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UCSF And Abbott Launch Viral Discovery Center At Mission Bay
The University of California, San Francisco, has partnered with Abbott, a global health care company, to launch a first-of-its kind, non-profit viral diagnostics center near the UCSF Mission Bay campus to help identify unknown viruses from around the world.

$33.9 Billion Spent Out-Of-Pocket On Complementary And Alternative Medicine By Americans
Americans spent $33.9 billion out-of-pocket on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) over the previous 12 months, according to a 2007 government survey1. CAM is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products such as herbal supplements, meditation, chiropractic, and acupuncture that are not generally considered to be part of conventional medicine. CAM accounts for approximately 1.5 percent of total health care expenditures ($2.2 trillion2) and 11.2 percent of total out-of-pocket expenditures (conventional out-of-pocket: $286.6 billion2 and CAM out-of-pocket: $33.9 billion1) on health care in the United States.
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HIV/AIDS Advocates React To Obama's Proposed Global Health Initiative
Some HIV/AIDS advocates have voiced disappointment with the level of HIV/AIDS funding in President Obama"s proposed $63 billion, six-year global health initiative, VOA News reports. According to VOA News, the advocates say that Obama has not met pledges he made as a presidential candidate, while other say that the "picture is more complicated." According to the Global AIDS Alliance, Obama previously pledged to dedicate $50 billion over five years to HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria, but has instead proposed $51 billion over six years. GAA Executive Director Paul Zeitz said this proposal translates into significantly less annual funding for PEPFAR (Kilner, VOA News, 5/19). Zeitz said, "President Obama has a moral obligation to demonstrate global leadership on behalf of the poorest and most marginalized people of the world, especially in Africa," adding, "But by turning his back on those needs, the president is betraying the trust of tens of millions of people" (Pflanz, Daily Telegraph, 5/18). Advocates estimate that the funding shortfall could result in about one million people going without HIV/AIDS treatment and about 2.9 million women going without treatment to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission. James Kamau, coordinator for the Kenya Treatment Action Movement, said that one effect of Obama"s proposal is that other donor countries could take similar actions, leading to additional cuts. "In Kenya here we say when the lead sheep limps then it does not get the others to the pastures," Kamau said, adding, "Now if [Obama] cuts back funding on the Global Fund, then the rest of the people will follow suit" (VOA News, 5/19). Some have welcomed Obama"s proposal, saying that it has expanded the focus of global health initiatives to include other health issues that can be treated at a low cost but have not received as much attention, VOA News reports. Obama"s proposal includes $12 billion for these additional areas of focus, including more emphasis on maternal health and health infrastructure, according to VOA News.According to VOA News, Obama"s proposal might be more than Congress is willing to allocate during the economic crisis. The current budget resolution under consideration by Congress would allocate $51 billion for foreign aid in FY 2010, almost $3 billion less than what Obama requested (VOA News, 5/18). African Government Spending on Health
Sexual Health

Boldly Going Where No Medical Response Has Gone Before

Triage technology comes with a Star Trek twist, at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security"s Science & Technology Directorate (DHS S&T). Determining who needs medical care at the scene of a disaster is still pretty old-fashioned: emergency responders bent over a victim, checking body temperature, heart rate, and muscle movement. Up close and personal, the entire process can take 3-5 minutes per person. "Human nature is to pay attention to those who are screaming and bleeding, but someone with a less obvious internal injury may be the real top priority," said Greg Price, Director of S&T"s Tech Solutions, whose office is managing a new DHS S&T project. "In the case of large-scale triage, it is not always the squeaky wheel that needs the grease," he says. In partnership with the Technical Support Working Group (TSWG), Boeing and Washington University"s School of Medicine in St. Louis, S&T"s Tech Solutions group is developing the Standoff Patient Triage Tool (SPTT), a device that classic Star Trek fans will recognize for its resemblance to the medical diagnostic tool known as the tricorder. Because time is the most precious re in a crisis, every second shaved can be a life-saver. With this in mind, S&T wants to make a revolutionary leap forward in triage. Why not 30 seconds per person? And why not from a distance? "We thought, "Wow, wouldn"t it be great if a responder, fully clothed in an emergency suit, could have a technology to take vital signs quickly from 5 to 40 feet away?"" said Price. Like the tricorder, SPTT takes key physiological readings necessary to any diagnosis - pulse, body temperature, and respiration. It"s triage at twenty paces. The magic behind SPTT is a technology known as Laser Doppler Vibrometry, which has been used in aircraft and automotive components, acoustic speakers, radar technology, and landmine detection. When connected to a camera, the vibrometer can measure the velocity and displacement of vibrating objects. An algorithm then converts those data points into measurements emergency medical responders can use in their rapid assessment of a patient"s critical medical conditions. With the help of Washington University, researchers have found that best place to capture strong readings vital signs is on the carotid artery, although strong signals have been obtained from the head, chest, abdomen, even a foot. Researchers are also testing whether readings could be taken when someone is lying in an awkward position, or wearing multiple layers of clothing. So far, the results are encouraging. Despite its promise, the SPTT is not quite as a sophisticated as StarTrek"s tricorder, which was able to comprehensively diagnose obscure diseases. The standoff patient triage tool is a quantum leap forward for medical response, but science fiction remains on the big screen for the moment. The goal is to develop a handheld unit about the size of a legal notebook and as a thick as a ream of paper. Achieving this will require hardening of the unit, and further testing of optical stabilization technology to make sure the unit can function despite a responder"s arm and hand movements. Transition and commercialization could occur sometime mid to late 2010. The final frontier for the SPTT, of course, is the first responders themselves. S&T"s Tech Solutions wants to put working prototypes in the hands of medical teams this fall for extensive field tests. From there, everyone is hoping for warp speed ahead. John Verrico US Department of Homeland Security - Science and Technology


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