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Study Estimates Medical Cost Of Obesity May Be As High As $147 Billion Annually
The health cost of obesity in the United States is as high as $147 billion annually, based on a new study from Research Triangle Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study, which appears online today in the journal Health Affairs, was released at CDC"s Weight of the Nation conference in Washington, D.C.

Lobbying Draws On Ranks Of Former Government Officials, Health Industry Coffers
"The nation"s largest insurers, hospitals and medical groups have hired more than 350 former government staff members and retired members of Congress in hopes of influencing their old bosses and colleagues, according to an analysis of lobbying disclosures and other records," the Washington Post reports. The Post"s analysis of lobbying disclosure records shows that three-quarters of major health firms have hired an insider to lobby on their behalf; half of those insiders once worked for the key senators and congressional committees that are now shaping the reform proposals.
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Turkish Ministry Of Health Purchases Two CyberKnife(R) Systems
Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), a global leader in the field of radiosurgery, announced that the Turkish Ministry of Health has purchased two CyberKnife(R) Robotic Radiosurgery Systems for installation in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey.
Public Health

Confirmed Link Between Chronic Infection And Immune-System Protein

The reason deadly infections like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C never go away is because these viruses disarm the body"s defense system. Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have discovered that a key immunity protein must be present for this defense system to have a chance against chronic infection. Research up to now has tried but failed to decipher the cross-talk between "killer T-cells" and "helper T-cells" in the fight against viruses. The new UAB study finds this cross-talk can only happen in the presence of interleukin-21, a powerful immune system protein. If interleukin-21 is missing for whatever reason, then the immune system"s anti-viral efforts fail, said Allan Zajac, Ph.D., an associate professor in UAB"s Department of Microbiology and lead author on the study. The findings are published in the journal Science through its Science Express service. "Adding interleukin-21 back in stimulates the immune response and controls the infection," Zajac said. "We demonstrate that the loss of this protein prevents the control of the infection and diminishes the function of the killer T-cells, specifically CD8 T-cells." The study mice were treated for lymphocytic choriomeningitis, a viral infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Measurements were taken for two types of T-cells, CD4 and CD8 T-cells, before and after the mice were treated with interleukin-21. "Interleukin-21 served as the key messenger between the T-cells, whereas before we didn"t know exactly how the two types of cells communicated with each other," Zajac said. The CD4 T-cells help the immune system do its job by boosting CD8 T-cells" ability to fight and kill viruses. Co-authors on the study include John Yi and Ming Du, Ph.D., both of UAB"s Department of Microbiology. Research funds came from the National Institutes of Health. Troy Goodman University of Alabama at Birmingham


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