Medical Devices
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is now accepting applications for Survivor Circle grants from cancer support organizations in Illinois. ASTRO awards these grants to non-disease site specific cancer support groups located in the state where ASTRO holds its Annual Meeting. ASTRO"s Annual Meeting will be held November 1-5, 2009, at McCormick Place West in Chicago.
An election date has now been set for July 21 and 22 in the campaign by registered nurses at HCA"s MountainView Hospital in Las Vegas to be represented by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, the nation"s pre-eminent professional association and union for RNs.
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) commended
A Lifeline For Primary Care The New England Journal of Medicine
The Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced on Capitol Hill on Wednesday that it will help fight the spread of HIV in Washington D.C., New York City and Oakland, Calif., cities among the 20 areas in the U.S. with the highest rates of HIV and AIDS, the Washington Post reports. The coalition - which includes Pfizer, the National Basketball Association, Facebook, Nike, Nokia and others - said it will offer financial donations to city health departments, marketing expertise to promote prevention and treatment campaigns and appearances by professional basketball players for events, as part of their effort. John Newsome, a spokesperson for the coalition, said, "I think the ability of our corporate partners to help develop really effective messages, help provide res to get the message out, contribute talent, air time and media space" is crucial to HIV/AIDS awareness efforts. The coalition plans to expand the effort to other cities in the future (Fears, Washington Post, 6/25).
The following summarizes recent editorials and opinion pieces responding to health reform action over the last week.
The Arizona Senate on Tuesday approved two abortion-related bills, including one that would increase requirements for obtaining abortions in the state and one that would increase penalties for performing a certain abortion procedure later in pregnancy, the Arizona Republic reports. The first bill (H.B. 2564), which passed 16-12, would impose a 24-hour waiting period before abortion procedures, require that abortion providers inform patients about risks and alternatives, and increase parental consent requirements for minors. Although the state has had a written parental consent requirement since 2003, the new measure would require that the consent form be notarized (Newton, Arizona Republic, 6/24). According to the AP/Houston Chronicle, the bill also would "allow pharmacists and other health care providers to refuse to hand out emergency contraception on moral or religious grounds" (Davenport, AP/Houston Chronicle, 6/23). The second bill (H.B. 2400) would impose a fine or two-year prison sentence for violating the state"s law banning intact dilation and extraction procedures, which currently is punishable by one year in prison (Arizona Republic, 6/24).Paul Senseman, a spokesperson for Gov. Jan Brewer (R), said that the governor has not decided whether she will sign the bills. Senseman previously has said that Brewer "has a very consistent pro-life record. Republican leaders in the state Legislature have attempted for years to increase abortion restrictions, but former Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) vetoed every measure on the subject" (Arizona Republic, 6/24).Opponents of H.B. 2564 said that it would make it difficult for women to access abortion services, especially for women outside of urban areas who would have to make multiple trips to providers under the waiting period requirement. According to Planned Parenthood, the bill would reduce the number of communities in the state where abortion is available from 10 to three. Supporters of the bill contend that it would better inform women about risks and alternatives to abortion (AP/Houston Chronicle, 6/23).
Hundreds of health care leaders from throughout the state gathered Wednesday evening in Lake George as the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) presented its 30th annual Distinguished Service Award, its highest honor, to New York State"s health care auxiliaries. Since 1979, HANYS has awarded the Distinguished Service Award to individuals who demonstrate their extraordinary commitment to improving health care through service to their community.
According to a new study from researchers at Duke University, total knee arthroplasty (TKA) procedures performed in older patients with osteoarthritis of the knee result in long-term, significant improvement of physical functioning and motor skills when compared to patients who do not receive TKA.
Research published recently in Science Express from the journal Science demonstrates the first definitive link between mutations in the gene DICER1 and cancer. By studying the patterns of DNA from 11 families with an unusual predisposition to the rare childhood lung cancer pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB) investigators found that children with the cancer carried a mutation in one of their two DICER1 gene copies.
More than 50 further education colleges are set to make redundancies leading to the closure of a huge number of nurseries, according to UNISON, UCU and NUS.
It is now possible to engineer tiny containers the size of a virus to deliver drugs and other materials with almost 100 percent efficiency to targeted cells in the bloodstream.
As a woman gets older, physical problems are less likely to influence whether she is sexually active than her partner"s health or interest in sex, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and Kaiser Permanente.
In a landmark technical achievement, investigators in the Vanderbilt Center for Structural Biology have used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods to determine the structure of the largest membrane-spanning protein to date.
If you have hay fever, headaches or a cold, it"s only a short way to the nearest chemist. The drugs, on the other hand, can take eight to ten years to develop. Until now animal experiments have been an essential step, yet they continue to raise ethical issues. "Our artificial organ systems are aimed at offering an alternative to animal experiments," says Professor Heike Mertsching of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart. "Particularly as humans and animals have different metabolisms. 30 per cent of all side effects come to light in clinical trials." The test system, which Professor Mertsching has developed jointly with Dr. Johanna Schanz, should in future give pharmaceutical companies greater security and shorten the path to new drugs. Both researchers received the "Human-centered Technology" prize for their work.
Pieces in the complex autism inheritance puzzle are emerging in the latest study from a research team including geneticists from the University of
The new 4th generation rapid HIV diagnostic test - Determine® HIV 1/2 Ag/Ab Combo - from Inverness Medical is capable of detecting HIV infection several days earlier than HIV antibody only tests and is ideal to help diagnose and screen for early HIV infection. The ability of this test to enhance the diagnosis of those with acute HIV infection will provide additional benefits in HIV prevention programs and ultimately contribute to a reduction in the spread of HIV. Inverness Medical will be showcasing the new Determine Combo test at the International AIDS Society Conference 2009 in Capetown, South Africa, 19-22 July on stand #203.
HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: HRAL), a leading provider of suitable affordable solutions to clients with hearing needs in the billion dollar hearing loss market, announced that in keeping with its tradition of bringing innovative new products to consumers, the Company announces the unveiling of breakthrough hearing products based on the Neuro-Compensator™ algorithm technology from VitaSound Audio.
Laboratoires Pierre Fabre announce that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), the scientific advisory committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), has issued a positive opinion supporting approval and is recommending to grant marketing authorisation for JAVLOR(R) as monotherapy in metastatic treatment of bladder cancer (advanced or metastatic transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelial tract after failure of a prior platinum-containing regimen).
Newly appointed IHS Director Yvette Roubideaux on Friday announced that American Indian tribes will receive $500 million as part of the $787 billion economic stimulus package to fund health care projects, the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports. According to the Press-Gazette, American Indian tribes frequently cite lack of adequate health care as a major issue on reservations. President Obama also included a $454 million increase for IHS programs in his 2010 budget proposal to address such barriers.The $500 million includes:
Women who have depression symptoms prior to becoming pregnant are at an increased risk for having preterm births, with the risk twice as high for black women as for white women, according to a study in the Journal of Women"s Health, Reuters reports. For the study, Amelia Gavin of the University of Washington and colleagues examined the links between race, preterm birth and pre-pregnancy depressive mood among 555 women. The study used data collected from 1990-1996 as part of a larger, long-term investigation of heart disease risk.Researchers determined that 18.1% of the 249 black women in the study gave birth prior to 37 weeks" gestation, compared with 8.5% of the 306 white women in the study. The study also found that 9.4% of black women had pre-pregnancy symptoms of depressive mood, compared with 7.2% of white women. After researchers accounted for other factors associated with preterm birth, such as body weight and sociodemographic characteristics, black women"s risk remained more than twice that of white women.Gavin said, "The black-white disparity in preterm birth may be in part a consequence of different exposures to depressive mood prior to pregnancy." She said, "Reproductive outcomes must be viewed in light of women"s health over the entire life-course, as well as during pregnancy," adding that the study"s results suggest that "the experience of cumulative health disadvantages or "weathering"" might play a role in increased risk for preterm birth (Hendry, Reuters, 6/25).
Tensions are showing as health reform continues to be center stage on the President"s and Congress" domestic policy agenda. The Associated Press reports that "President Barack Obama has learned the lessons of Bill Clinton"s failed bid to overhaul the nation"s health care system. Too well, in fact, say fellow Democrats angry over [Obama"s] refusal to intervene while a conservative proposal advances in the Senate," feel Obama has "over-learned the lessons of 1993 and is bending over too far to attract GOP support in the Senate." Obama supports a public option for health insurance, but "wants to avoid issuing nonnegotiable demands early in the legislative process," say White House aides. "Insurance companies oppose the public option proposal. Their cause was hurt this week when congressional investigators said two-thirds of the U.S. health insurance industry used a faulty database that overcharged patients for seeing doctors outside their insurance network, costing Americans billions of dollars in inflated medical bills" (Babington, 6/26).
President Barack Obama joins the chorus of Democrats who criticize Congressional Budget Office numbers and claim that their analyses estimates aren"t fair. The criticism comes after the agency provided $1 to $1.6 trillion estimates for two of the Democrats" draft health care reform bills.
As of January 2010, the Bulletin de la Sociç©tç© de Pathologie Exotique will join Springer"s publishing program. Founded in 1908 by Nobel Laureate Louis-Alphonse Laveran, the society celebrated its centenary last year. It plays a major role in the promotion of health issues and information on tropical pathology.
Health Community Should Welcome Human Rights Community"s Help With Reducing Maternal Deaths
This summer, the University of Rochester"s Mt. Hope Family Center will begin a large-scale, comprehensive study of the effects of child abuse. Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the five-year, $2.25 million research project aims to understand how a complex host of factors - from genetics and family environment to hormonal regulation, personality traits, and brain activity - influence the well-being and mental health of children who have experienced child maltreatment.
No time to keep abreast of the most important osteoporosis-related research? Progress in Osteoporosis, the free online journal published by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) on http://www.iofbonehealth.org/pio provides concise summaries of new research published in the preceding three to four months. The journal is edited by leading osteoporosis researcher and author, Professor Ego Seeman of the University of Melbourne, Australia.
The bones of people with osteoporosis become thin and weak. The word "osteo" comes from the Greek osteon meaning "bone", while "porosis" comes from the Greek poros meaning "hole, passage". According to Medilexicon"s medical dictionary, osteoporosis is a "reduction in the quantity of bone or atrophy of skeletal tissue; an age-related disorder characterized by decreased bone mass and loss of normal skeletal microarchitecture, leading to increased susceptibility to fractures."
Gonorrhea (from Late Latin gonorrhoia where gonos means "seed" and rhoe means "flow") is a sexually transmitted bacterial infection that tends to attack the mucous membranes of the body. It is the second most common sexually transmitted disease in the U.S.; the first being Chlamydia. The bacteria reside in the warm and moist body cavities of both men and women and are highly contagious. Gonorrhea is the most common cause of female infertility and is also known as "the clap" or "the drip". Only a fraction of women infected with the disease show any symptoms, leaving them unaware of their condition. If left untreated, gonorrhea patients can develop pelvic inflammatory disease or PID (women), or an inflammation of the epididymis, prostate gland, or urethral structure (men), all of which are far more difficult to treat.
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) has announced a collaboration with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard to systematically uncover the molecular changes underlying multiple myeloma by whole genome sequencing of individual patient tumors. The MMRF will provide both patient samples for analysis as well as funding for the project. All data from this collaboration will be put in the public domain.
AIDS Vaccine Day, May 18, marks the occasion in 1997 when U.S. President Bill Clinton challenged researchers to come up with an AIDS vaccine within the following decade, stating that such a vaccine was the only way to eliminate the threat of AIDS. Twelve years later, the goal of an effective HIV vaccine remains unfulfilled, but the need for one remains urgent. AIDS is the number four killer in the world and number one in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite education and prevention campaigns, every day 7,500 people become infected with HIV. Antiretroviral drugs can prolong the lives of those who are infected, but they are not cures, and because of their cost and logistical difficulties, they reach only a minority of those who need them. And for every two individuals who go on antiretroviral treatment, five become HIV infected. As with any major viral pandemic, a vaccine remains the best hope of ending, and not just mitigating, AIDS.
Health and social care services are overlooking the long-term physical and emotional effects of cancer survivors, leaving many of the two million people living with or beyond the disease in the UK suffering alone and in silence. According to Macmillan Cancer Support, cancer survivors are suffering needlessly and in silence: overlooked by health and social care services that frequently miss the long-term physical and emotional effects of the disease.
Researchers in Berlin, Germany have ameliorated inflammation of the brain in mice caused by immune cells. A receptor they discovered on the surface of T cells in the central nervous system (CNS) plays the key role. The researchers showed that this bradykinin receptor 1 (B1) controls the infiltration of immune cells into the CNS. When they activated B1 in mice with encephalitis, they were able to slow down the crossing of the immune cells through the blood-brain-barrier into the CNS. As a result, the inflammation markedly decreased. The work by Dr. Ulf Schulze-Topphoff, Prof. Orhan Aktas, and Professor Frauke Zipp (Cecilie Vogt-Clinic, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Max DelbrÃøck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and NeuroCure Research Center) together with researchers in Canada and the USA may unveil a new target for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) (Nature Medicine, doi 10.1038/nm.1980)*.
GI Dynamics, a leader in non-surgical treatments for type 2 diabetes and obesity, today announced results from a pilot clinical study which demonstrated the substantially enhanced weight loss effects of combining the company"s EndoBarrier Gastrointestinal Liner with a new EndoBarrier Flow Restrictor. The EndoBarrier Flow Restrictor provides an adjustable restriction at the outlet of the stomach and is designed to delay gastric emptying, an additional mechanism which adds to the therapeutic effects of the liner. The results were presented today at the 26th annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).
A series of articles in the July/August 2009 issue of The Journal of Midwifery & Women"s Health (JMWH) focuses on midwives" participation in the education of medical students and residents. This issue includes the results of a new national survey by Edie McConaughey, CNM, MS and Elisabeth Howard, CNM, PhD, which found that the number of midwives involved in medical education in the United States has tripled in the past 10 years. More recently, the growth of this model has accelerated secondary to the mandated decrease in resident work hours.
Diabetelogia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), published a series of research papers today examining a possible link between insulin glargine (brand name, Lantus) and cancer. Findings from these research papers are conflicting and inconclusive, and the American Diabetes Association cautions against over-reaction until more information is available.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today unveiled LEANWorks!, a Website designed to help businesses address obesity. LEAN stands for Leading Employees to Activity and Nutrition. The new Website was announced at a National Business Group on Health meeting in Washington, D.C.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning employers and their staff to be mindful of following the correct safety procedures when operating machinery and drills, following the prosecution of a West Bromwich firm.
A groundbreaking non-invasive breast cancer treatment will be unveiled at this year"s Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition . Scientists led by world-renowned breast cancer expert, Mr Mo Keshtgar, are the first to use photodynamic therapy (PDT) to treat what is now the most common cancer in the UK.*
Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer, diagnosed in more than 50,000 new patients in the United States annually. While the rate of incidences continues to rise, survival rate has not improved and the race is on to find the genetic and cellular changes driving melanoma and to devise new means of detection and treatment. In a study published online in Genome Research, scientists have mapped chemical modifications of DNA in the melanoma genome, finding new markers that will help develop more effective treatment strategies to fight this disease.
-- 17 confirmed cases in Wales, with 0 new cases.
Analysis of the longest running ICSI programme in the United States has found reassuring evidence that babies born from frozen embryos fertilised via ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) do just as well as those born from frozen embryos fertilised via standard IVF treatment.
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE:MDT) announced completion of enrollment in the TTOP-AF (Tailored Treatment of Permanent Atrial Fibrillation) clinical trial. The study is evaluating the use of the latest radiofrequency (RF) ablation technology, the Medtronic Ablation Frontiers Cardiac Ablation System, for the treatment of continuous atrial fibrillation (AF). A leading advancement from currently available RF ablation tools, the system is comprised of a RF generator (or energy ) and three anatomically shaped mapping and ablation catheters that target three areas of the heart for AF treatment. The system is approved for use in Europe and is under investigational use in the United States.
HOPE, the charity for adults with autism and learning
The White House remains open to taxing some health benefits to help pay for health care reform despite campaigning against the move last year, The Washington Post reports.
Biovest International, Inc. (Other OTC:BVTI), a majority-owned subsidiary of Accentia Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Other OTC:ABPIQ), today announced that BiovaxID®, Biovest"s personalized therapeutic anti-cancer vaccine, is available on a named-patient (compassionate-use) basis in Europe. Following compliance with local regulatory protocols, BiovaxID will be supplied by idis Limited to European healthcare professionals for the treatment of follicular non-Hodgkin"s lymphoma and potentially for other B-cell blood cancers such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia, mantle cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Physicians in non-European countries may also contact idis to inquire about the potential availability of BiovaxID, as idis manages named-patient programs in more than 100 countries.
MicroRNAs are small RNA molecules of 20-25 nucleotides length, regulating gene expression by inhibition of transcription or translation of proteins. High levels of miR-196a, a microRNA suppressing the expression of specific homebox genes that are of high relevance for the development of the human embryo, activated oncogenic pathways inside human tumor cells and induced tumor cell dissemination. miR-196a increased the chemosensitivity towards platin derivatives such as cisplatin and oxaliplatin and might be a useful biomarker.
As Vietnam"s industrial capabilities have developed rapidly in recent decades, government officials have recognized the importance of helping to secure the nation"s supply of medicines. In an important milestone addressing this need, the Vietnamese Pharmacopoeia Commission (VPC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention. USP is a scientific nonprofit organization that sets standards for the identity and quality of prescription and over-the-counter drugs that are enforced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the United States. USP also sets standards for the identity and quality of food ingredients and dietary supplements; these and USP"s drug standards are used in more than 130 countries.
Biovail Corporation (NYSE: BVF)(TSX: BVF) announced that the Company has received the 2009 Corporate Award from the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) for the development of Xenazine® for the treatment of chorea in association with Huntington"s disease. The Award was presented last night at NORD"s Partners in Progress Gala in Washington D.C.
University of Minnesota Medical School researcher Iris Borowsky, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues found that one in seven adolescents believe that it is highly likely that they will die before age 35, and this belief predicted that the adolescents" would engage in risky behaviors.
For the first time RCN members can get a unique insight into the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Congress care of a daily blog.
A groundbreaking study to be published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) shows that furosemide does more than enhance performance in Thoroughbred racehorses; it also has beneficial effects on the health and welfare of those horses.
Aside from the obvious and immediate health problems that patients undergoing mechanical ventilation face, those who recover often do so with profound loss of strength and mobility that can impair their daily functioning and even lead to increased risk of morbidity and mortality down the line. Now research shows that functional status may be restored earlier to ICU patients by performing daily interruptions in sedation paired with mobilization and exercise, as led by physical and occupational therapists.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Appointments Commission are pleased to announce two new appointments and two reappointments of non-executive directors to the Agency Board.
Ablynx [Euronext Brussels: ABLX], a pioneer in the discovery and development of Nanobodies®, a novel class of antibody-derived therapeutic proteins, announced that it has advanced ALX-0061, a new Nanobody®-based therapeutic programme, into preclinical development for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
New HIV therapies have prolonged lives and improved health for patients with HIV, but the treatments have also brought the longer-term effects of the disease into sharper focus.
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it has found E. coli O157:H7 (a bacterium that can cause serious food borne illness) in a sample of prepackaged Nestlç© Toll House refrigerated cookie dough currently under recall by the manufacturer and marketer, Nestlç© USA. The contaminated sample was collected at Nestlç©"s facility in Danville, Va. on June 25, 2009.
The current H1N1 swine flu strain has genetic roots in an illness that sickened pigs at the 1918 Cedar Rapids Swine Show in Iowa, report infectious disease experts at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health in the New England Journal of Medicine. Their paper, published online and slated for the July 16 print issue, describes H1N1"s nearly century-long and often convoluted journey, which may include the accidental resurrection of an extinct strain.
Polyp detection rates at screening colonoscopy; EUS-based criteria for the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis
Improved communication among patients and primary care physicians increases the chances those due for colorectal cancer screening will follow their doctors" advice and complete the procedure, a University at Buffalo study has found.
Despite results which show patients are very happy with access to their GP, this year"s patient survey will result in millions of pounds being lost to general practice, potentially damaging attempts to improve GP access, the BMA said yesterday (Tuesday 30 June 2009). This year"s patient access survey results published today found nine in ten (91%) of patients were satisfied with the care they received at their surgery, nearly 17 out of 20 (84%) could get an appointment within 48 hours, and three quarters (76%) were able to book an advanced appointment. It is not possible to compare this year"s results with previous years" because the wording of the questions has changed.
New pooled clinical data presented at the 28th International Epilepsy Congress (IEC) in Budapest, Hungary showed that VIMPAT® (lacosamide), a new antiepileptic drug (AED) with a novel mode of action,1,2 significantly improved seizure control, increased seizure freedom rates during the maintenance phase and enhanced quality of life and patient function, when used as adjunctive therapy in adult patients with uncontrolled partial-onset seizures.2,3
K2M, Inc., a spinal device company developing innovative solutions for the treatment of complex spinal pathologies, today announced the launch of the CASPIAN™ Spinal System. CASPIAN is an all-inclusive system for rigid posterior fixation addressing the high surgeon demand for treatment of complex cervico-thoracic spinal conditions.
Enigma Diagnostics Limited, the decentralised and point-of-care molecular diagnostics company, announced successful independent testing for bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency to evaluate the performance of the Enigma FL (Field Laboratory).
PROLOR Biotech, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: PBTH), formerly Modigene Inc., announced that the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has issued two new patents for the company"s long-acting CTP-enhanced human growth hormone (hGH-CTP) and human erythropoietin (EPO-CTP). The patents cover the composition of PROLOR"s proprietary pharmaceutical compounds as well as certain associated methods. PROLOR"s CTP technology is based on a short amino acid sequence, the Carboxyl Terminal Peptide that occurs naturally in humans. When attached to a therapeutic protein, CTP extends the time that the protein is active in the body.
Calixa Therapeutics Inc. today announced the initiation of a Phase 2 clinical trial of CXA-101 in patients with complicated urinary tract infections. CXA-101 is a new broad-spectrum, parenteral cephalosporin antibiotic with excellent in vitro and in vivo activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, including drug resistant isolates. Calixa is investigating CXA-101 as a potential treatment for serious bacterial infections in hospitalized patients.
Lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD) affects more than eight million Americans, with significant risks of limb loss, disability and death. Treatment of lower extremity PAD focuses on restoring normal blood supply to the affected limb. Traditional treatment, such as surgical bypass, is effective but invasive. In recent years, many patients have been treated with newer endovascular interventions, using catheter-based devices to reopen peripheral arteries in a less-invasive fashion. According to past research, it is unclear if these newer treatments are as effective as conventional surgical bypass in preventing amputation.
Researchers at the University of Glasgow believe they have found a potential new treatment for cardiovascular disease which reduces blood pressure. Scientists at the British Heart Foundation Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre (BHF GCRC) used a recently-developed antioxidant called MitoQ10 to prevent damage to the mitochondria of cells in an experimental model of hypertension and stroke.
Doctors at a heart center in the US announced yesterday that the first of 24 heart attack patients taking part in a clinical trial has successfully
A new survey from the Stanford University School of Medicine suggests that a significant number of Asian Americans living in California adopt unhealthy sun-exposure behaviors as they become more westernized. The findings underscore a need for increased skin-health awareness on the part of primary care physicians, dermatologists and people of Asian ancestry, who may incorrectly assume that pigmented skin and hair protect against skin cancer.
CytRx Corporation (NASDAQ: CYTR), a biopharmaceutical research and development company engaged in the development of high-value human therapeutics, provided a favorable progress update for its ongoing Phase 2 STAR-1 registration clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of orally administered tamibarotene as a third-line treatment for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL).
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq: TEVA) and its partner, Antares Pharma, Inc. (NYSE Amex: AIS) announced the approval of a Supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA), which added "needle-free injection" to its Tev-Tropin® [somatropin (rDNA) for injection] brand human growth hormone (hGH) drug label. Teva will market the Antares needle-free device as the Tev-Tropin Tjet Injector system.
Two recent advancements in ovarian transplant techniques could potentially expand the availability of the procedure for women seeking to avoid fertility problems as they age, researchers reported Monday at a meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, the AP/Yahoo! News reports. According to the AP/Yahoo! News, ovary transplants traditionally have been performed on women with cancer as a method of preserving fertility after chemotherapy or other treatments that can affect the reproductive system. The procedure involves removing the ovaries before treatment and re-implanting them after treatment is complete. Because only a handful of these procedures have been successful, ovarian transplants have been an option only for women with serious diseases. However, as more women delay having children until their 30s or 40s, researchers say the new techniques, in theory, could make it simpler for healthy younger women to have an ovary removed, frozen and then re-implanted later in life when they are ready to have children.The first study examined how many eggs were lost or preserved in fresh and frozen ovarian tissue of 15 young women prior to the start of cancer treatment. According to the study, there was no difference in the quantity of eggs in the fresh tissue and in the ovaries frozen using a new ultra-fast technique. The study found that about 50% of a woman"s eggs were lost using the traditional, slow-freezing methods of preserving the ovaries.The second study reported on a new surgical technique to restore an ovary"s function after transplantation. For the study, Pascal Piver of Limoges University Hospital and colleagues divided the transplant process into two separate procedures in an attempt to more quickly re-establish blood and hormone supplies to the ovary. In the first procedure, the researchers performed a graft of small pieces of ovarian tissue to prompt blood vessels to grow. They performed the ovary transplant three days later. The technique was successful in a woman who lost fertility because of treatment for sickle cell anemia.Sherman Silber, director of the St. Louis Infertility Center in Missouri and a researcher for the first study, said the new techniques "could dramatically expand our reproductive life span." He added, "This is not an experimental procedure for cancer patients anymore. The question is whether more women should be able to have this option" (Cheng, AP/Yahoo! News, 6/29).
Five Alabama communities have been selected to receive grants of $3,000 each to stimulate
Pharmacists Need A Place At The Health Reform Table The Baltimore Sun
Responding to the publication of Lord Darzi"s report, High Quality Care for All: Our Journey So Far, Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said:
A team of scientists have developed an innovative robot rat which can seek out and identify objects using its whiskers. The SCRATCHbot robot will be demonstrated this week (1 July 2009) at an international workshop looking at how robots can help us examine the workings of the brain.
The nation"s largest veterinary association applauded four members of the U.S. House of Representatives for introducing legislation that confronts public health threats by investing in the public health veterinary workforce
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has called on Defra to abandon its plans for a new animal health body that will give responsibility for animal health to an independent board and leave responsibility for animal welfare with ministers.
Transferring just one embryo at a time to a woman"s womb after embryos have undergone preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and freezing at the blastocyst stage has become a real option after researchers achieved pregnancy rates that were as good as those for blastocysts that had not had a cell removed for PGD before freezing. Their results mean that it will be possible to reduce the number of multiple pregnancies after PGD and the consequent complications associated with these pregnancies.
Experts are predicting record-breaking temperatures this week, so it"s important to take precautions to ensure that your diabetes remains well-controlled in this extreme weather.
A major new trial recently published in the journal Fertility and Sterility shows that for couples beginning infertility treatments, an accelerated path to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) can offer a shorter time to pregnancy, cost savings of nearly $10,000, and a lowered risk of multiple births.
Transcriptomic tests have uncovered the protein composition of venom from the Scorpiops jendeki scorpion. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Genomics have carried out the first ever venom analysis in this arachnid, and discovered nine novel poison molecules, never before seen in any scorpion species.
As scientists continue to decode the human genome and the information becomes publicly available, private companies that offer online genetic testing are multiplying. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health were concerned that perhaps these tests posed a risk.
Even at very high doses, gadolinium-based contrast agents alone are not sufficient to cause nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) in patients with kidney problems, according to a study performed at the Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL. NSF is a rare and serious syndrome that leads to fibrosis of the skin, joints and even internal organs. Some research indicates NSF is caused by gadolinium-based contrast agents that are commonly used today during MR procedures.
A new neuropsychological memory test is helping to uncover how Parkinson"s disease can alter people"s ability to learn about the consequences of the choices they make. The test was developed by Dr. Mark Gluck, professor of neuroscience at the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers University, Newark, working with co-researchers at Rutgers, New York University, and in Hungary.
Medical scientists from Southampton have contributed to a major new report published today, setting out plans to enhance the nation"s health by improving diet, increasing physical activity and cutting harmful drinking.
Previously, only a few genes had been associated with the formation of metastases in colorectal cancer. Now, researchers of the Max Delbr̿ck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and Charit̩ - University Medicine Berlin, Germany, have identified 115 genes that are disregulated both in the primary tumor and in its metastases. In the future, their findings may help identify patients with aggressive tumors at an earlier stage (Gastroenterology 2009, doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2009.03.041).*
-- 26 confirmed cases in Wales, with 9 new cases:
10 Years Younger, the cult Channel 4 programme with viewing figures in excess of 10 million viewers, will launch it"s first live event at Earls Court from 3rd - 5th July 09, bringing the cream of "feel good" fashion, beauty and well-being brands to the UK"s real women.
Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPHM) today announced that it has been awarded a European patent for a novel device and methods for linking biological agents to labels for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The technology, which is known as In-Line labeling, was developed for the production of radiolabeled anti-cancer antibodies, but is applicable to other agents as well. A study published today in the July 2009 issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine confirms that In-Line labeling can dramatically reduce the complexity and cost of producing radiolabeled cancer drugs(1). In-Line labeling is already being used for the production of Peregrine"s radiolabeled antibody Cotara(R), currently in Phase II trials for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme, a deadly form of brain cancer.
Diabetics undergoing total joint replacement often are at a higher risk of experiencing complications after surgery due to various pre-existing health conditions. According to a new study published in the July 2009 issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS), those complications are less likely to occur when a diabetic patient has glucose levels under control.
Hard To Treat Diseases (HTDS) Chief Scientist with its Slavica BioChem subsidiary, Dr. Sanja Pekovic provided updates on recent clinical trials with animal subjects in regards to the use of Ribavirin And Tiazofurin for the potential treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
Because females carry two copies of the X chromosome to males" one X and one Y, they harbor a potentially toxic double dose of the over 1000 genes that reside on the X chromosome.
A new study examining the evolution of maternal mortality rates in Spain since 1996 shows a 17% increase in deaths. This trend is linked to the widespread increase in maternal age. The highest death rates are among foreign women and those who live in the province of Malaga.
For the first time, researchers have been able to identify genetic predictors of the potential success or failure of IVF treatment in blood. Dr. Cathy Allen, from the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, told the 25th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology today (Wednesday 1 July) that her research would help understand why IVF works for some patients but not for others.
On June 11, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the single most common cause of death and disability in children and adolescents, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Now, according to a new study by UCLA researchers, the effects of a blow to the head, whether it"s mild or a concussion, can linger for years.
UCB announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Cimzia®, the only PEGylated anti-TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor), for the treatment of adult patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Cimzia® can be dosed at 400 mg initially and at weeks two and four, followed by 200 mg every other week; for maintenance dosing, 400 mg every four weeks can be considered.
HIV-Positive Babies More Likely To Contract Deadly TB If Given BCG
A report from researchers at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States examines how $577 million in PEPFAR funding between 2004 and 2008 was used in Zambia, PlusNews/IRIN reports. According to the findings, the authors write, "we observed and documented some impressive prevention programming funded through PEPFAR ò€¦ Nonetheless, when stepping back and observing the whole picture, it becomes apparent that the overall approach of PEPFAR dollars to HIV prevention is far from comprehensive. Instead, it is overly restrictive, adhering to a narrow vision of a moralistic ideal, rather than responding to the reality of the epidemic and the needs of the entire population."
The U.N."s World Food Programme (WFP) said Wednesday a "lack of international funding and new restrictions by North Korea on its staff and where it can operate has left it unable to reach millions of hungry women and children in the impoverished country," AP/Taiwan News reports. According to the WFP, it has received 15 percent of the $504 million it needs to feed 6.2 million North Koreans (Sanderson, 7/1). The agency has had to reduce its goal of reaching all 6.2 million, and is now targeting 2.27 million people, Torben Due, the WPF"s country representative in North Korea.
Nineteen House Democrats recently sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) stating that they will not vote for health care reform legislation "unless it explicitly excludes abortion funding from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan," CongressDaily reports. In the letter, the lawmakers wrote that they want to ensure that the Health Benefits Advisory Committee cannot recommend that abortion services be included as part of benefits packages. They wrote, "Without an explicit exclusion, abortion could be included in a government-subsidized health care plan under general health care." The letter was signed by Reps. Dan Boren (Okla.), Bobby Bright (Ala.), Travis Childers (Miss.), Jerry Costello (Ill.), Lincoln Davis (Tenn.), Kathleen Dahlkemper (Pa.), Steve Driehaus (Ohio), Tim Holden (Pa.), Paul Kanjorski (Pa.), Marcy Kaptur (Ohio), Mike McIntyre (N.C.), Charlie Melancon (La.), John Murtha (Pa.), James Oberstar (Minn.), Solomon Ortiz (Texas), Collin Peterson (Minn.), Heath Shuler (N.C.), Bart Stupak (Mich.) and Gene Taylor (Miss.) (CongressDaily, 6/30).
Michigan from 1992 to 2007 experienced improvements in rates of teenage pregnancies, smoking among pregnant women, and six other indicators of maternal and infant health, though there was an increase in out-of-wedlock births and low-birthweight infants, according to a Michigan League for Human Services report issued Tuesday, the Detroit News reports. The report, titled "Right Start in Michigan," examined statistics in eight categories that affect the health of newborns. The findings track trends for the state as a whole and for its 83 counties and 69 communities with populations greater than 25,000 (Jun, Detroit News, 6/30). According to the report, teen births and repeat births decreased by more than 25% statewide (AP/9and10news.com, 6/30). The decline in teen births was more pronounced in urban areas (Lavey, Lansing State Journal, 6/30). The report also found that the rate of women who received no or late prenatal care dropped by 15%, while the rate of premature births declined by 9%. In addition, smoking by pregnant women decreased by more than one-third. However, out-of-wedlock births increased by 10%, and the percentage of low-birthweight infants rose by 10% (AP/9and10news.com, 6/30).State budget cuts are expected to affect assistance programs for teen and low-income women with children, according to the Lansing State Journal. Marcus Cheatham, assistant deputy health officer for Ingham County, Mich., said, "I"m really worried that we"re going to lose the gains we"ve made in this state" (Lansing State Journal, 6/30).
As the White House declines direct comment on pending health care reform bills in Congress, President Obama is readying his message ahead of his second town hall meeting in as many weeks, Roll Call reports.
The drug industry began ramping up its lobbying efforts in 2003, when Medicare Part D began, and now is targeting Democrats.
The Medical Protection Society (MPS), the world"s largest indemnifier of healthcare professionals, has announced the key figures who will head up the new Edinburgh office when it opens in June 2009.
Comparative-Effectiveness Research - Implications of the Federal Coordinating Council"s Report The New England Journal Of Medicine
Deep brain stimulation improves movement skills and quality of life in some patients with a subtype of cerebral palsy (CP) (dystonia-choreoathetosis CP)*, and could be an effective treatment option for these patients, finds an Article published Online first and in the July edition of The Lancet Neurology.
The 2009 Neuroscience Prize of The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation is being awarded to Jeffrey Hall, professor of neurogenetics at the University of Maine; Michael Rosbash, professor and director of the National Center for Behavioral Genomics at Brandeis University; and Michael Young, professor and head of the Laboratory of Genetics at Rockefeller University. On October 18, at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Chicago, Illinois, these three distinguished scientists will receive this prestigious international award for their groundbreaking discoveries of the molecular mechanisms that control circadian (daily) rhythms in the nervous system. Their research was the first to establish a simple relationship between single genes and a complex behavior.
A human growth factor that stimulates blood stem cells to proliferate in the bone marrow reverses memory impairment in mice genetically altered to develop Alzheimer"s disease, researchers at the University of South Florida and James A. Haley Hospital found. The granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (GCSF) significantly reduced levels of the brain-clogging protein beta amyloid deposited in excess in the brains of the Alzheimer"s mice, increased the production of new neurons and promoted nerve cell connections.
Researchers have successfully tested for the first time a computer simulation of major portions of the body"s immune reaction to influenza type A, with implications for treatment design and preparation ahead of future pandemics, according to work accepted for publication, and posted online, by the Journal of Virology. The new "global" flu model is built out of preexisting, smaller-scale models that capture in mathematical equations millions of simulated interactions between virtual immune cells and viruses.
HCL plc, the UK"s largest health and social care recruitment agency, said the Government"s proposals to reform the NHS by devolving power to frontline professionals and patients will mean a greater need for flexible staffing and more collaboration between the public and private sectors.
Counseling patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) on how to increase physical activity leads to health benefits that are independent of changes in weight. These findings are in a new study in the July issue of Hepatology, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). The article is also available online at Wiley Interscience.
Cases of the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus has been confirmed in a Crawford County adult and a Miami County child. These are the first cases identified in both counties.
Scientists at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency"s (CFIA) National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease (NCFAD) have mapped the full genetic sequence of the virus found in swine from Alberta-a development that will help scientists around the world better understand the virus and its affects on animals.
The American Dietetic Association has released an updated position paper on vegetarian diets that concludes such diets, if well-planned, are healthful and nutritious for adults, infants, children and adolescents and can help prevent and treat chronic diseases including heart disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes.
Cancer experts at Johns Hopkins say a study tracking 774 prostate cancer patients for a median of eight years has shown that a three-way combination of measurements has the best chance yet of predicting disease metastasis.
History was made on May 13, 2009, as Minnesota became the first state to pass legislation allowing a "mid-level" oral health provider into state statute - enabling students who are educated under the Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner (ADHP) model to become licensed to practice. The Minnesota state House and Senate overwhelmingly passed Senate File 2083, a bill establishing the Dental Therapist and Advanced Dental Therapist providers in the state. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty signed the bill into law on May 16.
The largest study to date of endometriosis in pregnant women has found that the condition is a major risk factor for premature birth, the 25th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard. Dr. Henrik Falconer, of the Department of Woman and Child Health, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, said that his team had found that women with endometriosis also had a higher risk of other pregnancy complications, as well as being more likely to give birth through Caesarean section. The research is published on-line in the journal Human Reproduction*.
Even under favorable assumptions, including lifelong protection against 70% of all cervical cancers and no side effects, vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV) is not cost-effective in the Netherlands, according to a study published online July 1 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
New research, conducted by Charles Wingo and his colleagues, at the University of Florida, Gainsville, suggests a link between the circadian rhythm and control of sodium (salt) levels in mice.
Sanofi-aventis (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Multaq(R) (dronedarone) 400 mg Tablets. Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) or atrial flutter (AFL) soon will have a new treatment option to help improve current management of their disease. Multaq(R) is the first drug approved in the United States that has shown a clinical benefit to reduce cardiovascular hospitalization in patients with AF/AFL.
Eisai Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, President & CEO: Haruo Naito, "Eisai") and Eisai Corporation of North America (Headquarters: Woodcliff Lake, NJ, Chairman and CEO Hajime Shimizu) are currently focusing on three clinical development programs for the company"s major product Aricept(R) (donepezil hydrochloride tablets) to further contribute to patients with Alzheimer"s disease. As progress in those programs has been made, Eisai announces the status as follows:
Scientists are to study a group of proteins that are highly effective at killing bacteria and which could hold the key to developing new types of antibiotics.
A newly published document, titled "Health Survey of American Indians of Alabama 2008:
Some Iowa groups are concerned that the state"s criminal HIV transmission law adds to the stigma associated with the virus and hampers testing efforts, and are urging lawmakers to revisit the law, the Iowa Independent reports. According to the Independent, criminal transmission of HIV is classified among the second-most serious felonies that can be committed in the state. Those that have been convicted under the law have been sentenced to a few months to several decades in prison. Former state Rep. Ed Fallon (D) who supported the 1998 law, said, "It seems to me that since it is now 11, almost 12, years later, it wouldn"t be [a] bad time to take a look at it again," adding that "surely [there] are some tweaks or changes that the legislature could consider relevant to this law, especially with all the new knowledge we have of the disease" (Waddington, 7/1).
Curcumin, the major polyphenol found in turmeric, appears to reduce weight gain in mice and suppress the growth of fat tissue in mice and cell models. Researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (USDA HNRCA) studied mice fed high fat diets supplemented with curcumin and cell cultures incubated with curcumin.
In an effort to encourage medical professionals to provide services to low-income rural populations in India, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad announced an initiative that will significantly raise the salary of "doctors, specialists and para-medical staff" who elect to work in "rural, particularly far-flung and inaccessible areas," the Hindu reports.
A lack of emotional intelligence leads to poor coping strategies and seriously increases the likelihood of self-harm in teenagers, claims a study published yesterday, in the British Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., a member of the key Senate Finance Committee and advocate for a government-run health insurance plan, said yesterday he would abandon all other possible compromises in favor of immediately creating a public plan that "would operate on "a level playing field" with private insurers," CongressDaily reports. Other proposals have included a plan that would establish health insurance co-ops with government seed money or "trigger" the creation of a public plan only if private insurers fail to meet certain targets for containing costs and improving access.
"The Food and Drug Administration announced (Wednesday) that it is requiring the smoking-cessation drugs Chantix and Zyban to carry the strongest type of safety warning possible to alert patients that the medications can cause serious mental health problems, including depression and suicide," the Washington Post reports (Stein, 7/1).
A new campaign has just been launched encouraging young men in Argyll & Bute aged 16 - 24 to get tested for chlamydia and gonorrhoea. The scheme, run by Terrence Higgins Trust Scotland and funded by NHS Highland, aims to reduce undiagnosed sexually transmitted infections (STIs) amongst young men because research suggests they are much less likely to get checked out.
Statement of Captain Charles D. Connor, U.S. Navy (Ret.), American Lung Association President and CEO: