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Tennessee General Assembly Advances Bill To Restrict Abortion Access
The Tennessee House on Monday voted 76-22 to approve a resolution (S.J.R. 127) to amend the state constitution to allow the Legislature to impose stricter limits on abortion, the AP/Memphis Commercial Appeal reports. The resolution, which aims to void a 2000 Tennessee Supreme Court ruling, was passed by the state Senate in March, but it still has hurdles to overcome. In order to change the state constitution, the measure will have to be approved by a two-thirds majority of both houses in the next General Assembly, either in 2011 or 2012, before it could go to voters in 2014.The 2000 court decision declared that the state constitution provides stronger protections than the U.S. Constitution for abortion rights. The decision nullified a number restrictions the Tennessee Legislature previously had adopted, including requirements that clinics provide women with specific information about abortion procedures, a 48-hour waiting period and a requirement that all but first trimester abortions take place in hospitals.The measure would add a provision to the state constitution declaring that, "Nothing in this constitution secures or protects a right to abortion, or requires the funding of an abortion. The people retain the right through their elected state representatives and state senators to enact, amend or repeal statutes regarding abortion, including but not limited to circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest or when necessary to save the life of the mother." An amendment to the resolution failed on Monday that would have allowed abortions in "cases involving rape or incest or in cases where the procedure is medically necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman." Rep. Debra Maggart (R), sponsor of the resolution, said that it "just returns the constitution of the state of Tennessee to neutral on the subject of abortion."Rep. Henry Fincher (D) said, "Assuming there"s no change in the makeup of the General Assembly, there"s a good chance that it will pass then and go to the ballot." Rep. Jeanne Richardson (D) said, "I have a feeling that in this country if a majority of women tried to tell men what to do in their sex lives and what to do with their own bodies, it would fail utterly and miserably" (Johnson, AP/Memphis Commercial Appeal, 5/19).

Early Signs For Diabetes In Kids As Young As 7 Documented For The First Time By LSUHSC Researchers
Research conducted under the direction of Melinda Sothern, PhD, Professor and Director of Health Promotion at the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Public Health, showing early signs of diabetes in healthy children as young as seven years old was presented at the American Diabetes Association 2009 Annual Scientific Session Meeting in New Orleans. Dr. Sothern"s group is the first to document previously unknown markers for obesity, heart disease and diabetes, collectively called the Metabolic Syndrome, in children this young. Posters were presented on June 6, 2009, and Brian Bennett, a Research Associate in Dr. Melinda Sothern"s laboratory made the oral presentation, Early Markers for the Metabolic Syndrome in Youth, on June 8, 2009 at 9:30 a.m. at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Room 343. Dr. Sothern was there for the presentation.
News of the day
Advance In Understanding Cellulose Synthesis
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.
Mental Health

Drug May Prolong Survival In Melanoma Patients

The Northern California Melanoma Center (NCMC)"s research showed patients who received GM-CSF (Sargramostim, trade name Leukine) may experience prolonged survival. The study appears in next month"s Journal of Immunotherapy (July/August issue) and will appear online today. The Northern California Melanoma Center (NCMC) Director, Lynn Spitler, MD and her associates" research involved treating patients who had been diagnosed clinically free of melanoma after surgery but were at high risk of recurrence. Their research titled, "Recombinant Human Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF, Sargramostim) Administered for Three Years as Adjuvant Therapy of Stage II (T4), III, and IV Melanoma" found that using GM-CSF in these patients may prolong survival. GM-CSF stimulates the patient"s immune response to the tumor and allows the patient"s body to recognize tumor cells and throw them off as they would a common cold or infection. "There are currently only 3 FDA-approved treatments for melanoma and we desperately need more and better treatments," said Dr. Spitler. "Clinical trials offer patients more options and the hope of a better outcome and less toxicity than that obtained with standard therapy." Clinical trials test the safety and efficacy of the drugs/devices, but effectiveness is only established when the drug has been tested in a prospective randomized trial and approved for marketing by the FDA. When a patient is diagnosed with any stage of melanoma, they and their physician begin the daunting task of choosing from various treatment options. The NCMC takes a lot of the confusion out of the process because the NCMC has a Consulting Panel of physicians who review each new patient"s medical history, diagnosis and all their health records. The Panel makes therapeutic recommendations for each patient and provides the patient and his/her family and/or friends with information about treatment options so that they can then make an informed decision regarding standard or investigational therapy. In addition to the publication in the Journal of Immunotherapy, the NCMC at St. Mary"s Medical Center in San Francisco has published reports in a number of other scientific Journals and has presented results of their studies at many major cancer and melanoma conferences. The NCMC has provided consultations to more than 5,000 melanoma patients and offers clinical trials for patients with all stages of melanoma. The NCMC also enjoys an international reputation as a Center of Excellence in melanoma treatment and patients travel to the Center from all over globe. To read the complete abstract and research on GM-CSF Sargramostim please visit: http://www.immunotherapy-journal.com About The Northern California Melanoma Center (NCMC) For more than 30 years Dr. Lynn Spitler and the Melanoma Consulting Panel made up of physicians and researchers have reviewed the cases of more than 5,000 melanoma patients from around the globe. The strength of The NCMC lies in the Panel who meet weekly to discuss each new patient and combine their expertise in making recommendations for patient care. The NCMC"s goal is to provide information about melanoma to patients, their families, and the medical community. http://www.melanomacenter.com/index.html Journal of Immunotherapy


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