Diagnostics
The British Medical Association in Northern Ireland (BMA(NI)) and members of its Patient Liaison Group welcomed the Northern Ireland Assembly debate on "Health Provision for Older People", which had previously been postponed.
Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. (TSX VENTURE:SSS)("SCT" or "the Company") has received a No Objection Letter ("NOL") from Health Canada for the modified REGENESIS protocol using NTx®-265 for a Phase IIb clinical trial treating acute ischemic stroke.
Trinity Biotech plc (NASDAQ: TRIB), a leading developer and manufacturer of diagnostic products for the point-of-care and clinical laboratory markets, announced it has submitted its CLIA application for its TRI-stat™ point-of-care HbA1c product to the FDA.
The Inland Empire HIV Planning Council, an agency that makes HIV/AIDS policy in Riverside and San Bernardino counties in California, has begun a three-day summit, where they will determine how funds - primarily from HHS - will be spent, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports. The council, which oversees spending of more than $7 million for HIV/AIDS care and treatment in the counties, said proposed cuts to HIV/AIDS programs and Medi-Cal at the state level "could affect funding and treatment priorities set by the agency," the article states. Joe Acosta, co-chair of the council said they are looking for ways to make up for the expected shortfalls. The council distributes money to about a half dozen agencies in San Bernardino and Riverside counties that provide services to more than 6,800 HIV/AIDS patients, Acosta said" (Hines, 7/18).
The NPHS influenza surveillance scheme, which records reports of diagnoses of flu from more than 300 GP practices across Wales, shows low but increasing levels of influenza activity across Wales. Further detail can be found on the NPHS website: click here.
Cardiovascular disease is increasing in adults under 50 and those of lower socioeconomic status, despite recent trends which show that cardiovascular disease is declining in Canada overall, say researchers at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. Untreated cardiovascular disease can lead to heart failure, coronary artery disease and death, and is the most common cause of hospitalization in North America.
To control mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, researchers need to look
Merck & Co., Inc. issued the following statement in response to study results published today by the World Health Organization offering the first evidence that elimination of the tropical disease river blindness (onchocerciasis) in Africa is feasible with treatment with ivermectin (registered trademark Mectizan®). As the discoverer and manufacturer of Mectizan, Merck decided in 1987 to donate the drug to all who need it for as long as necessary until river blindness is eliminated as a public health problem. The Merck Mectizan Donation Program is one of the longest-running disease-specific drug donation and public/private partnership programs in history.
Researchers of the University of Granada have developed a simulator, so-called EDLUT ("Event driven look up table based simulator"), which allows reproduction of any part of the body"s nervous system, such as the retina, the cerebellum, the hearing centres or the nervous centres. This scientific advance enables them to analyze and understand the functions of the nervous centres, to do research into new pathologies and diseases or test new medicines; it will also be useful to improve the robots and machines inspired by the human body and the nervous system.
A UCLA study has identified a way to turn off a key signaling pathway involved in physiological processes that can also stimulate the development of cancer and other diseases. The findings may lead to new treatments and targeted drugs using this approach.
UC Irvine scientists have shown for the first time that neural stem cells can rescue memory in mice with advanced Alzheimer"s disease, raising hopes of a potential treatment for the leading cause of elderly dementia that afflicts 5.3 million people in the U.S.
Scientists at the University of Leicester are investigating how the stuff of stink bombs and flatulence could play a critical role in the human reproductive system.
Every year, 42,000 Americans are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Few live very long, and less than 5% are still alive five years after diagnosis.
A joint Department of Health and Home Office review group has published its findings on a review into access to the NHS by foreign nationals, Health Minister Ann Keen announced today.
The former Ghanaian president, John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor, has
A new study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and Baystate Medical Center at Tufts University in Massachusetts concludes that patients facing coronary artery bypass surgery should, as a first priority, select a medical facility that has the highest adherence to quality standards.
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: LXRX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing breakthrough treatments for human disease, announced today that it has received orphan drug designation from the Committee for Orphan Medical Products (COMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for LX1032, the company"s oral drug candidate for managing gastrointestinal symptoms associated with carcinoid syndrome. LX1032 is designed to reduce serotonin production in patients with metastatic carcinoid tumors. Elevated levels of serotonin contribute to the gastrointestinal and possibly other symptoms experienced by these patients.
In the past decade the popularity of rock climbing has dramatically increased. It has been estimated that rock climbing is now enjoyed by more than 9 million people in the U.S. each year. A new study by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy of the Research Institute at the Nationwide Children"s Hospital found that as the popularity of the sport has escalated, so have the number of injuries. Study findings revealed a 63 percent increase in the number of patients that were treated in U.S. emergency departments for rock climbing-related injuries between 1990 and 2007.
Two large US studies published in a leading journal this month support the already substantial body of evidence that shows choosing to follow a
The president of the California Medical Association, Dev A. GnanaDev, issued the following statement today in regards to the announced state budget deal:
Following the publication of the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE) report on advanced practice, the NMC made the following statement.
The National Pharmacy Association and Allergy UK provided free allergy screening to the public at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show from 7-12 July. Over 7,000 members of the public picked up information on community pharmacy allergy screening or asked for advice and 75 allergy screenings were carried out.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) commented on the announcement by Health Secretary Rt. Hon Andy Burnham MP of a new independent inquiry into the failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.
The first large-scale "CombiRX" clinical trial testing the combined use of FDA-approved interferon beta-1a (Avonex®) and glatiramer acetate (Copaxone®) to treat relapsing-remitting MS has just received a $19-million renewal grant from the National Institutes of Health. This is the largest MS trial ever supported by the NIH, with a cumulative investment of more than $44 million. The long-term trial is led by principal investigator Fred Lublin, MD, (Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Multiple Sclerosis Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY).
NICE has issued guidance to help healthcare professionals to identify children who may have been maltreated. The guidance provides a summary of alerting features that should prompt a healthcare professional to consider, suspect or exclude child maltreatment. Child maltreatment includes neglect, physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and fabricated or induced illness.
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.
Commenting on the final biennial report from the Mental Health Act Commission released by the Care Quality Commission, Mental Health Network director Steve Shrubb said:
The largest clinical trial of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) for people with HIV infection ever run in Africa has found that regular laboratory tests offer little additional clinical benefit to populations when compared to careful clinical monitoring.
Broncus Technologies, Inc., a medical device company focused on developing minimally-invasive innovations for lung diseases, announced today at the International Conference of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) the release of its first commercial products: the LungPoint™ Virtual Bronchoscopic Navigation and Treatment Planning System, Yield™ Mini Doppler Probe, and Yield™ Transbronchial Coring Needles. These devices are for use in interventional bronchoscopic procedures for lung cancer and other diseases.
Five organizations representing the nation"s experts in infectious diseases medicine, infection prevention in healthcare settings, and public health and disease prevention announced their support for a provision requiring national reporting of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) rates, which is contained within the healthcare reform bill introduced by leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Healthy, normal-weight women pregnant with twins should gain between 37 and 54 pounds, according to research from a Michigan State University professor who helped shape the recently released national guidelines on gestational weight gain.
In the new issue of the Developmental Cell journal, a team of scientists at Singapore"s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill, report research findings about the molecular mechanisms behind the aging process, which has up till now been poorly understood, that offer the possibility that a novel, pharmacological approach could be developed to combat age-related disorders.
Schizophrenia is a severely debilitating psychiatric disease that is thought to have its roots in the development of the nervous system; however, major breakthroughs linking its genetics to diagnosis, prognosis and treatment are still unrealized. Jill Morris, PhD assistant professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University"s Feinberg School of Medicine and a researcher in the Human Molecular Genetics Program of Children"s Memorial Research Center studies a gene that is involved in susceptibility to schizophrenia, Disc1 (Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia 1). Two recent publications by Morris and colleagues focus on the role of Disc1 in development, particularly the migration of cells to their proper location in the brain and subsequent differentiation into their intended fate. During development, cells need to properly migrate to their final destination in order to develop into the appropriate cell-type, integrate into the corresponding network of cells and function properly. Disruption of cell migration can lead to inappropriate cell development and function, resulting in disease.
Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (NasdaqGM: SPPI) and Allergan, Inc. (NYSE:AGN) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track Designation for the investigation of apaziquone (EOquin®) for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, a form of bladder cancer localized in the surface layers of the bladder that has not spread to the deeper muscle layer. Approximately 70% of all newly diagnosed patients with bladder cancer have non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.1 More than one million patients in the United States and Europe are estimated to be affected by the disease.2
Compugen Ltd. (NASDAQ:CGEN) announced that CGEN-25017, a novel peptide antagonist of the Angiopoietin/Tie-2 pathway, has shown positive therapeutic effects in an animal model of retinopathy, a very serious eye condition characterized by over-growth of blood vessels. CGEN-25017, which was initially discovered using Compugen"s Disease-Associated Conformation (DAC) Blockers discovery platform, had previously demonstrated significant inhibitory activity in two other models of angiogenesis, an in vitro multi-cellular assay and the widely recognized chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model.
Women who have premature menopause because of medical interventions are at an increased risk of developing lung cancer, according to a new study published in the International Journal of Cancer. The startling link was made by epidemiologists from the Universitç© de Montrç©al, the Research Centre of the Centre Hospitalier de l"Universitç© de Montrç©al and the INRS - Institut Armand-Frappier.
Scientists at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) have published new findings about a cause of a condition at the root of genetic disorders such as Down Syndrome, pregnancy loss and infertility.
A sixteen-month study of consensus-based diagnosis of patients with disorders of consciousness has shown that 41% of cases of minimally conscious state (MCS) were misdiagnosed as vegetative state (VS), a condition associated with a much lower chance of recovery. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Neurology have demonstrated that standardized neurobehavioral assessment is more sensitive than diagnoses determined by clinical consensus.
The Diabetes UK Media Relations Team has been shortlisted as one of five finalists for The Third Sector Excellence Awards in the category of Communications Team.
Cardica, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRDC) announced that the full results of the PAS-Port system multi-center pivotal trial, known as the EPIC trial, were published in the July issue of the peer-reviewed publication The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. The PAS-Port system, which received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2008, creates a secure connection, or anastomosis, between a vein graft and the aorta, the main artery in the human body, during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures.
Two of the most recognized names in diabetes management - Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) - announced a strategic marketing collaboration to bolster each company"s commitment to help people with diabetes manage teir blood sugar using insulin therapy.
The California Medical Association today praised the state Department of Insurance (DOI) for conducting a public hearing this week on its proposed regulations to prevent private insurers from unjustly canceling health coverage for patients after they get sick and file an expensive claim. The DOI released the proposed regulations last month.
The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) will publish this month the sixth edition of Handbook of Pharmaceutical Excipients and the corresponding single-user CD ROM, titled Pharmaceutical Excipients 6.
Talk about health care reform efforts has focused largely on all that is wrong with the current system. In contrast, an event Tuesday in Washington, D.C., examined best practices in ten top performing communities where they spend less and have better quality of care.
As health reform proposals emerge from congressional committees, partisan fighting boils and the president wades into the debate with a series of televised addresses, news reports turn to an unanswered question. "What"s in it for me?" asks David Leonhardt, the New York Times business columnist. "On the subject of health care reform, most Americans probably don"t have a good answer to the question. And that, obviously, is a problem for the White House and for Democratic leaders in Congress," he writes.
"Drug makers, advocacy groups, biotechnology firms and insurance companies have ratcheted up efforts to offer their two cents - and in most cases much, much more - in influencing the health care legislation now working its way through Congress," The New York Times reports. "Many familiar health groups in recent months have increased lobbying spending by more than $1 million, according to second-quarter lobbying records filed on Monday with the Senate Office of Public Records." Those groups include AARP and The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Drug makers GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis, along with insurance company Allstate and biotechnology firm Amgen have also invested significantly more in lobbying activities."
The American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) has released its position regarding HB 3200, the health care reform bill proposed by the Obama administration. While ACAM believes healthcare reform is vital and necessary for America, it is our position that integrative medicine principles be included to yield the desired result of creating a more efficient, wellness-centered approach to healthcare.
Over the last four years, heart specialists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center have implanted an innovative aortic heart valve replacement using a catheter-based approach that does not require open-heart surgery in a total of 100 patients -- the most of any U.S. medical center to date.
Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN) announced that the Genomic Medicine Institute (GMI) at Seoul National University College of Medicine in Korea, purchased seven additional Illumina Genome AnalyzerIIx sequencing systems, expanding the capacity of their recently established Asian Genome Center to 10 Illumina sequencing systems.
Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, has announced that a study published online in the peer-reviewed journal Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health found once-daily Vyvanse® (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) CII significantly reduced the symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children aged 6 to 12 from the first time point measured (1.5 hours) up to the last time point assessed (13 hours) after administration. In this pediatric analog classroom study, treatment with Vyvanse was associated with significant improvement in behavior and attention in children at each time point measured, with improvement at 13 hours after administration.
A research consortium based at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has been awarded $15 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to investigate how the hepatitis C virus (HCV) resists suppression and clearance by the immune system. The five-year grant will support a Cooperative Center for Translational Research in Human Immunology, which also will focus on how some individuals successfully recover from HCV while the infection becomes chronic in most of those infected, with a special emphasis on immunological events in the liver as the site of HCV replication.
Current research suggests that a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent one of the leading causes of legal blindness among the elderly. The related report by Tuo et al, "A high omega-3 fatty acid diet reduces retinal lesions in a murine model of macular degeneration," appears in the August 2009 issue of the American Journal of Pathology.
Whites experiencing depression are far more likely to be diagnosed by a physician than other ethnic groups, according to a new Consumer Health Sciences (CHS) study presented today at the 14th Annual ISPOR (International Society for Pharmacoeconomic and Outcomes Research) Conference in Orlando, Florida. The study reveals that 76% of whites with self-reported depression symptoms are officially diagnosed, compared to just 58.7% of blacks, 62.7% of Hispanics and 47.4% of Asians.
Vets are not being adequately trained to deal with the increasing "customer care" expectations of dog-owners, reveals a small study published in this week"s Veterinary Record.
The increasing incidence of terrorist attacks means that doctors in civilian settings, as well as those in combat operations, need training on blast injuries. The issues surrounding these frequently devastating injuries are discussed in a Seminar published Online First and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet, written by Dr Stephen Wolf, Department of Emergency Medicine, Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, CO, USA, and colleagues.
The government launches New Horizons, a major new consultation on how we should care for the mental health of the nation for the next ten years. As the current mental health strategy the National Service Framework draws to a close this autumn, New Horizons is a pivotal opportunity to move on from a model of mental health care based solely on delivering medical services, to a cross-government plan that approaches everyone"s mental wellbeing holistically, and considers the impact of social factors such as unemployment and debt.
A recent Yankelovich survey unveiled that although a large majority of women know there are simple steps they can take to support breast health, few women are taking the necessary actions. What"s more, 80 percent of the women surveyed have been personally affected by breast cancer or know someone who has been. To address this issue, One A Day Women"s Multivitamins is encouraging women to join a virtual march against breast cancer through the One A Day Women"s Take A Stand Campaign.
Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) can have a significantly beneficial effect in patients with severe emphysema, according to the first ever study to randomize emphysema patients to receive either LVRS or non-surgical medical care.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology announced the participants for its 2010 Leadership Development Program (LDP), an annual program designed to recognize and support ophthalmologists with the potential to become leaders in ophthalmic societies.
Patients with moderate COPD were randomized to receive "usual care" or to undergo an interdisciplinary, community-based program (INTERCOM) that offered an intensive lifestyle moderation phase of four months, during which patients were instructed in detail to perform two 15-minute intervals of pleasurable walking or cycling, and offered instruction in other lifestyle changes such as nutrition and smoking cessation. After the four-month introductory period, there was a less intensive 20-month maintenance during which patients were offered guidance but not intensive intervention.
The routine call and review of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) records will begin
"Several senior House Democrats voiced strong concern Wednesday with a proposal to empower the executive branch to restrain Medicare spending, adding fresh uncertainty to White House efforts to build support for health legislation," The Wall Street Journal reports. "The proposal is being pushed by a coalition of centrist Democrats who are demanding greater steps to control the growth of health-care costs before they consider supporting legislation that would extend health insurance to tens of millions of Americans lacking coverage." Earlier this week, "the centrists struck a tentative deal with top Obama aides and House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D., Calif.) to add the proposal to health legislation pending on Capitol Hill."
"Will failing to reform health care have the same consequences for Obama"s administration as it did for Clinton"s?" CNN asks.
Slashing red tape would allow Australia"s General Practitioners to spend more time caring for patients, AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today.
"For many of the 60 million people living in rural America, inadequate and unaffordable healthcare is an immediate and growing problem," Reuters reports. "Reform is a big deal here. We"re on the edge," said Brian Wolfe, an Iola [Kansas] family doctor. Half his patients rely on government aid for the poor and elderly and some who need care don"t seek it because they can"t payò€¦. Rural residents are heavily represented among the 46 million Americans lacking health insurance. Many are too poor to pay for a doctor"s visit and too far from cities to reach emergency rooms and free clinics. Additionally, rural residents are disproportionately losing jobs and insurance or their seeing benefits cut as employers fire workers and cut costs in the continuing recession. When rural residents do seek care, many find long lines for a shrinking number of primary care physicians and specialists."
Ovulation is one part of the female menstrual cycle whereby a mature ovarian follicle (part of the ovary) discharges an egg (also known as an ovum, oocyte, or female gamete). It is during this process that the egg travels down the fallopian tube where it may be met by a sperm and become fertilized.
By conducting a mammogram, a low-dose x-ray of the breasts, doctors can identify cancerous tumors well before a woman even feels a lump. According to the American Cancer Society, "Finding small breast cancers early by a screening mammogram greatly improves a woman"s chance for successful treatment."
Researchers "believe they have found a "missing link" in the evolution of the virus that causes AIDS," based on findings from a
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned small companies to take their responsibilities seriously, after a man fell through the roof of a DIY superstore in Wigan and later died.
How much disease costs Australia will be the focus of a keynote address by UQ"s Professor Theo Vos at today"s Public Health Association of Australia Queensland State Conference.
An event to mark the celebrate the 10th anniversary of the UQ Ipswich Campus and the launch of UQ"s teaching of Medicine at UQ Ipswich will be held today, Friday, July 24, 2009.
With many British families packing for their annual summer holiday, basking Britons could face a cloud on the horizon this summer with many unaware of how to check for skin cancer, research from Friends Provident reveals.
New data collected at Columbia University Medical Center and by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine are helping researchers understand the extent to which a certain protein - NGAL - can play a significant role in marking chronic kidney disease resulting from HIV while at the same time distinguishing nephropathy from more common causes such as diabetes and hypertension.
Promedior, Inc. announced the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial of PRM-151, a novel compound in development for the treatment of fibrotic diseases and tissue remodeling. The Phase 1 dose escalation study is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and exploratory pharmacodynamics of ascending single intravenous doses of PRM-151 in healthy subjects. The study is being conducted at the Centre for Human Drug Research in The Netherlands.
Scientists from The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Sangamo Biosciences, Inc., (NASDAQ: SGMO), Sigma-Aldrich Corporation (NASDAQ: SIAL), Open Monoclonal Technology, Inc. (OMT) and INSERM today announced the creation of the first genetically modified mammals developed using zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) technology.
"As the President himself has said, America does not face an entitlement
Join America"s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) September 13 - 17, 2009, along with senior health insurance plan executives, policymakers, and federal and state representatives for updates, analyses, and discussion on the leading issues for health insurance plans participating in Medicare and Medicaid. Whatever is of special interest to you, AHIP"s Medicare & Medicaid Conferences offer sound public policy analyses and access to best practices and insights to help you strengthen your work serving Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
During a roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.) stressed the cost-effective role that homecare can play in the reform of the U.S. healthcare system. The roundtable also addressed the controversial competitive bidding program for home medical equipment and services. The American Association for Homecare hosted the event, which was attended by congressional staff and media.
Three new programs within UQ"s School of Human Movement Studies are bound to get the heart racing in 2010, and will be on show at this year"s Open Day event.
Bayer HealthCare AG and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that their first cooperative group-sponsored randomized Phase II trial in advanced metastatic breast cancer met its primary endpoint of progression-free survival. The study evaluated Nexavar® (sorafenib) tablets in combination with the oral chemotherapeutic, capecitabine, in patients with locally advanced or metastatic HER-2 negative breast cancer. Study findings demonstrated that the median progression-free survival was extended in patients treated with Nexavar and capecitabine compared to patients receiving capecitabine and placebo. These results were statistically significant (p-value = 0.0006). In this trial, the safety and tolerability of the combination was as expected and did not show any new or unexpected toxicities. A complete data analysis from this study is expected to be presented at an upcoming scientific meeting.
At 96-week follow up, data from the MERIT ES analysis show that treatment-naç¯ve HIV patients taking Celsentri/Selzentry (maraviroc), in combination with Combivir® (zidovudine/lamivudine) experienced comparable virologic suppression to undetectable levels and significantly greater increases in CD4 T-cell count through 96-weeks, compared to patients taking efavirenz in combination with zidovudine/ lamivudine. The data also show the favorable tolerability of Celsentri/Selzentry, which was associated with fewer discontinuations due to adverse events.1
The number of human cases of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 is still increasing substantially in many countries, even in countries that have already been affected for some time. Our understanding of the disease continues to evolve as new countries become affected, as community-level spread extends in already affected countries, and as information is shared globally.
Nearly 40 years after the Supreme Court"s decision in Roe v. Wade, the "incendiary debate over abortion rights endures" and continues to manifest itself in a number of ways, USA Today reports. According to a recent USA Today/Gallup Poll, 78% of U.S. residents want abortion to be legal under at least some circumstances, with 21% saying it should be legal under any circumstance. According to the poll, 18% of respondents said that they want abortion always to be illegal. The poll also found that 46% of U.S. residents self-identify as "pro-choice," while 47% self-identify as "pro-life."Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said, "The enduring divide represents the reality that there are fundamental religious differences on the issue of abortion that do not exist on, say, campaign finance or even on health care." Americans United for Life President Charmaine Yoest said that abortion-rights opponents are mobilizing to urge congressional lawmakers to exclude abortion coverage and funding from any federal health reform legislation.During the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, the judge said that she does not believe previous court rulings on abortion rights have ended the national controversy surrounding the issue. According to USA Today, Sotomayor, who has never ruled on the issue, declined to reveal her personal position on abortion rights. Several antiabortion-rights advocates also protested during Sotomayor"s hearings (Biskupic, USA Today, 7/24).In addition, the Center for Reproductive Rights this week released a report that found physicians and employees of health care clinics providing abortion services in six states -- Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Texas -- face an increasing level of harassment and death threats. The report was based on a four-month investigation (AP/Houston Chronicle, 7/23). The report was tied to the murder of Kansas abortion provider George Tiller (USA Today, 7/24). Operation Save America Director the Rev. Flip Benham, whose group is mentioned in the report, said the center is trying to limit the free-speech rights of abortion-rights opponents (AP/Houston Chronicle, 7/23).
Insurers are testing a concept called "medical home" that uses electronic records and coordinates care, and could transform the delivery of health care. Advocates say such medical homes could save consumers time and money and insurers back the idea. Meanwhile, skeptics say financial savings still need to be proven and incentives need to put into the system to encourage such care.
New England Journal of Medicine: Medicare Part D Update - Lessons Learned And Unfinished Business - "Since 2006, more than 40 million elderly and disabled people have had the opportunity to enroll in a Medicare Part D prescription-drug plan, as established under the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003." At that time, lawmakers focused on several features of the proposed legislation. "Issues that received particular scrutiny were the unprecedented way that the benefit would be delivered (exclusively through private plans) and its design, featuring an unusual gap in coverage (sometimes called the "doughnut hole")." Four years into the program, "the Obama administration and the Democratically controlled Congress have an opportunity to review the program and identify areas for improvement." This study, The Medicare Policy Project of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, returns to some of the key questions raised during the congressional debate and in the years that led up to the program"s start (Neuman and Cubanski, July 23). (Note: KHN is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation.)
"Despite making strides in addressing HIV/AIDS, we have not reached all individuals and communities with the full range of prevention tools needed to reverse the epidemic," Jirair Ratevosian, chair of the American Public Health Association International Health Section"s Advocacy and Policy Committee, writes in a Washington Post letter to the editor. Ratevosian continues, "Congress has a chance to help by lifting the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange programs," adding, "Such programs do more than just distribute clean syringes; they link people into the health care system and drug treatment programs." Ratevosian also discussed support of needle exchange programs by several national health organizations and concludes, "It is imperative that effective approaches to preventing HIV be accessible without delay" (Ratevosian, 7/24).
Scientists at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have found that the Caspase-8 protein, long known to play a major role in promoting programmed cell death (apoptosis), helps relay signals that can cause cancer cells to proliferate, migrate and invade surrounding tissues. The study was published recently in the journal Cancer Research.
Overall prognosis for gallbladder cancer appears to be improving, although many patients still have incurable disease and poor survival rates, according to a report in the May issue ofArchives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Andy Catling, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and the Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has been awarded a $177, 500 supplement to his RO1 grant by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to support his research on the mechanism by which seemingly similar cell receptor systems determine quite different functions influenced by hormones and drugs.
In response to the release of recommendations from the National Health and Hospital Reform Commission the Australian Nursing Federation welcomed the focus on primary health care and the development of Comprehensive Primary Health Care Centers.
Payment by Results has inflated NHS costs and encouraged acute trusts to become "profit centres", so nothing short of a radical overhaul will put matters right, says the NHS Alliance.
The Financial Secretary to Her Majesty"s Government, Rt. Hon. Stephen Timms MP has written to Ivan Corea of the UK Autism Foundation, pledging support for families with autism.
The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee will next week publish a short report on UK preparedness and pandemic influenza.
The NPHS influenza surveillance scheme, which records reports of diagnoses of flufrom more than 300 GP practices across Wales, shows increasing levels of influenza activity across Wales. Further detail can be found on the NPHS website: see here.
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth (NYSE: WYE), announced the publication in Fertility and Sterility of data from a Phase 3 clinical study that showed that the investigational compound bazedoxifene/conjugated estrogens (BZA/CE) significantly reduced the frequency and severity of hot flushes and improved measures of vaginal atrophy when compared to placebo. In this study, uterine bleeding was not statistically different from placebo and the rate of endometrial hyperplasia in doses being considered for therapeutic use was Fertility and Sterility, is from the Selective estrogens Menopause And Response to Therapy (SMART-1) clinical trial. SMART-1 was designed to explore the hypothesis that bazedoxifene, when paired with conjugated estrogens, may have the potential to eliminate the need for progestin in menopausal therapy in women with an intact uterus. BZA/CE is characterized by Wyeth as a TSEC (tissue selective estrogen complex) as it combines a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) with conjugated estrogens.
Mayo Clinic researchers have found that children exposed to anesthesia during Cesarean section are not at any higher risk for learning disabilities later in life than children not delivered by C-section. These findings are reported in the current issue of the journal Anesthesiology.
A common food additive that gives M&Ms and Gatorade their blue tint may offer promise for preventing the additional and serious secondary damage that immediately follows a traumatic injury to the spinal cord. In an article published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers report that the compound Brilliant Blue G (BBG) stops the cascade of molecular events that cause secondary damage to the spinal cord in the hours following a spinal cord injury, an injury known to expand the injured area in the spinal cord and permanently worsen the paralysis for patients.
A major feature of the annual Pharmacy Australia Congress is the Poster Session which
Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) -- along with committee members John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) -- recently said that they will oppose Sonia Sotomayor"s confirmation to the Supreme Court, USA Today reports. The Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Sotomayor"s nomination on Tuesday.In an opinion piece published Monday in USA Today, Sessions wrote that he questions Sotomayor"s "fidelity to the law," adding, "I don"t believe that Judge Sotomayor has the deep-rooted convictions necessary to resist the siren call of judicial activism. She has evoked its mantra too often." In reference to what Sessions said were discrepancies between her statements before the panel and her judicial record, he wrote, "Which Sotomayor will we get?" (Page, USA Today, 7/27).On Friday in floor remarks, Cornyn said, "While her record was generally in the mainstream, several of her decisions demonstrated the kind of liberal judicial activism that has steered the court in the wrong direction over the last few years." He added that "many of her public statements reflected a surprisingly radical view of the law." Cornyn also said that "those speeches contain very radical ideas on what the role of a judge is," noting that Sotomayor expressed a belief that there "is no objectivity in law; courts should change the law to make new policy; and ethnicity and gender can and even should impact a judge"s decision-making" (Bolton, The Hill, 7/24).Hatch, in a statement released Friday, said, "I reluctantly, and with a heavy heart, have found that I cannot support her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court," adding, "Although Judge Sotomayor has a compelling life story and dedication to public service, her statements and record were too much at odds with the principles about the judiciary in which I deeply believe" (Stanton, Roll Call, 7/24).
Democrats are planning to push the point this week that health care reform, with a price tag of up to $1.6 trillion, has benefits and cost savings that aren"t scored by the Congressional Budget Office, The Hill reports.
The Health-Care Sacrifice The Washington Post
The Asian Strategic Alliance for Pneumococcal Disease Prevention (ASAP) is calling for the pneumonia vaccine to become an official part of India"s required list of immunizations, the Times of India reports. According to the newspaper, Nithin Shah, chairman of ASAP India chapter, said there is an "immediate need to take steps to control and prevent pneumonia morbidity and mortality," which is the leading cause of death among children younger than age five in India, according to international child health experts (7/26).
The Oakland, Calif., chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women on Saturday held a daylong conference, "Sistahs Getting Real About HIV/AIDS," that addressed HIV/AIDS among black women, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The conference "focused on two issues that might seem contradictory: first, to convince women that they must take special precautions to protect themselves, and second, to let them know that an HIV diagnosis is not a death sentence," according to the Chronicle. Keynote speaker of the conference Tony Wafford, director of health and wellness for the National Action Network, said black women need to be more vocal with their partners about practicing safe sex and getting tested for HIV. Organizers noted that black women also "must address the stigma associated with HIV before they can talk openly about the risk of infection with their partners," the article states (Allday, 7/25).
The AMA has congratulated the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission on its final report launched in Canberra by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
A drug used to remove iron from the body could help doctors fight one of diabetes" cruelest complications: poor wound healing, which can lead to amputation of patients" toes, feet and even legs.
Six University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) students and two students from other universities are using satellite imagery to identify possible habitats in Alabama for the black-legged tick that carries and transmits Lyme disease.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Tuesday began marking up a bill (S 982) that would allow FDA to regulate tobacco products, CongressDaily reports. The bill would allow FDA to place larger, color warning labels about the health risks of smoking on cigarette packs, as well as to regulate the marketing of tobacco products and advertising to children. The agency could not ban tobacco products or eliminate nicotine from cigarettes, but it could regulate their production and ban flavored cigarettes other than menthol. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) said, "Over the years, this bill has been reviewed; it has been vetted; it has been debated, over and over and over again. The time has come to act." The House in April passed its version of the bill, 298-112 (Hunt, CongressDaily, 5/20). The committee by voice vote approved an amendment proposed by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) that would give FDA priority to review products that contain nicotine, such as candies. Committee ranking member Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) proposed two amendments, one that would have given regulatory authority over tobacco to CDC and another that would have ordered FDA to study which flavors to ban, instead of a current provision that bans specific flavors. Both amendments were defeated. Enzi said, "I think the FDA is the wrong regulator. It approves cures, not poisons." The only Democrat who opposed the bill was Sen. Kay Hagan (N.C.), who said the measure would harm the tobacco industry in her home state (Armstrong, CQ HealthBeat, 5/19). The panel"s other member from North Carolina, Sen. Richard Burr (R), said he would filibuster the bill. He said, "I put my fellow senators on notice: This is something that will be a much longer time on the floor than it will be in this hearing" (CongressDaily, 5/20). The committee plans to continue marking up the bill Wednesday and possibly Thursday.The Obama administration has expressed its support for the bill (CQ HealthBeat, 5/19). FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg also has said her agency should regulate tobacco (Armstrong, CQ HealthBeat, 5/18).
Government health officials from 13 African countries today launched the first-ever push for accreditation of the continent"s medical laboratories, starting a process that the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Government believe will be an historic step to strengthen health systems and lead to better care for patients.
Researchers have devised a scheme for identifying genes in yeast that
By a wide margin, health care leaders believe that individuals should have a choice of public and private health plans, and strongly support other central components of health reform such as innovative provider payment reform and a national insurance health exchange with strong standard-setting authority. In addition, two-thirds (68%) of opinion leaders feel it is urgent to enact comprehensive health care reform this year, according to the latest Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey.
Schistosomiasis, one of the most important of the neglected tropical diseases, is caused by infection with parasitic helminths of the genus Schistosoma. These parasites are long lived (>10 years) and dwell within blood vessels, where they produce eggs that become the focus of intense, chronic inflammatory responses. In severe cases, this inflammation is associated with life-threatening liver disease.
An Italian research team, publishing in the current issue of Cell Transplantation (18:4), which is now available on-line without charge at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct, has found that stem cells derived from human placenta may ultimately play a role in the treatment of lung diseases, such as pulmonary fibrosis and fibrotic diseases caused by tuberculosis, chemical exposure, radiation or pathogens. These diseases can ultimately lead to loss of normal lung tissue and organ failure. No known therapy effectively reverses or stops the fibrotic process.
Committees in the New Jersey Senate and Assembly on Monday unanimously approved a bill that would provide insurance benefits of up to $36,000 annually for autism treatments, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The funding, provided to developmentally disabled individuals younger than age 21, would go toward diagnostic services and early behavioral intervention, as well as occupational, physical and speech therapies. The Assembly could vote on the bill as early as Thursday, while the Senate bill is being considered by the state Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D), who sponsored the Senate bill, said, "I don"t know of any parent who wouldn"t do everything in their power to give their autistic or developmentally disabled child every chance to excel. However, the enormous cost of behavior intervention ... makes it out of the realm of possibility for many families." Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts (D), who sponsored the Assembly bill, said, "In this economy, every New Jersey resident is struggling, but families with kids with special needs are struggling even more," adding, "They"re maxing out their credit cards and taking out second mortgages" to cover gaps in health insurance benefits.Citing cost issues, the New Jersey Business and Industry Association and the New Jersey Association of Health Plans were among those opposed to the bill. Christine Stearns, NJBIA vice president for health and legal affairs, said that the bill would make employer-sponsored insurance more costly and cause firms to drop such coverage, adding, "How, who and what is part of a basic health plan is all part of that." Stearns added that the bill is preferable to previous versions because it mandates that covered services be medically necessary and prescribed, places a reasonable cap on prices and ensures that the cost of educational services provided by schools is not shifted to insurers. Roberts said the bill would save money by delivering earlier treatment that could prevent more costly problems in the future (Henry, Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/19).
A new multisite study by UCLA and RAND Corp. researchers and colleagues has found that 7 percent of fifth-graders and their families have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives and that the occurrence is even higher - 11 percent - for African American children and those from the poorest households.
Health care experts at the University of California, San Francisco highlight in a new report the hidden risks and complexities that compromise patient safety for ambulatory patients with chronic disease.
Cardium Therapeutics (NYSE Amex: CXM) and its subsidiary Tissue Repair Company (TRC) provided an update on the completion of their MATRIX Phase 2b clinical study and announced plans to provide detailed safety and efficacy data for their Excellarate(TM) product candidate around the end of September. The MATRIX trial, a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, has enrolled 124 diabetic patients with non-healing, lower extremity neuropathic ulcers.