Cardiovascular
In today"s health environment, harmful cold and flu strains can travel the globe and pose serious risk to young children. And, at the same time, the FDA has issued warnings about administering over-the-counter cough and cold medications to children under the age of four. Parents of young children are in a quandary as to how to keep their kids safe and healthy. Many are embracing preventative measures to improve their child"s immune system and ward off illness.
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
An analysis of rare genetic disorders in which children lack some genes from one parent suggests that maternal and paternal genes engage in a subtle tug-of-war well into childhood, and possibly as late as the onset of puberty.
Healthcare Advocates Will Present Congressmembers with "Happy Birthday Medicare" Cakes-And a Plea to Improve and Expand the Beloved Program
Current ads sponsored by the Republican National Committee prod Democrats, while a very large planned campaign by drug makers could take flight soon.
The Washington Post tells the story of Danny Watt, who drowned in April 2008 after a lifelong struggle with mental health. Watt had a dual diagnosis: a serious mental illness along with abuse of drugs or alcohol.
Researchers may be able to predict future severe cardiac events in patients with known, stable coronary artery disease (CAD) using coronary calcium scoring, according to a study published in the online edition of Radiology.
Uganda"s Health Ministry announced Monday it has ordered investigations into whether the deaths of 17 patients living with HIV in Northern Uganda were caused by their inability to get antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, the AP/mlive.com reports. According to Zainab Akol, manager of the ministry"s HIV/AIDS control program, the ministry is exploring "whether apart from the lack of ARVs, another disease like malaria or any epidemic could have contributed to the deaths," according to the news service.
Mitochondrial diseases disrupt the power generating machinery within cells and increase a person"s susceptibility to bacterial infection, particularly in the lungs or respiratory tract. A new study published in Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM), shows that infection with the pneumonia causing bacteria Legionella, is facilitated by an increased amount of a signaling protein that is associated with mitochondrial disease.
E-mail, search engines, smart phones and other new technologies that can disseminate new medical information quickly led to an almost immediate change in clinical practice for drug-eluting stents, according to a study reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
Newly Designed Comprehensive Health Care Database May Advance Medical Research and Improve Patient Care
Teenagers whose mothers have mental health impairments are likely to suffer behavioural problems, UQ research has found.
The US-based PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Malaria Vaccine Development Program (MVDP), and Dutch biopharmaceutical company Crucell N.V. today announced a collaboration to accelerate development of a promising type of malaria vaccine. Through funding from the USAID MVDP, the partners will conduct studies to determine the effectiveness of Crucell"s novel prime-boost vaccine approach against the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. This approach uses Crucell"s proprietary recombinant adenoviruses (a type of virus associated with the common cold and other mild respiratory infections) to deliver a malaria antigen to the immune system.
Retroviruses such as HIV that are already within cells are much more easily transmitted when they are next to uninfected cells than if they are floating free in the bloodstream.
Roche and Google.org recently started a joint project to demonstrate the feasibility of developing a multidisciplinary surveillance, research and response system. This system will enhance the ability to predict and prevent emerging infectious diseases in East Africa. Roche has donated a Genome Sequencer FLX system as backbone of this project."We are proud to work with Google.org, and the dedicated research organizations in Kenya to bring this technology to a region of the world where novel viruses frequently emerge. We are confident that access to the 454 Sequencing Systems will improve monitoring of novel infectious diseases and enable faster discovery in case of an outbreak," said Chris McLeod, CEO of 454 Life Sciences, a member of the Roche Group.
"Although the number of mentally ill immigration detainees" at the La Mesa, Calif.-based private psychiatric hospital Alvarado Parkway Institute "at any one time seems to range from as few as two to only five or so, their situation needs to be addressed quickly," a San Diego Tribune editorial states (San Diego Tribune, 5/19). Some disability rights lawyers and advocates for the mentally ill say that conditions at many of the private facilities, including API, violate state and federal laws governing treatment of mentally ill people. Ann Menasche, a lawyer with the legal advocacy group Disability Rights California, last month sent a letter to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement claiming that after visiting API and interviewing detainees, she found that the conditions are "excessive, unjustifiable and punitive" (Kaiser Health Disparities Report, 5/18).According to the Tribune, "California"s strict patients" rights laws specify that psychiatric patients can have daily visitors, use the telephone, exercise, socialize and be free from restraint unless the chief of the facility determines that a specific individual is a threat to himself or others," but, according to Menasche, patients at API are being denied those rights. The editorial adds that the conditions Menasche describes "may sound appalling, but it is unclear whether they are proper for the circumstances," and an "independent probe by the state Department of Public Health ... is needed to determine whether the detainees are being treated properly" (San Diego Tribune, 5/19).
A US study published online ahead of print in a leading medical journal suggests that complications from H1N1 swine flu could hit pregnant
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced new data
Inter Press Service examines how efforts underway in Namibia have helped to decrease the number of infants born with HIV while also increasing the number of HIV-positive infants on life-saving antiretrovirals (ARVs). According to the news service, since the launch of an early infant detection (EID) program in 2006, "the number of HIV-infected newborns has dropped from 13 percent to two percent in Namibia, according to the national Ministry of Health" -- figures that "stand in sharp contrast with data from other African countries where many pregnant women are not diagnosed in time to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the virus and only a few HIV-positive infants receive ARVs."
On the 16th May Member of European Parliament Magor Imre Csibi (Romanian MEP of the Alliance for Liberals and Democrats), the UK National Obesity Forum (NOF) and the Belgian Obese Patients organisation (BOLD) launched the "European Obesity Day" online survey. With excess weight and obesity increasing across Europe at an alarming rate, the online survey seeks to understand to what degree this is of concern to European citizens and what steps we think should be taken to address this pressing issue.
Today there are an estimated 5.3 million Americans with Alzheimer"s disease. Although the majority of Alzheimer cases are individuals age 65 and older, there is still a significant number of individuals under age 65 impacted by this fatal disease that today has no cure. For people under age 65 with Alzheimer"s disease or a related dementia, their cognitive impairment can quickly reach a point where they can no longer maintain gainful employment. The Alzheimer"s Association applauds the Social Security Administration (SSA) for holding a hearing today to examine whether these individuals with younger-onset Alzheimer"s disease or related dementias should be included in its Compassionate Allowances Initiative.
Commenting on figures released on Tuesday on Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in Scotland, Dr Charles Saunders, chairman of the BMA"s Scottish Consultants Committee, said:
Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have shown that they can engineer mouse and human cells to produce brown fat, a natural energy-burning type of fat that counteracts obesity. If such a strategy can be developed for use in people, the scientists say, it could open a novel approach to treating obesity and diabetes.
New research has uncovered an early disruption in the process of memory formation in older humans who exhibit some early brain changes associated with Alzheimer"s disease (AD) but show little or no memory impairment. The work, published by Cell Press in the July 30th issue of the journal Neuron, sheds light on the role of amyloid protein in memory impairment and may lead to development of strategies for predicting and treating cognitive decline in individuals who are at-risk for AD.
Stem cell research promises remedies to many devastating diseases that are currently incurable, ranging from diabetes and Parkinson"s disease to paralysis. Totipotent embryonic stem cells have great potential for generating a wide range of different human cells that can be used to restore malfunctioning or damaged cells and tissues in patients. Recent studies have shown that pluripotent stem cells derived from adult bone marrow, the umbilical cord and the placenta could also be induced to differentiate into a variety of different tissues. In this issue, we have invited several scientists in China to summarize their pioneering works in the stem cell research field.
The American Lung Association will tell the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at a public hearing today to adopt even stronger, health-based national air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) than what the agency proposed. Lung Association leadership and healthy air advocates will call for tighter standards at the hearing that begins at 9:00 AM at the EPA Potomac Yard Conference Center located at 1 Potomac Yard, 2777 South Crystal Drive in Arlington, Va. Mary Partridge, American Lung Association National Board Chair, is scheduled to speak at 10:15 AM. The hearing will conclude at 9:00 PM.
Most people think arthritis is worse in the cold, winter months but a dirty little secret is that it can be just as painful during the hot, summer months as well.
[Why Great Britain"s success in Beijing could have been anticipated and why it should continue beyond 2012
The Latino/a population in the United States is expected to triple by 2050, according to projections from the U.S. Census Bureau. And along with that growth, says University of Illinois professor Lydia Buki, will come a rise in the number of individuals from that population who are diagnosed with cancer.
Older adults who have less strength, poor physical function and low muscle density are at higher risk of being hospitalized compared to adults with more strength and better function. That"s the finding of a new study in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society.
UCLA researchers have uncovered a new way to scan brain tumors and predict which ones will be shrunk by the drug Avastin - before the patient ever starts treatment. By linking high water movement in tumors to positive drug response, the UCLA team predicted with 70 percent accuracy which patients" tumors were the least likely to grow six months after therapy.
U.S. Senators Mel Martinez (R-FL) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) of the Special Committee on Aging held a hearing to address the issue of transparency in physician-industry financial relationships. Among the hearing"s topics were the industry"s involvement in continuing medical education and its potential use as a method for promoting "off-label" prescribing. The senators heard from witnesses about different ways to achieve balance between appropriate industry involvement in continuing medical education while mitigating unethical and illegal promotion.
Schering-Plough Corporation (NYSE: SGP) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee voted unanimously in favor of SAPHRIS(R) (asenapine) sublingual tablets as effective and safe for the acute treatment of manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder in adults and in favor of use in acute treatment of schizophrenia in adults. If approved by FDA, SAPHRIS would be the first psychotropic drug to be approved initially for both of these indications.
Numerous pathogens contain an "internal time bomb", a deadly mechanism that can be used against them. After years of work, VIB researchers at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) were able to determine the structure and operating mechanism of the proteins involved. This clears the road for finding ways to set the clock on this internal time bomb and, hopefully, in the process developing a new class of antibiotics. The research was accepted for publication by top journal Molecular Cell, with congratulations from the editorial board.
The Department of Health announced that the terms offered to independent providers of treatment centres in the NHS in England will in future be more similar to those offered to NHS providers.
As part of its study of how much vitamin D and calcium people need, a committee convened by the Institute of Medicine will hold a public workshop to gather insights and data from experts on Tuesday, Aug. 4. Among the workshop"s presentations will be a discussion of a recent vitamin D and calcium report released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which can be found at http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/tp/vitadcaltp.htm. A workshop agenda with a list of presentations is available at http://www.iom.edu/?id=68400.
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.
Chinese state media on Thursday reported that women in the country have about 13 million abortions annually, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports. According to the China Daily newspaper, the actual number likely is much higher because the 13 million includes abortions performed in hospitals but not unreported procedures performed in rural clinics. Most of the abortions were among single young women who experts say know little about contraception. The paper also said that about 10 million pills for medical abortion are sold annually in the country. China imposed strict population controls in the 1970s that prohibit most couples from having more than one child. For married women, sterilization and the use of intrauterine devices are widely promoted and subsidized. However, Chinese policies typically do not address the needs of unmarried women, even as national attitudes have become more accepting of sex outside of marriage, the AP/Chronicle reports. According to the newspaper, about 62% of the abortions were among unmarried women ages 20 to 29. The Chinese report called the number of abortions "an unfortunate situation" but did not indicate whether the procedures are increasing or decreasing from year to year. National Population and Family Planning Commission official Wu Shangchun is quoted in the report as saying that almost half of the women seeking abortion had used no form of contraception. Wu also said that reducing abortions is a national challenge that requires significant effort. Peking University professor Li Ying said that sex education in China must be improved at the university level and that Chinese parents must do more to teach children about sex (AP/Houston Chronicle, 7/30).
One of the "most lethal forms of sex discrimination" is the "systematic inattention to reproductive health care, from family planning to childbirth" in developing countries, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof writes. According to Kristof, a woman dies every minute somewhere in the world from pregnancy or childbirth complications, and 20 times that number suffer childbirth injuries. Providers of foreign aid, including the U.S., "have never shown much interest in maternal mortality, and impoverished women are typically the most voiceless, neglected people in their own countries -- so they die at astonishing rates," Kristof writes.Kristof highlights the childbirth experience of a 19-year-old Pakistani woman named Shazia Allahdita whose infant died in childbirth after her relatives refused to take her to the hospital because they did not want to pay for the taxi fare. Kristof writes that "[i]f men had uteruses, "paternity wards" would get res, ambulances would transport pregnant men to hospitals free of charge, deliveries would be free, and the Group of Eight industrialized nations would make paternal mortality a top priority." Kristof notes that there is "the dawn of a global movement against maternal mortality," with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon working with the U.S. and other countries to plan a "landmark global health session" on Sept. 23. The session will focus, in part, on maternal health, which Kristof terms a "milestone." He concludes, "My dream is that Barack and Michelle Obama will leap forward and adopt this cause -- and transform the prospects for so many young women like Shazia" (Kristof, New York Times, 7/29).
House Republicans Wednesday unveiled their version of health reform legislation. It offers tax credits to help people buy insurance and doesn"t require individuals or businesses to carry coverage, The Associated Press reports. The plan costs $700 billion, less than current Democratic proposals in Congress.
Pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, advocacy groups and others with a stake in health reform continue to lobby in hopes of winning concessions in the overhaul, or at least surviving the changes unscathed. "One of the groups key to working any deal is the pharmaceutical industry, which has been quite active behind the scenes," National Public Radio reports. NPR interviewed former congressman Billy Tauzin, who is president of PhRMA, the drug industry"s lobbying group. Tauzin said he couldn"t predict whether health reform, which his group supports, would make the industry wealthier, but added, "we"ll do okay" (7/30).
This week long observation of the importance of breastfeeding is organized by the World Breastfeeding Week organization (worldbreastfeedingweek.org). The theme this year is the importance of breastfeeding during emergency situations. It is important that when natural or man-made disasters strike that all involved remember the importance of maintaining and supporting breastfeeding of infants affected by the disaster.
Low donation levels are causing the World Food Programme (WFP) to fall short of feeding the most critically hungry people in the world, and the agency "has so far received only $1.8 billion and has had to cut back rations and programs to the 108 million people it serves, said Josette Sheeran," WFP"s executive director, Reuters reports (Rampton, 7/29).
An annual report by the Health Council of East Central Florida released on Wednesday said that nearly 800 new cases of HIV were reported in Central Florida in 2008 and blacks and Hispanics remain disproportionately affected, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The report was presented to the Ryan White Planning Council, according to the Sentinel. The report said that there are now more than 4,000 people living with HIV in the area, and another 4,400 living with AIDS. In addition, a majority of the new cases of HIV were among blacks and Hispanics, according to the report (Maza, 7/29). In an interview with the Sentinel, Debbie Tucci, the Orange County Health Department"s HIV/AIDS program coordinator, discussed the findings. She said, "HIV/AIDS is not in the forefront the way it used to be. We"ve been talking about this for a long time, and people just don"t think it"s going to happen to them." She added, "The disease doesn"t care what your race or ethnicity is. Now we target minorities more, and what"s happened is that they"re getting tested more. Prevention strategies are absolutely working. There"s always room for improvement, but we"ve come a long way - especially among minorities" (Maza, 7/30).
Everyone knows that vitamins "from A to zinc" are important for good health. Now, a new research study in the August 2009 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that zinc may be pointing the way to new therapeutic targets for fighting infections. Specifically, scientists from Florida found that zinc not only supports healthy immune function, but increases activation of the cells (T cells) responsible for destroying viruses and bacteria.
Health plans reiterated their strong support for new market rules and consumer protections to cover all Americans and guarantee coverage for pre-existing conditions.
In light of yesterday"s Public Health Advisory from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning consumers to immediately stop using all body-building products that claim to contain steroids or steroid-like substances, The Endocrine Society is re-issuing its Position Statement on Steroid Abuse initially launched in 2008.
Multiple sclerosis patients managed by a specialty pharmacy program were more compliant with medication, and had a lower risk of being hospitalized for their disease than those who were not managed by a specialty pharmacy program, according to a study completed by HealthCore, Inc.
Hopkins experts in applied physics, computer engineering, infectious diseases, emergency medicine, microbiology, pathology and surgery have unveiled a 7-foot-tall, $10,000 shower-cubicle-shaped device that automatically sanitizes in 30 minutes all sorts of hard-to-clean equipment in the highly trafficked hospital emergency department. The novel device can sanitize and disinfect equipment of all shapes and sizes, from intravenous line poles and blood pressure cuffs, to pulse oximeter wires and electrocardiogram (EKG) wires, to computer keyboards and cellphones.
In response to the publication of the report, Lynda Hamlyn, Chief Executive of NHS Blood and Transplant, said:
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that prevention and partnership will guide their departments" efforts to safeguard the food Americans eat every day. Both Secretaries announced new strategies that focus on prevention and depend on working closely with growers, food processors and consumers to achieve their goals.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Genmab A/S (OMX: GEN) announced preliminary top-line results from a Phase III study of ofatumumab administered intravenously for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in patients who had an inadequate response to methotrexate. The study met the primary endpoint, ACR20 at 24 weeks, which indicates a 20 percent or greater improvement in the number of swollen and tender joints, as well as improvements in other disease-activity measures.
Just one day after it appeared negotiators were on the cusp of a deal, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus said Thursday that his committee will not vote on a health reform bill before the August recess, Politico reports. "Baucus"s announcement came after a day in which Republican negotiators on the committee made clear they were not comfortable with the Democratic timetable - pushed by President Barack Obama and other Democratic leaders."
"Health care costs are killing small businesses. Their insurance premiums are rising dramatically and unpredictably," NPR reports. "Jody Hall, who owns Seattle"s Cupcake Royale, now pays as much in health insurance for her employees as she does in rent for four choice Seattle storefronts. A majority of working Americans are employed by small businesses, but according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, only 6 in 10 small businesses provide health care. What"s more, the National Federation of Independent Business reports that small companies pay substantially more in premiums than large firms do. Hall, for example, has just three or four insurers to choose from, and she says they won"t negotiate on price."
A Lancet world report examines the growing threat of visceral leishmaniasis on populations in eastern Africa. Each year, the parasitic disease affects around 500,000 people worldwide, killing roughly 50,000. Though "[t]wo-thirds of [leishmaniasis] patients are in southeast Asia ò€¦ the second largest foci is east Africa: perhaps as many as 40,000 cases every year, and incidence is on the rise," according to the article. The report explores the difficulty monitoring visceral leishmaniasis due to poor diagnostics and data surveillance, a surge in leishmania/HIV coinfection in Ethiopia and the Sudan, the shortcomings of the therapies available to treat visceral leishmaniasis, as well as future efforts to control the spread of the disease.
The National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors and the Kaiser Family Foundation released a report that "provides the first, comprehensive inventory of HIV prevention efforts at the state and local levels" and is based on a survey of 65 state health departments, including all state and territorial jurisdictions and six U.S. cities. The report "is intended to offer a baseline picture of how HIV prevention is delivered across the country. ... " ("The National HIV Prevention Inventory: The State of HIV Prevention Across the U.S.," July 2009).
A study, "Longitudinal Evaluation of Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Sleep Symptoms with Change in Quality of Life: The Sleep Heart Health Study (SHHS)," in the Aug. 1 issue of the journal Sleep indicates that self-reported worsening in initiating and maintaining sleep over a five-year period was significantly associated with poorer mental quality of life, and increasing daytime sleepiness symptoms were associated with both poorer physical and mental quality of life.
Participants in the University of Wisconsin-Madison"s
Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, released the following statement after the Committee favorably reported HR 3200, the Democrat health care reform bill, by a vote of 31 to 28
AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company leveraging breakthrough discoveries in cancer biology to discover, develop and commercialize targeted oncology therapies, today announced data which demonstrates that tivozanib (AV-951) - the company"s oral, triple VEGF receptor inhibitor - exhibits potent anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor activity in AVEO"s proprietary in vivo lung cancer models. Specifically, treatment with tivozanib resulted in complete tumor growth inhibition or tumor regression (shrinkage) in lung tumors driven by EGFR or KRAS mutations, which are especially difficult to treat. These data are being presented today at the 13th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in San Francisco, abstract number PD10.1.5.
Medigus Ltd. (TASE: MDGS) a leading developer of endoscopic and visualization medical devices, and Tower Semiconductor, Ltd. (Nasdaq: TSEM, TASE: TASE: TSEM), a leading global specialty foundry, today announced successful sampling of a new CMOS imager that will serve in Medigus" line of disposable miniature cameras and its new medical devices camera; the smallest of its kind in the world, designated to be incorporated into disposable endoscopes or used in various diagnostic and surgical medical applications. First product samples have been shipped to end customers and mass production of the camera is expected to commence in mid-2010. The camera sensor will be manufactured in Tower"s Fab2 using its 0.18-micron CMOS image sensor process and will be integrated into the camera which will be produced in Medigus" manufacturing facilities.
By combining the art of origami with nanotechnology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers have folded sheets of DNA into multilayered objects with dimensions thousands of times smaller than the thickness of a human hair. These tiny structures could be forerunners of custom-made biomedical nanodevices such as "smart" delivery vehicles that would sneak drugs into patients" cells, where they would dump their cargo on a specific molecular target.
Major depression and coronary artery disease are only modestly related throughout an individual"s lifetime, but studying how the two interact over time and in twin pairs paints a more complex picture of the associations between the conditions, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. For example, the association between coronary artery disease onset and major depression risk is much stronger over time than vice versa.
A paper just published in the British Journal of Pharmacology reports that a compound originally isolated from a soft coral (Capnella imbricate) could lead scientists to develop a new variety of treatments for neuropathic pain. This composite is collected at Green Island off Taiwan and could be a new option for treatment. Neuropathic pain is chronic and occasionally follows damage to the nervous system. Presently this type of pain is very poorly controlled by the usual analgesics: aspirin like drugs (NSAIDS) or even opioids like morphine. New treatments are urgently required.
New sequencing and analysis of six strains of Chlamydia will result in improved diagnosis of the sexually transmitted infection. This study provides remarkable insights into a new strain of Chlamydia that was identified in Sweden in 2006 after spreading rapidly across the country by evading most established diagnostic tests.
Democrats are finding points they agree on in a tenuous accord for the message they want to relay to constituents during the August recess: The health insurance industry is the bad guy, The Washington Post reports.
House Democrats celebrated late last week the passage of a health reform bill out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, but they still face a lot of work when they return in September, Roll Call reports.
California"s experience with insurance exchanges could prove a valuable lesson for the nation"s flirtation with such pools for covering large numbers of people, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Unhealthy Compromise The Baltimore Sun
A Wilmington News Journal editorial discussed the potential lifting of the ban on using federal funding for needle exchange programs. The editorial notes recent Congressional action and the restrictions in a House bill that prohibit needle exchanges to operate "within a 1,000 feet of day care centers, schools, parks, playgrounds, pools and youth centers." According to the News Journal, "This rule wipes out much of the flexibility many cities need in their fight to prevent the spread of HIV among intravenous drug users. The nation"s capital, where the rates of HIV and AIDS cases are considered epidemic, would be hit the hardest because no part of the District of Columbia would be eligible for the funding according to AIDS Action." The editorial adds, "Vans patrolling near vulnerable populations - specifically young, impressionable children - are an issue that must be addressed. But well-intentioned limits should not be allowed to hold up the rest of the program," according to the News Journal (8/1).
Global Fund Audit Reveals Expired, Missing Drugs In Tanzania
North Dakota Judge Douglas Herman failed to issue a temporary injunction on Thursday to prevent a state law from going into effect that requires abortion clinics to offer women the chance to view ultrasound images 24 hours prior to obtaining an abortion, the AP/Bismarck Tribune reports. Judge Herman promised to issue an opinion "as soon as possible" on the constitutional challenge to the state law, which is set to take effect on Aug. 1. The Center for Reproductive Rights filed the challenge, arguing that it creates an unnecessary burden on a woman"s right to an abortion.The group also said that a provision in the law is confusing and that the state"s only abortion provider is unsure how to comply. According to the AP/Tribune, the provision in question reads: "The auscultation of the fetal heart tone must be of a quality consistent with standard medical practice in the community." Suzanne Stolz, an attorney for CRR, said the bill"s language could require the Red River Women"s Clinic -- the only abortion clinic in the state -- to offer women the chance to hear audio of the fetal heartbeat in addition to the ultrasound image. She added that the clinic "cannot afford to guess what the law means and hope that it is right."Assistant Attorney General Douglas Bahr said that the law requires the clinic only to offer the option of an ultrasound, not provide one. He added that most people understand that an ultrasound includes both images and audio and that he does not "know why the clinic doesn"t feel it can offer this to the patient." Cass County state"s attorney Birch Burdick, a co-counsel with Bahr, said that although some of the language in the law is "a little confusing," he would not prosecute clinic officials if they make an attempt to apply the law until the judge rules.Tammi Kromenaker, the director of the clinic, said, "We"re disappointed that we did not get an injunction today but we felt that some of our questions were answered," adding that the clinics had offered women the option of viewing an ultrasound for the last 18 months (Kolpack, AP/Bismarck Tribune, 7/31).
About one in four HIV-positive women in the U.S. does not opt to undergo an annual Pap test for cervical cancer even though they are at an increased risk for the disease, according to a study in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, Reuters reports. For the study, Alexandra Oster and colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed the responses of 2,417 HIV-positive women from 18 states who participated in interviews for the Supplement to HIV/AIDS Surveillance Project.The researchers found that 23% of the women had not undergone a Pap test in the year before the interviews and that older age and a poorly functioning immune system were independent predictors of whether women had Pap tests.They wrote, "The risk of cervical cancer has not decreased since the introduction of (highly active antiretroviral) therapy, highlighting the continued importance of cervical cancer screening in this population." They added that "cervical cancer screening should be a high priority" for HIV-positive women (Reuters, 7/30).
Despite "the flimsy arguments" that some Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee made for opposing the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, she "clearly belongs on the court," a New York Times editorial states. Although Sotomayor sometimes avoided "forthright answers on important legal issues" during the confirmation hearings, she consistently "showed an impressive command of the law," according to the editorial.Claims that Sotomayor would not be able to resist "judicial activism" and that she would be "overly influenced by "personal preferences"" if she were to serve on the court are "strikingly weak," the editorial states. It continues, "Some Republicans may be wary of opposing Judge Sotomayor because she would be the first Hispanic justice, and they are reluctant to alienate a large voting bloc," but "[t]here is no need for political calculations." According to the editorial, "Senators should support her because she is eminently qualified."The editorial states, "We hope the vote in the full Senate for Judge Sotomayor will be overwhelming and the rhetoric more high-minded" (New York Times, 8/2).
A new diagnostic tool developed by Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) scientists has shown promising results when used with patients of pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest forms of cancer due to the difficulty of diagnosing it in its early stages. The method, which studies carbohydrate structures in the bloodstream, could lead to the development of blood tests that can detect cancer more effectively.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota and National Institutes of Health have identified a new function for the protein missing in people with the most common and ultimately lethal form of childhood muscular dystrophy.
An independent report to clarify the rules on organ transplants for NHS patients and non-UK EU residents was published today by Elisabeth Buggins, former Chair of the Organ Donation Taskforce.
The use of digital mammography equipment alone is responsible for an increased number of breast cancers detected at a community-based mammography facility, according to a study performed at San Luis Diagnostic Center in San Luis Obispo, CA.
Children"s after-school activities often consist of sedentary behavior such as watching television, but after-school programs that offer physical activity and healthy snacks could be the best place for children"s health.
A phase I clinical trial enrolled its first patient only two days after U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance of the experimental drug for a first-in-human cancer trial, a milestone that normally takes three to six months. Investigators from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca have reported their work in the Journal of Clinical Oncology published online on August 3rd.
The recent H1N1 pandemic has highlighted the importance of identifying public health measures which can help to mitigate flu virus transmission. Researchers conducted a prospective cluster-randomized trial to test whether improved hand hygiene or surgical face masks could reduce the spread of flu within households.
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute scientists have found that a population of breast cells called luminal progenitor cells are likely to be responsible for breast cancers that develop in women carrying mutations in the gene BRCA1.
Two common anti-influenza drugs - Relenza and Tamiflu - appear equally effective at preventing common flu symptoms when given before infection, say researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine. However, data is lacking on the effectiveness and safety of the two drugs in vulnerable groups such as the very young and people with compromised immune systems.
Heart specialists at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Calif. have performed a new procedure in which they repaired a hole in the patient"s heart through a tiny incision, offering the patient a much safer alternative verses open heart surgery.
John F. Alcorn, Ph.D., a biologist in the John G. Rangos Sr. Research Center at Children"s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, has been selected as one of ten 2009 recipients of the prestigious Parker B. Francis Fellowship, awarded each year to scientists conducting pulmonology research.
Of the 600,000-800,000 people trafficked across international borders each year, 50 percent are under 17. It is estimated that by 2010, human trafficking will be the No. 1 crime worldwide.
The 128,000-member American College of Physicians (ACP) has endorsed the Preserving Patient Access to Primary Care Act of 2009 (H.R. 2350), introduced by Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA). "Primary care is the best medicine for better health and lower costs," ACP noted, "and this is the best medicine for curing the growing crisis in primary care."
BioTrends Research Group, Inc. released TreatmentTrends(R): US Nephrology, a syndicated report analyzing treatment practices, attitudes and perceptions based on online survey results from over 200 US Nephrologists. The survey was fielded in late May and focuses on trends in treatment patterns for renal anemia, secondary hyperparathyroidism and hyperphosphatemia.
Starting or returning to school can stir up a bevy of emotions with a range of effects, from bothersome to debilitating. Knowing a little bit about a few of these problems helps parents and children manage and overcome them.
WHAT: The Nutrient-Rich Foods (NRF) Index is a new, objective, science-based way to measure the total nutritional quality of foods and beverages.
Lifting A Burden Of Worry The Washington Post
PAHO on Monday announced it had found Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 (swine) flu along the Texas-Mexico border, Agence-France Press reports. The discovery of several cases in El Paso and McAllen, Texas, adds the U.S. to a growing list of countries with antiviral-resistant H1N1, such as Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong and Japan. "Experts had gathered in La Jolla on Monday to discuss the response to the outbreak, and warned that resistant strains were likely emerging because of overuse of antivirals like Tamiflu," the news service writes (8/3).
Change the lighting; improve your health. It"s a strategy researchers from Case Western Reserve University"s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing and the School of Medicine, the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center (GRECC), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute"s Lighting Research Center and GE Consumer & Industrial have begun to test in a long-term care facility where daylight, which has proven health benefits, is not readily available.
In its fight against an intruding virus, an enzyme in our immune system may sense certain types of viral RNA pairs, according to scientists.
The fight against obesity has stepped up a gear with the
The results of the first ever silver antimicrobial product trial in a nursing home environment, published in the British Journal of Community Nursing, reveal that levels of potentially deadly bacteria can be dramatically reduced using products treated with silver antimicrobial agents, creating cleaner and safer nursing homes for elderly residents across the UK.
Two pharmacists, and one non-pharmacist, have been recognised by the Council of the Royal
The number of Americans under care for depression and other mental illnesses nearly doubled between 1996 and 2006, and the overall cost of treating them jumped by nearly two-thirds, according to the latest News and Numbers from HHS" Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
At its initial meeting today, the State Board of Massage Therapy began drafting preliminary regulations that will protect the health and safety of residents, said Secretary of the Commonwealth Pedro A. Cortes.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has cut short its annual health ministers meeting because of influenza A (H1N1) preparations and has postponed discussions about Chagas disease. Much needed progress in diagnosing and treating people for this neglected disease must not be further delayed, warned the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Mç©decins Sans Frontiç¨res (MSF) today.
Washington, D.C., officials are planning to make testing for sexually transmitted infections available at all public high schools in the coming school year, adding D.C. to a growing list of cities that test students for STIs, the Washington Post reports. All 50 states and the district allow minors older than age 12 to be tested for STIs without parental consent.The new program requires all students to attend a lecture about STIs, after which they are escorted into restroom areas in groups of 15 to 20. They are then given paper bags with urine collection cups and go into the stalls, at which point they can decide whether to provide a sample. All students return the paper bags, regardless of whether they provided samples. Students give a password and can call a week later to receive their confidential results and, if necessary, treatment at the school or an STI clinic, which is paid for by the city. The district first offered the program two years ago at two charter schools, and eight high schools were included during the past school year.A 2007 study by the D.C. public school system found that 60% of high school students and 30% of middle school students reported having sex. According to the study, 20% of high school students reported having sex with four or more partners and 12% of middle school students reported having three or more partners.According to the D.C. Department of Health, the program at eight high schools last year found that 13% of 3,000 students tested positive for an STI, most commonly chlamydia or gonorrhea. Fifty percent of the chlamydia and gonorrhea cases in the district are among teenagers.According to the D.C. Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, the new program is an important step toward curbing the district"s HIV/AIDS rate, which is among the highest in the U.S. Walter Smith, executive director of D.C. Appleseed, said, "If 13% of these students are testing positive for [STIs], those same kids could get HIV," adding, "A lot needs to be done to get the message out to the schools, ... and this very high [STI] rate is an indication that what we"ve been doing is not effective" (Fears/Hernandez, Washington Post, 8/5).
President Obama and his Administration launched "a coordinated effort Tuesday to combat what it calls a "viral whisper campaign" against health reform, Politico reports. The effort "continued through the day with press secretary Robert Gibbs and Democratic National Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse both saying a series of confrontational town hall meetings were manufactured by Republicans, conservative groups and lobbyists who are paid to drum up opposition."
"As if hedging their bets on health reform, Democrats are emphasizing smaller but still significant health-related investments this year, from food safety and community health centers to a greater emphasis on rooting out abuses in Medicare and Medicaid," Politico reports. "It"s a far cry from the more ambitious government-backed insurance option proposed by President Barack Obama and House Democrats. But it does add up to a major expansion of the government"s role in public health - and one that shows a greater willingness to add personnel to regulate and administer programs."
"As they work to overhaul the nation"s healthcare system, President Obama and his congressional allies have pledged to help small-business owners such as Rhonda Ealy and Kelli Glasser," The Los Angeles Times reports. "Both businesswomen desperately want help. But they have strongly divergent views about what Washington should do, reflecting a broader debate about how to relieve the burden on the nation"s roughly 6 million small businesses." Ealy owns a coffee roasting company in Bend, Ore. with 13 employees, she says she "loves a Democratic proposal to create a government-run insurance plan, which she hopes will allow her to get her employees better coverage for less." Glasser, who "makes museum and trade-show exhibits" and has 87 employees, "hates a separate provision in the legislation that would place a new requirement on many businesses to cover their employees."
A team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Missouri and Japan has been studying a compound they believe might prevent HIV transmission, the Columbia Tribune reports. According to the Tribune, "Tests show the microbicide, known as EFdA, stops HIV from replicating or spreading when applied to human cells." Stefan Sarafianos, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Missouri"s School of Medicine, and a researcher working on the compound, said, "Women would be able to apply it to themselves and have control over the situation, unlike other forms of protection," adding that although the compound is in an early stage of research, "hopefully companies will eventually license and develop it as a product." The article also discusses findings from a study by an Indiana University School of Medicine researcher that "found that students who know their lifestyle puts them at risk for sexually transmitted diseases would be more likely to receive an HIV vaccination" if it were available, but that they would be less likely to get a vaccine if they are worried about what others might think of them (Heavin, 8/3).
A team of US scientists has for the first time unravelled the entire genetic code of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, paving the way for a better understanding of how these types of viruses
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) have today published their
BSD Medical Corporation (NASDAQ:BSDM) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Humanitarian Use Device (HUD) designation for the company"s BSD-2000 Hyperthermia System for use in conjunction with radiation therapy for the treatment of cervical carcinoma patients who are ineligible for chemotherapy. This is the first of the two steps required to obtain Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) marketing approval, which requires BSD Medical to demonstrate the device"s safety and probable benefit in treating a disease or condition that affects fewer than 4,000 individuals in the United States per year. Now that FDA has granted the Humanitarian Use Designation for the BSD-2000, which confirms that the intended use population is fewer than 4,000 patients per year, BSD can file an HDE submission with the FDA. FDA has 75 days from the date of receipt of the HDE submission to grant or deny an HDE application. This period includes a 30-day filing period during which FDA determines whether the HDE application is sufficiently complete to permit substantive review. During this review, FDA may refine the indications for use which received HUD designation to finalize the indications for use for which HDE approval will be granted. This decision will be based on the data that are available to support the device"s HDE application. The company believes that the data previously submitted to FDA and reviewed by the agency in the company"s pending PMA application can be used to support the HDE approval, and that this previous review may expedite marketing approval for the BSD-2000.
Palomar Medical Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: PMTI), a leading researcher and developer of light-based systems for cosmetic treatments, announced the success of a clinical study showing the benefits of the SlimLipo body sculpting laser for laser-assisted lipolysis. Cleared by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in April of 2008, the SlimLipo laser is now available with 40 watts of power for faster, more effective treatments.