. The Lang Research and Education Center of New York Hospital Queens was one of the sites that conducted this study.
A small study published in Acupuncture Medicine reports that acupuncture may be beneficial in easing symptoms of indigestion which are very frequent in pregnant women. The hormonal changes in the body during pregnancy cause heartburn, stomach pain and discomfort, reflux, belching and bloating. Between 45 to 80 percent of women are reported to experience those symptoms.
Researchers in the UK found that changes in glucose concentrations, insulin sensitivity, and insulin secretion can be detected as early as 3 to 6
Not getting enough sleep could increase a person"s risk of developing high blood pressure, said US researchers who monitored over 500 middle
A California Restaurant Association has asked the Supreme Court to rule on the legality of San Francisco"s mandate that employers pay for health care coverage for employees, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Body chemistry changes that lead to Type 2 diabetes begin several years before symptoms become apparent, according to new research.
Young heterosexual men are falling prey to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia just as much as women and gay men - and their numbers are increasing, a leading specialist has warned.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) thanked contributors for enabling a swift response to the humanitarian crisis
UroToday.com - Robotic and medical imaging technology has made leaps and bounds over the past few decades, and the practice of brachytherapy should take advantage of these advances. Of course, any new technology cannot be implemented in the clinic without a scientifically validated foundation, which must be established in order to justify the move away from tried-and-true methods. With this in mind, we present this paper as a peek into the future -- alternative, potentially useful implant catheter patterns.
Brookdale Care, the specialist provider of care services for
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.
Abbott and AstraZeneca announced today that they have entered into an agreement for AstraZeneca to co-promote Abbott"s TRILIPIX® (fenofibric acid), a medication for use alone or in combination with a statin to treat certain lipid disorders. Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca will obtain the non-exclusive right to co-promote TRILIPIX alongside Abbott in the United States, excluding Puerto Rico. Specific financial terms were not disclosed.
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, getting more high-quality sleep is associated with better academic performance. The positive relationship is especially relevant to performance in math.
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)
Experts from across the country will gather at a conference at De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester next week to discuss the issue of Sickle Cell and deaths in custody.
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have quantified the probability of a male who carries a "high normal" variant of the Huntington"s Disease (HD) gene having a child who develops the disease. Although thought to be a very rare event, the probability has never been estimated using current information and disease guidelines. The findings, appear on-line in the American Journal of Medical Genetics, may be useful during prenatal genetic counseling.
Addiction scientists are calling for tighter regulation of alcohol advertising, as new research shows that self-regulation by the alcohol industry does not protect impressionable children and youth from exposure.
Self-reported nightmares among patients seeking emergency psychiatric evaluation uniquely predicted elevated suicidal symptoms, according to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
Patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have an increased prevalence of parasomnia symptoms compared with the prevalence rates of individual parasomnias, according to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
Meditation may be an effective behavioral intervention in the treatment of insomnia, according to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies
Earlier parental-mandated bedtimes could help protect teens from depression and suicidal thoughts by lengthening sleep duration, according to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
Individuals with insomnia and objective short sleep duration are at increased risk for developing diabetes, according to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
The naturalistic respiratory muscle training with high resistance wind instruments may potentially reduce musicians" risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
Older women who take hormone therapy to relieve menopausal symptoms may get the added benefit of reduced body fat if they are physically active, according to a new study. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society"s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Rutgers researchers have discovered a potential new way to treat childhood epilepsy using a widely available therapeutic drug.
A new study found that acute and sudden computer-related injuries, a separate category to injuries that take a while to emerge like repetitive
By mid-century, people may be fleeing rising seas, droughts, floods and other effects of changing climate, in migrations that could vastly exceed the scope of anything before, says a major new report. The document, authored by researchers at Columbia University"s Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), the United Nations University and CARE International, was released at a news conference in Bonn.
President Obama on Friday appointed New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden as CDC director, according to Obama administration officials, the New York Times reports. According to the Times, Frieden, an infectious disease specialist, has "cut a high and sometimes contentious profile" in his seven years as health commissioner in New York City, during which time he has advocated for a smoking ban in restaurants and bars, made HIV testing part of routine medical exams and protected a program that distributes 35 million condoms a year. According to the Times, Frieden is expected to take office next month. The Times reports that he will "inherit a host of immediate and long-term problems," including questions surrounding a vaccine for the H1N1 influenza virus, also known as swine flu, health care reform and organizational issues at CDC.The Times reports that a potential advantage for Frieden is a positive relationship with likely FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, who also was New York City health commissioner. Frieden would work with Hamburg to combat the H1N1 flu virus and to re-evaluate the U.S. food safety system (Harris/Hartocollis, New York Times, 5/15).
New post-hoc analyses, presented at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 69th Annual Scientific Sessions, of data pooled from studies of 104 weeks in duration showed "Januvia" (sitagliptin), when taken alone* (2 studies) or in combination with metformin (2 studies), provided significant blood sugar lowering, which was sustained over two years.[i]
Though it looks like a tiny purple blowtorch, a pencil-sized plume of plasma on the tip of a small probe remains at room temperature as it swiftly dismantles tough bacterial colonies deep inside a human tooth. But it"s not another futuristic product of George Lucas" imagination. It"s the exciting work of USC School of Dentistry and Viterbi School of Engineering researchers looking for new ways to safely fight tenacious biofilm infections in patients - and it could revolutionize many facets of medicine.
Over 100,000 people suffer from multiple sclerosis in Germany alone. Despite intensive research, the factors that trigger the disease and influence its progress remain unclear. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried and an international research team have succeeded in attaining three important new insights into the disease. It would appear that B cells play an unexpected role in the spontaneous development of multiple sclerosis and that particularly aggressive T cells are activated by different proteins. Furthermore, a new animal model is helping the scientists to understand the emergence of the most common form of the disease in Germany. (Nature Medicine, May 31, 2009 & Journal of Experimental Medicine, June 1, 2009)
Versartis, Inc., an emerging company developing novel biologics with enhanced properties for patients with metabolic diseases, presented data for its long-acting product candidates, VRS-317 (hGH-rPEG) for treatment of growth hormone deficiency and for VRS-826 (IL-1ra-rPEG) for treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, at the Endocrine Society"s Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.
The Senate Finance Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday both worked on health care proposals aimed at overhauling the U.S. health care system, CQ Today reports. In its second of three closed-door meetings, the Finance Committee came to "early, broad agreement" on some issues but continued to disagree over a public option as part of a reform bill. Meanwhile, portions of an overhaul plan being developed by the Energy and Commerce Committee were leaked on Thursday, after Democrats on the committee held a closed-door session on the topic earlier this week (Armstrong, CQ Today, 5/14). Finance Committee
VNUS(R) Medical Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: VNUS), a worldwide leader in medical devices for the minimally invasive treatment of venous reflux disease, announced that the Journal of Vascular & Interventional Radiology, the prestigious monthly publication of the Society of Interventional Radiology, has published a study showing the VNUS ClosureFAST(TM) system for radiofrequency (RF) thermal ablation to be "significantly superior" to endovenous laser (EVL) for treating venous reflux, the underlying cause of symptomatic varicose veins.
Seeking ways to improve blood recovery after chemotherapy or bone marrow transplant, researchers at Children"s Hospital Boston have discovered that fat cells, which accumulate in bone marrow as people age, inhibit the marrow"s ability to produce new blood cells. Their study, published online June 10 by the journal Nature, suggests that blocking this fatty infiltration could help enhance patients" recovery after transplant.
At a discussion on minority health issues at the White House this week, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the Obama administration is committed to addressing racial health care disparities, including the higher rates of HIV/AIDS among blacks, the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. The White House issued a summary report indicating that blacks are more likely than whites to have certain conditions and diseases, including HIV/AIDS. Sebelius said the increasing rates of HIV/AIDS among blacks is one of "the most troubling" developments in U.S. health care. Separately, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus "warned Democratic leaders that any health care overhaul that ignores health gaps between whites and minorities will face stiff opposition," according to the AP/Post-Intelligencer. The 91 members of the caucuses said they will introduce legislation this week that includes their priorities for health care reform (Evans, AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 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.
"Immigrant and health-care advocacy groups" are calling on New Jersey to "restore $1 million in funding that has been eliminated in the latest round of budget tightening," the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports. "The money was earmarked for community-outreach efforts to educate legal immigrants on available state health programs." A report released yesterday by Rutgers University concluded that "New Jersey"s percentage of uninsured immigrant children is higher than the national average, and the state has a poor track record of making sure those children receive health coverage."
A Selection of Opinions and Editorials
It"s June, the month when many couples promise to stay together "in sickness and in health."
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
The war on healthcare associated infections (HCAIs), or so-called "superbugs", will never be won unless long-term strategies are introduced to radically reduce their prevalence, says a BMA report launched recently.
The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) announced the recipients of nearly two million dollars in grants to fund 13 individual scientists pursuing innovative melanoma research proposals. This second round of MRA grants is focused on research that addresses the gap in translational science.
The latest issue of the online journal Diabetic Hypoglycemia features an authoritative review on sulfonylureas by Professor Ian Campbell, a leading expert in oral hypoglycemia therapy.
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:
New Jersey state Sen. Joseph Vitale (D) -- chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee -- earlier this week proposed a plan to temporarily reduce rebate checks to senior citizens earning $100,000 to $150,000 in an effort to alleviate the effects of possible budget cuts on certain populations, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. Vitale"s proposal also would avert planned $6 to $15 prescription drug copayments for people living with HIV/AIDS in the state (Livio, Newark Star-Ledger, 5/12). The copayments are part of Gov. Jon Corzine"s (D) $29.8 billion spending proposal for the state"s new fiscal year and would collect $1.36 million by creating copayments for HIV/AIDS drugs based on a sliding scale determined by income. The copayments would affect 9,000 people living with HIV/AIDS who have obtained no-cost medicine from the state because they do not qualify for other assistance programs. Advocates said that the copayments will hurt patients who are already struggling because of the poor economy (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 4/23). According to the Star-Ledger, Vitale"s proposal would save the state $15.7 million, including $9.7 million needed to allow 17,000 low-income families to enroll in the state"s health insurance program, FamilyCare. Senate Budget Committee Chair Barbara Buono (D) said that she does not believe it is possible to restore program cuts "given the collapse of revenues." According to the Office of Legislative Services, the current deficit for this year"s budget, which ends June 30, is at least $1.2 billon. Vitale said, "Our convictions are going to be tested as we come to terms with the fact that we simply don"t have enough money to fund all of the state"s priorities." He added, "But unless funding is restored for programs like NJ FamilyCare, Medicaid drug benefits and the AIDS Drug Distribution Program, I will be voting against the" fiscal year 2010 budget (Newark Star-Ledger, 5/12).
In response to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report on hospitals, Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) said the best remedy for Australia"s hospitals is to keep people out of them.
Scientists have identified for the first time a mechanism by which nanoparticles cause lung damage and have demonstrated that it can be combated by blocking the process involved, taking a step toward addressing the growing concerns over the safety of nanotechnology.
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.
Biothera has initiated a Phase II clinical trial in stage IV KRAS-mutated colorectal cancer patients with its investigational drug Imprime PGG® in combination with Erbitux® (cetuximab), the company announced today.
The results of a new study reinforce an advisory that patients taking
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common malignancy worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Type 2 diabetes mellitus has been associated with HCC. However, the relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus and the underlying liver cirrhosis, and the effects of antidiabetic therapy on HCC risk have not yet been fully evaluated.
The value and cost-effectiveness of screening for left ventricular (LV) dysfunction remains unclear, particularly since specific, evidence-based treatments are not available for the majority of patients with preserved systolic dysfunction, reports a study in the June issue of the Journal of Cardiac Failure, published by Elsevier.
The Arizona AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) has reduced the number of medications it will cover - antiretrovirals and drugs that treat opportunistic infections will not be affected, the Arizona Daily Star reports. The program relies heavily on federal funding. Judy Norton, chief of the state"s Office of HIV, STD and Hepatitis C Services, said the state received $2.3 million less than what it requested from the federal government, requiring the program to make cuts. According to the Daily Star, federal ADAP funds are "drying up as drug costs rise and as more" people living with HIV/AIDS are enrolling in the program. The Arizona ADAP has been serving about 1,100 patients statewide, although the number has gone up in recent months, Laura Oxley, Arizona Department of Health Services spokesperson, said. A letter explaining the changes to the program was sent to clients and providers earlier this week (Innes, Arizona Daily Star, 6/11).
The Group of Eight (G8) industrial nations are "collectively off course in delivering on a 2005 pact to more than double aid to Africa through 2010," according to an annual report released Thursday by the One Campaign, Reuters/Washington Post reports (Wroughton, Reuters/Washington Post, 6/11).