Endocrinology
Simplexo Enterprise, an enterprise search tool, has been selected by Nottingham University to enable the retrieval of information across a five-year clinical trial by its Division of Stroke Medicine into the causes and effects of strokes. The trial team is gathering and analysing information from more than 500 patients and several governing bodies in over 20 countries, including the UK, the United States, China, India and Australia.
The following summarizes selected women"s health-related blog entries.~ "Nine Key Developments in Obama"s Notre Dame Speech," Dan Gilgoff, U.S. News & World Report"s God and Country: When speaking at the University of Notre Dame"s commencement ceremony Sunday, President Obama "devoted a good-sized chunk of the address to confronting the basis for the controversy" surrounding his invitation to speak "head on," Gilgoff writes. He goes on to list nine key points in the speech, including Obama"s decisions to acknowledge the controversy surrounding his appearance at the commencement; highlight his policy proposals of increasing adoption availability and assistance to pregnant women who carry pregnancies to term, which "go way beyond pregnancy prevention;" and voice his support for "drafting a sensible conscience clause," which represents a step away from completely rescinding the Bush administration provider "conscience" rule. Gilgoff writes that Obama also "argued, despite his hopes of achieving common ground around the hottest-button issue, the two sides in the abortion debate really are at loggerheads," adding that his statement was "incongruous with a speech that argued common ground is always possible between ideological combatants." Gilgoff also discusses media coverage of the event and the fact that "Obama never stated his pro-abortion-rights position," which likely will "rile" abortion-rights advocates. In addition, Obama "peppered his speech with shows of respect for those on the other side of the issue," according to Gilgoff. Lastly, Obama addressed the moral issue surrounding abortion, which "represents a break from Democrats who, for a long time, declined to do so," but also spoke on other moral and religious issues beyond abortion -- an important move "because most religious Americans don"t see their faith mostly in terms of stopping abortion" (Gilgoff, U.S. News & World Report"s God and Country, 5/18).~ "Has the Public Become More Opposed to Abortion?" John Sides, The Monkey Cage: Recently released polls from Gallup and the Pew Research Center were based on "hopelessly mushy" questions, and the "findings obscure far more than they reveal," Sides writes. The Gallup data showed that the percentage of people who said they are "pro-life" has risen and is larger than the percentage who calls themselves "pro-choice." The Pew data showed a decline in the percentage of people who think abortion should be legal in "all" or "most" cases, with an increase in the percentage of people who think it should be illegal in all or most cases. However, "a wider array of data do not appear to show notable trends," and the "movement appears to be among Republicans," Sides writes, adding that the two research groups "purport to show shifts in opinion that are not evident in other data." The two groups "employ vague questions that do not easily map onto actual policy debates," he continues, concluding, "Once more precise data are employed, it becomes clear that opinion strongly depends on the circumstances under which the abortion would occur" (Sides, The Monkey Cage, 5/16).~ "Discussion: Obama at Notre Dame," Washington Post"s On Faith: The Washington Post"s On Faith blog posted several entries regarding President Obama"s speech at the University of Notre Dame"s commencement ceremony. Susan Brooks Thistlewaite, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, writes that she "appreciated" that Obama"s speech "acknowledged that women are the central decision makers" when it comes to abortion "and that women engage in moral reasoning to make the decision." However, this has "kept religious authorities from making the connection between insights from the history of ethics and the abortion question." Brian McLaren, an evangelical pastor, writes that the speech "was an example of the kind of respectful discourse we need when grappling with issues over which we disagree, while author Susan Jacoby says that the speech and reaction from the audience "will h
Doctors at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center-Markey Cancer Center compared symptom analysis to ultrasound in predicting ovarian cancer. They selected 272 women participating in annual trans-vaginal screening (TVS) from 31,748 women enrolled in a free screening project at the university, comparing symptom results to ultrasound and surgical pathology findings.
A new law requiring the state"s licensed child care centers to educate parents and caregivers about the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has taken effect, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) announced.
People who want to reduce their risk of colon cancer may want to start exercising more and cutting down on red meat and alcohol, a new research review suggests.
Informa Healthcare - one of the world"s leading medical and scientific publishers - has announced that the new interactive http://www.informahealthcare.com beta site will go live in July.
Thomson Reuters today announced the results of a study documenting Brazil"s steady rise during the last two decades in both the volume and impact of its scientific work. According to Science Watch, these findings underscore Brazil"s standing among the emergent "BRIC" nations. BRIC -- an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India and China -- are the countries possessing the res and economic potential to capture a significant share of the world"s future economic growth.
TUESDAY: Dozens of Registered Nurses to March on Kaiser Permanente-Fremont to Protest Effort to Slash Urgent Care
In a speech before the Ghanaian Parliament, President Obama on Saturday reiterated U.S. support for public health programs that will reduce maternal mortality and the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa, the New York Times reports. The speech, which was televised across the continent, focused on international relations with Africa and empowering African nations to address problems (Baker, New York Times, 7/12).In a portion of the speech about strengthening public health, Obama said that there has been "enormous progress ... in parts of Africa" in recent years. He continued, "Far more people are living productively with HIV/AIDS, and getting the drugs they need. But too many still die from diseases that shouldn"t kill them." He added, "When children are being killed because of a mosquito bite, and mothers are dying in childbirth, then we know that more progress must be made." Obama said that "incentives often provided by donor nations" often compel doctors and nurses to "go overseas, or work for programs that focus on a single disease," which "creates gaps in primary care and basic prevention." He also said that Africans must "make responsible choices that prevent the spread of disease, while promoting public health in their communities and countries."Obama noted that the U.S. has committed $63 billion "to meet these challenges." He added that the U.S. will not "confront illnesses in isolation" but instead "invest in public health systems that promote wellness and focus on the health of mothers and children" (AP/USA Today, 7/11). Obama also visited a women"s clinic to highlight U.S-backed programs to fight infant and maternal mortality (New York Times, 7/12).
Although New York state"s decision to allow state-funded embryonic stem cell researchers to compensate women for donating their eggs "has provoked criticism from some ethicists and runs counter to guidelines issued by" NIH and the National Academy of Sciences, it still "seems justifiable" to pay the women "for undergoing an arduous procedure and to spur progress on potentially important research that has been slowed because of a lack of human eggs," a New York Times editorial states. The state"s Empire State Stem Cell Board last month made the decision to allow researchers to pay women up to $10,000 as compensation.According to the editorial, "[w]omen already get paid comparable sums to donate their eggs to help infertile women have a child through in vitro fertilization," so it "is hard to see why they should not be paid for contributing their eggs for research." The editorial notes that the "money is meant as reimbursement for travel, housing, child care or medical expenses," and it also would "compensate the women for the considerable time, burden and inconvenience of harvesting their eggs, a process that can take 56 hours spread out over many weeks.""The board set reasonable constraints, insisting that the research be rigorously reviewed and approved by oversight committees, that donors be fully informed of potential physical and psychological risks and that they give informed consent to the procedure," the editorial states. It adds, "One concern has been that payments could induce women, especially poor women, to provide eggs without fully considering potential risks." The editorial continues, "In an effort to mitigate that possibility, the stem cell board will follow the guidelines of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, which require justification for payments of $5,000 or more and deem sums above $10,000 inappropriate."The editorial adds, "Human eggs are highly prized for some of the most promising research, notably studies that require matching embryonic stem cells to a particular patient with a particular disease," concluding, "It has proved almost impossible to recruit women to go through the arduous process for free," so the "board was right to allow fair compensation" (New York Times, 7/11).
The mood in Washington to compromise with hospitals, pharmaceutical makers and physician groups is not extending to physician-owned specialty hospitals, Time reports. "Any health-reform package passed by Congress will likely deal a major blow to an upstart competitor of many hospitals. Buried in the 850-page House health-reform draft is a provision that could in effect ban further construction of doctor-owned, for-profit specialty hospitals and prohibit existing ones from expanding. ò€¦ Senators Charles Grassley and Max Baucus, who lead the body"s powerful Finance Committee, have been vocal critics of the doctor-owned specialty-hospital model and the industry expects similar language to be included in any upcoming Senate health-reform bill as well."
A federal program targets Medicare fraud in the Houston area as news of three cases representing at least $35 million in false claims emerged within the past week. The Houston Chronicle reports on the three cases, noting: "These Houston-area scams alleged in two FBI complaints and one Montgomery County indictment were among six reported nationally in a single week - representing at least $285 million in false billings, records showed. "This is an astounding amount," said Houston"s FBI spokeswoman Pat Villafranca. The $285 million is more than four times the amount stolen during robberies of U.S. banks during all of 2008, she said. This month, Houston became the fourth metropolitan area - joining Miami, Los Angeles and Detroit - to create a ramped-up fraud strike force. It goes by the acronym "HEAT," Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team."
During his visit to Ghana over the weekend, President Obama praised the country for its achievements while calling on African leaders to take responsibility for the future of the continent, CNN reports. "Despite the progress that has been made - and there has been considerable progress in parts of Africa - we also know that much of that promise has yet to be fulfilled," Obama said during a speech before the Ghanaian parliament (7/11).
One of the continuing mysteries of the HIV/AIDS epidemic is why women usually develop lower viral levels than men following acute HIV-1 infection but progress faster to AIDS than men with similar viral loads. Now a research team based at the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), MIT and Harvard has found that a receptor molecule involved in the first-line recognition of HIV-1 responds to the virus differently in women, leading to subsequent differences in chronic T cell activation, a known predictor of disease progression. Their paper, which will be published in an upcoming issue of Nature Medicine, is receiving early online release.
Researchers in the Heart Institute at Cincinnati Children"s Hospital Medical Center have discovered a novel gene responsible for heart muscle disease and chronic heart failure in some children and adults with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).
"I am stopping TB and controlling HIV" was the theme of an event marking World TB Day (24 March) in Uganda"s Masindi district. The Union Uganda Office participated in this event, which attracted representatives from both government and a wide variety of NGOs, as well as the public.
An HIV "Fastest" clinic opens this week and will run in Stratford on Mondays from 6pm-9pm. In a bid to reduce levels of undiagnosed HIV, HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), Widows and Orphans International and NHS Newham are encouraging residents of Newham who may have been at risk to attend the local service.
Approximately two-thirds of the 1.5 million Americans living with lupus will develop some type of skin disease. Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system is unbalanced causing it to become destructive to any organ and tissue in the body. Skin disease in lupus can cause rashes or sores (lesions), most of which will appear on sun-exposed areas, such as a person"s face, ears, neck, arms, and legs. In addition, 40-70 percent of people with systemic lupus will find that their disease is made worse by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight or artificial light. For this and other reasons, people with lupus are advised to take steps to protect themselves from exposure to UV light.
A glass of wine here, a nightcap there - new research out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine suggests that moderate alcohol intake offers long-term cognitive protection and reduces the risk of dementia in older adults.
It comes as no surprise that some babies are more difficult to soothe than others but frustrated parents may be relieved to know that this is not necessarily an indication of their parenting skills. According to a new report in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, children"s temperament may be due in part to a combination of a certain gene and a specific pattern of brain activity.
Researchers at the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center and Graduate Center for Toxicology (GCT) have gained new insight into the genetic mechanisms underlying Huntington"s disease and other neurodegenerative or neuromuscular disorders caused by trinucleotide repeats (or TNRs) in DNA.
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have turned simple baker"s yeast into a virtual army of medicinal chemists capable of rapidly searching for drugs to treat Parkinson"s disease.
Anyone who has ever had cats knows how difficult it can be to get them to do anything they don"t already want to do. But it seems that the house cats themselves have had distinctly less trouble getting humans to do their bidding, according to a report published in the July 14th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication.
Many of the approximately one million Canadians(i) living with psoriasis may be faced with physical or emotional challenges as they struggle with public misperceptions and stigmas of this painful, chronic immune disorder that affects the skin. Now, a Leger Marketing survey of Canadians with psoriasis, pSoriasis Knowledge IN Canada (SKIN), reveals that the debilitating skin condition presents a substantial problem for them in their daily lives. The SKIN survey, which included questions about burden of illness, revealed that two-thirds (66 per cent) of SKIN respondents agreed with the statement that psoriasis ranks among the top two illnesses in terms of its impact on quality of life (QoL) out of ten of the worst diseases, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis.(1) Of those SKIN respondents who stated that their psoriasis "sometimes" or "very often" caused them problems in their personal or social relationships, and difficulties with normal daily activities when it was not in control, almost 60 per cent indicated that their disease was
In response to the growing threat of swine flu, a UQ team is applying nanopatch technology to potentially solve the problems associated with vaccinating millions of Australians, thanks to a recently announced government grant.
Cataracts are cloudy areas in the lens inside the eye - which is normally clear. Cataracts can develop in one or both eyes. If they develop in both eyes, one will be more severely affected than the other. A normally clear lens allows light to pass through to the back of the eye, so that the patient can see well-defined images. If a part of the lens becomes opaque light does not pass through easily and the patient"s vision becomes blurry - like looking through cloudy water or a fogged-up window. The more opaque (cloudier) the lens becomes, the worse the person"s vision will be.
Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: WPI), a leading specialty pharmaceutical company, announced that it received a Complete Response Letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its New Drug Application (NDA) for TRELSTAR(R) 22.5 mg (triptorelin pamoate for injectable suspension), a 24-week formulation of TRELSTAR(R) for the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer. The TRELSTAR(R) NDA was prepared in cooperation with Debiopharm Group, a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical group of companies.
Prohibiting tobacco use at home could reduce adolescent smoking rates, but the practice might be less common in black families than in white ones, a new study found.
Research currently underway at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) and CINJ-Hamilton, which may unlock the mysteries of why some women develop breast cancer at an earlier age than others, has been expanded to include more healthy volunteers than previously sought. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
A study that investigated whether a woman"s sexuality is related to her satisfaction with her appearance and eating behaviour is being presented today, 15th July 2009 at the British Psychological Society Psychology of Women"s Section annual conference.
Nineteen Democrats have written House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promising not to vote for a health bill that includes funding for abortion, igniting a debate that has the potential to derail a health care overhaul, NPR reports.
The American Psychological Association applauded Reps. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) for introducing the Positive Aging Act of 2009, a longstanding legislative priority for APA that would improve access to quality mental health care for older adults by integrating mental health services into primary care and community settings where older adults reside and receive services.
"An unprecedented effort to computerize the nation"s hospitals and physician offices could be the key to reducing crippling health care costs - or a giveaway to technology vendors whose sales will be subsidized by taxpayers," the Dallas Morning News reports. The $45 billion, stimulus-funded effort in question could help reduce costs by cutting into the country"s $37.6 billion in medical errors each year, for instance. But, if requirements for providers seeking stimulus funding are too strict, the program could turn into "a bonanza for software vendors."
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger replaced most members of the state Board of Registered Nursing on Monday, citing the unacceptable time it takes to discipline nurses accused of egregious misconduct," The Los Angeles Times reports.
The nation"s first online audit of Medicines Use Reviews (MURs) is being launched tomorrow
Infection of surgical wounds is a significant clinical problem which imposes severe demands on
Passport Health of Massachusetts, specialists in vaccinations against dread diseases faced by international travelers, is concerned that eastern New England"s wettest spring and early summer in decades can be more deadly than usual.
AVI BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVII), a developer of RNA-based drugs, today announced that Dr. Fred Schnell of AVI presented at the American Society of Virology Annual Meeting which took place July 11-15 in Vancouver, B.C. The title of the presentation was "Pan-Arenavirus Antisense Therapeutic Based On PMOplus™ Chemistry." In addition to Dr. Schnell, Drs. Bestwick, Iversen and Mourich, all of AVI, coauthored the presentation.
"Saying the new H1N1 [swine flu] virus is "unstoppable", the WHO gave drug makers a full go-ahead to manufacture vaccines against the pandemic influenza strain on Monday and said healthcare workers should be the first to get one," Reuters reports (Fox, 7/14). This, as "Britain, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, the Philippines and Thailand all reported deaths on Monday, while Saudi Arabia shut an international school after 20 students were diagnosed with the A(H1N1) virus," AFP/Google.com reports (7/13). "As of last week, the WHO had reported nearly 95,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of pandemic flu and 429 deaths," the Los Angeles Times reports (Maugh, 7/14).
Four members of the Medical Research Council community were recognised for their contribution to science by the Royal Society.
Boehringer Ingelheim and AmeriCares Free Clinics announced the opening of a new, expanded clinic in Danbury to serve the medical needs of the working poor at a time when demand for such services is higher than ever due to economic pressures.
The human brain can adapt to changing demands even in adulthood, but MIT neuroscientists have now found evidence of it changing with unsuspected speed. Their findings suggest that the brain has a network of silent connections that underlie its plasticity.
A unique study looking at the difference in cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke) and life expectancy between people of high and low socio-economic status has found that a person"s IQ may have a role to play.
In the July 15th cover story of G and D, a research team led by Dr. Eric Olson at the UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas reports that the class I histone deacetylase 8 (HDAC8) enzyme regulates gene expression in the developing vertebrate skull.
A large and long term study of Frenchmen suggests there may be a simple way to establish if apparently healthy people have an elevated risk of
Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE-Amex:PLX), announced that the Company held a pre-NDA meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the a proposed new drug application (NDA) submission for prGCD, a new proprietary plant-cell expressed recombinant form of glucocerebrosidase, for the treatment of Gaucher disease and to confirm the clinical, nonclinical and chemistry requirements for the proposed NDA filing.
New results show that postmenopausal women with breast cancer receiving adjuvant letrozole have better cognitive function than women being treated with tamoxifen. The data, from a recent meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), are drawn from a sub-study of the Breast International Group (BIG) 1-98 trial.
Onset Therapeutics, a specialty pharmaceutical company focused in dermatology, announced the FDA approval and commercial launch of HYLATOPIC™ Emollient Foam, a unique, non-steroidal prescription product indicated to manage and relieve the burning, itching and pain experienced with various types of dermatoses, including atopic dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis and radiation dermatitis.
Scientists have found a way to identify breast cancer patients at risk of heart disease after radiotherapy, according to a report published yesterday.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released new data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample -- the largest, all-payer emergency department database in the United States. The Nationwide Emergency Department Sample is designed to help public health experts, policymakers, health care administrators, researchers, journalists and others find the data they need to answer questions about care that occurs in U.S. hospital emergency departments.
Dramatic improvements in health and reductions in cost growth are achievable if efforts to boost health information technology (IT) are aligned with broader health care reform, a group of three influential non-profit organizations said today.
A program that provides health care coverage to uninsured kids saved Los Angeles County health facilities more than $37 million in uncompensated costs over the past three years, according to an analysis led by USC community health expert Michael Cousineau.
Commenting on news that Lord Ara Darzi will stand down as a government minister, Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), paid tribute to his contribution to the health service. He said:
American Nurses Association (ANA) members joined President Obama at a White House press conference, sending a strong message to Congress that the country no longer can wait to reform health care as rising costs threaten the financial stability of families and their ability to access health care services.
During the second day of her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings, Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor said she views the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion in the U.S. as settled law reaffirmed by subsequent Supreme Court rulings, the Washington Post reports (Goldstein et al., Washington Post, 7/15). At Tuesday"s hearing, lawmakers pressed Sotomayor on her views regarding abortion rights and Supreme Court precedent, the New York Times reports. She told committee members that the contraception rights case that is the foundation for Roe was "the precedent of the court, so it is settled law." She also said the 1992 ruling in Casey v. Planned Parenthood "reaffirmed the core holding of Roe," adding, "That is the precedent of the court and settled law in terms of the holding of the court" (Savage, New York Times, 7/15). Sotomayor said that "there is a right of privacy" and that the Supreme Court "has found it in various places in the Constitution." She cited the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure and the 14th Amendment guaranteeing equal protection of the law (AP/Yahoo! News, 7/14).Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) asked Sotomayor if she considered the 2007 ruling in Gonzales v. Carhart an example of settled law. In the case, the court voted 5-4 to uphold the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. The ruling was the first time since Roe that the court upheld an abortion restriction that made no exception for the health of the woman, the Times reports. In her response, Sotomayor said that "[a]ll precedent of the Supreme Court I consider settled law, subject to the deference the doctrine of stare decisis would counsel," although she did not address the health exception component of the Gonzales case.Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) later pressed Sotomayor to elaborate on her views on Gonzales. Feinstein noted that at least seven Supreme Court rulings prior to the 2007 case stated that abortion laws "cannot put a woman"s health at risk." She added that Gonzales "essentially removed this basic constitutional right for women." Feinstein asked Sotomayor, "When there are multiple precedents and a question arises, are all the previous decisions discarded, or should the court re-examine all the cases on point?" Sotomayor replied that she does not consider Gonzales to be a precedent making it settled law that health exceptions for abortion laws are constitutionally unnecessary. She said, "That was, I don"t believe, a rejection of its prior precedents," which are "still precedents of the court." Sotomayor added that the "health and welfare of a woman must be -- must be a compelling consideration." Feinstein pressed Sotomayor to clarify that she meant that it is still settled that abortion restrictions must have health exceptions. Sotomayor said, "It has been a part of the court"s jurisprudence and a part of its precedents. Those precedents must be given deference in any situation that arises before the court" (New York Times, 7/15).Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) asked Sotomayor if the Constitution prohibits Congress or state legislatures "from defining life or regulating the rights of the unborn or protecting the right of the unborn in the first trimester?" Sotomayor began to cite the 14th Amendment to answer the question. Graham interrupted, asking, "[I]s there÷ anything in the document written about abortion?" Sotomayor said the "word "abortion" is not used in the Constitution, but the Constitution does have a broad provision concerning a liberty provision under the due process" clause (Holman, "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," PBS, 7/14).Graham also asked Sotomayor about her work with the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, which had submitted legal briefs in the past that supported public funding for abortion coverage for low-income women. Sotomayor served on the group"s board from 1980 to 1992. She said that she "wasn"t aware of what was said in those briefs." She noted that she had served on the board but was not a lawyer for the gro
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit on Tuesday lifted, an injunction blocking the enforcement of an Illinois law that requires parental notification 48 hours before minors can undergo abortion procedures, the AP/South Town Star reports. The Illinois Legislature originally passed the law in 1984 and revised it in 1995. In 2007, U.S. District Judge David Coar issued an injunction blocking enforcement of the law. On Tuesday, the appeals court said that the measure was "a permissible attempt to help a young woman make an informed choice about whether to have an abortion."The American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged the law, argued that a provision that allows a notification of a judge, rather than a parent, would be unworkable in practice. In an opinion by Judge Richard Cudahy, the appeals court panel said, "We acknowledge that there might be practical problems with the procedure at issue here" and that "it may be intimidating for a minor to navigate the process of presenting her case to a judge, for instance." It continued, "But we fail to see a better alternative. Abortion, no matter how it is confronted, may present intimidating choices to the minor woman who faces it."The law will take effect within a few weeks unless opponents ask for a stay. Ed Yohnka, an ACLU spokesperson, said that it is unclear what the next step would be but that the appeals court could be asked to rehear the case (Robinson, AP/South Town Star, 7/15).
The needs of mothers who bottle feed are being neglected, potentially risking the health of their babies, suggests research published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
One day after President Obama told lawmakers to speed up their pace, three key Finance Committee senators expressed doubts about meeting the President"s August deadline for passing a reform proposal, Politico reports. Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said he doesn"t "see how" his colleagues can confirm the new Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, and pass a health bill in the time left before the August recess.
Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a novel protein that can protect brain cells by interrupting a naturally occurring "stress cascade" resulting in cell death.
The AP/Lexington Herald-Leader on Tuesday examined the nomination of Alabama physician Regina Benjamin for U.S. Surgeon General by President Obama, the history of the position and how former Surgeon Generals have addressed health issues such as HIV/AIDS (Stobbe, 7/14). According to Advocate.com, "During her speech accepting the nomination, Benjamin acknowledged her familiarity with HIV complications and issues, as her brother died at the age of 44 of an HIV-related illness. Having such a personal experience, especially a loss, due to HIV/AIDS could have a strong impact on her policy and public health campaigns, [Phil Curtis, director of government affairs at AIDS Project Los Angeles], told Advocate.com on Tuesday." The article states, "Curtis said that Benjamin has the ability to reach out to communities that have been largely underserved by efforts to reduce the rate of infection," and she "will also be able to contribute to Congress"s current debate on health care policy, including strategies for early HIV prevention, and accessibility to prescription drugs" (Garcia, 7/14).
Pfizer Inc announced today results from two Phase 1 safety studies, one of PF-04360365, a humanized anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody (mAb), and another of dimebon (latrepirdine*) in combination with donepezil HCl tablets, in patients with Alzheimer"s disease.1,2 Based on the Phase 1 study results, PF-04360365 has advanced into Phase 2.3 Dimebon (latrepirdine), being co-developed by Pfizer and Medivation Inc., is in Phase 3 development.4 These data were presented this week at the Alzheimer"s Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer"s Disease (ICAD) in Vienna, Austria.
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) testified yesterday before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy on "Biologics and Biosimilars: Balancing Incentives for Innovation."
Sunitinib prolongs progression-free and overall survival, and is safe and well tolerated in advanced kidney cancer (metastatic renal cell carcinoma) patients with a poor prognosis such as the elderly and those whose cancer has spread to the brain, finds an Article published Online First (http://www.thelancet.com) and in the August edition of The Lancet Oncology.
New research demonstrates that single neurons in the reward center of the brain process not only primitive rewards but also more abstract, cognitive rewards related to the quest for information about the future. The study, published by Cell Press in the July 16 issue of the journal Neuron, enhances our understanding of learning and suggests that current theories of reward should be revised to include the effect of information seeking.
Scientists at Duke University and the University of North Carolina have devised a chemical technique that promises to allow neuroscientists to discover the function of any population of neurons in an animal brain, and provide clues to treating and preventing brain disease.
In the United States, adolescence is a time when many teens become less interested in academics. A new longitudinal study has found that this disengagement is greater for American teens than for Chinese teens.
Social cognition - the ability to think about the minds and mental states of others - is essential for human beings. In the last decade, a group of regions has been discovered in the human brain that are specifically used for social cognition. A new study in the July/August 2009 issue of the journal Child Development investigates these brain regions for the first time in human children. The study has implications for children with autism.
Young adolescents care a lot about what others think about them. A new study confirms this using brain-mapping techniques that shed new light on this complex period of social development.
More than three-quarters of parents would be willing to permit the use of their children"s newborn screening samples for research purposes if their permission were obtained beforehand, a University of Michigan survey shows.
The American Society for Radiation Oncology has published a consensus statement outlining patient selection criteria and best practices for the use of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) outside the context of a clinical trial in the July 15 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of ASTRO.
For the first time UK scientists have shown what the food poisoning bug Salmonella feeds on to survive as it causes infection: glucose.
Just like a conductor cueing musicians in an orchestra, Fgf10, a member of the fibroblast growth factor (Ffg) family of morphogens, lets brain stem cells know that the moment to get to work has arrived, ensuring that they hit their first developmental milestone on time, report scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in the July 16, 2009, edition of the journal Neuron.
Springer Science+Business Media is offering all journal articles which deal with the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, free of charge on its online information platform http://www.springerlink.com. The articles can be found by using the search term "H1N1." A total of 318 scientific articles will be available to print out or download from now until 31 December 2009.
Scientists at The Florida State University"s Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS) have developed a new computer model that they hope will predict with unprecedented accuracy how many hurricanes will occur in a given season.
The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) has released a Statement on Professionalism in Dental Education for the academic dental community. Aligned with existing codes of ethics and conduct within the dental education and dental practice communities, the Statement helps to define expectations for professional behavior in dental education institutions. It includes the values and behaviors that should guide students as they enter the dental and allied dental professions and faculty and administrators as they continuously improve their educational programs.
Diabetes patients taking NovoLog® (insulin aspart [rDNA origin] injection) can now use the insulin in their pump for up to six days following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a labeling change, diabetes care company Novo Nordisk announced today.[i] The previous label allowed for NovoLog® to be stored in the pump reservoir for two days. This makes NovoLog® the first and only rapid-acting insulin with this extended in-use time.
AARP CEO Barry Rand released this statement following the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee"s passage of the Affordable Health Choices Act:
Advanced Therapeutics & Co. (ADVTX) announced that Fibrinoplate-S™ has shown efficacy in reducing the bleeding in animals exposed to extreme doses of radiation. Survivors of a nuclear event or a dirty bomb explosion will have similar damage from the ionizing radiation of such bombs.
Sapient (NASDAQ: SAPE) announced that it has designed and delivered a Web-based multilingual solution to support the efforts of CdLS World, an international federation of non-profit organizations committed to assisting those affected by Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS), a rare congenital disorder. While there is as yet no cure for CdLS, information and access to early therapeutic interventions and therapies is the key to helping children with CdLS reach their full potential. Sapient"s Ask the Doctor - which can be accessed at http://www.cdlsworld.org or through local CdLS country websites - brings a vast online re of up-to-date, relevant medical information to families and medical professionals around the world.
A recently identified gene allows immune cells to start the self-destructive processes thought to underlie autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatoid arthritis, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found.
The repeal of the federal speed control law in 1995 has resulted in an increase in road fatalities and injuries, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health.
In a week that has seen the British swine flu death toll reach 29 and it is estimated that 55,000 people have caught the virus, hospitalizing 652 of them, the
Mental Health America today commended Senate and House health reform legislation for including mental health and substance use coverage in a benefit package.
Senate Finance Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) have been privately negotiating over how their panel"s version of health reform legislation will address abortion coverage, Newsweek reports. According to Newsweek, Grassley has been pushing to include measures that would prohibit what he considers "taxpayer-subsidized abortion."Earlier this month, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Raising Women"s Voices and other women"s health advocates intensified efforts to ensure that abortion access was treated like access to all other services in health care reform, according to Newsweek. The article points out, "Though usually publicly debated in the language of personal liberty and morality, abortion is a medical procedure performed by a doctor. It"s currently covered by most private insurance plans and existing government programs, at least under some circumstances. This expanded federal oversight and use of federal dollars raises several thorny issues." Grassley is urging that federally regulated and subsidized plans be prohibited from covering the procedure. Lawmakers also could weigh whether religious organizations -- such as Catholic hospitals or health plans -- could opt out of the coverage.Jill Kozeny, Grassley"s spokesperson, said the senator "is opposed to mandating abortion coverage in health care legislation." According to his office, "At one point during the recent negotiations, there was a (compromise) solution that didn"t work out." Grassley -- who is known as a staunch opponent of abortion rights -- said in March, "I take a view that there is almost anything compromisable in public affairs. Abortion is about the only issue I know of that"s not compromisable."Baucus" office declined to comment on the legislation, citing "longstanding Finance Committee policy not to discuss the specifics of ongoing negotiations." Erin Shields, Baucus" press secretary, noted that the lawmaker has a 100% approval rating from NARAL. She added, "He has always fought for a woman"s right to choose and will continue to do so."According to Newsweek, the House"s and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee"s proposals do not specify covered benefits, instead leaving the decision to an independent commission or the HHS secretary. A recent National Women"s Law Center poll found that 62% of participants would oppose a provision excluding abortion and family planning coverage (Feder, Newsweek, 7/14).
All Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinics and hospitals are failing to fully comply with federal privacy standards for women, according to a Government Accountability Office report, the AP/Boston Globe reports. The report comes as thousands of female veterans are entering the VA health system after returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.GAO auditors said that many VA facilities had gynecological tables that faced the door. In one instance, a gynecological table faced a door opening to a waiting room. The investigation also found cases where women had to walk through waiting rooms to use the restroom -- a violation of VA policy requiring adjoining restrooms. Four VA hospitals did not guarantee women access to private bathing facilities. In two of those cases, the facilities did not have locks.Nearly 20% of female veterans have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, and many of them have experienced sexual trauma while serving, according to the report. The report also said that most female veterans at VA facilities are ages 20 to 29. On average, female veterans using VA facilities are much younger than male VA patients, it noted.Randall Williamson, director of health care issues at GAO, said that although top VA officials are committed to improving care for female veterans, facilities are not always taking simple steps, such as repositioning exam tables. Patricia Hayes, chief consultant for VA"s veterans strategic health care group, said that the agency recognizes issues and is making changes to address disparities in care. She noted that VA is creating a long-term plan for construction improvements to address space and building layout challenges (AP/Boston Globe, 7/15).
"Key senators say they want to force the health insurance industry to pay as much as $100 billion toward the 10-year cost of the health care overhaul sought by President Obama," CQ Politics reports. The fees would come on top of a variety of other potential provisions that will change the landscape of their industry, from the requirement that insurers cover people with pre-existing conditions to a government-run plan meant to compete with insurers. The fee may appear in a Finance Committee version of the reform plan that hasn"t been released yet. That committee is responsible for finding ways to pay for the overhaul.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it is conducting a safety review of Xolair (omalizumab), a drug used to treat certain adults and adolescents with moderate-to-severe persistent asthma.
Determined to cut Medicare costs, the White House unveiled a plan that would shift much of the power over Medicare payment rates from Congress to the executive branch.
Wrong Health Reform Will Hurt Economy Politico
Everyday human interaction is not what you would call perfect, so what if there was a third party added to the mix - like a metallic version of us? In a new article in Perspectives on Psychological Science, psychologist Neal J. Roese and computer scientist Eyal Amir from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign investigate what human-android interactions may be like 50 years into the future.
A research team led by the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology has identified the specific gene which triggers the body to produce disease-fighting antibodies -- a seminal finding that clarifies the exact molecular steps taken by the body to mount an antibody defense against viruses and other pathogens. The finding, published online today in the prestigious journal Science, has major implications for the development of new and more effective vaccines. The La Jolla Institute"s Shane Crotty, Ph.D., was the lead scientist on the team, which also included researchers from Yale University.
Treating patients with thalidomide in combination with chemotherapy for small cell lung cancer (SCLC) did not improve their survival but did increase their risk of blood clots, according to a new study published online July 16 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Springer, one of the leading publishers in the fields of science, technology and medicine, has signed a co-publishing agreement with the Indian Association of Surgical Oncology (IASO), to launch the society"s official publication, the Indian Journal of Surgical Oncology (IJSO). Dr. Vijay Kumar, Secretary of the Indian Association of Surgical Oncology; Dr. K.S. Gopinath, editor of the IIndian Journal of Surgical Oncology; Dr. William F. Curtis, President of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC; and Sanjiv Goswami, Managing Director of Springer India, signed the agreement at Bangalore.
When hospitalists use discharge communication software, patients and the outpatient doctors who carry out the care have better perceptions of the quality of the discharge process, according to new research published in the August issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
Barrow Neurological Institute researchers have identified a novel receptor in the brain that is extremely sensitive to beta-amyloid peptide (AB) and may play a key role in early stages of Alzheimer"s disease.
This statement updates Members on the Influenza A (H1N1v) swine flu outbreak and the latest developments in Wales and across the UK.
Following Gordon Brown"s meeting at Downing Street with Britain"s top drinks industry executives he called for them to harness their considerable marketing powers to drive for change in social norm and cultural attitudes towards alcohol in the UK. This has resulted in Project "N" - a collaboration of the not inconsiderable res of top companies throughout the UK.
University of Minnesota McKnight professor and Director of Center for Neuroengineering Bin He has developed a new technique that has led to preliminary successes in noninvasive imaging of seizure foci. He"s technique promises to play an important role in the treatment of epileptic seizures.
An upcoming G&D paper reveals how two specific matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) proteins contribute to bone metastasis in advanced breast cancer - lending important new insight into the design of clinically useful small molecule inhibitors.
American Medical Systems, Inc. (AMS) (NASDAQ: AMMD) a trusted provider of medical solutions for restoring men"s and women"s pelvic health, announced that its AMS 700® with INHIBIZONE® has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the only inflatable penile prosthesis with clinical evidence showing a significant reduction in the rate of revision surgery due to infection.
Universal Detection Technology (www.udetection.com) (OTCBB:UNDT), a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats and provider of counter-terrorism consulting and training services, reported today that its handheld biodetection kits have been certified by the Department of Homeland Security as an "Approved Product for Homeland Security" under the Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies (SAFETY) Act of 2002.
Early results of a trial in Uganda showed that circumcising men with HIV did not protect their female partners, and as circumcision does not
Correspondence and a linked Editorial in this week"s Lancet criticise the election tactics employed by the British National Party (BNP) prior to the recent European Elections.
Argenta Discovery Limited, the respiratory drug discovery and development company, announces a major milestone in its joint programme with AstraZeneca aimed at identifying improved inhaled bronchodilators to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The Brain Emporium offers Cleveland elders an opportunity to refute the adage "You can"t teach an old dog new tricks."
A protein in influenza virus that helps it multiply also damages lung epithelial cells, causing fluid buildup in the lungs, according to new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Southern Research Institute . Publishing online this week in the journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, the researchers say the findings give new insight into how flu attacks the lungs and provides targets for new treatments.
New perspectives in the treatment of disease
In August and September, the University of Antwerp organises vaccine studies for different producers of Mexican flu (H1N1v) test vaccines. 300 to 400 volunteers will be recruited for these tests. "There is a good chance that a Mexican flu vaccine is available early November", expects vaccine expert prof. dr. Pierre van Damme, director of the Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), a department of the Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO) at the University of Antwerp.
The following summarizes selected women"s health-related blog entries.~ "Judge Sotomayor Provides Important Testimony on the Constitutional Right to Privacy and Its Application to Reproductive Rights," Marcia Greenberger, Womenstake: "One major line of questions, asked repeatedly throughout the hearings" for President Obama"s Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor was her "views on the constitutional right to privacy," Greenberger writes, adding, "Given that this right is central to women"s lives, protecting" such "decisions involving whether to bear children ... and having consensual adult sexual relations, it is important to analyze Judge Sotomayor"s answers carefully." According to Greenberger, because Sotomayor "had not ruled directly on the right to privacy as a federal judge, her testimony in this area warrants particular attention." Following questions from senators such as Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Sotomayor portrayed a "clear agreement with the right to privacy and strong description of the court"s current precedents regarding Roe and women"s health," which "lend[s] further support to the view from her legal record that she would not undermine Roe v. Wade if confirmed to the Supreme Court" (Greenberger, Womenstake, 7/16). ~ "Major Steps Forward for Health Care Reform," Thao Nguyen, Womenstake: Nguyen, outreach manager for the National Women"s Law Center, reports that the health care reform legislation passed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is "particularly important for women because of the critical headway it makes towards women"s ability to secure access to quality, affordable health care throughout their lives." The bill "works towards confronting many of the particular obstacles faced by women in our current health care system," such as banning the "discriminatory" practice of basing insurance premiums on gender, even when maternity benefits are excluded, Nguyen writes. The bill also bans insurance companies from rejecting patients based on medical history, which has prevented many domestic violence survivors and women who have had caesarean sections from obtaining coverage. Nguyen concludes that "the momentum for health care reform could not have come at a more needed time" because women and their families "need quality, affordable and comprehensive health more than ever" (Nguyen, Womenstake, 7/15).~ "Democrats for Life of America Ousts Member Who Supports Contraception," Feministing: Feministing reports that Democrats for Life of America removed Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) from its advisory board because he supports efforts to improve access to contraception. According to Ryan, he was dismissed from the board after four years after attempting to persuade the group to support contraceptive use as a way to avoid unintended pregnancies. According to the blog, "This is why we call anti-choicers "anti-choice": because they"re not just about making abortion illegal." It adds, "They don"t want women to have access to contraception either -- something that 98% of American women will use at some point in their lives" (Feministing, 7/15). ~ "Umpires, Perspective and the Supreme Court," Jim Wallis, Sojourners" "God"s Politics": "During his opening remarks for his own confirmation hearing in 2005, Chief Justice [John] Roberts made" an analogy between judges and umpires "that has gotten a lot of play in the media and has already been used quite a few times during" Sotomayor"s confirmation hearing, Wallis writes. He adds that "nothing in the world would frustrate me more than an umpire who would call the game differently based upon the color of the jersey that" players were wearing. "But I haven"t seen that happen," Wallis writes, adding, "In fact, the biggest problem we face isn"t an umpire that has favored one team over the other, but umpires who make mistakes in their rulings and judgment because of their lack of perspective." He adds that Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and "others w
"For a brief moment Thursday, Senate Democrats could celebrate. Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus suggested for the first time publicly he was hoping for a bipartisan deal to pay for health care reform by the end of the day. The good feelings didn"t last long," Politico reports. "Within hours, Baucus (D-Mont.) said the talks were suspended until next week - defying President Barack Obama"s request to produce an agreement by the weekend and throwing into doubt any hopes of meeting the president"s August deadline to pass a Senate bill." And Baucus "had to call the White House and apologize for saying earlier in the day that Obama"s resistance to taxing employer health benefits "is not helping us" get a bill."
"Congress"s chief budget analyst delivered a devastating assessment yesterday of the health-care proposals drafted by congressional Democrats, fueling an insurrection among fiscal conservatives in the House and pushing negotiators in the Senate to redouble efforts to draw up a new plan that more effectively restrains federal spending," the Washington Post reports.
Harry and Louise, the fictional couple in an advertisement which helped sink health reform in the 1990s, are back in a new pro-reform ad, The New York Times reports.
When hospitals agreed to accept a $155 billion pay cut from the federal government to help Washington raise money for reform efforts earlier this month, it was "to the amazement of many," the Economist reports. "How can they justify giving away such a vast sum? There are several explanations, not all of them altruistic. Taken together, they show that the industry"s leaders are bracing themselves for a period of upheaval."
Tropical cyclone Nargis made landfall in the Asian nation of Myanmar on May 2, 2008, causing the worst natural disaster in the country"s recorded history - with a death toll that may have exceeded 138,000. In the July 2009 issue of the journal Nature Geoscience, researchers report on a field survey done three months after the disaster to document the extent of the flooding and resulting damage.
Experts estimate that over 24 million people worldwide suffer from dementia, and many of these people live in low- and middle-income countries. Recently, there has been growing interest in whether dietary factors, particularly oily fish and meat, might influence the onset and/or severity of dementia. Oily fish are rich in omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, which some studies suggest are positively related to cognitive function in later life. Conversely, there is a suggestion from some studies that increased meat consumption may be related to cognitive decline. To examine this, a group of international researchers studied older people in 7 middle- to low-income countries. You can read the results of their study in the August 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
In what has been described as the first lupus drug in decades to show effectiveness in phase 3 clinical trials, the announcement that Benlysta
Texas Medical Association (TMA) statement from TMA president William H. Fleming III, MD, regarding H.R. 3200, "America"s Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009," Congressional legislation to reform America"s health care system.
A third of Western Australian GPs aged 45-65 years plan to retire early, potentially deepening Australia"s medical workforce shortage, according to research published in this year"s General Practice edition of the Medical Journal of Australia.
Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE) announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved under the European Union (EU) Merger Regulation the company"s pending acquisition of Wyeth. The Commission"s decision includes Pfizer"s commitment to divest certain animal health assets in the EU.
Cannabis Science Inc. (NASD OTCBB: CBIS), an emerging pharmaceutical cannabis company, is pleased to announce that the Company is moving forward confidently under the guidance of its new President & CEO, Dr. Robert Melamede Ph.D. The planning for the company"s product line up remains the same, including its FDA fast track initiatives. In the light of recent corporate management changes, Dr. Melamede has begun negotiating with high level industry executives to build a new team with both FDA protocol and research experience to work on Cannabis Science"s extensive product line up and rapid market entry initiatives. The former CEO, Steven W. Kubby, has now resigned from the Board of Directors, and his team members Dr. Mary Ruwart, and Mr. Ray Carr have resigned from their positions with Cannabis Science. The Company wishes them the best in their future endeavors.
The California Association of Psychiatric Technicians will begin informational pickets next Wednesday at state hospitals, developmental centers and prisons, drawing attention to ongoing cuts that are not only hurting employees, but also the vital services Psych Techs provide to Californians in their care.
Today, Human Genome Sciences (HGS) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced positive results from a year-long clinical trial of BENLYSTA for treating lupus. When the 52-week study concluded, the lupus patients who were treated with BENLYSTA had improvement in overall disease activity without clinically significant flare-ups in one or more isolated organs when compared to patients who received the placebo (inactive agent). The patients receiving BENLYSTA also were able to reduce their intake of steroid medications. The study is the largest ever to be completed for lupus and the first Phase III (late stage) trial of a new biologic immune therapy for lupus to succeed in meeting its primary endpoint and most of its secondary endpoints.
This afternoon, AARP CEO A. Barry Rand delivered the following remarks at the White House Middle Class Task Force Town Hall in Alexandria, Va., during a discussion with Vice President Biden, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and White House Office of Health Reform Director Nancy-Ann DeParle, on how health care reform will lower costs, cut waste, and improve quality for seniors from across the country.
Following the rapid rise in the spread of swine flu, the QSurveillance® primary care tracking database has increased the level of detail provided in its weekly and daily reports to government and health authorities.
Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI) and GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK) announced that BENLYSTA(TM) (belimumab, formerly LymphoStat-B(R)) met the primary endpoint in BLISS-52, the first of two pivotal Phase 3 trials in patients with serologically active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In the placebo-controlled BLISS-52 study, the results showed that belimumab plus standard of care achieved a clinically and statistically significant improvement in patient response rate at Week 52, compared with standard of care alone. Study results also showed that belimumab was generally well tolerated, with adverse event rates comparable between belimumab and placebo treatment groups.
The Lupus Research Institute (LRI) and its National Coalition of state and local organizations congratulate Human Genome Sciences (HGS) and GlaxoSmithKline on the highly promising results of this landmark clinical trial of Benlysta(TM) (belimumab) for people with systemic lupus.
From the start of the HIV epidemic, it appeared that some of the people who were infected with the virus were able to ward off the fatal effects of the disease longer than others. Recent studies have begun to unravel the cause of this phenomenon, and new research suggests that African Americans with the disease have a unique survival advantage if they have both a low white blood cell count (known as leukopenia) and a genetic variation that is found mainly in persons of African ancestry. This study was prepublished online on July 20, 2009, in Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology.
Transoral (through-the-mouth) laser surgery to remove cancer at the base of the tongue is as effective as more invasive open surgery and may improve quality of life according to a new study by Rush University Medical Center. The study is published in the July issue of the scientific journal Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.
Three U.S. hospitals were recognized today for their leadership and innovation in quality, safety and commitment to patient care. The 2009 American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize® was awarded to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Mich., which will receive $75,000. Bronson Methodist Hospital, a 380-bed hospital serving patients and communities in southwest Michigan and northern Indiana, was selected by a multi-disciplinary committee of health care quality and patient safety experts based on its culture of quality and efforts to achieve the Institute of Medicine"s six quality aims for health care. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston was honored as the finalist and will receive $12,500. Duke University Hospital in Durham, N.C., received the Citation of Merit.
HIV Susceptibility Testing Increases Patient Survival
In an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," White House Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag said that he is "not prepared to say explicitly" whether health care reform legislation would prohibit the use of federal tax revenue to fund abortion coverage, the New York Times reports. Orszag"s statement came in reply to a question asking whether he was prepared to say that "no taxpayer money will go to pay for abortions." Orszag said, "It"s obviously a controversial issue, and it"s one of the questions that is playing out in the debate" (Pear/Liptak, New York Times, 7/20).Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), who also appeared on "Fox News Sunday," said, "No matter what your views are on abortion, you shouldn"t ask people to use their tax dollars if they think that abortion is taking a life." Gregg added, "I would hate to see the health care debate go down over that issue. We do really need health care reform, and it has to be substantive. ... So hopefully we won"t get ourselves wrapped around the wheel of abortion in this debate" (FoxNews.com, 7/19). According to the Times, there is an ongoing behind-the-scenes debate over handling abortion coverage in health overhaul legislation. The debate affects both the public insurance plan the legislation would create and private insurers, who would receive tens of billions of dollars in federal subsidies to expand coverage for low- and moderate-income U.S. residents. A provision in the House health reform bill (HR 3200) calls for a federal advisory committee to advise the HHS secretary on an "essential benefits package" that most insurers would be required to provide. Abortion-rights opponents want abortion coverage excluded from the package, while abortion-rights advocates say the decision should be left to medical professionals. House committees working on health reform legislation have rejected Republican amendments that would have restricted abortion coverage. The Hyde Amendment, first enacted in 1976, prohibits the use of federal Medicaid money for abortion services. However, abortion-rights opponents argue that federally subsidized coverage of the uninsured would not be subject to the existing restrictions. The National Right to Life Committee issued an analysis of the House bill, stating, "There is no doubt that coverage of abortion will be mandated, unless Congress explicitly excludes abortion from the scope of federal authority to define "essential benefits."" According to the group, even if the HHS secretary did not require abortion coverage, "federal courts would interpret the broadly worded mandatory categories of coverage to include abortion" (New York Times, 7/20).
Although several studies have shown that circumcision, removal of the foreskin which contains cells that are particularly susceptible to HIV, appears to reduce a man"s risk of contracting HIV from his female sex partner, it does not reduce the female sex partners" risk of contracting the virus, according to a study in the Lancet, Reuters reports. Maria Wawer of Johns Hopkins University and colleagues in Uganda followed 922 HIV-positive, uncircumcised men ages 15 to 49. Some of the men immediately underwent a circumcision, and some had the procedure two years later. The researchers also followed 163 female partners of the men.The researchers decided to end the study early when they found that male circumcision did not convey the expected benefits to women. The study also found that men"s partners were no less likely to contract other sexually transmitted infections, except for trichomonas.However, based on observational studies, researchers say that circumcision is so effective in protecting men that it will still likely benefit women indirectly by reducing circulation of the virus in general (Fox, Reuters, 7/16).