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Brain Attack Coalition Adopts New Message For National Stroke Awareness Month
In recognition of Stroke Awareness Month in May, a national stroke coalition announced that its member organizations have adopted a new public education message: "Stroke strikes fast. You should too. Call 9-1-1." The Brain Attack Coalition (BAC), chaired by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and composed of leading organizations committed to stroke prevention and treatment, recognized the need for a new actionable message that all member organizations can use with their current stroke awareness efforts. The NINDS is part of the National Institutes of Health.
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Editorial, Opinion Piece Respond To Closure Of Murdered Abortion Provider Tiller's Clinic
Two newspapers recently published an editorial and an opinion piece in reaction to the announcement that murdered Kansas abortion provider George Tiller"s Wichita clinic would be permanently closed. The clinic was one of a handful in the U.S. offering abortion procedures in the second and third trimesters. Summaries appear below.~ Kansas City Star: The closing of Tiller"s clinic is "a tragedy for American democracy," and the "irrational violence" of his death has "trumped public policy," a Star editorial states. "The basis of civilization is that we agree to submit to the rule of law in order for society to flourish," the editorial says, adding that Tiller"s murder is "antithetical to that principle. It is dismaying to see a killer achieve his objective." The editorial notes that Tiller provided abortion services in "tragic cases" involving women "at risk of infertility or death; fetuses with severe abnormalities; and victims of rape and incest." It continues that the "reduction or loss of that service will create hardships and may put women"s lives at risk." Hospitals and doctors who refer such cases to abortion providers "must reassess the circumstances under which they would perform late-term abortions," according to the editorial. In addition, the "medical profession must take a role in training and supporting doctors willing to provide abortions," and the government and local police "must do all they can to protect a legal medical practice," the editorial says. It concludes, "Democracy demands that we not allow murder to make de facto public policy" (Kansas City Star, 6/11).~ Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune: The announcement that Tiller"s clinic will remain permanently closed "was simply more proof that violence and intimidation can get results where civil discourse and political process fail," Tribune columnist Zorn writes. "The question isn"t whether prominent foes of abortion rights are being honest with us when they decry Tiller"s violent death and express regret over the means used to achieve an end they"ve sought," Zorn writes, adding, "Some are, I"m sure." He continues that abortion-rights opponents "recognize that ... a movement calling itself "pro-life"can"t also be pro-murder" and "are politically savvy enough to know that the gains won by terrorist acts are grudging and difficult to sustain." He continues that to "make terrorism less effective, and thereby discourage it," abortion-rights advocates, the medical profession, politicians and law enforcement officials "need to reopen that clinic in Wichita and assure its safe operation ... to defy terrorism, if for no other reason." He concludes that "as long as abortion remains legal, this same coalition needs to strive to expand the number of facilities where it"s available" (Zorn, Chicago Tribune, 6/11).
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Study Finds Noninvasive Blood Test For Liver Fibrosis May Alleviate Need For Liver Biopsies For Some Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C
A study in the June issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, published by Elsevier, demonstrates that the Hepascore(TM) liver fibrosis blood-serum test panel may help physicians more accurately diagnose and stage liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV), potentially alleviating the need for liver biopsy, the standard of care for staging fibrosis, in a particular subset of patients. The Hepascore test panel is provided exclusively by Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX), the world"s leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services.
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2009/044 NICE Issues Final Guidance On The Use Of Rituximab For First Line Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has today (22 July) published guidance on the use of rituximab for the first line treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. The guidance recommends that rituximab should be considered asa possible first treatment for people with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia who are able to take fludarabine in combination with cyclophosphamide. Rituximab should only be used in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide. Rituximab is not recommended in combination with any other chemotherapy agents as a first treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia is the most common form of adult leukaemia and is a cancer of the white blood cells (lymphocytes). The cancerous lymphocytes multiply in an uncontrolled way and stop normal white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets (blood fragments that have a role in the clotting of blood) from working properly. Dr Carole Longson, NICE Health Technology Evaluation Centre Director said: "After looking at all of the available evidence the independent Appraisal Committee concluded that rituximab, when used as a first line treatment for people with with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia who are able to take fludarabine in combination with cyclophosphamide, represented an effective use of NHS res. This important guidance increases the treatment options available to people with this condition, wherever they live in England and Wales." NICE


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