Oncology
The White House requested new funding for swine flu from Congress late Tuesday and also sought an additional $3.1 billion from the unspent stimulus funds in case of a pandemic emergency, according to various news s.
The Associated Press reports that "the Indian Health Service is continuing to lose equipment at an alarming rate despite efforts to better account for the agency"s property, according to congressional investigators. In a report issued Wednesday, the Government Accountability Office said the government agency lost about 1,400 items worth $3.5 million between October 2007 and January 2009 - including $37,000 in lab equipment at a Navajo health care facility and a $7,300 trailer in Nashville, Tenn. Those losses came after an estimated $15.8 million in equipment was unaccounted for between the 2004 and 2007 budget years. Those losses were reported by the GAO in June 2008, when investigators also charged that the Indian Health Service had falsified documents to cover up some of the missing property."
Hackers raided a server at the University of California, Berkeley last fall, stealing everything from Social Security numbers to immunization records in an episode that highlights one danger of moving health information from file cabinets to cyberspace, Forbes reports in a first-person account by one of the 160,000 victims. "Stealing medical data has become more attractive to hackers and identity thieves as banks and individuals have become more sophisticated about protecting credit-building information." One consumer group estimates that as many as 12 percent of digital security breaches target the medical industry.
The following summarizes recent action on reproductive health-related legislation in two states.~ Oregon: Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) on Tuesday signed a measure (H.B. 2509) that requires school districts to provide students in all public elementary and secondary schools with medically accurate, age-appropriate sex education courses, KOHD.com reports. The law stipulates that schools emphasize the best way for students to prevent pregnancy and reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections is to practice abstinence and that the best approach for adults is to engage in mutually monogamous relationships with partners without STIs. In addition, the law requires that students be given current, statistically based information about the efficacy of all methods of preventing STIs. The measure also requires that sex education courses include instruction on the benefits of delaying pregnancy until after adolescence, as well as information about the characteristics of an emotionally and physically healthy relationship. The law directs schools to provide students with information on state laws related to young people"s rights and responsibilities with regard to childbearing and parenting (KOHD.com, 6/2).~ Tennessee: State Rep. Tony Shipley (R) on Tuesday withdrew from consideration a bill (H.B. 1762) he sponsored that would have given parents full access to their children"s medical records, the AP/Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. Under the measure, physicians would have been required to provide written results of any tests or procedures performed on minors upon request from their parents or guardians. The measure could have jeopardized about $6.5 million in federal family planning funding that is attached to privacy requirements, according to legislative analysts (AP/Chattanooga Times Free Press, 6/2).
Workplace deaths and injuries have fallen over the past thirty years but thousands still die every year as a result of work related accidents and ill-health.
The first of six online courses to educate healthcare professionals on preventing the transmission of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is being launched by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) cause 99,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.
Thanks to the introduction of an innovative IT system at the Children"s Acute Transport Service (CATS) hosted at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust (GOSH), referring hospitals can now share perfect quality medical data on emergency patients more quickly and securely than ever before.
GfK Healthcare"s Roper Global Diabetes Program, the definitive global perspective on diabetes, announced today the launch of its enhanced U.S. Diabetes Patient Market Study. Through a modular approach and with tailored reporting, the study offers health care and related companies in the diabetes category access to patient data and market trends from one of the largest surveys of people with diabetes, and the only one projectable to the U.S. population.
WellQuest Medical & Wellness Corporation ("WellQuest") (OTCBB:WEQL) announced the recent launch of its Medically Supervised Weight Loss Program. WellQuest"s unique approach to weight loss addresses a growing $2 billion market.
The Department of Health is rolling out a new systems-based approach to improve stop smoking interventions in primary care. This new approach has increased referrals to local NHS Stop Smoking services by up to 49% in pilot areas.
Huge economic gains could be made if eyeglasses were provided to approximately 150 million people in need, according to research published today in the international public health journal, the Bulletin of the World Health Organization.
The MP Evan Harris is among a group of leading academics, publishers, journalists, performers, clinicians, and scientists backing science writer Simon Singh in his application to appeal against a libel judgment in the High Court today.
Westminster Kingsway College has launched a new Access to Higher Education programme in Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences at its new King"s Cross Centre in central London. The College is already a leading provider of Access to Higher Education courses in London as well as specialising in courses for Pharmacy Technicians in conjunction with the University of London"s School of Pharmacy and Birkbeck College.
Like human infants, young apes are known to hoot and holler when you tickle them. But is it fair to say that those playful calls are really laughter? The answer to that question is yes, say researchers reporting online on June 4th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication.
Journalist, Malini Guha, has won the prestigious new Advances in Renal Cancer Journalists" Award - Europe for her article "New Advances Deliver Fresh Hope in Kidney Cancer" - which was published in Scrip World Pharmaceutical News on February 13th 2009.
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have sequenced the genome
There are two types of condoms; male and female. A condom is a barrier contraceptive - it blocks the route a sperm would take to fertilize an egg. They can be made from latex rubber, polyurethane, or lambskin. According the NHS (National Health Service, UK), males condoms are 98% effective against pregnancy if used correctly, while female condoms are about 95% effective. Nobody is sure what the origin of the English word "condom" is. There were rumors that Dr. Condom invented the condom for King Charles II of England. However, it is most likely that Dr. Condom, otherwise known as The Earl of Condom, never existed - also, condoms were around long before that period. Most likely the name comes from the Italian word guantone, which comes from the Italian word guanto, meaning "glove".
Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas is the first hospital in the country to collaborate with GE Healthcare and BrainLAB to open technically advanced neurosurgery operating room (OR) suites that will allow neurosurgeons to use real-time, intra-operative images of the brain during surgery. The $16.5 million operating suites will be the first to combine the BrainSUITE(R) iMRI and GE Healthcare MR Surgical Suite.
Ultrasound examination of the carotid artery is a patient-friendly and inexpensive method for assessing atherosclerosis and thereby predicting the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Peter Holdfeldt, who recently defended his doctoral thesis at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, has developed new analytical methods for ultrasound images that can provide more reliable and more exact assessments of atherosclerosis.
The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, is pleased to announce another measure to address the H1N1 flu virus. The Government of Canada will fund a national influenza research network focused on pandemic vaccine evaluation. The network will strengthen Canada"s capacity to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a pandemic influenza vaccine and vaccination programs.
To reduce an estimated half million deaths and two million hospitalizations from diarrhea caused by rotavirus each year, the WHO on Friday recommended that oral rotavirus vaccines be added to national childhood immunization programs, broadening access to the vaccine in the developing world,
Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SOMX), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the in-licensing, development and commercialization of proprietary branded pharmaceutical products and late-stage product candidates for the treatment of diseases and disorders in the central nervous system therapeutic area, today announced that it has resubmitted its New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Silenor® (doxepin) for the treatment of insomnia.
Cobalis Corporation (OTC:CLSC) was recently awarded two additional International Patents in Canada and Mexico and has a patent pending application in Japan. PreHistin® is patented, safe for long-term daily use and available without a prescription. It is available in a cherry flavored, all natural, proprietary cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) sub-lingual lozenge that is taken twice daily to regulate allergy sufferers" response to both indoor and outdoor allergens with daily and year round usage.
Leading mental health advocates and political, medical and policy experts, including Mrs. Tipper Gore, George Stephanopoulos, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Richard Gephardt, will address the changes and challenges ahead for the mental health field at Mental Health America"s Centennial Conference, June 10-13, in Washington, D.C.
Experts in criminology will discuss "Alternatives to Custodial Sentencing" at a Parliamentary seminar organised by the British Psychological Society and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Social Services and Policy. The event takes place at Westminster on Tuesday 16 June (4.30 - 6.00 p.m.)
New treatments to ease or even cure the most common cancer affecting Australian men are a step closer to reality with a $1.25 million grant awarded to QUT prostate cancer researcher Professor Colleen Nelson today.
New results from a one-year Phase III study have confirmed that the investigational biological therapy Ilaris® (canakinumab, formerly ACZ885)[1] produced rapid and sustained remission of symptoms in the majority of children and adults with a rare and potentially life-threatening auto-inflammatory disease called cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS)1,2,3.
Mark Lever, NAS chief executive said; "In the current economic climate the Government cannot possibly ignore the huge cost savings and benefits, identified by their own auditing body, of providing adults with autism with the right support at the right time. Neither the Government, people with autism nor the taxpayer are getting value for money from existing autism services and support, leaving those affected by the condition feeling isolated, ignored and often at breaking point. This is simply unacceptable.
Researchers have proven that glycemic control in type 1 diabetes is not fully dependent on the individual"s behavior, but is in part subject to genetic influence, according to a presentation here today at the American Diabetes Association"s 69th Scientific Sessions.
Operating Department Practitioner, Mr Mark McFarlane has been struck off
Trius Therapeutics, Inc. announced results from its Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of oral torezolid (TR-701), its investigational antibiotic for the treatment of severe complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI) caused by gram-positive bacteria, especially drug-resistant strains such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The study achieved its primary goals of establishing safety and efficacy in all doses evaluated.
New Phase II data presented at the American Diabetes Association 69th Scientific Sessions in New Orleans show that the investigational type 2 diabetes treatment Syncria(R) (albiglutide) significantly reduced blood glucose levels and provided weight loss across weekly, biweekly and monthly dosing. Reducing blood sugar is a key part of managing type 2 diabetes, a disease that affects over 250 million people worldwide.
The general public will be encouraged to "Know Your Pulse" by legendary smoothie Sir Roger Moore, as part of Arrhythmia Awareness Week (8-14 June 2009).
Uganda on Saturday launched a three-day polio and measles immunization campaign, Possy Mugyenyi, the country"s immunization manager, said, UGPulse.com reports (Nyanzi, UGPulse.com, 6/5). More than 6 million children are being targeted, IRIN reports (IRIN, 6/5).
BioVex Inc, a company developing next generation biologics for the treatment and prevention of cancer and infectious disease, announced that the results from a Phase I/II combination study in previously untreated patients with head and neck cancer will be presented at the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, which will take place May 29, 2009 - June 2, 2009 in Orlando, FL.
Nile Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: NLTX), a company focused on the development of novel therapeutics for heart failure patients, received notification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the agency has released the Company"s CD-NP development program from clinical hold.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Congress "should review the killing" of Kansas abortion provider George Tiller "to determine whether there are systemic problems that led to apparent gaps in the FBI"s performance in the case," a New York Times editorial states. According to the Times, Holder "took the prudent step of ordering" the U.S. Marshals Service to "provide security for certain abortion clinics and physicians thought to be at heightened risk," but the government"s response "must not end there."The editorial states that Scott Roeder, the man accused of killing Tiller, has a history of activity related to the antiabortion-rights movement that "should have sparked greater concern" with the FBI, including being suspected in 2000 of "repeatedly gluing shut the doors of an abortion clinic in Kansas City, Kan. -- a federal crime under the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances law." Roeder also was found in possession of "gunpowder and a fuse" when stopped for a traffic violation in 1996, according to the Times. The editorial states, "In the past, Tiller was shot in both arms, and his clinic was bombed and vandalized," but "it seems as if the federal authorities failed to increase security for Dr. Tiller and his offices."The editorial continues, "An armed criminal bent on murder is hard to stop, and we do not blame the FBI for Dr. Tiller"s death." However, "reproductive rights advocates say enforcement of the clinic protection law waned in the Bush years," the editorial says, concluding that Holder "should make sure there is no underlying problem that inhibits efforts to combat intimidation and violence against the dwindling number of legal abortion providers -- and women they help" (New York Times, 6/8).
The King"s Fund has announced a series of new initiatives and projects to take forward its work to improve health care.
Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX) announced that enrollment has been completed in the second Phase II clinical trial of its trivalent virus-like particle (VLP) seasonal influenza vaccine. This Phase IIa randomized, placebo-controlled study is evaluating a VLP vaccine against the H3N2, H1N1, and B influenza strains that circulated in the 2008-2009 influenza season. This clinical trial represents another step in the development of Novavax"s VLP seasonal influenza vaccine, allowing further evaluation of safety and immunogenicity of a broad range of vaccine doses against a new set of influenza strains. As announced in December of 2008, the first Phase II study evaluated a trivalent VLP vaccine against the seasonal influenza strains that circulated in the 2005-2006 influenza season.
Clinical investigators observed that Soliris® (eculizumab), a first-in-class terminal complement inhibitor developed by Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALXN), reduced hemolysis (red blood cell destruction) and improved symptoms in nine patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) who had received no blood transfusions prior to initiating Soliris therapy.
According to a research abstrac presented on Monday, June 8, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, white Americans are more likely to report experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) more days per month than Asians, African Americans and Hispanics, but African Americans experience more severe EDS.
Lyme disease is emerging in Canada, and is expected to increase with climate change, but effective, enhanced surveillance and clinician awareness will be key to minimizing the impact of the disease, write researchers in a review in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced revised guidelines for potato cyst nematode (PCN) that will allow continued trade of seed potatoes between the two countries. While PCN does not pose a risk to human health, it is recognized internationally as a destructive plant pest of economic importance and, therefore, a quarantine pest for the United States and Canada.
Research led by a leading expert on the positive benefits of napping at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine suggests that Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep enhances creative problem-solving. The findings may have important implications for how sleep, specifically REM sleep, fosters the formation of associative networks in the brain.
Primary care pediatricians may be under-diagnosing sleep disorders in children and teens, according to a research abstract presented on June 8 at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
The California State Assembly passed Assemblymember Hector De La Torre"s (D-South Gate) Assembly Bill 2 that prevents the insurance industry from unfairly rescinding patients" healthcare policies without oversight from a state regulator with a 46-24 vote.
A close relative of the microorganism that causes tuberculosis in humans has been found to form spores. This is a sensational finding because researchers have long been convinced that these kinds of bacteria - the mycobacteria - were incapable of forming spores. Leif Kirsebom"s research group at Uppsala University now has photographic proof, obtained while working with the bacteria that causes tuberculosis in fish, to challenge this long-held belief. Their discovery, which has attracted much attention from other scientists, might constitute a new turn in the fight against human tuberculosis.
New research from the University of Virginia Health System shows that, when combined, two emerging medical technologies hold significant promise for treating the most deadly and devastating form of brain tumor, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).
Both boys and girls have issues, but boys seem to be the ones getting the raw deal. According to Judith Kleinfeld, professor of psychology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the US, issues affecting boys are more serious than those affecting girls, but they have been neglected by policy makers. Her review1 of issues characterizing American boyhood, how they compare to those affecting girls, and the lack of initiatives in place to address them has just been published in the June issue of Springer"s journal Gender Issues.
As survival rates among some patients with cancer continue to rise, so does the spread of these cancers to the brain - as much as 40 percent of all diagnosed brain cancers are considered metastatic, having spread from a primary cancer elsewhere in the body.
A consortium of research centers in the Tri-state Region, including Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, has received a $46 million grant to conduct research on emerging infectious diseases.
With MPs due to debate the Health Bill in the House of Commons, the BMA is urging them to support measures that will help prevent young people from taking up smoking.
Promoting the health of young children, before five years of age, could save society up to $65 billion in future health care costs, according to an examination of childhood health conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The results are published in the May 15, 2009, issue of Academic Pediatrics.
United Therapeutics Corporation (Nasdaq: UTHR) and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced the results of a pivotal 16-week study showing that a once-daily dose of tadalafil was generally well tolerated, improved exercise capacity and improved time to clinical worsening in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)(1). The randomized, double-blind, 16-week, placebo-controlled Phase 3 study followed 405 patients with PAH, either treatment-naive or taking bosentan, randomized to placebo or tadalafil 2.5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg or 40 mg orally. Results from the study entitled, "Tadalafil Therapy for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension," were published in today"s issue of Circulation.
Unilever and the World Heart Federation announce a joint initiative to promote awareness of Heart Age - a new, personally motivating way of expressing an individual"s risk of developing heart disease and stroke.
A co-president of the nation"s largest organization of registered nurses will testify Wednesday in the first official public hearing in Congress on single-payer healthcare reform.
On Monday, HIV/AIDS advocates staged a rally in Fresno, Calif., to protest a budget proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) that would cut an estimated $80 million statewide in HIV/AIDS services, KMPH.com reports. The proposed cuts would eliminate or reduce funding for HIV testing services, financial assistance for people living with HIV and other programs, according to KMPH.com. A larger rally at the state capitol is planned for Wednesday (KMPH.com. 6/9).
Access To Second-Line Antiretrovirals In India
UroToday.com - Angiogenesis is thought to be important in many chronic inflammatory disorders, including diabetic retinopathy, atherosclerosis, and inflammatory bowel disease. It has also been suggested that the angiogenic components of these diseases contribute to and exacerbate disease conditions. Increased levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) have been detected in patients with asthma and have been shown to be correlated with the severity of the disease. Anti-VEGF therapy has been shown to ameliorate inflammation in animal models of chronic inflammatory bowel disease. This background forms the prelude to a very interested study by Kiuchi and colleagues from Osaka, Japan.
The Royal College of Pathologists welcomes the Royal College of Physicians" report into the future
According to a research abstract that will be presented on Wednesday, June 10, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) negatively affect women"s sleep. Sleep is further impaired by pain, depression and poor adherence to RA medications.
According to a research abstract that will be presented on Wednesday, June 10, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, older adults are able to retain better cognitive functioning during sleep deprivation than young adults.
According to a research abstract that will be presented on Wednesday, June 10, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, increased sleep disturbances are associated with lower education, income or being unmarried or unemployed. Disturbances are much more likely in multiracial individuals.
The findings of two 52-week studies show that the investigational ultra rapid acting insulin AFRESA® (insulin human [rDNA origin]) Inhalation Powder combined with basal insulin is comparable to standard of care therapies in controlling post-meal blood sugar levels, and also results in significantly less weight gain and risk of hypoglycemia for adult patients with diabetes. The data were presented at the American Diabetes Association"s 69th Scientific Sessions.
According to a research abstract that will be presented on Wednesday, June 10, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, people with chronic stress report shorter sleep duration, worse sleep quality, and more daytime functioning impairments. Conversely, daytime functioning impairments and shorter sleep duration demonstrated a predictive relationship with habitual stress complaints.
According to a research abstract that will be presented on Wednesday, June 10, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, caffeine use prevents increased risk taking that occurs after several nights of total sleep deprivation.
Antibiotics, antimicrobials and antifungals are seeping into the waterways of North America, Europe and East Asia, according to an investigation published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP). Authored by Université de Montréal and Environment Canada researchers, the review found that consumption of anti-infectives for human and agriculture use contributes to their release into the environment and even into drinking water.
Researchers in Berlin, Germany have found that a specific type of immune cell, the regulatory T lymphocyte (Treg) plays an important role in hypertension-induced cardiac damage. The injected Treg that they harvested from donor mice into recipient mice were infused with angiotensin II, a blood pressure-raising peptide. The Tregs had no influence on the blood pressure response to angiotensin II. Nonetheless, cardiac enlargement, fibrosis, and inflammation was sharply reduced by Treg treatment. Furthermore, the tendency to develop abnormal heart rhythms that could lead to sudden cardiac death was also reduced. Dr. Heda Kvakan and Dr. Dominik N. MÃøller at the Experimental and Clinical Research Center at the Max DelbrÃøck Center do not intend Treg as a therapy. However, a better understanding of how the immune system fits into hypertension-induced organ damage could result from these studies (Circulation, Vol. 119, No. 22, June 9, 2009, 2904-2912 ).*
President Obama on Friday named New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden as the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the New York Times reports. It has long been expected that Obama would select Frieden, an infectious disease specialist who is "widely admired" in the public health arena, according to the Times. In his seven years as health commissioner of New York City, Frieden pushed to establish HIV testing as a part of routine medical exams and defended a condom-distribution program that hands out more than 35 million condoms annually. Frieden is expected to take office in June and does not require Senate confirmation for the position. He will replace Richard Besser, the current acting director of CDC, who will return to his position as head of CDC"s coordinating office for terrorism preparedness and emergency response.The Times reports that Frieden will "inherit a host of immediate and long-term problems" at CDC, including organizational issues, low morale and the Obama administration"s health care reform agenda. "Health care reform also needs to be on his plate," Jeffrey Koplan, who served as CDC director from 1998 to 2002, said, adding, "There is a huge opportunity there to improve public health, and it"s one in which any CDC director will want to be a player." Several health care advocates praised the appointment, according to the Times. Dennis deLeon, president of the Latino Commission on AIDS in New York City said that Frieden is "willing to challenge the status quo in an effort to make a difference." Jeffrey Levi, executive director of the not-for-profit Trust for America"s Health, said Frieden is a "transformational leader" who "can take public health to a new place" (Harris/Hartocollis, New York Times, 5/15).
A set of expert consensus-based, quality-of-care indicators identified considerable variability in the quality of pancreatic cancer care among hospitals and may be used to evaluate and identify areas for improvement, according to a new study in the June 9 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
While back pain, blurred vision and mouse-related injuries are now well-documented hazards of long-term computer use, the number of acute injuries connected to computers is rising rapidly. According to a study published in the July 2009 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers from the Center for Injury Research and Policy and The Research Institute at Nationwide Children"s Hospital; and The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus have found a more-than-sevenfold increase in computer-related injuries due to tripping over computer equipment, head injuries due to computer monitor falls and other physical incidents.
Hormone therapy is often given to patients with advanced prostate cancer. While it is true that the treatment prevents growth of the tumour, it also changes its properties. Some of these changes may result in the tumour becoming more aggressive and more liable to form metastases. This is one of the conclusion of a thesis presented at the Sahlgrenska Academy.
The following summarizes women"s health-related blog entries.~ "One in Ten Women Worries About Her Ability To Keep Paying for Contraception," Cristina Page, Birth Control Watch: A Gallup poll released at a conference of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists showed the "alarming news" that women "say that using birth control is extremely important to them but, increasingly, they can"t afford it." The poll reveals that 6% of women using hormonal birth control said they stopped using it because they could not afford it, and 10% said they are worried that they might become unable to afford contraception. On average, women reported that reliable contraception is a "9" on a scale of importance, with the maximum being 10. In addition, those who said they have been greatly affected by the recession were more than twice as likely as others to report deciding to limit the size of their families -- 29% compared with 13%. Page writes, "While family planning in tough economic times is no doubt a reasonable path," the survey shows another "alarming finding: women are sacrificing their health when their pocketbooks are pinched." She writes that the "Obama administration could not have had better timing" in releasing its report on women and health care, which details, among other things, how women in their reproductive years pay higher insurance premiums than men. Page says the White House report and the Gallup poll show that the "cost disparity has a cascading effect" on women and that the "necessities they are forced to give up include contraception." According to Page, "Lucky for us, the Obama administration is approaching the health care crisis with the understanding that women and men might not have equal access to the care they need" and seeks to "view women"s health and rights as critical pieces of our nation"s recovery plan." She concludes, "Beginning to feel better already" (Page, Birth Control Watch, 5/14).~ ""Timeouts" For Grown Women," Lynn Harris, Salon"s Broadsheet: Currently, 24 states have laws requiring women to receive counseling and wait -- usually for 24 hours -- before undergoing an abortion, which basically "amounts to giving grown women a timeout," Harris writes. She cites a recent Guttmacher Institute analysis, which finds that abortion counseling and waiting periods have "next to no effect at all," except to "likely increase both the personal and the financial costs of obtaining an abortion, thereby preventing some women from accessing abortion services," according to the Guttmacher report. Harris continues that earlier research "unsurprisingly" confirms that women "have usually decided to go through with the procedure before they call to make their appointment." Therefore, "mandated, scripted in-person "counseling" is, at best, an exercise mainly in shame and burdensome logistics," Harris writes. She notes that these "restrictions are sold to lawmakers and voters wrapped in the sheep"s clothing of "informed consent."" However, such laws "are intended primarily to block abortion access," according to Lawrence Finer, co-author of the Guttmacher report. Harris concludes that "the most epic fail[ure] here of all" is "the amount of time and res and energy spent to establish, administer -- and circumvent -- these spurious, fatuous laws," which could "otherwise be spent, call me crazy, taking care of living, breathing women and children" (Harris, Salon"s Broadsheet, 5/13).~ "Patients" Rights Suddenly "Sacred" to Scared GOP," Lois Uttley, RH Reality Check: GOP strategist Frank Luntz has become the "newest defender of reproductive rights" by advising congressional Republicans "on how to defeat health reform this year by scaring voters about a "Washington takeover of health care,"" Uttley writes. Luntz, in a leaked GOP strategy memo on challenging the Democrats public health insurance plan option, is trying to "reinvent a group of politicians who have spent the last eight years standing for maximum government interference in Ameri
Restaurants in Germany legally sell alcohol to teenagers after their sixteenth birthdays and French children drink wine with dinner at an early age, but U.S. parents who follow this relaxed European example, believing it fosters a healthier attitude toward alcohol, should be careful -- it may increase the likelihood that their children binge drink in college.
Though it looks like a tiny purple blowtorch, a pencil-sized plume of plasma on the tip of a small probe remains at room temperature as it swiftly dismantles tough bacterial colonies deep inside a human tooth. But it"s not another futuristic product of George Lucas" imagination. It"s the exciting work of USC School of Dentistry and Viterbi School of Engineering researchers looking for new ways to safely fight tenacious biofilm infections in patients - and it could revolutionize many facets of medicine.
The Washington Times on Friday examined how President Obama"s "former campaign apparatus is cranking up a full-tilt drive for passage of a health care overhaul this year" by "tapping his 13-million-strong e-mail list" for financial contributions to fund advertising efforts, hire staff and open election-style offices. The group -- launched in January as Organizing for America, or OFA2, a unit under the Democratic National Committee -- sent supporters an e-mail this week asking them for their time and money to fight "special interest lobbyists and partisan ideologues" that might attempt to "water down" health care reform. Mitch Stewart, the group"s executive director, wrote that contributions would be used to organize "local educational events" and to "bring constituent voices straight to Congress, and make sure real life stories are heard louder than the lobbyists" spin" (Bellantoni, Washington Times, 5/15). Single-Payer System Not on Table, Obama Says
VNUS(R) Medical Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: VNUS), a worldwide leader in medical devices for the minimally invasive treatment of venous reflux disease, announced that the Journal of Vascular & Interventional Radiology, the prestigious monthly publication of the Society of Interventional Radiology, has published a study showing the VNUS ClosureFAST(TM) system for radiofrequency (RF) thermal ablation to be "significantly superior" to endovenous laser (EVL) for treating venous reflux, the underlying cause of symptomatic varicose veins.
EUROPACE, the official congress of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), is the foremost European meeting on cardiac arrhythmias and pacing. More than 4,000 participants are expected to attend this year"s event, whose main themes are atrial fibrillation and sudden cardiac death.
Covidien (NYSE: COV), a leading global supplier of healthcare products, has announced the integration of its Nellcor™ OxiMax™ oximetry system into Philips IntelliVue and M-Series patient monitors. Philips is a leading global provider of patient monitoring solutions, and the collaboration between the companies is expected to significantly increase, in all major geographies, hospitals" and healthcare providers" access to the industry-leading capabilities offered by both companies.
Commenting in response to today"s report from the NHS Confederation on the financial prospects for the NHS, The King"s Fund"s Chief Executive Niall Dickson said:
In response to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report on hospitals, Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) said the best remedy for Australia"s hospitals is to keep people out of them.
Hawaii-based Kai Sensors announced it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for the Kai Sensors Non-Contact Respiratory Rate Spot Check, also called the Kai RSpot. The 510(k) clearance allows Kai Sensors to market the Kai RSpot to physicians, hospitals, and clinics.
A former physical therapy patient from Prince George"s County, Maryland, grateful for the physical therapy he received years after contracting polio, but always wishing he had received it sooner, has made, through his estate, a significant financial gift to the Foundation for Physical Therapy.
Scientists have identified for the first time a mechanism by which nanoparticles cause lung damage and have demonstrated that it can be combated by blocking the process involved, taking a step toward addressing the growing concerns over the safety of nanotechnology.
A free, online lifestyle self-assessment service to help teenagers improve their health and wellbeing is being rolled out nationally by the Department of Health today.
Acceleron Pharma, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics that modulate the growth of cells and tissues including red blood cells, bone, and muscle, today announced it will provide three oral presentations on data from its ACE-031 program at the Endocrine Society"s 91st Annual Meeting to be held in Washington, DC from June 10-13, 2009. The presentations will provide results from preclinical studies highlighting the effects of its lead investigational product for treating diseases involving the loss of muscle mass and function.
Nulliparous women (those who have not given birth to children) are diagnosed with chronic arthritides (including ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) an average of 5.2 years before parous women (those who have given birth to children), according to a new study presented at EULAR 2009, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Liver cirrhosis has been recently studied in the light of the new view of the renin angiotensin system (RAS). While the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-Ang 2-AT1 receptor arm contributes to liver tissue injury and fibrosis and the maintenance of basal vascular tonus in non-compensated cirrhosis, the activation of the ACE2-Ang-(1-7)-Mas receptor arm exerts anti-fibrotic actions and probably has also a role in arterial vasodilation in liver cirrhosis. In a previous study published last year in WJG by the same research group, it was shown that chronic treatment with propranolol in cirrhotic patients was characterized by marked changes in the precursors of the RAS cascade (renin and Ang 1 with repercussions on the 2 main RAS components, Ang 2 and Ang-(1-7), in the splanchnic and peripheral circulation. Therefore, the circulating profile of RAS components at different stages of liver cirrhosis and their role in hemodynamic changes of cirrhosis remained unclear.
A quarter of active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients receiving either 10mg (24.6%) or 15mg (28.1%) twice daily of the investigational oral JAK-3 (janus-associated kinase) inhibitor CP-690,550 (CP) achieved ACR70* after 12 weeks, according to the results of a new study presented at EULAR 2009, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Copenhagen, Denmark. The primary outcome for the study was ACR20*, with 75.4% of patients achieving this measure at 12 weeks for both 10mg and 15mg doses.
Bionic ears, bubbles, blast waves and biofilms
New Era examines discussions at the meeting over how "an acute scarcity of financial res is threatening to set back the commendable strides achieved in the global fight against HIV/AIDS pandemic within the next three to five years." The Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria"s Director for the Africa Unit Fareed Abdullah said during a news briefing at the conference, "There is no[t] enough money on the table for antiretroviral (ARV) treatments. It is a massive conundrum. The funding gap would start to hit in the period going forward."