Endocrinology
GE Healthcare, a division of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) announced that Beloit Memorial Hospital, Beloit, Wis., has selected an Optima® XR640 digital radiographic system for its expanded emergency department.
Those who think extreme sports are all about risk-taking are missing the point, according to a QUT researcher. Eric Brymer, a lecturer from the School of Human Movement Studies in the Faculty of Health, has been researching whether the element of risk was an important factor among participants in "extreme" sports such as waterfall kayakers, mountain climbers, big wave surfers and B.A.S.E. jumpers.
UQ"s Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) will host a workshop tomorrow Tuesday July 14 for clinicians and scientists seeking to better understand the syndromes associated with a brain development condition made famous in the movie Rain Man.
DxS, a personalised medicine company, has had its TheraScreen: K-RAS Mutation Kit granted a licence by the regulatory body Health Canada for use as a diagnostic for anti-EGFR therapies and as the companion diagnostic for Amgen"s colorectal cancer therapy, Vectibix™ (panitumumab).
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will hold six public hearings July 16, 2009. These hearings will take place in Lincoln at the State Office Building, 301 Centennial Mall South, lower level conference room A. The hearings are being held to accept comments on proposed regulations.
British scientists are leading the field at the International Conference of Alzheimer"s Disease, in Vienna (ICAD, 11 - 16 July).
Cepheid (Nasdaq: CPHD) announced it has received clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to market its Xpert(R) C. difficile test, an on-demand molecular diagnostic test designed for 45-minute detection of the bacterium that causes Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). The Xpert C. difficile test is the first test for CDI to deliver both rapid turnaround and a high degree of accuracy.
The Electronic Health Records Association (EHR Association) has made specific recommendations to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) on measurable criteria for achieving "meaningful use" of electronic health records (EHRs), as called for in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The Association specifically calls for 2011 objectives to be based on software and standards that are currently deployed and implemented, with a focus on adoption and use of comprehensive EHRs and recognition of the need for differences between inpatient and ambulatory meaningful use criteria.
An article published Online First and in a future edition of The Lancet reports the extraordinary story of Hannah Clark who had a donor heart grafted onto her own after suffering heart failure as a baby. She underwent surgery ten and a half years after the transplant to remove the donor heart. This was possible because her own heart had recovered satisfactorily to work on its own. Today, three and a half years after this second operation, Hannah, now aged 16, has made a complete recovery. The article is the work of leading heart surgeons Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub, Imperial College London, Heart Science Centre, Harefield Hospital, Middlesex, UK, and consultant Victor Tsang, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK and collaborators.
Ms Aine Brady T.D. Minister for Older People and Health Promotion, announced the publication of the 2008 Annual Report from the Alcohol Marketing Communications Monitoring Body (AMCMB). The AMCMB was established to monitor the level of adherence by advertisers and media owners to the Codes of Practice on Alcohol Marketing, Communications and Sponsorship. The AMCMB has concluded that there continues to be overall compliance with the Codes.
The American College of Physicians (ACP) have joined with two other physician groups to offer strong support for the Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) provisions included in the Tri-Committee health reform bill about to be considered in the House. The Tri-Committee, which unveiled its proposed legislation on June 19, is made up of the House Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor Committees.
Governments could be saving up to $7.88 million a year if they adopt a national home enteral
People with Parkinson"s disease have significantly higher blood levels of a particular pesticide than healthy people or those with Alzheimer"s disease, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.
Trying to get fit but can"t work it into your daily schedule? Incorporating even relatively short bouts of exercise into a daily commute appears to deliver significant rewards, according to a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
On Friday, the House Appropriations Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee approved by voice vote a $730.5 billion spending bill to fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, CQ Today reports. The bill shifts funding away from abstinence-only sex education toward more comprehensive pregnancy prevention programs. The bill would allocate $114.5 million for a "teenage pregnancy prevention initiative" that offers "evidence-based and other approaches, such as abstinence." The measure continues several prohibitions on using federal funds to cover abortion and restrictions on funding for embryo research (Wolfe, CQ Today, 7/10).The measure includes $73.7 billion in discretionary spending for HHS, $2 billion more than President Obama requested (Hunt, CongressDaily, 7/10). The full committee is scheduled to mark up the bill on July 17 (CQ Today, 7/10).
"After a week of international diplomacy, President Obama returns to Washington this week facing an even greater diplomatic challenge: nudging the large and controversial health-care reform package toward consensus on Capitol Hill," The Washington Post reports. Despite media reports of challenges including "the virtual wall of opposition among Republicans," "resistance among conservative Blue Dog Democrats over the potential cost," and "nervousness among progressives that the White House might compromise too much on a public insurance option," officials at the White House "remain publicly optimistic." White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said that the issues are just part of "the nature of what we"re doing," and that "we"ve never, on universal coverage, been this close to the goal line."
Many studies on flies, mice, and more recently monkeys, have suggested that the key to a longer life is to restrict calorie intake, but a new study
Some seniors in Illinois are delaying buying prescription drugs because of the cost, according to the AARP. United Press International reports: "Twenty-one percent of AARP members surveyed in Illinois report not filling or delaying filling prescriptions due to cost, a survey indicated. Nearly one in five said they had to cut back on food and utilities to afford needed medications, the AARP survey of Illinois residents 50 and over indicated. The survey found 63 percent are concerned about affordability of their prescription drugs. Eighteen percent reported they took less than the prescribed amount to make the medicine last longer. The survey found women and Hispanics say they tend to be harder hit than the general 50-plus population by high drug costs. In the past year, prices for brand-name prescription drugs increased an average of 8.7 percent, while generic drug prices decreased by nearly 11 percent, Merri Dee, president for AARP in Illinois, said. Prices of specialty prescription drugs, used to treat conditions that tend to affect older populations such as cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, increased by 9.3 percent" (7/13).
Group B Streptococcus (GBS), a bacterial pathogen that causes sepsis and meningitis in newborn infants, is able to shut down immune cell function in order to promote its own survival, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Their study, published online July 13 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, offers insight into GBS infection - information that may lead to new medical therapies for invasive infectious diseases that affect nearly 3,500 newborns in the United States each year.
Patients with multiple sclerosis who smoke appear to experience a more rapid progression of their disease, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
A new study by researchers from the Automotive Safety Program at Riley Hospital for Children and Indiana University School of Medicine published online July 13, 2009 in the journal Pediatrics reports that the parents of children with special health care needs are doing a good job with the selection of the appropriate child car seat but still need help in using it correctly.
Sticker campaign builds awareness for smoke-free Mumbai
Scientists have shown that E. coli - one of the best known and extensively studied organisms in the world - remains an enigma that may hold the key to human diseases, such as cancer.
A study by scientists at Penn State provides new information about the genes that are involved in a mammal"s early brain development, including those that contribute to neurological disorders. The study is the first to use high-throughput sequencing to uncover active genes in developing brains, and it is likely the best evidence thus far for the activity in the brain of such a large number of genes. The research results one day could lead to the development of drugs or gene therapies that treat neurological disorders such as autism and mental retardation. The research, which was led by Distinguished Professor of Biology Hong Ma and Associate Professor of Biology Gong Chen, will be published online in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences sometime during the week of 13 July 2009.
Abraxis BioScience, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABII), a fully integrated biotechnology company, announced that the company has completed patient enrollment of a pivotal, phase III clinical study comparing the company"s chemotherapy agent ABRAXANE® for Injectable Suspension (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) (albumin bound) with Taxol® (paclitaxel) injection, both in combination with carboplatin, in the first-line treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study, which is being conducted at 111 sites globally, includes 1,050 patients and is being led by principal investigator Dr. Mark Socinski at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. It is one of the largest NSCLC clinical studies to complete enrollment.
While total knee surgery is a common procedure with a high success rate in the US, getting a second opinion is still recommended. Each surgeon has had a specific training and education, and more experience with certain procedures over others. Some surgeons embrace new technologies and methods while others are more traditional in their practice. Furthermore, you want to feel comfortable with your surgeon. Taking the additional steps to research, interview, and visit more than one doctor can pay off in the long run.
A new Blueprint to put innovation at the heart of healthcare delivery was launched by Lord Drayson and Lord Darzi at Imperial College London.
Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: WPI), a leading specialty pharmaceutical company, announced that it received a Complete Response Letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its New Drug Application (NDA) for TRELSTAR(R) 22.5 mg (triptorelin pamoate for injectable suspension), a 24-week formulation of TRELSTAR(R) for the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer. The TRELSTAR(R) NDA was prepared in cooperation with Debiopharm Group, a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical group of companies.
Quantum Immunologics, Inc. (QI), a Tampa, Florida company focusing on the research and development of cancer immunotherapies, announces that the first patient in its breast cancer trial has begun to receive its dendritic cell therapy.
New data show that Medicare beneficiaries registered to use My Health Manager, Kaiser Permanente"s personal health record, are overwhelmingly satisfied with using the Internet to manage their health care online. Results from the recent Kaiser Permanente survey examining Web site usage and Medicare beneficiary satisfaction were presented today at the World Health Care Congress" 5th Annual Leadership Summit on Medicare in Washington, D.C.
The start of anesthesia can be distressing for children. Although antianxiety drugs can help keep kids calm, side effects exist. Non-drug methods offer alternatives, but a new review of studies finds that no single method shows a clear advantage in keeping the child calm and cooperative. The most commonly used tactic having the parent present while the child receives anesthesia medications does not appear to have any benefit.
As the Government sets out proposals to reform social care, leading mental health charity Mind welcomes the move to simplify the process and create a fairer system for the many thousands of people with mental health problems who currently pay for social care services.
"After a series of false starts, House Democrats are finally expected to unveil the details of a sweeping reform measure on Tuesday that would drastically revamp the country"s health care system," Politico reports. "Party leaders had initially planned to introduce legislation last week and start considering it in committees this week. But that timeline was scuttled when a parade of moderates threw up their arms last week at a draft of the bill offered weeks earlier by the three chairmen writing it." While the Democrats "know that the clock is ticking-that the slower the process goes, the more time opponents will have to plant doubts in the minds of voters," Republicans are "feeling giddy-free to stand back and watch as Democrats fight amongst themselves."
New figures published show A&E departments in England have met the
Health officials in Humboldt County, Calif., "will be watching closely" the debate expected to ensue over legislation introduced last week containing "a provision that would scrap the federal funding ban on needle exchange programs that has been in place for years," the Eureka Times-Standard reports. According to the Times-Standard, "This month, Open Door Community Health Centers" clinics in Arcata and Eureka quietly stopped administering the needle exchange program they have operated for almost a decade." Open Door Community Health Centers Chief Operating Officer Cheyenne Spetzler, said, "The footprint of the program just kept getting bigger." In addition, grant funding was often limited to covering the costs of the needles and not the costs of administering the programs, Spetzler said. County Department of Health and Human Services Programs Director Barbara LaHaie said the county is currently seeking alternatives to continue the program. However, "Without a reliable funding stream, that may prove difficult," the article states (Greenson, 7/13).
Research conducted seven years after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City (NYC) found that children attending the socioeconomically and ethnically homogeneous elementary school closest to Ground Zero have high rates of self-reported asthma and airway obstruction.
According a Toronto Star column, it is an "enormous challenge" for India"s government to try to get all of its citizens immunized against polio. "It has used everything from elephants and camels to rickety boats and bikes to ferry the vaccine to remote regions where temperatures have topped 40C the past three months. The polio serum needs to be kept at a temperature below 8C. Its efforts have not all been in vain: the number of new cases in the country last year was 559, down from 200,000 in the early 1980s," writes columnist Rick Westhead.
A bill (HR 20, S 324) in Congress that would mandate funding for research, services and public education related to postpartum depression has sparked debate over whether all women should be screened for the condition, Time reports. The Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act, also known as the Mothers Act, passed the House and is before the Senate. The bill does not specifically include funding for PPD testing, though an earlier version did; regardless, critics say it would still lead to greater screening. According to Time, the issue at the center of the debate is whether PPD screening identifies actual cases "or simply contribute[s] to the potentially dangerous medicalization of motherhood." Ingrid Johnston-Robledo, director of women"s studies at the State University of New York, said that experts on both sides of the debate agree about increased support for women. "The problem with women"s reproductive health issues is that they tend to be ignored or exaggerated," Johnston-Robledo said. She added, "We need to find a way to come down in the middle: acknowledge women"s depression but not assume that all women who struggle with the transition to motherhood are depressed."Critics of the bill argue that mental health screenings are notorious for giving false positives. They also contend that increased testing is a bid by pharmaceutical companies to sell more medication to women who do not need it. Some psychologists argue that universal PPD screening would be misdirected because the greatest risk factor for the condition is previous depression, not giving birth. Paula Caplan, a clinical and research psychologist, said, "(We) should be addressing the social factors causing women to be upset after they give birth, not locating the problem within the women."Some proponents of PPD screening say it is not supposed to be used as a diagnostic tool but as a way to identify which patients require further evaluation. According to Time, studies suggest that PPD affects as many as one out of seven women who have recently given birth and that leaving it untreated exposes women and their infants to unwarranted risk. Katherine Wisner, a psychiatrist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, said, "Postpartum depression is not a benign, uncommon thing." She added, "We screen all infants for (the genetic disorder) phenylketonuria, which is extremely rare. Why don"t we screen women for this?" (Elton, Time, 7/20).
On 2 July, based on scientific advice, the UK moved to a new "treatment" phase in our response to the current swine flu pandemic.
Counsellors from around the world will meet to discuss their role in helping people deal with social, cultural, economic and natural challenges at the 2009 International Association for Counselling (IAC) Counference organised by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
In response to the inquiry report into "Was the NHS Plan really a blueprint for the NHS - 10 years on?" released by the All Party Parliamentary Group Primary Care & Public Health today. Mubeen Bhutta Policy Manager at the British Heart Foundation said:
Endothelial progenitor cells may play a role in the start and progression of metastatic disease in children with cancer, according to study results published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
The biopharmaceutical company PAION AG (ISIN DE000A0B65S3; Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Prime Standard: PA8) today announces that the respective Data Monitoring Committees (DMCs), after predefined interim analyses, recommended that the Company should proceed as planned with their Phase IIa study as well as Phase Ib of CNS 7065, a new short-acting intravenous anesthetic/sedative.
Luminex Corporation (NASDAQ: LMNX), the worldwide leader in multiplexed solutions, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared labeling updates for the company"s xTAG® Respiratory Viral Panel (RVP) to include data about the performance of the test in humans infected with the pandemic strain of influenza A, 2009 influenza A/H1N1, which is sometimes referred to as "swine flu." The test"s labeling has been updated to include information from two new studies that demonstrate that xTAG RVP can be an effective aid in the detection of 2009 Influenza A/HIN1, but cannot identify the hemagglutinin gene of the 2009 Influenza A/H1N1 in clinical specimens.
Young American-raised Asian and Pacific Islanders (API), who are in the sexual minority, face psychological and social stresses in dealing with their families" values and ancestral cultures that significantly impact the development of their ethnic and sexual identities.
New research published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons reveals that African Americans with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), a rare cancer that begins in the wall of the gastrointestinal tract, now have survival rates equivalent to those of Caucasians. Prior to 2000, African Americans were more likely to develop GIST and less likely to undergo surgical treatment for this type of cancer.
Results of a survey published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons show that a large subset of surgical residents consider duty hour regulations (DHR) a significant barrier to their surgical education and express a desire for flexibility to work longer hours than current restrictions allow.
Brazil"s nearly two-decade effort to treat people living with HIV and AIDS shows that developing countries can successfully combat the epidemic. Inexpensive generic medicines are a large part of the solution, say researchers from Brown University and the Harvard School of Public Health.
The human brain can adapt to changing demands even in adulthood, but MIT neuroscientists have now found evidence of it changing with unsuspected speed. Their findings suggest that the brain has a network of silent connections that underlie its plasticity.
Researchers at the University of Rochester have developed a mathematical model to predict immune responses to infection with influenza A viruses, including novel viruses such as the emergent 2009 influenza A (H1N1). This model examines the contributions of specific sets of immune cells in fighting influenza A virus. The model also helps predict when during the immune response to viral infection antiviral therapy would be most effective.
As summer vacations begin, experts at Lighthouse International urge everyone to take eye safety seriously and prevent damage from the sun that could be permanent. Lighthouse International, based in New York City, is the 104 year old non-profit leader in vision health.
St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) announced Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approval of its Libra® and LibraXP™ deep brain stimulation (DBS) systems for treating the symptoms of Parkinson"s disease, a neurological disorder that progressively diminishes a person"s control over his or her movements.
Surprising new insights into how a Phase III Alzheimer"s drug might work
A sub-analysis of a Phase IIb multinational study(1) with edoxaban(2) - an investigational oral Factor Xa inhibitor - provides insights into why patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) receiving edoxaban once daily (QD) experienced fewer bleeding events than patients given edoxaban twice a day (BID). The analysis finds that bleeding associated with edoxaban is most closely correlated with minimum concentration levels of the drug in the blood, and that these trough levels may best predict bleeding events, rather than total exposure or maximum concentration levels.
This week, more than 3,000 leading scientists convened to report and discuss the latest advances in research on treatments, risk factors, diagnosis and causes for the health epidemic of the 21st century -- Alzheimer"s disease -- at the Alzheimer"s Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer"s Disease (ICAD 2009) in Vienna, Austria.
Genetics researchers have unveiled a powerful new re for scientists and health providers studying human illnesses--a reference standard of deletions and duplications of DNA found in the human genome. Drawn from over 2,000 healthy persons, the study provides one of the deepest and broadest sets of copy number variations (CNVs) available to date, along with a new research tool for diagnosing and identifying genetic problems in patients.
Most people get allergic conjunctivitis when their eyes come into contact with an allergen - a substance which makes the body"s immune system overreact. The eye becomes sore, inflamed and sometimes painful. Symptoms occur because the overreacting immune system makes the body release histamine and other active substances by mast cells - these cause dilation of blood vessels (blood vessels expand, widen), which irritates the nerve endings and causes increased secretion of tears.
During the second day of her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings, Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor said she views the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion in the U.S. as settled law reaffirmed by subsequent Supreme Court rulings, the Washington Post reports (Goldstein et al., Washington Post, 7/15). At Tuesday"s hearing, lawmakers pressed Sotomayor on her views regarding abortion rights and Supreme Court precedent, the New York Times reports. She told committee members that the contraception rights case that is the foundation for Roe was "the precedent of the court, so it is settled law." She also said the 1992 ruling in Casey v. Planned Parenthood "reaffirmed the core holding of Roe," adding, "That is the precedent of the court and settled law in terms of the holding of the court" (Savage, New York Times, 7/15). Sotomayor said that "there is a right of privacy" and that the Supreme Court "has found it in various places in the Constitution." She cited the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure and the 14th Amendment guaranteeing equal protection of the law (AP/Yahoo! News, 7/14).Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) asked Sotomayor if she considered the 2007 ruling in Gonzales v. Carhart an example of settled law. In the case, the court voted 5-4 to uphold the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. The ruling was the first time since Roe that the court upheld an abortion restriction that made no exception for the health of the woman, the Times reports. In her response, Sotomayor said that "[a]ll precedent of the Supreme Court I consider settled law, subject to the deference the doctrine of stare decisis would counsel," although she did not address the health exception component of the Gonzales case.Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) later pressed Sotomayor to elaborate on her views on Gonzales. Feinstein noted that at least seven Supreme Court rulings prior to the 2007 case stated that abortion laws "cannot put a woman"s health at risk." She added that Gonzales "essentially removed this basic constitutional right for women." Feinstein asked Sotomayor, "When there are multiple precedents and a question arises, are all the previous decisions discarded, or should the court re-examine all the cases on point?" Sotomayor replied that she does not consider Gonzales to be a precedent making it settled law that health exceptions for abortion laws are constitutionally unnecessary. She said, "That was, I don"t believe, a rejection of its prior precedents," which are "still precedents of the court." Sotomayor added that the "health and welfare of a woman must be -- must be a compelling consideration." Feinstein pressed Sotomayor to clarify that she meant that it is still settled that abortion restrictions must have health exceptions. Sotomayor said, "It has been a part of the court"s jurisprudence and a part of its precedents. Those precedents must be given deference in any situation that arises before the court" (New York Times, 7/15).Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) asked Sotomayor if the Constitution prohibits Congress or state legislatures "from defining life or regulating the rights of the unborn or protecting the right of the unborn in the first trimester?" Sotomayor began to cite the 14th Amendment to answer the question. Graham interrupted, asking, "[I]s there÷ anything in the document written about abortion?" Sotomayor said the "word "abortion" is not used in the Constitution, but the Constitution does have a broad provision concerning a liberty provision under the due process" clause (Holman, "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," PBS, 7/14).Graham also asked Sotomayor about her work with the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, which had submitted legal briefs in the past that supported public funding for abortion coverage for low-income women. Sotomayor served on the group"s board from 1980 to 1992. She said that she "wasn"t aware of what was said in those briefs." She noted that she had served on the board but was not a lawyer for the gro
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit on Tuesday lifted, an injunction blocking the enforcement of an Illinois law that requires parental notification 48 hours before minors can undergo abortion procedures, the AP/South Town Star reports. The Illinois Legislature originally passed the law in 1984 and revised it in 1995. In 2007, U.S. District Judge David Coar issued an injunction blocking enforcement of the law. On Tuesday, the appeals court said that the measure was "a permissible attempt to help a young woman make an informed choice about whether to have an abortion."The American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged the law, argued that a provision that allows a notification of a judge, rather than a parent, would be unworkable in practice. In an opinion by Judge Richard Cudahy, the appeals court panel said, "We acknowledge that there might be practical problems with the procedure at issue here" and that "it may be intimidating for a minor to navigate the process of presenting her case to a judge, for instance." It continued, "But we fail to see a better alternative. Abortion, no matter how it is confronted, may present intimidating choices to the minor woman who faces it."The law will take effect within a few weeks unless opponents ask for a stay. Ed Yohnka, an ACLU spokesperson, said that it is unclear what the next step would be but that the appeals court could be asked to rehear the case (Robinson, AP/South Town Star, 7/15).
The needs of mothers who bottle feed are being neglected, potentially risking the health of their babies, suggests research published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
The president of the American College of Physicians (ACP) today told the chairmen of the House Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor Committees that America"s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, H.R. 3200, is "closely aligned" with ACP policies on coverage, workforce, and payment and delivery system reform.
Over 80% of rural and remote doctors recently surveyed by the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) believe adding a significant rural and remote loading on Medicare items would assist in recruiting and retaining doctors in their communities.
"Rising unemployment and spiking Medicaid and welfare caseloads have put [New Hampshire"s] most recent budget to the test just two weeks after its adoption," New Hampshire Public Radio reports. The state"s Medicaid caseload is just 39 enrollees away from putting the "state"s Medicaid budget in the red."
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius commended the Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response (CIFOR) for the new Guidelines for Foodborne Disease Outbreak Response. These guidelines assist local, state and federal agencies in preventing and managing foodborne disease outbreaks through planning, detection, investigation, control and prevention.
Almost half of all artemisinin manufacturers and malaria-endemic countries are "failing to comply" with WHO requirements to sell the treatment in combination with other drugs, which is increasing the risk that malaria parasites will develop resistance to artemsinin, Nature reports. "Of the 69 manufacturers of artemisinin monotherapies that the WHO has identified, 21 have withdrawn monotherapies, and 14 say they intend to comply with the WHO"s recommendations. But the remaining 34 have not yet disclosed their intentions," Nature writes.
The AP/Lexington Herald-Leader on Tuesday examined the nomination of Alabama physician Regina Benjamin for U.S. Surgeon General by President Obama, the history of the position and how former Surgeon Generals have addressed health issues such as HIV/AIDS (Stobbe, 7/14). According to Advocate.com, "During her speech accepting the nomination, Benjamin acknowledged her familiarity with HIV complications and issues, as her brother died at the age of 44 of an HIV-related illness. Having such a personal experience, especially a loss, due to HIV/AIDS could have a strong impact on her policy and public health campaigns, [Phil Curtis, director of government affairs at AIDS Project Los Angeles], told Advocate.com on Tuesday." The article states, "Curtis said that Benjamin has the ability to reach out to communities that have been largely underserved by efforts to reduce the rate of infection," and she "will also be able to contribute to Congress"s current debate on health care policy, including strategies for early HIV prevention, and accessibility to prescription drugs" (Garcia, 7/14).
With the current outbreak of swine flu, and in the absence of a vaccine or treatment at present, the only way to contain the virus is to get people around the world to take precautionary measures. In a special editorial1 in the latest issue of Springer"s International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, Johannes Brug, Arja Aro, and Jan Hendrik Richardus show that there are three key parameters that convince people to take precautions. Firstly, they need to be aware of the risk to them. Secondly, they need to believe that effective protective actions are available and have confidence in them. Lastly, communications about risk need to be carefully managed so that they express the actual risk accurately to prevent mass scares.
Eduardo Davila, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Microbiology, and Immunology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Medicine and Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, has been awarded a $1.3 million grant over five years by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health to develop new immunotherapies, including a vaccine, for cancer. Two years of the research will be supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
A student team in the Virginia Tech College of Engineering is providing the blind with an opportunity many never thought possible: The opportunity to drive.
Current radiation therapy treatment damages a patient"s healthy tissue as well as eradicating the tumour it is intended to destroy, making the treatment especially invasive and often causing nasty side effects.
Patrick Lane, age 74, was plagued by recurring aortic aneurysms ten years ago that threatened his survival. His doctor at the time suggested he contact a leading vascular surgeon at UCLA who was pioneering a new treatment technique for high-risk patients who couldn"t receive traditional surgery.
UCLA scientists and colleagues from UC Riverside and the Human BioMolecular Research Institute have found that a form of vitamin D, together with a chemical found in turmeric spice called curcumin, may help stimulate the immune system to clear the brain of amyloid beta, which forms the plaques considered the hallmark of Alzheimer"s disease.
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have shown that disclosing genetic risk information to adult children of patients with Alzheimer"s disease (AD) who request this information does not result in significant short-term psychological distress. The report from the REVEAL Study*, which appears in the July 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, is the first randomized trial to disclose to participants whether or not they carried the ķµ4 variant of the APOE gene, a variant that has been found to increase the risk of developing AD. The study demonstrated that test-related distress was reduced among those who learned that they were APOE ķµ4 negative, and was only transiently increased among those who learned they were APOE ķµ4 positive. The study also showed that persons with high levels of emotional distress before undergoing genetic testing were more likely to have emotional difficulties after disclosure.
Memory probably begins during the prenatal period, but little is known about the exact timing or for how long memory lasts. Now in a new study from the Netherlands, scientists have found fetal short-term memory in fetuses at 30 weeks.
Scientists in Louisiana are reporting development of a process for producing large batches of a new and potentially safer form of acetaminophen, the widely used pain-reliever now the of growing concern over its potentially toxic effects on the liver. Their study, which could speed development of a next-generation pain-reliever, is scheduled for the July 17 issue of ACS" Organic Process Research & Development, a bi-monthly journal.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released the second in a series of health care success story reports that document innovative programs and initiatives that can serve as models for a reformed American health care system. Today"s report highlights the Nebraska WISEWOMAN program. WISEWOMAN is a community intervention program funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that helps prevent heart disease and stroke by providing screenings and counseling for low-income women. The report is available at http://www.healthreform.gov.
The research team led by Dr. Timm Schroeder, stem cell researcher at Helmholtz Zentrum MĆųnchen, has developed a new bioimaging method for observing the differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) at the single-cell level. With this method the researchers were able to prove for the first time that not only cell-intrinsic mechanisms, but also external environmental factors such as growth factors can control HPC lineage choice directly. The findings, published in the current issue of the prestigious journal Science, provide an essential building block for understanding the molecular mechanisms of hematopoiesis and are an important prerequisite for optimizing therapeutic stem cell applications.
Obesity -- that never-ending "battle of the bulge"-- dates back to the Stone Age and yet is emerging today as a modern health epidemic. While its root cause is as simple as calories consumed versus calories burned, it"s cure is knotted somewhere in a complex web of biology, psychology and culture.
In a bold move to back the research projects of the future, the Bupa Foundation is making financial support available for pilot and exploratory studies to encourage researchers to get their projects off the ground.
Scientists at The Florida State University"s Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS) have developed a new computer model that they hope will predict with unprecedented accuracy how many hurricanes will occur in a given season.
The NPHS influenza surveillance scheme, which records reports of diagnoses of flufrom more than 300 GP practices across Wales, shows low but increasing levels of influenza activity in all parts of Wales.
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 launched a collaboration with global pharmaceutical leader Novartis to discover and develop a novel therapy for secretory diarrhea, a deadly disease that kills more than 1.6 million children in the developing world each year.
An innovative treatment for infections of the respiratory tract in cystic fibrosis patients has received a second orphan drug designation in the US only weeks after a first designation was granted. The recent designation relates to Burkholderia cepacia pathogens that can cause lethal infections in cystic fibrosis patients. For Axentis Pharma AG of Zurich, Switzerland, both designations affirm the therapeutic potential of its product candidate Fluidosomes(TM)-tobramycin, whose unique microbiological profile sets it apart from other antibiotic formulations (including free tobramycin).
A recently identified gene allows immune cells to start the self-destructive processes thought to underlie autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatoid arthritis, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found.
With debate underway in the House Education and Labor Committee today on the sweeping healthcare reform bill in that body, the nation"s largest organization of registered nurses today called on Committee Chair George Miller to support a critical amendment that would enable individual states to go a step farther and adopt single-payer, Medicare-for-All style reforms.
In her third day of confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor deflected lawmakers" attempts to elicit specific answers on how she would rule on abortion-rights cases and other contentious issues, the Washington Post reports (Goldstein et al., Washington Post, 7/16). As she entered what likely will be the final day of testimony on Thursday, Sotomayor"s confirmation "seemed on track," and Republicans appeared to be "conceding that they had not built the momentum necessary to derail the nomination," according to the New York Times, (Stolberg/Lewis, New York Times, 7/16). Cornyn Questions Abortion-Rights ViewsSen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) asked Sotomayor whether reports that Obama administration officials had sought to elicit her views on abortion were accurate. She responded that she "was asked no question by anyone including the president about my views on any specific legal issue" (Espo/Sherman, AP/Houston Chronicle, 7/15). Cornyn cited comments from George Pavia -- the senior partner at the New York law firm where Sotomayor previously worked -- who stated that he could "guarantee" that she would "be for abortion rights." Sotomayor said, "I have no idea why he"s drawing that conclusion," adding, "If he was talking about the fact that I served on a particular board that promoted equal opportunity for people, the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, then you could talk about that being a liberal instinct, in the sense that I promote equal opportunity in America and the attempts to ensure that." She continued, "But he has not read my jurisprudence for 17 years, I can assure you. He"s a corporate litigator. And my experience with corporate litigators is that they only look at the law when it affects the case before them" (Washington Post, 7/16). Sotomayor added that she "know[s] for a fact that I never spoke to [Pavia] on my views on abortion or my views on any social issue" (Bendavid, "Washington Wire," Wall Street Journal, 7/15). Sotomayor noted that she once ruled to uphold the "global gag rule," also known as the "Mexico City" policy, which barred federal funding of international family planning groups that provide abortion information or services (New York Times, 7/16).Coburn Presses on Hypothetical CasesDuring his questioning, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) asked Sotomayor about hypothetical cases related to abortion-rights issues, including if it would be legal if a woman sought an abortion at 38 weeks" gestation if the fetus had spina bifida. Sotomayor said, "I can"t answer that question in the abstract, because I would have to look at what the state of the state"s law was on that question and what the state said with respect to that issue." She continued, "The question is, is the state regulation regulating what a woman does an undue burden? And so I can"t answer your hypothetical, because I can"t look at it as an abstract without knowing what state laws exist on this issue or not. And even if I knew that, I probably couldn"t opine, because I"m sure that situation might well arise before the court" (Holman, "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," PBS, 7/15). Sotomayor also said that the Supreme Court"s 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey "reaffirmed the core holding of Roe v. Wade that a woman has a constitutional right to terminate her pregnancy in certain cases" (Hirschfeld Davis, AP/Boston Globe, 7/16). She added that the ruling said the court should consider whether any state regulation "has an undue burden on the woman"s constitutional right" (Sherman, AP/Sacramento Bee, 7/15). Coburn also asked whether medical advancements that help premature infants survive might "have any bearing on how we look at" Roe (Savage/Oliphant, Chicago Tribune, 7/16). She said, "I can"t answer that in the abstract," adding, "The question as it would come before me wouldn"t be in the way that you form it as a citizen, it would come to me as a judge" (AP/Houston Chronicle, 7/15).Specter Seeks Clarification on RoeDuring question
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it is conducting a safety review of Xolair (omalizumab), a drug used to treat certain adults and adolescents with moderate-to-severe persistent asthma.
The American Nurses Association (ANA), which represents the interests of the nation"s 2.9 million registered nurses, is joining forces with the Texas Nurses Association (TNA) to strongly criticize the recent indictment and prosecution of two registered nurses in Winkler County, Texas, for reporting to the Texas Medical Board their concerns about a physician"s standard of practice at the Winkler County Memorial Hospital in Kermit, Texas. ANA and TNA are gravely concerned about the chilling effect the county"s actions could have on future nurse "whistle blowers" who advocate for their patients in the nation"s hospitals. An initial hearing on the nurses" motions to dismiss the case was held July 15 in the Winkler County Courthouse but no rulings were made on any of the motions.
Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) have a high risk of psychiatric problems, particularly attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder, or both. Often children with FASD are initially diagnosed with ADHD. A new study is the first to examine a range of cognitive factors and social behavior in children with FASD and ADHD, finding that those with FASD have significantly weaker social cognition and facial emotion-processing abilities.
Yesterday"s Senate HELP Committee"s vote for a health reform bill and the beginning today of the committee markup process in the House of Representatives mark significant steps forward on the path to comprehensive health reform.
Quantum Immunologics, Inc. (QI), a Tampa, Florida company focusing on the research and development of cancer immunotherapies, is pleased to announce that it is receiving equity funding from Mentor Capital, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: MNTR) to support its FDA authorized Phase I/II trials on metastatic breast cancer, which are now underway (NCT00879489).
Fewer births in states such as California may be delaying the annual onset of a common intestinal virus in the southwest, according to epidemiologists. The timing of infectious outbreaks in other locations such as the northeast remains more or less unchanged.
While watching swimmers line up during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, former Olympic swimmer and NBC Sports commentator Rowdy Gaines quipped that swimmers keep getting bigger, with the shortest one in the current race towering over the average spectator.
This statement updates Members on the Influenza A (H1N1v) swine flu outbreak and the latest developments in Wales and across the UK.
Young people with asthma have nearly twice the incidence of depression compared to their peers without asthma, and studies have shown that depression is associated with increased asthma symptoms and, in some cases, death.
Impulsive boys with inadequate supervision, poor families and deviant friends are more likely to commit criminal acts that land them in juvenile court, according to a new study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The most surprising finding from the 20-year study, conducted by researchers from the Universitē© de Montrē©al and University of Genoa, was how help provided by the juvenile justice system substantially increased the risk of the boys engaging in criminal activities during early adulthood.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning gas engineers of the significant costs of failing to register with the Gas Safe Register following the prosecution an unregistered gas engineer from Warwick.
It can take just hours after the symptoms appear for someone to die from bacterial meningitis. Now, after years of research, experts at The University of Nottingham have finally discovered how the deadly meningococcal bacteria is able to break through the body"s natural defence mechanism and attack the brain.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Onsolis (fentanyl buccal soluble film). This new and patented product is indicated for the management of breakthrough pain in cancer patients who are already receiving and who are tolerant to opioid therapy for their underlying persistent cancer pain. Onsolis uses a unique delivery system designed to give rapid and reliable delivery of fentanyl. The product consists of a small dissolvable disc for application of fentanyl to the buccal (inner lining of cheek) membranes. The product is unique and offers an important step to a better pain treatment of cancer patients.
Mothers of premature infants shouldn"t rely solely on breast pumps to establish and maintain their breast milk supply, researchers at Lucile Packard Children"s hospital and the Stanford University School of Medicine have found. Moms already have a simple, safe and free tool for assisting breast milk production: their own hands.
There she is again: the cute girl at the mall. Big eyes. Long legs. She smiles at you. You"re about to make your moveņ¦ but wait! What"s she wearing? It"s a letterman jacket, one clearly belonging to a hulking football player named "Steve." This girl is taken. Wisely, you move on.
Universal Sensors Ltd (Cambridge, UK), Nottingham Trent University (Nottingham, UK) and Cambridge Design Partnership (Cambridge, UK) have entered into a strategic alliance to develop a hand-held system to detect the hospital superbugs, C.difficile and MRSA. The collaboration is funded through the new Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI), in contracts that were awarded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its Invention for Innovation (i4i) Programme, the results of which were announced on 15th May 2009.
WHO publishes its first guidelines on indoor air quality, addressing dampness and mould (WHO guidelines on indoor air quality: dampness and mould. Copenhagen, WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2009 (See Here).
Mental health diagnoses increased substantially after the start of the Iraq War among specific subgroups of returned veterans entering Veterans" Administration (VA) health care, reports a new study.
The best way to keep bacteria from doing any damage is to stop them in their tracks before they can start down their pathological road to destruction.
The Brain Emporium offers Cleveland elders an opportunity to refute the adage "You can"t teach an old dog new tricks."
The Pennsylvania Insurance Department will conduct examinations of the state"s four Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance companies, Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Capital BlueCross, Highmark, Inc. and Independence Blue Cross, to determine if any of them were engaged in anti-competitive or unfair trade practices in violation of the law, Insurance Commissioner Joel Ario announced today.
Rabies is a virus that occurs in mammals and infects the central nervous system; the disease can cause death in humans if it is not treated. Nearly 90 percent of cases occur in wild animals (raccoons, bats, foxes etc.); less than 10% of cases occur in domestic animals like dogs or cats. Humans usually become infected when they are bitten by an infected animal.
New perspectives in the treatment of disease
Teens who drink heavily are more likely than their peers to have behavioural and attention problems and suffer from anxiety and depression, a team led by researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has reported.
One of the aims imposed by the European Union in 2004 is to reduce the number of traffic accidents. However, despite the measures taken by the different administrations and the consequent decrease in the number of accidents, the results for 2010 are not close to those set by Europe. Gerardo Reveriego, a young researcher of the University of Mē”laga, has designed software that informs drivers of the risk situations s/he has while driving. This allows drivers to self-assess themselves and improve their driving behaviour.
Pain symptoms that cannot be attributed, or at least not fully attributed, to an organic origin are more frequently and more severely experienced by patients with depression than by those without. "It is the case that women are much more frequently affected by depression and also by so-called somatoform pain disorder than men," explains Dirk Frieser, psychologist at the Institute of Psychology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. For the purposes of his doctoral dissertation, Frieser and fellow psychologist Stephanie Kē¶rber questioned 308 patients attending two practices of general practitioners in Mainz. Patients were asked about their state of health and their pain symptoms, but also about their anxieties with regard to illness, how they react when ill, what social support they receive, and what psychological stress they experience, together with many other aspects. Subsequently, the pain symptoms reported by the patients were evaluated by their doctors.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Thursday said food prices remain high in many developing countries because of reduced harvests, civil conflict and other factors, AP/Google.com reports (7/16).
Hebrew SeniorLife has received a $105,000 grant from the Tufts Health Plan Foundation for the expansion and implementation of three evidence-based healthy aging programs designed to disseminate preventive health-related information to seniors in the community.
Taking folic acid supplements for at least a year before conception is
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is launching its "LOVE Condom" campaign with an event today in the New Delhi region on the 18th of July, 2009. The campaign includes the distribution of free AHF "LOVE"-brand condoms, as well as a "Stay Negative" public service advertising campaign. Bollywood actor Ronit Roy will be the chief guest at today"s launch event. The event will be at Metropolitan Hotel Nikko, New Delhi. This campaign will be a new start of HIV AIDS education in India.
Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE) announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved under the European Union (EU) Merger Regulation the company"s pending acquisition of Wyeth. The Commission"s decision includes Pfizer"s commitment to divest certain animal health assets in the EU.
Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: HGSI) and GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK) today announced that BENLYSTA™ (belimumab, formerly LymphoStat-B®) met the primary endpoint in BLISS-52, the first of two pivotal Phase 3 trials in patients with serologically active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In the placebo-controlled BLISS-52 study, the results showed that BENLYSTA plus standard of care achieved a clinically and statistically significant improvement in patient response rate at Week 52, compared with standard of care alone. Study results also showed that belimumab was generally well tolerated, with adverse event rates comparable between belimumab and placebo treatment groups.
Commenting on today"s speech by Conservative Party Leader Rt
Data from two presentations highlighting the use of Perforomist® (formoterol fumarate) Inhalation Solution in moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients were featured at the International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego. In one analysis, use of Perforomist Inhalation Solution, when added to maintenance tiotropium, resulted in improved pulmonary function, dyspnea (shortness of breath) and rescue medication use versus treatment with tiotropium alone. In a second study, patient satisfaction increased in those treated with Perforomist Inhalation Solution twice daily compared with ipratropium/albuterol metered-dose inhaler (MDI) four times daily.
Fungi (Singular: fungus) are classified within their own kingdom - The Kingdom Fungi, while some are in The Kingdom Protista. A fungus is neither a plant nor an animal. It is similar to a plant, but it has no chlorophyll and cannot make its own food like a plant can through photosynthesis. They get their food by absorbing nutrients from their surroundings.
US Oncology, Inc. today announced that US Oncology Research will participate in the BiPar Sciences" Phase III, Multi-center, Open-Label, Randomized Trial of Gemcitabine/Carboplatin (G/C), with or without BSI-201, in patients with Estrogen Receptor (ER), Progesterone Receptor (PR), and HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.
Labopharm Inc. (TSX: DDS; NASDAQ: DDSS) today announced it has received a complete response letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the new drug application (NDA) submission of its novel formulation of the antidepressant trazodone.
Transoral (through-the-mouth) laser surgery to remove cancer at the base of the tongue is as effective as more invasive open surgery and may improve quality of life according to a new study by Rush University Medical Center. The study is published in the July issue of the scientific journal Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.
In a proof-of-concept study, Mayo Clinic investigators have demonstrated that induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be used to treat heart disease. iPS cells are stem cells converted from adult cells. In this study, the researchers reprogrammed ordinary fibroblasts, cells that contribute to scars such as those resulting from a heart attack, converting them into stem cells that fix heart damage caused by infarction. The findings appear in the current online issue of the journal Circulation.
WHAT: Johns Hopkins Medicine is co-sponsoring the 2009 World Stem Cell Summit to be held in Baltimore this September. http://www.worldstemcellsummit.com/index.html
Behavioural ecologists working in Bolivia have found that wild spider monkeys control their diets in a similar way to humans, contrary to what has been thought up to now. Rather than trying to maximize their daily energy intake, the monkeys tightly regulate their daily protein intake, so that it stays at the same level regardless of seasonal variation in the availability of different foods.