Diagnostics
Building on its widely distributed multiplex PCR technology platform, Seegene is now providing healthcare systems worldwide with a powerful diagnostic test for effective identification of the new influenza A virus (swine H1N1).
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation last week filed a petition in Los Angeles County Superior Court asking "the court to order the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to enforce regulations that require condom use in adult-film production or take other reasonable steps to stem the spread of disease," the Los Angeles Times reports (Yoshino, 7/17). In the petition, "the group claims that in the month since an actress tested positive for HIV, the county Department of Public Health has done little to address what it considers to be a serious health threat" (AP/San Jose Mercury News, 7/16). In a statement released last week, the department, said, "The county continues to strongly support state legislation and the regulatory role of the [California Division of Occupational Safety and Health] as the most appropriate means to regulate the practices in the adult-film industry that expose performers to unnecessary and preventable occupational risks of acquiring and transmitting these diseases," adding, "The department does not believe that litigation is the best means to deal with this issue" (Yoshino, 7/17).
"The first clinical trial of an HIV/AIDS vaccine designed and developed in South Africa was launched in Cape Town" Monday, the SAPA/The Times reports. The trial will seek to determine the immune response of HIV-negative people to two experimental vaccines - SAAVI DNA-C2 and SAAVI MVA-C (7/20). Similar tests of the vaccine began in the U.S. earlier this year, the AP/Washington Post reports. According to Anthony Mbewu, president of South Africa"s government-supported Medical Research Council, the vaccine was designed at the University of Cape Town with technical help from the NIH, which also manufactured the vaccine (Faul, 7/20). Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, called the partnership between South Africa and the U.S. "the most important AIDS research partnership in the world," but cautioned the years ahead would prove challenging as researchers test the safety and efficacy of the HIV vaccine, the AP/Google.com reports (Faul, 7/20).
David Moher, from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute; University of
A community-based Cancer Council advocacy campaign has motivated 10,000 Australians to call for expansion of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, amid new research showing 93 per cent of bowel cancer patients can survive if diagnosed early.
The British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) and the General Optical Council (GOC) are today urging Britain"s 3.5 million contact lens wearers not to endanger their eye health and comfort during the recession through risky contact lens practices.
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy"s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a fast and efficient way to determine the structure of proteins, shortening a process that often takes years into a matter of days.
The former Ghanaian president, John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor, has
A.P. Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq:APPA), a specialty pharmaceutical company, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the New Drug Application (NDA) for APF530 for the potential treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). APF530 is a long-acting formulation of granisetron that utilizes the Company"s proprietary Biochronomer™ drug delivery system. Based on the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), the FDA has issued an action date of March 18, 2010.
Saliva sample testing is fast becoming the diagnostic data collector of choice in a variety of medical testing. Over the past two years, American scientists are turning more to the accuracy of results in saliva sample tests, more than traditional blood and urine tests. Ovu-Trac® is at the leading edge of this scientific knowledge with its ovulation test and predictor kit. These fertility test kits can help women who are trying to conceive a child determine when they are ovulating.
Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PARD), a biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative oncology therapies, announced results from a Phase 1 cardiac safety study of picoplatin, a new generation platinum-based chemotherapy agent and the Company"s lead product candidate. The Company worked collaboratively with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to design this study, which is required for new chemical entities.
Improving communications skills and the use of a simple blood test could help cut the growing
In a speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Gail McGovern, President and CEO of the American Red Cross, described the challenges of running a nonprofit in the recession but also pointed to success in cutting the organization"s deficit by 75 percent and surpassing its goal of raising 100 million in nine months.
Two large US studies published in a leading journal this month support the already substantial body of evidence that shows choosing to follow a
The Obama administration recently laid out "a clear but narrow pathway" toward asylum for foreign women who have experienced severe physical or sexual abuse, a New York Times editorial states, noting that the U.S. government has debated the issue for 15 years. According to the editorial, the "question is not the fact of persecution, but whether the women would qualify for protection under the law, which limits asylum to those who suffer due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or "membership in a particular social group."" It adds that attorneys general under former Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush "have gone both ways and in circles" in their decisions.Although "[n]ot all victims will qualify," the Obama administration "made it clear that some could," the editorial states. "A petitioner would have to demonstrate to a judge that domestic violence was widely tolerated by society and government in her country, that women were viewed as subordinate to men and that she had no place within its borders to find a safe haven," the editorial adds.Department of Homeland Security lawyers say the new definition could apply to a severely abused Mexican woman, identified only by her initials, whose asylum petition is before a San Francisco immigration court. The editorial notes that DHS "did not immediately recommend asylum" for the woman, but "it did urge that she be allowed to continue to gather evidence and to refine her case according to the standards it proposed." The editorial concludes, "Advocates who have fought for years to advance women"s rights are celebrating the department"s action, which brings reasoned compassion, and an overdue dose of clarity, to an issue of anguish and difficulty" (New York Times, 7/19).
"The ad wars over the health care campaign are heating up once [again] this week," The New York Times reports. At a speech on Monday, Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, released a party television ad "which its spokeswoman says will first be broadcast in Arkansas, North Dakota and Nevada." The ad "opens with a tiny infant, and spools out with a narrator"s voice saying: "They"ve loaned Barack Obama their future, without even knowing it. Trillions for rushed government bailouts and takeovers, banks, the auto industry." And then it continues, as children appear on the screen: "The biggest spending spree in our nation"s in history. And they"ll have to pay. The next big ticket item? A risky experiment with our health care. Barack Obama"s massive spending experiment hasn"t healed our economy. His new experiment risks their future and our health.""
Cells rely on tiny molecular motors to deliver cargo, such as mRNA and organelles, within the cell. The critical nature of this transport system is evidenced by the fact that disruption of motors by genetic defects leads to fatal diseases in humans. Although investigators have isolated these motor to study their function in a controlled environment outside the cell, it has been difficult for researchers to follow these fascinating molecular transporters in their natural environment, the living cell.
Commenting on the final biennial report from the Mental Health Act Commission released by the Care Quality Commission, Mental Health Network director Steve Shrubb said:
An initiative from the Government"s National Dementia Strategy, the summit will examine research into cause, cure and care, highlighting gaps in knowledge and new opportunities for the future. A report will then be produced to help shape the future dementia research agenda.
The largest clinical trial of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) for people with HIV infection ever run in Africa has found that regular laboratory tests offer little additional clinical benefit to populations when compared to careful clinical monitoring.
In the new issue of the Developmental Cell journal, a team of scientists at Singapore"s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill, report research findings about the molecular mechanisms behind the aging process, which has up till now been poorly understood, that offer the possibility that a novel, pharmacological approach could be developed to combat age-related disorders.
Long Beach PET Imaging Center, a leading diagnostic imaging center in the Long Beach, Calif.-area, announced it has relocated to a new, expanded facility at 2708 East Willow, Signal Hill, CA 90755, 562-427-0714, adjacent to Liberty Pacific Medical Imaging. The relocation is expected to be completed in August 2009. During the relocation process, all services including PET/CT and CT will remain in full operation without any interruption.
Schizophrenia is a severely debilitating psychiatric disease that is thought to have its roots in the development of the nervous system; however, major breakthroughs linking its genetics to diagnosis, prognosis and treatment are still unrealized. Jill Morris, PhD assistant professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University"s Feinberg School of Medicine and a researcher in the Human Molecular Genetics Program of Children"s Memorial Research Center studies a gene that is involved in susceptibility to schizophrenia, Disc1 (Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia 1). Two recent publications by Morris and colleagues focus on the role of Disc1 in development, particularly the migration of cells to their proper location in the brain and subsequent differentiation into their intended fate. During development, cells need to properly migrate to their final destination in order to develop into the appropriate cell-type, integrate into the corresponding network of cells and function properly. Disruption of cell migration can lead to inappropriate cell development and function, resulting in disease.
Foresight Biotherapeutics, Inc. announced completion of a multi-center open-label pilot study of FST100 in the treatment of viral conjunctivitis. FST-100 is a novel formulation of dexamethasone that includes povidone iodine. The trial studied patients with clinical signs and symptoms of acute conjunctivitis who tested positive for adenoviral antigen by the RPS Adeno Detector® (RPS). Patients were enrolled in a single arm utilizing FST-100 topical ophthalmic suspension given 4 times daily for 5 days. The RPS Adeno Detector® test was performed at baseline and at each visit along with conjunctival swabs for adenoviral titers by quantitative PCR (qPCR) and cell culture with confirmatory immunoflourescence (CC-IFA). The primary endpoint of the study was clinical resolution of conjunctival injection and conjunctival discharge. These signs were scored on a scale from zero to three. Secondary endpoints included reduction of viral titers measured by qPCR and eradication of infectious virus determined by CC-IFA.
Scientists at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) have published new findings about a cause of a condition at the root of genetic disorders such as Down Syndrome, pregnancy loss and infertility.
As the ESC Congress 2009 draws ever closer, the evidence in favour of a healthy lifestyle for the prevention of cardiovascular disease grows ever stronger. Prevention is the highlight theme of this year"s event, which will take place in Barcelona from 29 August to 2 September. Lifestyle factors are heavily on the agenda.
Research conducted in New York City found that children exposed to urban air pollution before birth were more likely to have a lower IQ than
A paper in this week"s Lancet raises questions about the transparency, accountability and governance of the Gates Foundation (GF). This Health Policy paper is written by Dr David McCoy, Centre for International Development, UCL (University College London), UK, and colleagues. An Editorial and Comment accompany the piece.
Men who exercised regularly, drank moderately, did not smoke, who were not overweight and had a diet that included cereal and fruits and vegetables had a lower lifetime risk of heart failure, according to a study in the July 22/29 issue of JAMA.
The nation"s major safety net health plans today announced their endorsement of the health care reform legislation now moving through the U.S. House of Representatives. In a letter to congressional leaders, the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) said the bill "will expand coverage to more Americans, protect the interests of low-income and medically needy people, and preserve vital safety net programs."
EHE International recently announced the findings of a study indicating that elevated PSA levels, often associated with prostate cancer, are potentially harder to detect in men who are obese or experiencing weight gain. Prostate specific antigens (PSAs) are proteins produced by the cells of the prostate gland and because elevated levels may be indicative of prostate cancer, PSAs are regularly measured in annual physicals. PSA velocity is a measure of how fast PSA levels are changing in a man through time, and a high PSA velocity is an important indicator of prostate cancer risk. The study describes how obesity and increases in Body Mass Index (BMI) make PSA velocity scores appear lower than they really are, thereby potentially obscuring clinically relevant changes in circulating PSA.
Researchers from Cincinnati Children"s Hospital Medical Center have discovered that a specific gene - Sox17 - plays an important role in directing cells to become part of the pancreas or part of the bile duct (used in the digestion of food).
Cardica, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRDC) announced that the full results of the PAS-Port system multi-center pivotal trial, known as the EPIC trial, were published in the July issue of the peer-reviewed publication The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. The PAS-Port system, which received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2008, creates a secure connection, or anastomosis, between a vein graft and the aorta, the main artery in the human body, during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures.
Updates on the impact of sexually transmitted diseases, infection risk from animals in the home and public settings, seasonal and H1N1 influenza, and foodborne diseases were presented today at a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The news conference was sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID).
The American Cancer Society estimates 192,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year with more than 40,000 individuals dying from the disease. In New Jersey alone 6,400 new cases are expected with 1,400 deaths. In an effort to combat such statistics, researchers at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) have opened a clinical trial, which will evaluate a new drug combination for patients with breast cancer who are set to undergo surgery to remove the tumor. At focus is the process of stopping angiogenesis (blood vessel growth), which is necessary for cancer tumors to grow and spread. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
Radiotherapy is also known as radiation therapy, radiation oncology and XRT. It is used for treating cancer, thyroid disorders and some blood disorders. Approximately 40% of cancer patients undergo some kind of radiotherapy. It involves the use of beams of high-energy X-rays or particles (radiation) to destroy cancer cells. Radiotherapy works by damaging the DNA inside the tumor cells, destroying their ability to reproduce.
Commenting on the tragic death of 22-year-old Gary Reinbach, who died as a result of binge drinking since the age of 13, Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said:
Work on the House health care reform bill is slowing as Rep. Henry Waxman of California and fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats have come to an agreement on Medicare payments, The New York Times reports.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that a laboratory analysis of electronic cigarette samples has found that they contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals such as diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze.
Talk about health care reform efforts has focused largely on all that is wrong with the current system. In contrast, an event Tuesday in Washington, D.C., examined best practices in ten top performing communities where they spend less and have better quality of care.
Despite increasing danger posed by "al Qaeda-linked militants," U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said Tuesday U.N. aid workers "were not backing away" from the country, Reuters reports. "Intense fighting is making it increasingly difficult to deliver aid in the Horn of Africa country, where U.N. agencies are trying to combat cholera outbreaks and maintain food supplies to 3.5 million hungry people," the news service writes (Nebehay, 7/21).
Nothing could be easier than walking out the door, right? According to a new University of Illinois journal article, an abused woman actually goes through a five-step process of leaving that can be complicated at every stage by boundary ambiguity.
Cancer stem-like cells have been implicated in the genesis of a variety of malignant cancers. Research scientists at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center"s Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute have isolated stem-like cells in benign (pituitary) tumors and used these "mother" cells to generate new tumors in laboratory mice. Targeting the cells of origin is seen as a possible strategy in the fight against malignant and benign tumors.
CareFusion Corporation, the company that will become publicly traded following the planned spinoff of the clinical and medical products businesses of Cardinal Health, announced it has expanded its Pyxis® perioperative offerings that integrate with leading operating room information systems (ORIS), incorporate radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology1 and include new services.
Consumers usually find out pretty quickly if the meat they"re planning to throw on the grill has been recalled.
Scientists in a network of medical research institutions across the United States are set to begin a series of clinical trials to gather critical data about influenza vaccines, including two candidate H1N1 flu vaccines. The research will be under the direction of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Stephania Cormier, PhD, Associate Professor of Pharmacology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has shown for the first time that early exposure to environmentally persistent free radicals (present in airborne ultrafine particulate matter) affects long-term lung function. She recently presented her latest research data at the 11th International Congress on Combustion By-Products and Their Health Effects at the Environmental Protection Agency Conference Center in Research Triangle Park, N.C.
A research consortium based at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has been awarded $15 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to investigate how the hepatitis C virus (HCV) resists suppression and clearance by the immune system. The five-year grant will support a Cooperative Center for Translational Research in Human Immunology, which also will focus on how some individuals successfully recover from HCV while the infection becomes chronic in most of those infected, with a special emphasis on immunological events in the liver as the site of HCV replication.
The recent H1N1 flu outbreak served as a genuine test of our national public health system"s ability to respond to an emerging public health threat and experts are cautioning that a more severe outbreak could occur in the fall of 2009. Leaders from some of the nation"s foremost public health and medical associations will conduct a briefing for staff members from House and Senate offices on Thursday, May 21, 2009. Speakers will focus on the status of the current public health workforce and efforts needed to sustain workforce capacity to respond to emerging infectious diseases.
A team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) physicians has developed a new general anesthetic that may be safer for critically ill patients. In the August issue of Anesthesiology, they describe preclinical studies of the drug called MOC-etomidate - a chemically altered version of an exiting anesthetic - which does not cause the sudden drop in blood pressure seen with most anesthetics or prolonged suppression of adrenal gland activity, a problem with the original version of the drug.
Health Minister Edwina Hart is reminding people that Wales will not be part of the National Pandemic Flu Service (NPHS) when it goes live in England.
Ten years ago, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) sounded the alarm about the widespread toll of medical errors in a groundbreaking report call "To Err is Human." The report prompted a rush of congressional hearings and promises of reform. But in the decade since the report was published, little progress has been made implementing key reforms recommended by the IOM to improve patient safety, according to Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports.
Diarrhea is the frequent passing of loose or watery stools. Acute diarrhea, which is a common cause of death in developing countries, appears rapidly and may last from five to ten days. Chronic diarrhea lasts much longer and is the second cause of childhood death in the developing world. Diarrhea is sometimes accompanied by abdominal cramps or fever. It may be caused by infection, allergy, or could be a sign of a serious disorder, such as IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), or Crohn"s disease.
The cost of insuring a family of four with an employer-sponsored health plan in the United States averaged $12,298 in 2008, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Human cells are able to secrete a cancer-killing protein, scientists at the University of Kentucky"s Markey Cancer Center have found.
Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new use for its osteoporosis drug FORTEO((R)) [teriparatide (rDNA origin) injection] to treat osteoporosis associated with sustained, systemic glucocorticoid therapy in men and women at high risk of fracture. Glucocorticoid therapy is the most common cause of secondary osteoporosis, leading to bone loss and an increased risk for fracture.(1)
AlphaRx, Inc. (OTCBB: ALRX) announced positive preclinical results which demonstrated that an inhaled tobramycin nanoparticle (Zysolin(TM)) formulation was a more effective treatment in animal models of acute Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia when compared to inhaled and injected conventional tobramycin solutions. The data was presented recently in an oral podium session at the 36th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the Controlled Release Society in Copenhagen, Denmark.
A recent Yankelovich survey unveiled that although a large majority of women know there are simple steps they can take to support breast health, few women are taking the necessary actions. What"s more, 80 percent of the women surveyed have been personally affected by breast cancer or know someone who has been. To address this issue, One A Day Women"s Multivitamins is encouraging women to join a virtual march against breast cancer through the One A Day Women"s Take A Stand Campaign.
Coal dust exposure is directly linked to severity of emphysema in smokers and nonsmokers alike, according to new research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
A small study published in this week"s Veterinary Record reports that veterinarians do not receive adequate training in order to deal with the growing "customer care" expectations of dog-owners.
Reps. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) on Thursday will be joined by leaders of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and NARAL Pro-Choice America in announcing the latest version of a bill that aims to reduce the need for abortion by preventing unintended pregnancies, among other measures, Time reports (Sullivan, Time, 7/23). Ryan and DeLauro first introduced a version of the bill in 2006 (Crary, AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 7/22). However, this version "represents a dramatic break from nearly four decades" of political debate since Roe v. Wade, as both conservative antiabortion-rights groups and abortion-rights advocates have expressed support, according to Time (Time, 7/23).The bill would increase support for comprehensive sex education programs, improve access to contraception, expand Medicaid family planning coverage, increase programs for pregnant or parenting college students, and expand adoption assistance. The Congressional Budget Office has not yet conducted a cost-analysis of the bill, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 7/22). In developing the bill, Ryan sought the help of Rachel Laser, director of culture programs at the policy and strategy think-tank Third Way. According to Time, Laser worked with advocates on both sides and modified the bill to help gather their support, while preventing the measure from becoming "uselessly watered down or split into two."DeLauro noted, "We had to reach a level of trust" with people on both sides and allow them time to become more receptive to the bill"s goals, adding, "Because so often this issue has been one about which there was nothing other than trying to score political points." DeLauro said she hopes the Obama administration will look to the bill for guidance as it crafts its strategy for reducing the need for abortion and preventing unintended pregnancies. President Obama is expected to make an announcement about the plan next month, according to Time (Time, 7/23).DeLauro and Ryan also noted that Rahm Emanuel, Obama"s chief of staff, endorsed an earlier version of the bill when he served in the House, which they hope could mean that Obama would support their measure. DeLauro said, "This is a bill that seems to mesh with the president"s interests," adding, "I see no reason why the White House could not endorse it."Joshua DuBois, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, said the administration is still reviewing the information it has gathered in recent meetings with representatives on both sides of the abortion debate.Laurie Rubiner, director of Planned Parenthood"s Washington, D.C., office, said "This isn"t a radical bill," adding, "It only seems radical because it"s been so long that we could have a constructive conversation ... with both pro-choice and anti-choice groups around the table."The Rev. Joel Hunter -- an antiabortion-rights evangelical pastor in Orlando, Fla., who serves on the White House Faith-Based Advisory Council -- called the bill "a landmark bill for the culture wars -- a prototype for how we can approach things in the future." He said the bill"s strengths were in its appeals to both liberal and conservative beliefs, adding, "When you realize you need someone who"s been an adversary to help you advance your own projects, that"s a big deal" (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 7/22).
Pregnant women who quit smoking during the first trimester and women who never smoked during pregnancy have a similar risk of delivering preterm or very small infants, according to a study published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reuters reports. Premature delivery and stunted infant growth are the most well-documented side effects of smoking during pregnancy, and the risks increase for older women, according to study author Laura Polakowski of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and colleagues. For the study, the researchers analyzed 915,441 birth certificates for infants born in 2005 in 11 states that include information on whether the woman smoked during pregnancy.The study found that 10% of women who smoked for the entire pregnancy gave birth to "preterm but not too small for gestational age" infants, compared with 8% of women who quit during the first trimester. Fifteen percent of women who smoked the entire pregnancy gave birth to full-term infants who were small for their gestational age, while 2% gave birth to premature infants who were small for gestational age. Among women who quit smoking during the first trimester, these outcomes occurred 9% and 1% of the time, respectively.After adjusting for the women"s age, previous preterm births and other factors, the researchers found that women who quit smoking in the first trimester reduced their risk of giving birth to a preterm, normal-size infant by 31%. The risk of delivering a full-term, unusually small infant was cut by 55% and the risk for delivering a preterm, unusually small infant was reduced by 53%. The risks were also reduced for women who quit smoking during their second trimester, although less significantly. The researchers found that the risk reduction was particularly high for older women -- especially those older than age 40 -- who quit smoking during the first trimester. According to the study, the results indicate that the risk of delivering a preterm or small-for-gestational-age infant for pregnant women who quit smoking during the first trimester is "comparable to those who never smoke during pregnancy" (Reuters, 7/21).
As healthcare reform becomes an increasing national priority, the American Psychological Association (APA) and YMCA of the USA announced a partnership that provides strategies to help families improve their overall well-being and physical health, and advocates for a comprehensive healthcare system that has a strong approach to chronic disease prevention. The partnership will specifically address the impact individual behaviors such as eating healthy and increasing physical activity can have in reducing risk factors for chronic diseases.
Patients with moderate COPD were randomized to receive "usual care" or to undergo an interdisciplinary, community-based program (INTERCOM) that offered an intensive lifestyle moderation phase of four months, during which patients were instructed in detail to perform two 15-minute intervals of pleasurable walking or cycling, and offered instruction in other lifestyle changes such as nutrition and smoking cessation. After the four-month introductory period, there was a less intensive 20-month maintenance during which patients were offered guidance but not intensive intervention.
The routine call and review of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) records will begin
A new survey suggests that "most Americans support an overhaul of the health system, but the percentage who believe they (and their family) will be worse off from the change" has gone from 11 percent to 21 percent in the past five months, Kaiser Health News reports. "The survey, conducted July 7 to July 14 by the Kaiser Family Foundation, found 56 percent of Americans say now is the time for the country to overhaul the health system. That"s down from 61 percent in June." (note: KHN is a program of Kaiser Family Foundation).
A protein from algae may have what it takes to stop Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) infections, according to new research. A recent study has found that mice treated with the protein, Griffithsin (GRFT), had a 100 percent survival rate after exposure to the SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV), as compared to a 30 percent survival for untreated mice.
The administration"s negotiations with the health industry date back to first weeks after President Obama"s inauguration, according to newly released visitor logs that show numerous visits by health industry lobbyists and executives to the White House, the Associated Press/Boston Globe reports. Richard Umbdenstock, the president of the American Hospital Association, visited on Feb. 4 and Angela Braly, an executive at insurer WellPoint visited on Feb. 13.
Congress is starting to tackle long-term care through a measure for a national long-term insurance program, according to the New York Times The New Old Age blog.
A shortage of doctors and nurses could damage health care reform. Analysis finds that more incentives are needed for primary care doctors and that most medical graduates choose better paid specialties. Meanwhile, a nurse temp agency forms in Texas to address the shortages there.
Ovulation is one part of the female menstrual cycle whereby a mature ovarian follicle (part of the ovary) discharges an egg (also known as an ovum, oocyte, or female gamete). It is during this process that the egg travels down the fallopian tube where it may be met by a sperm and become fertilized.
"A typhoid vaccine proved effective in the slums of India, where it not only helped prevent infection in children who received it, but also those in close contact who were unvaccinated," according to a New England Journal of Medicine study published on Thursday, the AP/Washington Post reports (Chang, 7/22).
The Alabama Department of Corrections has expanded to all inmates a re-entry program that provides newly released inmates with HIV/AIDS "with information on obtaining licenses [and] other documents and preparing for returning to life outside prison," the AP/USA Today/Montgomery Advertiser reports (Hunter, 7/22). "In the past, prisoners at the end of their sentences were sent back into the free world with minimal assistance, not the in-depth services the inmates with HIV and AIDS had received," according to AP/WZTV.com. The expanded Alabama Prison Initiative will allow all inmates to enroll in classes that provide them with "practical tips" and guidance "that will hopefully help keep them from returning," the AP/WZTV.com reports (7/22). AIDS Alabama CEO Kathie Hiers said, "We"ve seen it help so much in the HIV community. They"re smart to take a good program and expand it" (Hunter, 7/22).
News reports last week about scuba divers off San Diego being menaced by large numbers of Humboldt"s or jumbo squid have raised the ire of University of Rhode Island biologist Brad Seibel. As a leading expert on the species who has dived with them several times, he calls the reports "alarmist" and says the squid"s man-eating reputation is seriously overblown.
A study conducted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) finds that different interpretations of the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule can result in significant delays or abandonment of important clinical cancer research projects. The study also outlines measures that research sites can undertake to resolve these differences and speed the pace of research. The study results were published online today by the Journal of Clinical Oncology in an ASCO special article, "The Impact of the Privacy Rule on Cancer Research: Variations in Attitudes and Application of Regulatory Standards".
Researchers at The University of Nottingham are hoping to find out if inflammation of the knee could be an early sign of osteoarthritis - a condition which leads to pain, stiffness, swelling and disability.
Two papers published on bmj.com today raise serious concerns over the methods used to put a value on the benefits of different treatments in order to set healthcare priorities.
Using high-speed cinematography, scientists at Cambridge University have discovered that individual algal cells can regulate the beating of their flagella in and out of synchrony in a manner that controls their swimming trajectories. Their research was published on the 24th July in the journal Science.
People with potentially "stigmatizing" medical conditions are just as likely as those with less stigmatizing illnesses to allow their personal information to be used for health research. A new study, published in the open access journal BMC Medical Ethics, found that the purpose of the research and the type of information to be collected were more important in determining patients" consent choices. In particular, they were very wary of allowing their personal information to be put to commercial use.
Gangrene occurs when tissue dies (necrosis) because its blood supply is interrupted. Gangrene may be caused by an infection, injury, or a complication of a long-term condition that restricts blood circulation. It most commonly occurs in the extremities - the toes, fingers, arms and legs - but internal organs and muscles may also become gangrenous. There are five main types of gangrene: 1. Dry gangrene. 2. Wet gangrene. 3. Gas gangrene. 4. Internal gangrene. 5. Fournier"s gangrene.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:REGN) announced that the first patient has been enrolled in the Phase 3 program of VEGF Trap-Eye for the treatment of central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), a leading cause of blindness in adults. Regeneron received a $20 million milestone payment from Bayer Healthcare that was triggered by the dosing of the first patient in the CRVO program. Regeneron also announced that enrollment in the Phase 2 DA VINCI study of VEGF Trap-Eye in diabetic macular edema (DME) has been completed and data are expected during the first half of 2010.
Nearly 40 years after the Supreme Court"s decision in Roe v. Wade, the "incendiary debate over abortion rights endures" and continues to manifest itself in a number of ways, USA Today reports. According to a recent USA Today/Gallup Poll, 78% of U.S. residents want abortion to be legal under at least some circumstances, with 21% saying it should be legal under any circumstance. According to the poll, 18% of respondents said that they want abortion always to be illegal. The poll also found that 46% of U.S. residents self-identify as "pro-choice," while 47% self-identify as "pro-life."Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said, "The enduring divide represents the reality that there are fundamental religious differences on the issue of abortion that do not exist on, say, campaign finance or even on health care." Americans United for Life President Charmaine Yoest said that abortion-rights opponents are mobilizing to urge congressional lawmakers to exclude abortion coverage and funding from any federal health reform legislation.During the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, the judge said that she does not believe previous court rulings on abortion rights have ended the national controversy surrounding the issue. According to USA Today, Sotomayor, who has never ruled on the issue, declined to reveal her personal position on abortion rights. Several antiabortion-rights advocates also protested during Sotomayor"s hearings (Biskupic, USA Today, 7/24).In addition, the Center for Reproductive Rights this week released a report that found physicians and employees of health care clinics providing abortion services in six states -- Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Texas -- face an increasing level of harassment and death threats. The report was based on a four-month investigation (AP/Houston Chronicle, 7/23). The report was tied to the murder of Kansas abortion provider George Tiller (USA Today, 7/24). Operation Save America Director the Rev. Flip Benham, whose group is mentioned in the report, said the center is trying to limit the free-speech rights of abortion-rights opponents (AP/Houston Chronicle, 7/23).
Two leaflets from Britain"s National Health Service have provoked controversy over government messages on sexuality among teenagers and the elderly, the Washington Post reports. According to the Post, the leaflet for teens, titled "Pleasure," says that daily sex "keeps the doctor away." It also states, "Health promotion experts advocate five portions of fruit and [vegetables] a day and 30 minutes physical activity three times a week." It suggests that some form of sexual activity "twice a week" could have health benefits as well. The leaflet was issued by NHS in Sheffield, England, and is available to parents, youth workers and teachers nationwide. The leaflet for the elderly says that it is "never too late to experiment" sexually and offers information on dating services and contraception. The leaflet is available online, and 2,000 copies have been distributed to doctors" offices, health centers and libraries.Britain has the highest teen pregnancy rate in Western Europe, and the government has prioritized prevention-related policy measures by spending millions of dollars on awareness and contraception campaigns, the Post reports. The country also plans to make sex education mandatory in all public schools starting in 2010.After the teen leaflet appeared, "dismayed parents lit up message boards," and some educators argued that it "encouraged promiscuity," the Post reports. However, others said the leaflets are a welcome departure from traditional forms of sex education that focus on biology and disease prevention, rather than personal relationships. Hilary Pannack, CEO of the teen pregnancy not-for-profit Straight Talking, said that talking with teens about sexual pleasure "should be done with extreme caution" but that, in general, the leaflet is a "big turnaround for Britain." She added, "British people are very, very embarrassed talking to kids about sex."Steve Slack, the director of NHS" Center for HIV and Sexual Health in Sheffield and a co-author of the leaflet, said one of the objectives was to encourage teens to delay intercourse until they are ready and feel that they will enjoy it. He added that some of the leaflet"s ideas were inspired by the Netherlands, a country that is frequently referenced in British sex education debates because of its liberal attitudes toward discussing sex and its low teen pregnancy rates (Adam, Washington Post, 7/23).
"House Democrats spent another day Thursday negotiating their health reform overhaul with few concrete signs of progress, heightening tensions and raising the possibility that leaders might bypass the House Energy and Commerce Committee and send the bill straight to the floor," CongressDailyAM reports. "The seven Blue Dog Coalition members on the panel emerged from a three-hour meeting with leaders and White House officials Thursday afternoon with little to say" (Hunt and House, 7/24).
President Obama rallied support for health care at a town hall meeting in Shaker Heights, Ohio, on Thursday, despite news of a legislative delay in the Senate.
Various news outlets examined the powerful roles members of the Obama administration are taking in the health care debate.
NPR reports on one of the most powerful players in health care: the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA. In addition to spending $40 million, PhRMA alone has 29 people lobbying for it and has "hired 45 different Washington, D.C., lobbying firms to represent it in those three months of the second quarter."
The U.N. Development Program (UNDP) will help fund a three-year program in response to the increase in HIV/AIDS cases in the Philippines, the Manila Bulletin reports. The program aims to help the country combat the spread of the disease and reach the related U.N. Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets. "The program has five components that aim to develop intervention packages, especially among vulnerable and at-risk groups in rural areas," writes the Manila Bulletin (Sabater, 7/23).
Lancet Commends U.K. All-Parliamentary Group on AIDS Call For HIV Drug Patent Pool
In a study released online on July 22 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences, researchers at Arizona State University and Princeton University show that ants can accomplish a task more rationally than our - multimodal, egg-headed, tool-using, bipedal, opposing-thumbed - selves.
In response to the release of recommendations from the National Health and Hospital Reform Commission the Australian Nursing Federation welcomed the focus on primary health care and the development of Comprehensive Primary Health Care Centers.
The Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney TD, welcomed the publication of the report of the independent audit of retained organs in the State by Michaela Willis.
Elekta (STO:EKTAB) has received FDA 510(k) clearance for the VMAT (Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy) enhancement to Monaco®, treatment planning solution.
On Monday, the Health Ministries of Israel and Saudi Arabia reported their countries" first deaths from H1N1 swine influenza.
What if the quality of cancer care could be assessed and improved in "real clinical time" instead of waiting the typical two years it takes for clinical data to be analyzed and changes implemented? That is an opportunity The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) Network of hospitals is exploring this summer, as it takes the lead in a national initiative to improve data collection on cancer treatment and create a new quality assessment system that can be utilized by health providers across the country. The CINJ Network of hospitals represents nearly a quarter of the 60 beta test sites from across the country that have been invited to help steer the effort. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced global resolution of all outstanding intellectual property litigation with Abbott Laboratories.
Quark Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a development-stage pharmaceutical company discovering and developing novel RNA interference (RNAi)-based therapeutics, announced data suggesting that QPI-1007 prevents progressive retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss in an increased ocular pressure (IOP) rat model of glaucoma. The experiments performed by Prof. Adriana Di Polo of the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Universite de Montreal, indicate that QPI-1007 has the potential to treat patients with glaucoma. QPI-1007 is being evaluated in advanced IND-enabling preclinical studies as a neuroprotective agent for eye diseases.
A common food additive that gives M&Ms and Gatorade their blue tint may offer promise for preventing the additional and serious secondary damage that immediately follows a traumatic injury to the spinal cord. In an article published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers report that the compound Brilliant Blue G (BBG) stops the cascade of molecular events that cause secondary damage to the spinal cord in the hours following a spinal cord injury, an injury known to expand the injured area in the spinal cord and permanently worsen the paralysis for patients.
Hope is fading in the House on voting on reform before the August recess as Democrats bicker over details, Roll Call reports: "Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told reporters Friday that Democratic leaders may push off the health care bill until September if they can"t get it finished within the next two weeks."
Congressional Republicans are releasing two health care reform proposals -- one from conservatives and one from moderates -- as alternatives to plans by Democrats, CQ Today reports (Wayne, CQ Today, 5/19). Conservative Plan
In Chicago, 17.4 percent of gay men are estimated to be HIV-positive, compared with 1.2 percent of the general male population, according to a new report by the Chicago Public Health Department, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The report is based on data collected from 570 Chicago men through the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance system, and found that half of the men with HIV were unaware they were infected (Thomas, 7/25). "Health officials said Friday, information in the report on HIV infection mark the first time Chicago health officials have used blood-testing to determine infection rates among men," the AP/Chicago Tribune reports. In the past, estimates have relied on interviews with gay and bisexual men, according to Christopher Brown, the Public Health Department assistant commissioner. The report also found that "black men who have sex with other men have double the HIV infection rates of white and Hispanic men," the AP/Tribune reports (7/24).
Dr Gedis Grudzinskas the UK-based fertility expert issued the following statement in response to the statement by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority:
Overconsumption of fatty, sugary foods leads to changes in brain receptors, according to new animal research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The new research results are being presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB), July 28 - August 1, 2009, the foremost society for research into all aspects of eating and drinking behavior. The results have implications for understanding bulimia and other binge eating disorders.
A model of influenza transmission and treatment suggests that, if the current swine flu pandemic behaves like the 1918 flu, antiviral treatment should be reserved for the young. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Infectious Diseases found that, in this situation, providing the elderly with antiviral drugs would not significantly reduce mortality, and may lead to an increase in resistance.
Government health officials from 13 African countries today launched the first-ever push for accreditation of the continent"s medical laboratories, starting a process that the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Government believe will be an historic step to strengthen health systems and lead to better care for patients.
Summaries of several developments related to health care reform appear below.
Doctors are being reminded that assisting a suicide is illegal in England and Wales and that they should not give advice to patients to help them travel abroad to take their own lives.
A team of astronomers has discovered a group of rare galaxies called the "Green Peas" with the help of citizen scientists working through an online project called Galaxy Zoo. The finding could lend unique insights into how galaxies form stars in the early universe.
The International Swine Flu Conference will occur in Washington, DC on August 19-20 to be followed by all day hands-on workshops. New Fields officials announced today. The event will be held at the Hyatt Regency Washington DC on Capitol Hill, August 19-20 and the workshop on the 21st.