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What Is Fluoride? What Does Fluoride Do?
Fluoride is a chemical ion of the element fluorine (from the Latin fluo meaning "to flow"), in that fluoride has one extra electron that gives it a negative charge. Fluoride is found naturally in water, foods, soil, and several minerals such as fluorite and fluorapatite. However, it is also synthesized in laboratories where it may be added to drinking water or used in a variety of chemical products.
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Obama To Replace Bush Bioethics Panel To Redirect Focus Toward Practical Policy Matters
President Obama last week disbanded the Bush administration"s Council on Bioethics and announced plans to form a new commission with a mandate that will offer "practical policy options," according to White House press officer Reid Cherlin, the New York Times reports. According to Cherlin, the old council was disbanded because former President George W. Bush"s administration designed it to be "a philosophically leaning advisory group" that focused on discussion rather than forming a shared consensus. Presidential bioethics commissions, which have existed since 1974, typically serve to inform the public of advances in science and develop guidance on controversial issues such as stem cells, human cloning and genetic engineering, the Times reports.The Bush administration"s council was created in November 2001, shortly after Bush restricted federal funding for embryonic stem cell research to lines existing at the time. Bush"s council at times was accused of being more ideological than previous commissions, particularly under the leadership of Leon Kass of the University of Chicago, the Times reports. It often produced reports with "a somewhat philosophical bent" on issues like how to determine death or the genetic screening of newborns, according to the Times. Alta Charo, an ethicist at the University of Wisconsin, said much of the council"s work "seemed more like a public debating society." Ruth Faden, a bioethicist at Johns Hopkins University, said, "The other view is that all presidential commissions are structured in the context of a particular administration" (Wade, New York Times, 6/18).
News of the day
Senate Finance Committee To Discuss Public Plan Options; House Energy And Commerce Committee Discusses State, Regional Plans
The Senate Finance Committee on Thursday will meet to discuss the inclusion of a public insurance plan in its health care reform legislation, the Des Moines Register reports (Beaumont, Des Moines Register, 5/14). Supporters of the public plan say it would allow middle-income workers a choice between their employer coverage and coverage offered by the government. The insurance industry and Republican lawmakers oppose such a plan.The Finance Committee will consider a plan similar to Medicare but that would feature slightly higher reimbursement rates for providers. The plan would either be operated by the government or government-contracted private firms. Another option would allow each state to develop and oversee its own public coverage plan. The committee also will consider a proposal from Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) that would allow a new public plan to compete with private insurers by requiring that the public plan be financed by premiums rather than tax dollars, that it follow the same solvency rules that apply to private firms and that it keep a reserve fund to cover liabilities. Schumer"s plan also would allow doctors and hospitals the choice of participating. The public plan also would be required to follow the same consumer protection rules as private firms (Alonso-Zaldivar/Werner, AP/Contra Costa Times, 5/14). The panel also is expected to discuss employer or individual mandates (Edney, CongressDaily, 5/14).Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who has said he believes a public plan would eventually eliminate private insurance and force U.S. residents out of their employer-sponsored plans, said the committee meeting will reveal the likelihood of Republicans uniting against a public option. "We will have an idea how controversial it is and how strong people feel about it on both sides," Grassley said. He added, "I think before I would write it off completely, I would want to look at what those possible compromises are" (Des Moines Register, 5/14). House Energy and Commerce Committee
Diagnostics

News From The Journals Of The American Society For Microbiology

"Single-Shot" Vaccines May Protect Against H5N1 Influenza Virus Two newly developed "single-shot" H5N1 influenza vaccines protected ferrets against lethal infection with the H5N1 influenza virus and may allow for mass vaccination in humans in the event of a pandemic outbreak. The researchers from Australia report their findings in the August 2009 issue of the Journal of Virology. As the highly infectious H5N1 influenza A virus continues to persist in bird populations and infect humans through poultry, concerns of a pandemic outbreak remain high. Although human-to-human transmission has remained limited, the fatality rate among those reported human cases is greater than 60%. The threat that the virus will mutate and achieve efficient human-to-human spread emphasizes the need for effective preventative therapies. Vaccination is considered the optimal method for controlling an influenza pandemic. Vaccines must be rapidly available to reach mass populations and they must include the minimal antigen dose (substance that promotes the generation of antibodies) to result in full immunity. The use of adjuvants (substances to improve the immune response) in vaccine development may lower the antigen dose required and ultimately ease the demand on vaccine supply during a pandemic. Clinical trials on prepandemic vaccines containing adjuvant suggested that two injections were necessary to induce protective immunity. In this study researchers first inoculated ferrets twice with two H5N1 influenza virus adjuvant vaccines (Iscomatrix and AIPO4) and observed for protective efficacy following a lethal challenge with the H5N1 virus. Results showed that ferrets were completely protected against death and disease for at least 15 months. More significantly, a secondary study found that both adjuvant vaccines also protected ferrets from death following only a single inoculation. Specifically, ferrets receiving a single shot of the Iscomatrix adjuvant vaccine displayed fewer signs of infection and remained highly active. "Our data provide the first indication that in the event of a future influenza pandemic, effective mass vaccination may be achievable with a low-dose "single shot" vaccine and provide not only increased survival but also significant reduction in disease severity," say the researchers. (D. Middleton, S. Rockman, M. Pearse, I. Barr, S. Lowther, J. Klippel, D. Ryan, L. Brown. 2009. Evaluation of vaccines for H5N1 influenza virus in ferrets reveals the potential for protective single-shot immunization. Journal of Virology, 83. 15: 7770-7778.) Infection-Causing Amoeba May be Resistant to Multiple Contact Lens Solutions A new study suggests that some contact lens solutions do not properly disinfect against Acanthamoeba, a free-living organism in the environment that can cause a painful vision-threatening infection. The researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Service, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, Georgia, report their findings in the July 2009 issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. Acanthamoeba are found in a variety of environmental s including soil, freshwater, brackish water and seawater, as well as hot tubs and Jacuzzis. The species is associated with many different human diseases such as central nervous system infections and Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), an infection of the cornea that can ultimately lead to blindness. 85% of AK cases in the United States are attributed to contact lens wear, with some specific risk factors being improper contact lens care and contact with nonsterile water during wear. Insufficient anti-Acanthamoeba activity in Advanced Medical Optics Complete MoisturePlus multipurpose contact lens solution was brought to attention following a recent multistate outbreak of AK. While investigating that outbreak, researchers also compared the effectiveness of 11 other contact lens solutions against cysts of Acanthamoeba castellanii, Acanthamoeba polyphaga, and Acanthamoeba hatchetti, all of which were sample specimens collected during the outbreak. Results indicated that only the two contact lens solutions containing hydrogen peroxide showed any disinfection ability against A. castellanii and A. polyphaga after 6 or 24 hours. No significant disinfection efficacy was noted among the 11 solutions against A. hatchetti. "The prevention of future cases of AK will require contact lens solutions that are effective against Acanthamoeba species and continued emphasis on proper lens care hygiene," say the researchers. "Educating contact lens wearers about the risk factors for AK, including the improper use of contact lens solutions, is important; but a systematic method for evaluating contact lens solutions will reduce the chance that inefficacious solutions are available." (S.P. Johnston, R. Sriram, Y. Ovarnstrom, S. Roy, J. Verani, J. Yoder, S. Lorick, J. Roberts, M.J. Beach, G. Visvesvara. 2009. Resistance of Acanthamoeba cysts to disinfection in multiple contact lens solutions. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 47. 7: 2040-2045.) New DNA Vaccine Inhibits Deadly Skin Cancer in Mice A new DNA vaccine inhibited malignant melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, in mice by eliciting antibodies that target a gastrin-releasing peptide which is known to play a key role in cancer development. The researchers from China and the U.S. report their findings in the July 2009 issue of the journal Clinical and Vaccine Immunology. Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) is an important human peptide that regulates gastric acid secretion and motor function as well as elicits gastrin release. Previous research has shown that GRP plays a significant role in human cancers through atypical expression of the GRP receptor and GRP binding that activates cellular signaling and results in increased cell production and tumor formation. Anti-GRP antibodies have displayed promising antitumoral activity and DNA vaccines targeting GRP are a hopeful therapeutic approach. In the study researchers developed a novel anti-GRP DNA vaccine including various immunoadjuvants (substances to improve the immune response) and monitored anti-GRP antibody levels in vaccinated mice. Intramuscular injections induced high levels of specific antibodies against GRP as well as suppressed the growth of melanoma cells. Additionally, researchers intravenously injected cells in the lungs and found that cells were highly diminished indicating that the vaccine may also inhibit cancer from spreading. "In conclusion, we have demonstrated for the first time that immune responses which are elicited by a novel anti-GRP DNA vaccine suppress the proliferation and growth of melanoma tumors in mice," say the researchers. "The antiangiogenesis and antimetastastic activities of this DNA vaccine suggest a novel approach against various cancers, especially malignant melanoma." (J. Fang, Y. Lu, K. Ouyang, G. Wu, H. Zhang, Y. Liu, Y. Chen, M. Lin, H. Wang, L. Jin, R. Cao, R.S. Roque, L. Zong, J. Liu, T. Li. 2009. Specific antibodies elicited by a novel DNA vaccine targeting gastrin-releasing peptide inhibit murine melanoma growth in vitro. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, 16. 7: 1033-1039.) Carrie Slijepcevic American Society for Microbiology


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