Nutrition
Nearly two-thirds (63
Dr. Damon T. Arnold, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, today announced that 11 additional schools in Illinois will begin implementing the CATCH program - Coordinated Approach to Child Health. With the expansion of the CATCH program, the state is continuing efforts to address the obesity problem by changing children"s and parents" attitudes and behaviors toward nutrition and physical activity.
Undertaking a supervised exercise programme can have beneficial effects on functional status and physical function, reduce the need for daily corticosteroid and anti-inflammatory intake and improve levels of depression and anxiety in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a new study presented at EULAR 2009, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Copenhagen, Denmark.
New research published in the June issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons reveals that in counties with the highest levels of segregation, an increase in the African-American or Hispanic population was associated with a decrease in the availability and use of surgical services and an increase in the number of emergency room visits. This research supports prior studies that have shown that minority groups in the United States have comparatively poorer access to a range of health care services, often resulting in late diagnosis of illness and delayed treatment.
Simple weight-loss advice from a physician and regular follow-up helped obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome lose a substantial amount of weight, a new study found. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society"s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Some disease-causing bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics because they have peculiar sex lives, say researchers publishing new results in the journal Science. The new study helps scientists understand how bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics, which is a major challenge for those treating infectious diseases, say the authors from Imperial College London.
Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI) announced the presentation of results from a long-term Phase 2 continuation trial showing that BENLYSTA(TM) (belimumab, formerly LymphoStat-B(R)) was associated with sustained improvement in disease activity across multiple clinical measures, decreased frequency of disease flares, and was generally well tolerated through four years on treatment in combination with standard of care in patients with serologically active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The results were presented today in Copenhagen at the 2009 Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR).
STAAR Surgical Company (Nasdaq: STAA), a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of minimally invasive ophthalmic products, today announced that the FDA has granted 510(k) clearance for its Epiphany Injector System for use with the Affinity(TM) Collamer(R) Three-Piece NTIOL and the Elastimide(TM) Silicone NTIOL. Introduction of the Epiphany will usher in a new era of insertion devices for the company and pave the way for the future introduction of a preloaded injector for the U.S. market.
A Marion County woman with confirmed novel H1N1 (swine) influenza died on Sunday. "We are saddened by this death, and our hearts go out to the family," said Dr. Karen Landers, health officer for Marion County. "It"s an unfortunate reminder of the seriousness of flu."
Faced with a new mosquito species that could transmit disease in Minnesota, state health and mosquito control officials are urging residents to rid their property of water-holding containers. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District (MMCD) confirmed that the Japanese rock pool mosquito (Aedes japonicus) is established in at least five southeastern Minnesota counties. This mosquito could potentially transmit LaCrosse encephalitis virus (LAC) and West Nile virus (WNV) to humans.
A study of patients and members of the public has shown that most lack even basic knowledge of human anatomy. The research, featured in the open access journal BMC Family Practice, found that people were generally incapable of identifying the location of major organs, even if they were currently receiving relevant treatment.
Versartis, Inc., a
More than 2.2 million people in Britain suffer from type 2 diabetes*, a chronic progressive disease which usually affects the over 40s. The number of people diagnosed with the disease has increased dramatically in recent years and this has been linked to the increase in sedentary lifestyles and obesity.
New research released by the MS Society has for the first time revealed an accurate estimate of the number of people living with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the UK.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting patients to the Class I recall of certain Medtronic Kappa and Sigma pacemakers. These devices may fail due to a separation of wires that connect the electronic circuit to other pacemaker components, such as the battery.
Mylan Inc."s (NASDAQ: MYL) Chief Operating Officer Heather Bresch today testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy concerning patent litigation settlements between branded pharmaceutical companies and generic pharmaceutical companies. During her testimony, Bresch conveyed Mylan"s position that the launch of an authorized generic by brand companies during a generic company"s 180-day exclusivity period undermines competition and delays timely access to high quality, affordable generic medications for patients, taxpayers, the government and businesses.
The California Medical Association supports the passage of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act that would allow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to finally set standards for cigarettes and regulate chemicals. In 1963, CMA was the first among state medical societies to create policy to inform people about the harmful effects of cigarette smoking.
Most patients undergoing total hip replacement surgery want to know when they"ll be able to return to their normal life. "Recovery time" is a common question posed to specialists and non-specialists alike. There are many factors that can contribute to recovery time, but typically patients can return to normal life activities within 1 to 6 months. To be more specific, however, we can examine the difference between "short-term recovery" and "long-term recovery".
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced that it has met with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review Emergent"s regulatory strategy for the development of its recombinant anthrax (rPA) vaccine. Emergent recently submitted to FDA, among other documents, its rPA Development Plan in response to the Department of Health and Human Services" (HHS) amendment to its request for proposal (RFP) to develop and deliver up to 25 million doses of an rPA vaccine for the Strategic National Stockpile. In amending the RFP, HHS required that all bidders deemed to be in the competitive range submit to FDA a comprehensive plan outlining the regulatory strategy for their rPA vaccine. Emergent completed that submission on May 12, 2009 ahead of the June 15, 2009 submission deadline.
NanoScan Imaging, LLC announced the publication of new data demonstrating the use of its investigational, radio-opaque contrast agent (N1177) to visualize vulnerable plaques that can cause heart attack or stroke using advanced, non-invasive and high-resolution computed tomography (CT) techniques. Results of the study were published in the current issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Nuclear Medicine (J Nucl Med. 2009 Jun;50(6):959-965).
UroToday.com - Prostate Cancer Screening among African Americans. Our manuscript that was published in Cancer Nursing, revealed an important topic in how African American men decided whether or not to get a prostate cancer screening. This is particularly important currently due to the controversy of prostate cancer screening.
A distinguished panel of clinical and policy experts gathered by Novo Nordisk recently convened in Washington, D.C. to explore solutions to address the exponential growth of diabetes in America. The universal theme from the renowned speakers, including Larry Hausner, CEO of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), was that the cost of the disease to our nation, at $218 billion annually, is startling and the lag in patient motivation to take action to offset the disease is distressing. Without intervention at both a national and patient level, our nation runs the risk of reaching a projected 50 million Americans having diabetes by the year 2025.
A Canadian research group has found that pleasure centers in the brain that respond to drug craving are also active when we listen to emotionally powerful music that gives us "chills" or "shivers-down-the-spine". Using two separate brain imaging tests the researchers examined subjects as they listened alternately to music that gave them chills and music that did not. Using a PET scan, the researchers showed that music that caused chills lead to a release of dopamine in the reward centers of the brain (mesolimbic striatum). Using fMRI on the same subjects, they found that activation in these regions happens both during the experience of chills and while subjects are anticipating them. Music, a mere sequence of notes arranged in time, can activate the same reward centers in the brain as drugs such as cocaine.
Researchers in the Neuroimaging and Stroke Recovery Laboratory at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center / Harvard Medical School are using a novel treatment for chronic stroke patients. The non-invasive technique of dual-hemisphere transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) uses electrical stimulation to modulate brain activity while simultaneous engaging the paretic arm/hand in sensorimotor activities. They studied chronic stroke patients who had movement problems after a stroke in a randomized clinical trial. The patients were divided into groups receiving either the electrical stimulation or placebo stimulation while receiving occupational therapy (OT) at the same time. After only 5 treatment sessions, patients receiving real stimulation and OT significantly improved in their motor functions, while control patients (receiving placebo stimulation and OT) showed no significant improvement. Functional magnetic resonance imaging showed increased brain activity in areas that control limb movement on the affected side for patients who received the real tDCS. It is important to notice that these changes were found in patients whose strokes had occurred on average about 3 years prior to the study, when patients are typically considered to be stable and unlikely to experience further improvement. This new treatment offers hope for patients debilitated by strokes.
Fighting infectious disease, the very heart of public health and the genesis of contemporary nursing, is about more than hand washing and immunizations. It"s about screening and early detection, identifying risk and protective factors, and educating clinicians, facilities and the public. But it all begins with research, like that underway by nurse researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON). Their work is more important now than it has been in nearly the past century. Infectious disease rates, stable since the 1918 influenza pandemic, have been on the rise since the mid-1980s. The battle against these illnesses from HIV/AIDS to MRSA and from STDs to resurgent tuberculosis (TB), and others has been escalating, and long before the recent emergence of the H1N1 influenza virus earlier this year.
A new study reports that 75 percent of cardiac damage after vascular surgery is asymptomatic or patients" symptoms are concealed by postoperative complaints such as nausea and incision pain. This damage is associated with an increased risk for mortality. Researchers have found that screening for cardiac damage following surgery helps identify high-risk patients who might benefit from more aggressive medical therapy and follow-up after discharge. These findings are from a study presented today at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Society for Vascular Surgery®.
UroToday.com - The mortality rate for prostate cancer is declining due to improvements in earlier detection and in local therapy strategies, however, the ability to predict the metastatic behavior of a patient"s cancer, as well as to detect and eradicate disease recurrence remains some of the greatest clinical challenges in oncology.
This week, the Dutch Kidney Foundation (DKF) announced the launch of a new program for grants of up to 1,500,000 euros to support collaborations of renal research groups in the Netherlands. Grant proposals are in open competition and will be evaluated by the DKF International Scientific Advisory Board, a new review board with acclaimed international renal researchers. Chair of the Board will be Prof. Dr. J.J. Weening, former President of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN).
Spread and extent of the outbreak (information as at 5pm on 11 June)
Thousands of people with Alzheimer"s will continue to be denied access to the only drug treatments for the disease following the publication of revised guidance by the NICE.
As a parent, you may know if your child"s shots are current. But what about yourself? Do you know when you had your last tetanus shot, or any other shots for that matter?
Up to 150 forensic psychology professionals will attend presentations of new and exciting research at the Division of Forensic Psychology Annual Conference from the 23rd to 25th June, at the University of Central Lancashire.
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and WHO (World Health Organization), the total number of swine flu A(H1N1) cases stood at 4,714, plus four deaths, on 17th May, 2009. Non-essential travel to Mexico has been downgraded from a "Warning" to a "Precaution"; meaning authorities consider travel to Mexico as not being dangerous for people who are not at high risk of normal flu complications.
Sen. Kent Conrad, who has proposed a cooperative insurance marketplace for Americans and small businesses to pool and purchase health insurance, told The Washington Post"s Ezra Klein yesterday that his co-op proposal worked from the premise that a public plan to purchase health insurance doesn"t have the votes to pass the Senate.
Lawmakers want federal rules to cover home health care workers while Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., plans to introduce legislation in Congress today to better educate the public on end-of-life care.
CombinatoRx, Incorporated (NASDAQ: CRXX) announced the presentation of full data on Synavive (CRx-102) Phase 2 knee osteoarthritis (OA) trial (COMET-1) at EULAR 2009, the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Copenhagen on June 12, 2009. The presentation, "CRx-102, a dissociated glucocorticoid (GC), and prednisolone provide safe and effective pain relief in knee osteoarthritis (OA) in a placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial (COMET-1)", Huttner et.al., describes the full, modified intent-to-treat, safety and efficacy results of Synavive in this clinical trial:
Data presented at the 19th Scientific Meeting of the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) confirm that Diovan® (valsartan) and valsartan-based combinations deliver sustained, 24-hr blood pressure (BP)-lowering efficacy2-6.
Future Studies Needed To Determine If "Test And Treat" Approach Could "End HIV Pandemic Within 50 Years," Researchers Say
The NFU has told a European Commission review of anti-dumping duties imposed on fertiliser from the Ukraine that such measures act as artificial trade barriers and, given the importance of fertiliser to agriculture, can curb profitability of farms across the UK and EU.
Men are almost 40 per cent more likely than women to die from cancer, reveals a report published today (Monday) by the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) and Cancer Research UK together with the Men"s Health Forum to mark Men"s Health Week.
The American Nurses Association (ANA) applauds the efforts of lawmakers to bring primary care services offered through registered nurses to Medicare beneficiaries in their homes by reintroducing the "Independence at Home Act of 2009" (H.R. 2560/S. 1131). ANA supports this legislation because it provides patients with care options that enhance individual independence and can lead to a better quality of life. This legislation also smartly recognizes the integral role nurses and nurse practitioners play in the delivery of primary care and helps bring the focus of our health care system back where it belongs- on the patient and the community.
Cellulose is a fibrous molecule that makes up plant cell walls, gives plants shape and form and is a target of renewable, plant-based biofuels research. But how it forms, and thus how it can be modified to design energy-rich crops, is not well understood. Now a study led by researchers at the Carnegie Institution"s Department of Plant Biology has discovered that the underlying protein network that provides the scaffolding for cell-wall structure is also the traffic cop for delivering the critical growth-promoting molecules where needed. The research, conducted in collaboration with colleagues at Wageningen University in the Netherlands and published in the advance online publication (AOP) of Nature Cell Biology on June 14th, is a significant step for understanding how the enzymes that make cellulose and determine plant cell shape arrive at the appropriate location in the cell to do their job.
A novel bacterium that has been trapped more than three kilometres under glacial ice in Greenland for over 120 000 years, may hold clues as to what life forms might exist on other planets.
Honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the annual BVA Scottish dinner and a particularly warm welcome to our host this evening, John Scott MSP - we are incredibly grateful for your continued support to the BVA - and to the Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham for kindly agreeing to address us this evening.
LSU"s WAVCIS, or Wave-Current-Surge Information System for Coastal Louisiana, has a few new tricks up its sleeve in preparation for the 2009 hurricane season.
Warwickshire, Solihull & Coventry Breast Screening Service (WSCBSS), which installed its first Sectra MicroDose system in 2005, has now invested in another two systems. With the new units, WSCBSS will become one of the first publicly operated breast screening services in the UK to provide a fully direct digital mammography screening service.
As A/H1N1 flu cases in Europe and areas outside North America mounted, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the global threat level to 6, proclaiming the world"s first flu pandemic in 41 years. Personnel Concepts was prepared.
A team of researchers led by Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati at the University of Kentucky has discovered a biological marker for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in older adults.
92.8% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) suffer anxiety and depression which significantly affects both their physical and emotional quality of life (QoL), according to the results of a new study presented today at EULAR 2009, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Copenhagen, Denmark. Logistic regression analysis revealed that depression was the most significant factor shown to affect QoL (p=0.015; OR=0.18; CI 95%:0.045-0.72).
Young patients at The Portland Hospital in London, part of the HCA group, will now undergo less stressful MRI examinations due to the installation of a MAGNETOM® Avanto from Siemens Healthcare. The system is used for a range of imaging procedures from brain to spine to small bowel.
Early results from the second series of trials have demonstrated a 5 log reduction (99.999%) in Pseudomonas aeruginousa and a 4.4 log reduction (99.994%) in Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA). Both of these pathogens are of major concern to medical treatment facilities world wide with the spread of MRSA infection often being referred to as the "silent epidemic". The CDC reported (JAMA 2007) that MRSA alone is now associated with an estimated 19,000 deaths annually in the US. Dr. Michael E. Shannon, Medizone"s Director of Medical Affairs commented, "Although the results from our first round of trials were very encouraging, introducing several procedural refinements in this second round resulted in levels of bactericidal action well above what was expected. Indeed, breaking through the 5 log barrier has led us to conclude that with a third technological development still to be introduced in this series of trials, the bactericidal ceiling for our system is now unclear, but well above what we ever expected. Needless to say, we are very excited over these findings and even more convinced that our new technologies will save hundreds of thousands of lives each year world wide. Add to the system"s efficacy the fact that it will be safe, extremely cost effective and adaptable to virtually any situation anywhere, leads me to conclude that AsepticSure will have a global reach."
Amira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that it will present preclinical data from its LPA1 receptor antagonist program on June 30, 2009 at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Summer Research Conference in Carefree, Arizona.
QLT Inc. (NASDAQ: QLTI; TSX: QLT) announced that twelve-month primary analysis results from the Novartis sponsored Phase II MONT BLANC study were presented on June 14, 2009 during the 17th Congress of the European Society of Ophthalmology in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. MONT BLANC is the European study of the Novartis sponsored SUMMIT clinical trial program which investigates the efficacy and safety of combining Visudyne(R) (Novartis Pharma AG) and Lucentis(R) (Novartis Pharma AG, Genentech Inc.). SUMMIT also includes the DENALI study in the US and Canada and the EVEREST study in Asia. MONT BLANC is a 24-month randomized, double-masked, multicenter trial in patients with subfoveal choroidal neovascularization secondary to age-related macular degeneration. The purpose of the study is to evaluate whether Visudyne combined with Lucentis is not inferior to Lucentis monotherapy with respect to the mean change from baseline in visual acuity (VA) and to evaluate the proportion of patients with a treatment-free interval of at least three months duration after Month 2. At the Month 12 examination, mean VA in the Visudyne combination therapy group improved 2.5 letters from baseline compared with a 4.4 letter improvement in the Lucentis monotherapy group. In the combination therapy group, 96% of patients had a three-month treatment-free interval, compared with 92% in the Lucentis monotherapy group.
People with memory problems who are depressed are more likely to develop Alzheimer"s disease compared to people who are not depressed, according to a study published in the June 16, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. However, the research also shows that the popular Alzheimer"s drug donepezil may delay the progression to Alzheimer"s disease for depressed people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or memory problems.
Novartis has successfully completed the production of the first batch of influenza A(H1N1) vaccine, weeks ahead of expectations. Cell-based manufacturing technology[1] allows vaccine production to be initiated once a pandemic virus strain is identified without the need to adapt the virus strain to grow in eggs, as with traditional vaccine technologies. This advance has cut weeks off the time required to begin vaccine production. This first batch of ten liters of wild type influenza A(H1N1) vaccine monobulk will be used for pre-clinical evaluation and testing and is also being considered for use in clinical trials. It demonstrates the value of the cell-based production approach, that is also being used by Novartis with reassortant influenza A(H1N1) seed.
Abbott"s (NYSE: ABT) TRILIPIX® (fenofibric acid) delayed-release capsules in combination with rosuvastatin calcium achieved individual and combined lipid targets in patients with mixed dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes. In these patients, the combination of TRILIPIX and rosuvastatin helped up to three times more patients simultaneously reach all three key lipid targets HDL, triglycerides and LDL than the pre-determined monotherapy. Results from this post-hoc analysis were presented at the American Diabetes Association"s 2009 Scientific Sessions.
Medical Protection Society (MPS) GP members, who are expected to work outside of their normal duties during a pandemic flu, should feel confident that they can turn to the MPS for assistance, in the event they are subject to a clinical negligence claim or other medicolegal matter such as a complaint.
John A. Gans, PharmD, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer for the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) has been selected as a recipient of the Food and Drug Administration"s (FDA) Commissioner"s Special Citation Award. The award will be bestowed upon Dr. Gans today during a ceremony at Martin"s Crosswinds, Greenbelt, Maryland.
The results of a new survey of 400 UK healthcare professionals, conducted by TNS Healthcare UK and sponsored by Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited and Schering-Plough Limited, reveal that the majority of GPs surveyed (82% of the 100 GPs) believe that the cholesterol indicator (CHD 08) should remain a priority area in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF).1 They also believe that it would be useful for the QOF to reflect National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines, with 67% of GPs supporting specific lower lipid targets for type 2 diabetes and 65% for secondary prevention.1
Galapagos NV (Euronext: GLPG) announced that it has initiated Phase I clinical development of its integrin receptor antagonist (IRA), GLPG0187. This is the second small molecule therapeutic from Galapagos" internal drug discovery program to enter the clinic in 2009. Candidate drug GLPG0187 could offer a promising new therapeutic approach for treating cancer patients. Initial development will focus on bone metastases from prostate and breast cancer.
President Obama plans to tell the American Medical Association gathering for its annual meeting Monday that health care reform can"t wait and bringing down cost will ensure America"s financial health, The Associated Press reports.
Several reports today focus on inadequate health care for certain population groups within the United States.
Celebrity Elisabeth Hasselbeck is generating a lot of buzz about Gluten-Free living, but International Celiac Expert Shelley Case, RD warns consumers why going gluten-free before being screened for celiac disease can be hazardous to your health!
National pharmacy benefit management company Medco will significantly improve access to its services for limited English proficient members in 2009, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today.
Kathleen G. Sebelius: I am pleased Congress has taken swift action to pass the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation of tobacco products will be a critical piece of a coordinated effort to save lives, lower costs and reduce suffering from heart disease, cancer and other tobacco-related illness. This is a great step towards a healthier America.
The International AIDS Society (IAS) announced Thursday it is considering Washington, D.C., as the location for the 2012 biannual International AIDS Conference, Science Magazine"s blog, the ScienceInsider reports. "But before it holds the conference anywhere in the U.S., the federal government must change a law that bans HIV-infected people from entering the country," according to Science Insider. The conference has not been held in the U.S. since 1990, because the government banned people living with HIV from entering the U.S. "This long-standing law, which is contrary to all scientific evidence and human rights principles, is one of the U.S."s weakest spots in HIV policy," IAS President Julio Montaner said in a statement. The law has been repealed, but HHS still has HIV on the list of communicable diseases that bar entry. "In a statement to ScienceInsider, HHS said it has submitted "a notice of proposed rule-making to implement this change" to the Office of Management and Budget for its review," according to the blog (Cohen, ScienceInsider/Science, 6/11).
The North Carolina legislature has proposed to eliminate the HIV Medicaid Case Management program, which "provides crucial support to people living with HIV, helping them access medical care, medications and the support services needed to live healthier lives," Jacquelyn Clymore of the Alliance of AIDS Services-Carolina and Beth Stringfield, member of the North Carolina AIDS Action Network, write in a Durham News opinion piece, adding, "We need to call legislators and let them know how important this program is to those living with HIV and ask them to return the program and its funding to the budget." They continue, "It is likely that additional budget cuts to HIV programs will be proposed, and we must speak out in support of state HIV prevention funding" (Clymore/Stringfield, Durham News, 6/13).
UK and US researchers found that more intelligent people are often healthier, and suggest that this could be due to what they describe as a genetic
Mayo Clinic cardiology researchers have found a peptide that helps preserve and improve kidney function during heart failure, without affecting blood pressure. Earlier variations of this peptide caused blood pressure to drop limiting the potential benefits to the kidneys. The findings appear in the current Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The idea that anti-inflammatory drugs might protect people struggling with dementia from Alzheimer"s disease has received a blow with the online release of a study of human brain tissue in Acta Neuropathologica.
The North Carolina Senate has delayed until Wednesday its vote on a bill (S. 221) that would require public school systems in the state to offer a sex education curriculum that includes information on both abstinence and prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, the Fayetteville Observer reports. Currently, most public schools in the state teach abstinence-only sex education (Fayetteville Observer, 6/11).The bill, which a state Senate committee approved earlier in the week, made major changes to a state House version (H.B. 88) that conservative and liberals in the chamber approved as a compromise measure. The House bill would have required parents to choose from three sex education options: abstinence-only; an abstinence-based program with information on pregnancy and STI prevention; or no sex education. The third option would be the default if parents did not make a selection (Woolverton, Fayetteville Observer, 6/11).The Senate version of the bill was designed to merge the abstinence-only and the abstinence-based comprehensive options of the House bill. Parents would be able to request that their children not receive the comprehensive portions of the lessons.According to the Observer, some lawmakers objected to the idea in the House bill that students would receive no sex education if their parents failed to make a selection. In addition, some school officials voiced concern that the House version would require more teachers and classroom space to meet the requirements for three separate options (Fayetteville Observer, 6/11).
Although "no issue has dominated Supreme Court politics like abortion" over the past few decades, most new justices "arrive at the court without disclosing anything useful about their views on the subject -- leaving interested citizens feeling more than a little irrelevant," a Chicago Tribune editorial states. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor "does not look to be an exception," the editorial says. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said President Obama is ""comfortable with her interpretation of the Constitution,"" although he also said that Sotomayor was not asked about abortion rights before her nomination, according to the editorial. "And presidents have been surprised before to find out how their appointee came out," the editorial adds. "This uncertainty may be a boon to lobby groups on both sides who can exploit it to raise money," the editorial continues, adding, "And odds are there will be no clear answer to the question that has been at the center of Supreme Court confirmation hearings for so long.""With legislatures largely deprived of the power to legislate, the action is in the Supreme Court" regarding abortion rights, the editorial says. Currently, two justices -- Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas -- "are on the record in favor of reversing" Roe v. Wade, while two others -- Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito -- "appear to lean the same way," the editorial states. It adds, "If Sotomayor were to agree, Roe would be history -- freeing states to decide whether and under what rules to allow abortion." Senators and the public "would dearly like to know how Sotomayor would vote if the issue came before her on the Supreme Court," the editorial says, adding that the "information might well determine whether she is confirmed." However, "[f]or exactly that reason, she is likely to follow the practice of her predecessors in keeping mum." The public "probably won"t know her views until she is called upon to vote on the issue as a member of the court," the editorial continues, concluding, "It"s a frustrating reality that eludes the usual rules of democracy. But then, abortion has been beyond the reach of democracy for a long time" (Chicago Tribune, 6/15).
SANE Australia launches a new website - itsallright.org - to support the half a million Australian teenagers affected by mental illness in their family.
When Jason Martin gives a talk about his research, he begins with the dramatic story of Mariana Bridi da Costa: The young Brazilian supermodel died from severe sepsis in January after amputation of both her hands and feet failed to stop its spread.
Psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania have identified a cognitive shortcut, or heuristic, they call "Unit Bias," which causes people to ignore vital, obvious information in their decision-making process, points to a fundamental flaw in the modern, evolved mind and may also play a role in the American population"s 30 years of weight gain.
Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (NasdaqCM:PSTI) (DAX: PJT), a bio-therapeutics company dedicated to the commercialization of unrelated donor-patient (allogeneic) cell therapy products for a variety of disorders, announced today that the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), the German competent authority in the European Union, has approved the Company"s Clinical Trial Application (CTA) and granted approval to begin clinical trials with its placental-derived adherent stromal cell product, termed PLX-PAD, for the treatment of critical limb ischemia (CLI), the end-stage of peripheral artery disease (PAD). In addition, Pluristem has already received approval from the Ethics Committee and, as previously announced, the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) had cleared the Company"s Investigational New Drug (IND) application to initiate a similar trial in the United States. Both approvals of the CTA and IND clear the way for the world"s "first-in-man" clinical trial using PLX-PAD.
HydroCision Inc. announced the launch of its new SpineJet® Percutaneous Access Set for use in herniated disc procedures using its novel cutting-with-water fluidjet technology. "These instruments will assist the company to more quickly capitalize on the double digit growth of the minimally invasive percutaneous discectomy market," says Doug Daniels. "A large driver of procedural growth has been patients who seek out surgeons who perform minimally invasive procedures to reduce down time from work in these tough economic times. This has led to rapid adoption of this new and evolving technique for the treatment of lower back pain by a growing number of neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons and interventional pain physicians. This trend has created the need for new instruments that can work through very small incisions."
- 3 confirmed cases in Wales.
Programs that bring colleges and their surrounding neighborhoods together may help reduce off-campus drinking problems, a new study suggests.
Stalled microtubules might be responsible for some cases of the neurological disorder Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease, Tanabe and Takei report in the June 15, 2009 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology. A mutant protein makes the microtubules too stable to perform their jobs, the researchers find.
Studying how the mouth wards off diseases will have implications for understanding overall how people stay healthy. The Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine will use a five-year, $9.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health"s National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research - the largest grant ever in the dental school"s 117-year history - to study oral health as one of the human body"s frontline defenses against infections.
Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPHM) reported that researchers will present data at the SNM 2009 Annual Meeting showing that its brain cancer agent Cotara(R) specifically localizes to brain tumors at high concentrations with minimal radiation exposure to other organs. Cotara is a targeted monoclonal antibody linked to a radioisotope being developed as a potential new treatment for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a deadly form of brain cancer. The results reported from an ongoing dosimetry study at U.S. brain cancer centers show that in patients dosed in the first two cohorts of the study, the concentration of Cotara in brain tumors was on average more than 300-fold higher than in other normal organs. In addition, these patients have all either met or exceeded the expected median survival time of six months for recurrent GBM patients. Cotara is currently being tested in this Phase I dose response and dosimetry trial and in a Phase II clinical trial in recurrent GBM patients.
CeNeRx BioPharma, Inc., a clinical stage company developing and commercializing innovative treatments for diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), announced that it has obtained the rights to develop and market a novel agent for the prevention and treatment of neuropathies and neurodegenerative disorders. The drug candidate, CXB909, is a small molecule, orally active agent that enhances the effects of nerve growth factor (NGF). CeNeRx intends to initiate a Phase l trial of CXB909 for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) later this year.
HEALTHPOINT, Ltd. announced that it has enrolled the first of a planned 235 subjects into a Phase II dose response study investigating an experimental, cell-based wound therapy ---HP802-247---intended for the treatment of venous leg ulcers. HP802-247 is a topical spray containing living keratinocytes and fibroblasts. The first patient was enrolled at The Center for Clinical Research near San Francisco, Calif., led by the site"s principal investigator, Alexander Reyzelman, DPM. The study is being conducted by 28 investigators in 18 states.
When: 8 July 2009 6:00pm - 8:00pm
In testimony before the Listening Panel of the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research (FCCC) on June 10, 2009, ECRI Institute President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey C. Lerner, Ph.D., called for devoting a substantial proportion of the $1.1 billion allocated to the comparative effectiveness research to go toward establishing a National Patient Library™. ECRI Institute® (http://www.ecri.org) is an independent nonprofit organization that researches the best approaches to improving patient care.
In an interview with NPR, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stressed that talk of a public plan doesn"t mean that a single-payer option is a possibility. "This is not a trick. This is not single payerò€¦ That"s not what anyone is talking about - mostly because the president feels strongly, as I do, that dismantling private health coverage for the 180 million Americans that have it, discouraging more employers from coming into the marketplace, is really the bad, you know, is a bad direction to go," she said. Sebelius added that a public insurance option would pressure private insurance companies to lower costs, which she says is "a good thing for the American public. Medicare right now has lower overhead than private insurers." Some Republicans have argued that Americans currently in private plans would flee to the public option, but Sebelius countered that expanding health insurance would potentially create "50 million-plus new insurance customers, whether you"re talking about a private plan or public option."
Albany, Ga., health officials are recommending that all residents between the ages of 13 and 64 be tested for HIV as a part of their routine medical care, the Albany Herald reports. Officials are concerned about HIV in Southwest Georgia, as there are large percentages of low-income and black residents in the area -- populations that have been hard hit by the epidemic, according to the Herald. In addition, Chanel Scott-Dixon, HIV/AIDS program manager for Southwest District Health, said, "We have been seeing an increase in young adults testing positive." In observance of National HIV Testing Day on June 27, public health officials will be offering free HIV testing to residents (Parks, Albany Herald, 6/14).
PBS" "NOW" on Friday examined whether violence against abortion providers should be prosecuted as domestic terrorism. The segment included comments from abortion providers LeRoy Carhart, who previously worked with murdered provider George Tiller at his Kansas clinic, and Warren Hern, a Colorado-based provider. Both Carhart and Hern perform abortions later in pregnancy. Carhart said that he and his family live as "targets" because of his work but that he plans to continue Tiller"s mission of providing abortion services to women who need the procedure later in pregnancy. Hern said that he has been living "under siege" for decades, working in a clinic that has four layers of bulletproof windows and 24-hour federal protection. The segment also examined claims that law enforcement officials did not adequately respond to threats against Tiller from his alleged killer (Hinojosa, "NOW," PBS, 6/12).Newman, Page Debate Abortion Access Later in Pregnancy PBS" "NOW" also included an online debate between Troy Newman -- president of Operation Rescue -- and Cristina Page -- an abortion-rights advocate, blogger and author -- about abortion in the third trimester of pregnancy. Page said that so-called "late-term" abortion generally refers to procedures that take place at or beyond 24 weeks" gestation. She noted that such procedures are extremely rare, as only 1% of abortions take place after 21 weeks" gestation. When asked under what circumstances abortion is appropriate later in pregnancy, Newman said that rather than terminating the pregnancy, viable fetuses that face life-threatening conditions "should be delivered and given the appropriate medical treatment." Page countered, "There are a wide array of tragic conditions that can harm a pregnancy, threaten the viability of the fetus, and the health and life of the woman. Until you have walked in the shoes of those who have suffered through these decisions, you can never know what the right course of action is."Newman and Page also responded to a question about the impact that access to late abortion procedures has on society. Newman said that there exists an "abortion culture that openly implies that a person who is inconvenient is somehow disposable," which "creates an environment that fosters violence and is something that the pro-life movement is working to change." Page said that "to understand the impact, we must hear from women and their families who have needed an abortion at this stage of pregnancy," adding that these cases typically are intended pregnancies "with grave or fatal anomalies."The debate also addressed the issue of domestic terrorism and the antiabortion-rights movement. Page said the movement "espouses non-violent measures to achieve its goals" but "has been tremendously injured by domestic terrorists independently acting under the banner "pro-life."" She added that Newman has a "tremendous opportunity to transform his organization into a beacon for non-violence in the abortion conflict" and that he "should take steps to de-escalate the rhetoric, continue to send strong and consistent messages in opposition to terror [through] the media and to his organization"s members and alert law enforcement to unstable people," such as Tiller"s alleged murderer (Newman/Page, "NOW," PBS, 6/12).
Youngsters suffering severe nerve poisoning following a scorpion sting recover completely and quickly if a scorpion-specific antivenom is administered, according to a study conducted by researchers from The University of Arizona and reported in the May 14 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) welcomes the signs of good
Taking popular cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, such as Lipitor® (atorvastatin), does not lower the risk of pneumonia. That"s the new finding from a study of more than 3,000 Group Health patients published online on June 16 in advance of the British Medical Journal"s June 20 print issue.
Utopia Home Care, Inc. has announced that Michelle Harris will be its 2009 Caregiver of the Year. At the company"s annual corporate breakfast meeting this morning, Utopia Home Care, Inc. President and CEO Manuel F. Martinez and Executive Vice President Manuel G. Martinez presented Ms. Harris with a commemorative plaque and a check for $1,000. The presentation was made before approximately 125 staff members representing Utopia offices in New York, Connecticut, Florida, South Carolina and Pennsylvania.
A preliminary study suggests that a therapy for severe sepsis or septic shock that included the use of an antibiotic-based "hemoperfusion" device to remove toxic products of bacteria from the blood in addition to conventional treatment resulted in a reduced risk of death and appeared to improve blood circulation and reduce organ dysfunction, according to a report appearing in the June 17 issue of JAMA.
Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils in processed foods contain trans fatty acids that interfere with the regulation of blood flow. A new report reveals a new way in which these "trans fats" gum up the cellular machinery that keeps blood moving through arteries and veins.
Duke University engineers have taken a first step toward a minimally invasive treatment of brain tumors by combining chemotherapy with heat administered from the end of a catheter.
The Pew Charitable Trusts today named 17 early-career scientists as Pew Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences. Scholars receive a $240,000 award over four years to help support their work, which this year includes research related to cancer, Parkinson"s disease, birth defects and epilepsy. The Scholars also gain inclusion into a select community of scientists that includes Nobel Prize winners, MacArthur Fellows and recipients of the Albert Lasker Medical Research Award.
Trial reports of the Evolife range of products in France have pointed to significant benefits and enhanced quality of life for cancer patients who use the products before, during and after chemo or radiotherapy treatment. Evolife is a natural range of cosmetics that is 100% dedicated to the support care of cancer patients.
"GW Metabolic Research Laboratory" established in conjunction with Professor Cawthorne and the Clore Laboratory, University of Buckingham
CardioNet, Inc. (NASDAQ:BEAT) announced the launch of SomNet ™, a new clinical indicator available in the Company"s existing Mobile Cardiac Outpatient Telemetry™ (MCOT™) system. Because many patients with cardiac disorders also suffer from common sleep disorders like sleep apnea, CardioNet believes that SomNet has the potential to identify patients with a high likelihood of such sleep disorders by measuring cyclic variation of heart rate (CVHR), a rhythm that is caused by repeated arousals from sleep due to such disorders. SomNet"s utility is based on data presented at the Heart Rhythm Society"s (HRS) 30th Annual Scientific Sessions in Boston.
Two new studies from The Children"s Hospital of Philadelphia advance the search for genetic events that result in neuroblastoma, a puzzling, often-deadly type of childhood cancer.
In a series of recently-published articles, a research team from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center has uncovered clues to the development of cancers in AIDS patients.
How molecules of the oldest branch of the human immune system have interconnected has remained a mystery. Now, two new structures, both involving a central component of an enzyme important to the complement system of the immune response, reveal how this system fights invading microbes while avoiding problems of the body attacking itself.
Humans can tell if two strangers are related, even if they are generations apart, just by looking at their faces. So say scientists writing today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B , who believe this ability helps us to interpret situations and understand the motives of others in a social setting.
The American Cancer Society will host its inaugural Corporate Impact Conference June 18-19 in Chicago to help large corporate employers diminish the impact of cancer on the workforce and help improve workplace productivity. "Companies Changing the Course of Cancer" is designed to guide businesses in potentially lowering health care costs related to cancer and improving their overall bottom line.
St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of its Cool Point™ Irrigation Pump. Used in conjunction with SJM open-irrigated ablation catheters, an irrigation pump supplies a continuous flow of saline through the catheter"s inner lumen to cool the ablation electrode for more effective energy delivery. Designed to enhance physicians" ability to perform successful atrial ablations, the new Cool Point irrigation pump was developed specifically for use with the company"s IBI-1500T9-CP cardiac ablation generator and family of Therapy™ Cool Path™ irrigated catheters.
Los Angeles County public health officials on Tuesday said that they cannot confirm that the 16 cases of HIV they reported last week were in fact active adult film industry workers at the time of their diagnoses, the Los Angeles Times reports. Officials contend that they mistakenly labeled all cases of individuals who tested positive from the Adult Industry Medical Foundation (AIMF) clinic since 2004 as "adult performers," even though AIMF also serves clients who are not in the industry. In addition, officials increased the total number of cases of HIV reported by the clinic since 2004 from 16 to 18 (Yoshino/Lin, Los Angeles Times, 6/17).
Endocrine Society Unveils First-Ever Scientific Statement: Inaugural Statement Identifies Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals as a Significant Concern to Public Health
CMOS image sensor (CIS) technology stands on the brink of fulfilling its potential to become the global detector platform of choice for scientific photonics applications that require world class performance in the fields of sensitivity, speed, dynamic range, resolution, and field of view.
As part of a Europe-wide drive to improve access to information and education for people with Parkinson"s Disease, the Parkinson"s Disease Society (PDS) is launching a new education initiative with American company, Healthy Interactions.
In the decade since the Implicit Association Test was introduced, its most surprising and controversial finding is its indication that about 70 percent of those who took a version of the test that measures racial attitudes have an unconscious, or implicit, preference for white people compared to blacks. This contrasts with figures generally under 20 percent for self report, or survey, measures of race bias.
Arrayit Corporation (OTCBB: ARYC), a leading manufacturer of products and services for disease prevention, treatment and cure, announced that its microarray-based diagnostic test, patented under the trade name Variation Identification Platform (VIP), is ready for manufacture and distribution. A breakthrough screening test using VIP will allow clinicians and researchers to test and detect the H1N1 swine flu virus in population wide studies.