Cardiovascular
Cancer researchers are turning to mathematical models to help answer important clinical questions, and a new paper in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, illustrates how the technique may answer questions about Herceptin resistance.
"The current debate over government funding for abortion in the health care plan is a reminder of how we have failed poor women," Frances Kissling writes in a Salon opinion piece. According to Kissling, the 32-year-old Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funding for abortion services, has played a large role in denying impoverished women access to the procedure. "Restoring those funds has not been a top priority for pro-choice advocates, who sadly concluded that because the public does not care about poor women and is actually hostile to poor women who have sex and become pregnant, it would be futile to put too much capital into reversing Hyde," Kissling writes.However, "we have an opportunity to make amends" by reversing the Hyde Amendment and restoring federal funding for abortion services, according to Kissling. "But the portents are not promising," she writes, adding that a group of "pro-life" Democrats in the House in a recent letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) "laid down the first major antiabortion challenge to health care reform." In addition, the Obama administration "has refused to rule out including abortion in the health care package, but President Obama is already signaling that the status quo on abortion is likely to endure," Kissling writes."The longer it takes to pass a plan, the more momentum against including coverage for abortion -- and possibly contraception -- will build," Kissling writes, adding that "there is a good chance there will be limits on government funding for abortions in the health care package, if not outright exclusion." A compromise being considered by the House Energy and Commerce Committee would not prohibit or require private insurers offering government plans from covering abortions but would prohibit the use of federal funds to pay for them. "Whether this would result in a reduction of coverage in such plans is unclear, but it is possible," she continues."The timing is critical. The need is great, and growing," Kissling writes, adding, "If abortion services are excluded from the health care reform package, the number of women who will not be able to afford abortions is bound to rise and the number of unwanted children will increase." Kissling concludes, "One hears over and over again that we all agree that the health care system is broken; the status quo is not acceptable. The status quo on coverage for abortion is especially unacceptable" (Kissling, Salon, 7/27).
Senate Finance Committee members negotiating a sweeping health care reform package are close to dropping a requirement that employers provide health insurance for employees as well as a government-run public insurance plan to forge a compromise, The Associated Press reports. "After weeks of secretive talks, three Democrats and three Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee were edging closer to a compromise that excludes a requirement many congressional Democrats seek for large businesses to offer coverage to their workers. Nor would there be a provision for a government insurance option, despite Obama"s support for such a plan, officials said."
As they worked to move health care reform legislation through the Energy and Commerce Committee, House Democrats said they were close to a compromise with fiscally conservative Democrats, a group that so far has been a roadblock, The Hill reports.
A provision in the House health care reform bill to provide Medicare coverage for end-of-life care consultation spurs debate and misinformation.
The Washington Post tells the story of Danny Watt, who drowned in April 2008 after a lifelong struggle with mental health. Watt had a dual diagnosis: a serious mental illness along with abuse of drugs or alcohol.
Cannabis Science Inc. (OTCBB: CBIS), an emerging pharmaceutical cannabis company, is pleased to report that the FDA has provided the Company with documentation to assist the Company to review and plan its initial applications to get its first drug into formal testing.
The assumption that gangs are at the root of gun crime in the UK is overstated, according to a study published in a special issue of Criminology and Criminal Justice, published by SAGE.
SNM and a coalition of eight other organizations have issued a white paper urging Congress to take steps to maintain adequate supplies of Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), a radioactive substance that is the basis for a common medical isotope used in more than 80 percent of all nuclear medicine procedures.
Teenagers whose mothers have mental health impairments are likely to suffer behavioural problems, UQ research has found.
A national fellowship program focused on expanding the role of nurses to lead change in the U.S. health care system has been awarded to Elias Provencio-Vasquez, Ph.D., N.P., F.A.A.N., F.A.A.N.P., associate professor at the University of Miami (UM) School of Nursing and Health Studies. He is one of twenty nurses selected nationwide as a 2009 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation® (RWJF) Executive Nurse Fellow.
Foresight Biotherapeutics announced that the first patient has been dosed in a viral conjunctivitis clinical trial. Foresight"s proprietary lead compound, FST-100, will be tested in a placebo-controlled, masked, and randomized multicenter clinical study throughout the United States. The primary endpoint of the study is the resolution of clinical signs and symptoms of acute conjunctivitis. Secondary endpoints include a reduction in quantitative PCR (qPCR) viral titers, eradication of infectious virus determined by cell culture immunofluorescence assay (CC-IFA), and safety. The company anticipates enrolling up to 100 patients.
Corner shops nationwide will get help from Change4Life to sell fruit and veg - this will mean more people will get their 5 a day and shops will see an increase in profits, Secretary of State for Health Andy Burnham said today.
Concerns are being raised by a growing number of British academics that bureaucratic overload is stifling their ability to undertake clinical research, compromising the future of this activity in the UK, and ultimately doing patients a disservice. The issues are discussed in a Special Report in the August edition of The Lancet Oncology, written by freelance journalist Adrian Burton.
Roche and Google.org recently started a joint project to demonstrate the feasibility of developing a multidisciplinary surveillance, research and response system. This system will enhance the ability to predict and prevent emerging infectious diseases in East Africa. Roche has donated a Genome Sequencer FLX system as backbone of this project."We are proud to work with Google.org, and the dedicated research organizations in Kenya to bring this technology to a region of the world where novel viruses frequently emerge. We are confident that access to the 454 Sequencing Systems will improve monitoring of novel infectious diseases and enable faster discovery in case of an outbreak," said Chris McLeod, CEO of 454 Life Sciences, a member of the Roche Group.
A groundbreaking study in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, suggests that having the human papillomavirus (HPV) improves survival in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Furthermore, African Americans had far less HPV infection than whites, which led to worse survival.
Surgical Review Corporation (SRC), an independent, non-profit organization that advances the efficacy, efficiency and safety of bariatric and metabolic surgery, announced that the number of registered patients entered into its Bariatric Outcomes Longitudinal Database™ (BOLD™) has now surpassed 120,000. BOLD, the world"s largest dedicated repository of bariatric surgery patient information, provides the mechanism for identifying risk factors and quality indicators, developing risk stratification guidelines, and enabling continuous quality improvement for bariatric surgery.
A new study reports what scientists term the first scientific evidence that freshly crushed garlic has more potent heart-healthy effects than dried garlic. Scheduled for the Aug. 12 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, it also challenges the widespread belief that most of garlic"s benefits are due to its rich array of antioxidants. Instead, garlic"s heart-healthy effects seem to result mainly from hydrogen sulfide, a chemical signaling substance that forms after garlic is cut or crushed and relaxes blood vessels when eaten.
The Senate Judiciary Committee"s approval on Tuesday of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor "cleared the way" for a vote next week in the full Senate, where she is expected to be confirmed, the New York Times reports. The committee"s 12 Democrats voted in favor of Sotomayor, with one Republican -- Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) -- joining them in the 13-6 vote (Lewis, New York Times, 7/28). According to Roll Call, Sotomayor"s confirmation is not in doubt, as members of both parties have predicted as many as 70 votes in her favor. So far, five GOP senators have said they will support the nomination, including Graham, Susan Collins (Maine), Richard Lugar (Ind.), Mel Martinez (Fla.) and Olympia Snowe (Maine) (Stanton, Roll Call, 7/29). Strategists on both sides who have been following the nomination said that as many as five more Republicans could announce intentions to vote for Sotomayor, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports (Hirschfeld Davis, AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 7/29). According to the Chicago Tribune, other Republicans initially appeared open to supporting Sotomayor, but pressure from antiabortion-rights groups and gun-rights advocates has swayed them in the other direction (Savage/Simon, Chicago Tribune, 7/29).The Times reports that Tuesday"s partisan vote indicates that Senate Republicans are "determined to deny ... an easy path" for President Obama in his nominations to fill the dozens of open federal appeals courts seats and any future Supreme Court vacancies. Obama is expected to announce several appeals court nominees in the coming weeks. On some appeals courts, including the Richmond, Va.-based Fourth Circuit, Obama"s nominations could change the ideological balance on the bench (New York Times, 7/28).According to the Tribune, Republicans believe that their strategy in Sotomayor"s confirmation hearings "succeeded in setting a new, conservative standard for judging." Throughout the hearings, Democrats portrayed Sotomayor as a moderate, cautious jurist, while many Republican senators sought to portray her as an activist judge. Sen. Jeff Sessions (Ala.), the Senate Judiciary Committee"s ranking Republican, said that the confirmation process has been a "repudiation of activist legal thought" and that it "will now be harder to nominate activist judges" (Chicago Tribune, 7/29). Committee member John Cornyn (R-Texas), who serves as the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said he hopes Sotomayor"s hearings serve as an example for future judicial nomination debates. He added that the Republicans on the committee have "made clear that radical views on judging have no place on the federal bench. And we have set expectations for future nominees." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday said that he intends to bring Sotomayor"s nomination to a full Senate vote prior to Congress" August recess. He has not said what day the debate is scheduled to begin or how many days are scheduled, although he noted that debate could take several days (Roll Call, 7/29).
The 1,450 registered nurses of Good Samaritan Hospital and San Jose Regional Medical Center voted overwhelming last night to ratify their new contract with the facility-and in so doing set new standards for patient safety at HCA, the nation"s largest hospital chain, announces the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee today.
Chief Medical Officer Otis W. Brawley, M.D. responds to Medicare"s decision not to cover CT colonography
The insurance industry opposes a long-term care proposal called the CLASS Act, currently included in two major health care reform measures.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette profiled the Girlfriends Project, a domestic violence and HIV/AIDS education program implemented by the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force that targets at-risk black women in three Allegheny County, Pa., cities. Blacks "comprise just 7 percent of the total population in southwestern Pennsylvania but 41 percent of those living with HIV/AIDS, according to Allegheny County Health Department statistics provided by the task force," the Post-Gazette reports. "The Girlfriends Project was designed for Braddock, Clairton and Duquesne "because we knew nobody was doing outreach there," project coordinator, Lisa Dukes, said. As part of the project, Dukes hosts Tupperware party-style gatherings in homes of residents where she provides HIV testing and education, sexual health information, safe sex products and cash gift cards. The project is an outgrowth of the CDC"s prevention program Sisters Informing Sisters About Topics on AIDS, or SISTA, and has been so successful that CDC "has asked the task force to introduce it at the CDC"s 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta Aug. 23," the article states (Smith, 7/29).
Responding to the publication of the Public Accounts Committee"s report Reducing Alcohol Harm: Health services in England for alcohol misuse, Professor Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians said [of the report]:
Commenting on figures released on Tuesday on Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in Scotland, Dr Charles Saunders, chairman of the BMA"s Scottish Consultants Committee, said:
Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have shown that they can engineer mouse and human cells to produce brown fat, a natural energy-burning type of fat that counteracts obesity. If such a strategy can be developed for use in people, the scientists say, it could open a novel approach to treating obesity and diabetes.
Older people with a history of cancer are more likely to have disabilities and be frail and vulnerable than older adults who have not had cancer, according to a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, published online July 29.
The Appointments Commission and the Department of Health have published guidance to help Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) with their governance arrangements for Provider Committees.
Gestational diabetes happens in more than three per cent of pregnancies in Ontario. Usually the condition resolves itself after delivery, but many studies have shown that these women are at a very high risk for developing "regular" type 2 diabetes later in life. New research out of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) has found that even women with mild abnormalities in their blood sugar during pregnancy, previously thought not to have any clinical significance, are 2.5 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to those who had completely normal glucose testing.
By systematically analysing MRI changes occuring in the brains of children with the metabolic disease glutaric aciduria type I researchers at Heidelberg University Hospital have succeeded for the first time in demonstrating reversible and permanent brain damage as well as elucidating its temporal evolution.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week held an inaugural conference on obesity prevention and control. The CDC"s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity convened in Washington, D.C. to chart ways to improve access to healthy places, discuss opportunities for obesity prevention, and plan physical education standards in schools through federal policy.
An international team of scientists and clinicians from the United States and Saudi Arabia are working to develop gene therapy for treating a rare, hereditary retinal disease. The therapy has been shown to restore lost vision in animal models of retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Their work is being funded in part by a $1.5 million grant from the Prince Salman Center for Disability Research in Saudi Arabia, where the recessive gene mutation that leads to the eye disease RP has been found in children from several families.
UCLA researchers have uncovered a new way to scan brain tumors and predict which ones will be shrunk by the drug Avastin - before the patient ever starts treatment. By linking high water movement in tumors to positive drug response, the UCLA team predicted with 70 percent accuracy which patients" tumors were the least likely to grow six months after therapy.
Smokefree Innotec, Inc. (Pink Sheets: SFIO) issued a statement referring to articles in USA Today and The New York Times of Wednesday, July 22, and Thursday, July 23rd, regarding the FDA taking aim at electronic cigarettes. The national dailies stated that tests show that certain e-cigarettes contain "known carcinogens and toxic chemicals," including diethylene-glycol (an ingredient used in antifreeze, printing ink, brake fluid and glue) and nitrosamine (which is used in rubber products, the tobacco industry, and - less concentrated - in beer and fish-products).
The American Red Cross is pleased to announce five new additions to its National Celebrity Cabinet, a group of celebrity supporters who promote Red Cross services by donating their time, helping neighbors prepare for emergencies, responding to disasters and lending a helping hand to those in need.
U.S. Senators Mel Martinez (R-FL) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) of the Special Committee on Aging held a hearing to address the issue of transparency in physician-industry financial relationships. Among the hearing"s topics were the industry"s involvement in continuing medical education and its potential use as a method for promoting "off-label" prescribing. The senators heard from witnesses about different ways to achieve balance between appropriate industry involvement in continuing medical education while mitigating unethical and illegal promotion.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget urges policymakers to make controlling health care cost growth the focus of health care reform (see Principle #1: Slowing Health Care Cost Growth ).
A new report published highlights that 99% of ready-to-eat speciality meats sold in the UK are safe to eat. However the study also reveals that a very small proportion of the meats contained Salmonella or unsafe levels of Listeria monocytogenes.
Psychotherapists who treat mothers suffering from postpartum depression and other mood disorders with their infants have developed a proven process that contributes to a greater positive experience with immediate insights for the mothers to develop healthy connections between their maternal experiences and their infants" behaviors.
Foot complications, such as open wounds and ulcers, can be one of the most difficult ailments for a podiatrist to treat. However, a new wound dressing powder, which acts very much like a layer of skin, is proving to speed the healing time and reduce the amount of pain that a patient suffering from a serious foot ulcer would normally experience. This includes open sores on the feet as a result of inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes or skin cancer. The study results will be released at the American Podiatric Medical Association"s (APMA) 97th Annual Scientific Meeting in Toronto, July 30 - August 2, 2009, and will highlight the powder"s unique ability to rapidly heal foot wounds and advance the treatment patients currently receive.
United Therapeutics Corporation (Nasdaq: UTHR) announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved TYVASO (treprostinil) Inhalation Solution for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) using the TYVASO Inhalation System (which includes the Optineb-ir device and accessories). TYVASO is indicated to increase walk distance in patients with NYHA Class III symptoms associated with WHO Group I PAH, which includes multiple etiologies such as idiopathic and familial PAH as well as PAH associated with scleroderma and congenital heart disease.
An estimated 428,000 residents in New Mexico could lose their private, employer-based coverage if Congress passes a House health reform bill, according to state-specific analysis of The American Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 released this week by The Heritage Foundation.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) can significantly lessen patients" quality of life, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). Certain types of patients women, diabetics, and those with a history of heart complications are most affected. These findings indicate that medical care for CKD patients should include strategies to lessen the negative impact of CKD on quality of life.
Alzheimer"s disease is a progressive neurologic disease of the brain leading to the irreversible loss of neurons and the loss of intellectual abilities, including memory and reasoning, which become severe enough to impede social or occupational functioning. Alzheimer"s disease is also known as simply Alzheimer"s, and Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (SDAT) .
Two new polls show support for President Barack Obama"s health care efforts slipping over the past month.
"Expanded testing across India in the past three years shows a 2,000 percent jump in the number of HIV cases among children, [Ghulam Nabi Azad] the country"s health minister announced Wednesday," CNN reports. As of May 2009, reports found that nearly 53,000 children are living with HIV in India - up from 2,253 recorded cases in November 2006, Azad said during an address to the parliament (Singh, 7/29).
Video Game Teaches Kenyan Teens HIV Prevention
Health plans reiterated their strong support for new market rules and consumer protections to cover all Americans and guarantee coverage for pre-existing conditions.
Migraine headaches are a drain - not only on the estimated 30 million Americans who suffer from them, but on the economy, too. Because pain and other symptoms caused by migraine headaches can be quite severe, it is projected that nearly $13 billion is spent every year in headache treatment and loss of time from work, which no one can afford these days. But according to a new study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), there is hope for severe and frequent migraine sufferers who can"t find relief in conventional remedies.
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a substance in the liver that helps process fat and glucose. That substance is a component of the common food additive lecithin, and researchers speculate it may one day be possible to use lecithin products to control blood lipids and reduce risk for diabetes, hypertension or cardiovascular disease using treatments delivered in food rather than medication.
Pregnant women have a higher incidence of insufficient amniotic fluid levels (oligohydramnios) in the summer months due to dehydration, according to a study conducted by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU).
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a proposed 2.2 percent home health market basket update to the home health prospective payment system (HH PPS) rates for calendar year (CY) 2010. Also, as part of ongoing efforts to address potential fraud and abuse with regards to outlier payments under the HH PPS, CMS is proposing modifications to its outlier policy.
Laboratory studies at Kansas State University and the work of a K-State researcher are making headway in the effort to control the pandemic H1N1 virus.
The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), the nation"s oldest and largest, independent association for physicians-in-training, is pleased to present the graduates of the AMSA Foundation-VITAS End of Life Education Fellowship Program. Five medical students have spent the past six weeks immersing themselves in end of life (EOL) care issues.
Front-line staff in the nursing and care sector would welcome sensor and robot technology in nursing homes and the homes of elderly people.
Physicians at Nationwide Children"s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio are turning to a device typically used in adults with heart problems to help children with severe stomach conditions.
Allergan, Inc. (NYSE: AGN) announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ACUVAIL(TM) (ketorolac tromethamine ophthalmic solution) 0.45%, an advanced, preservative-free formulation of ketorolac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) indicated for the treatment of pain and inflammation following cataract surgery. Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness among older adults and cataract surgery is the most frequently performed surgical procedure in the United States, with more than 3 million procedures performed each year.1
Merck & Co., Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an expanded indication for ISENTRESS®. The broadened indication now includes use in the treatment of adult patients starting HIV-1 therapy for the first time (treatment-naïve), as well as in treatment-experienced adult patients. ISENTRESS is used in combination with other antiretroviral (ARV) medicines for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adult patients. The indication for ISENTRESS is based on analyses of plasma HIV-1 RNA levels through 48 weeks in three double-blind controlled studies. Two of these studies were conducted in clinically advanced, 3-class antiretroviral (NNRT, NRTI, PI) treatment-experienced adults and one was conducted in treatment-naïve adults. The safety and efficacy of ISENTRESS have not been established in pediatric patients. The use of other active agents with ISENTRESS is associated with a greater likelihood of treatment response.
Parkinson"s disease is well-known for impairing movement and causing tremors, but many patients also develop other serious problems, including sleep disturbances and significant losses in cognitive function known as dementia.
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is trying to unite her divided caucus around a common enemy - the health insurance industry - previewing an August recess line of attack by Democrats trying to maintain momentum on health care reform," Politico reports. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said yesterday, "They are the villains in this. They have been part of the problem in a major way. They are doing everything in their power to stop a public option from happening, and the public has to know" (Thrush, 7/31).
Small synthetic fragments of genetic material called small interfering RNA (siRNA) can block production of abnormal proteins; however, these exciting new drug candidates can also induce a strong immune response, causing toxic side effects. Understanding how siRNA stimulates this undesirable immune activity, how to test for it, and how to design siRNA drugs to avoid it are critical topics explored in a timely review article published online ahead of print in Oligonucleotides, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
"The U.N. unveiled a multimillion dollar strategy a dozen years ago to save children worldwide, but a new [Lancet] study has found the program had surprisingly little effect in Bangladesh, one of the world"s poorest countries," the Associated Press reports. Since 1997, when the WHO and UNICEF launched the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) Program to help reduce the numbers of deaths in children under age 5 from diarrhea, pneumonia, measles and malnutrition, more than 100 countries have adopted the program, drawing upon "millions" in aid, according to the news service.
Blog Examines State Of USAID, Potential Farmer Appointment
The human eye lens consists of a highly concentrated mix of several proteins. Protective proteins prevent these proteins from aggregating and clumping. If this protective function fails, the lens blurs and the patient develops cataracts. Two research groups at the Department of Chemistry of the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) have succeeded in explaining the molecular architecture of this kind of protective protein. Their findings, which are published online in the current early edition of PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), shed new light on the work of these proteins and may be able to help in the development of new treatments.
Low blood pressure is also known as hypotension. For millions of people who suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure) hypotension may seem great. If symptoms are mild hypotension usually requires no treatment. However, it can cause serious heart disorders, fainting and also lead to neurological and endocrine disorders. If hypotension is severe key organs can become deprived of oxygen and nutrients and the body can go into shock, a life-threatening condition.
Data presented today at the 8th European Congress on Menopause
Scientists who found a new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in a Cameroonian woman living in Paris, have discovered it is an unusual
ImmunoGen, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMGN), a biopharmaceutical company that develops targeted anticancer therapeutics using its Targeted Antibody Payload (TAP) technology, today announced the presentation of encouraging initial efficacy, safety and tolerability clinical data with its IMGN901 product candidate in the treatment of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). In two early-stage clinical trials that enrolled patients whose SCLC had recurred following treatment with standard chemotherapies, IMGN901 administration achieved notable tumor shrinkage and/or sustained stable disease. The compound also demonstrated encouraging activity against other CD56-expressing (CD56+) solid tumors. These clinical data are being presented at the 13th World Conference on Lung Cancer taking place in San Francisco, CA, from July 31 to Aug. 4, 2009.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that prevention and partnership will guide their departments" efforts to safeguard the food Americans eat every day. Both Secretaries announced new strategies that focus on prevention and depend on working closely with growers, food processors and consumers to achieve their goals.
Response Genetics Inc. (Nasdaq: RGDX), a company focused on the development and sale of molecular diagnostic tests for cancer, will announce the results of separate analyses of KRAS gene mutations and TS and RRM1 gene expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) during the 13th World Conference on Lung Cancer, which will be held July 31 to August 4. Results will provide insights into which patient subtypes are most likely to benefit from the commonly prescribed chemotherapies pemetrexed and gemcitabine.
Parents of newborns who tip the scales at less than 5 ÷½ pounds should put some heavy thought to a possible future consequence: kidney disease. Low birth weight babies have a 70% greater risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) in later life, according to research published in the August issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation.
Vertebral and hip fractures are associated with an increased risk of death, found a new study of 7753 people in Canada aged 50 years and older published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). According to the results, approximately 25% of people (both men and women) living in the community who develop a hip fracture and 16% who develop a spine fracture will die over a 5 year period.
As a bright, young cheerleader trying out for the high school varsity squad, 14-year-old Laura Jackson had everything going for her.
A paper just published in the British Journal of Pharmacology reports that a compound originally isolated from a soft coral (Capnella imbricate) could lead scientists to develop a new variety of treatments for neuropathic pain. This composite is collected at Green Island off Taiwan and could be a new option for treatment. Neuropathic pain is chronic and occasionally follows damage to the nervous system. Presently this type of pain is very poorly controlled by the usual analgesics: aspirin like drugs (NSAIDS) or even opioids like morphine. New treatments are urgently required.
Authorities in China confirmed that a third man has died of pneumonic plague in Ziketan, Qinghai Province, China. The town has been sealed off. The 64-year-old man lived near the other two men who died, officials said.
Drug companies "boosted their lobbying in Washington during the three months (that) ended June 30 amid a flurry of congressional action on health care," while overall, "Washington"s lobbying business continued to slump as the economy pinched budgets at some big companies and trade associations," The Wall Street Journal reports. "Drug manufacturers increased lobbying spending 13% to $68 million in the second quarter from a year earlier, according to the data ò€¦ Overall, the health-care sector reported a 5% increase in lobbying expenditures to $133 million, making it the single largest spender on lobbying of the 10 major industry sectors tracked by the Center for Responsive Politics. Health-insurance companies increased lobbying activity by 11% to $7.8 million, according to the data" (Mullins and Farnam, 8/3).
In an interview with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Washington state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler called the American health system an out-dated, World War II-era obstacle to economic progress. "We"ve been talking about health-care reform in this country for over 100 years, and its never happened," he said. However, he added, "I believe that Congress will be successful." Kreidler, a Democrat, was a member of Congress in the 1990s, when the Clinton administration attempted an overhaul. This time around, he said, "We"re still in July, and they"re making huge progress" (Pulkkinen, 8/2).
PRI"s "Tavis Smiley Show" recently conducted an interview with Phill Wilson, executive director of the Black AIDS Institute, where he discussed HIV/AIDS among the black community, findings from the organization"s recent "Passing the Test" report and its "Test One Million" campaign, the role of the media in HIV/AIDS efforts and other issues. Wilson said he believes an absence of media coverage on HIV/AIDS contributes to the lack of awareness among the community, noting figures from the organization"s report that found that many blacks are not getting tested or seeking treatment for HIV. In addition, Wilson addressed the role of black leaders, saying, "I"m really, really happy to say that our black leaders are really starting to respond in a big way" (Smiley, 7/31).
UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman, who visited Nigeria to launch the country"s first ever National Child Health Week, said an unacceptably high number of children in the country are dying from preventable diseases, and she called on Nigerian government officials to provide integrated healthcare, Xinhua reports (8/3).
Identification of criteria for the detection of prolonged grief disorder
The House Energy and Commerce Committee on July 31 approved its health care reform bill (HR 3200) by a 31-28 vote that was mostly along party lines, the AP/Seattle Times reports. Among the many amendments considered during the markup, the committee rejected an amendment offered by Reps. Joe Pitts (R-Pa) and Bart Stupak (D-MI) to prohibit government subsidies to any insurance plans that offers abortion coverage, effectively prohibiting abortion coverage for customers eligible for public premium assistance. The amendment was rejected by a 27-31 vote. Another provision approved on July 30 would neither require nor prohibit insurance companies from providing coverage for abortion services.The approved bill includes provisions limiting how much insurers can increase premiums and gives the federal government the power to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices under Medicaid. The provisions were part of an effort by Democrats on the committee to reconcile the demands of liberals and conservatives, the AP/Times reports. The bill also would require insurance companies to sell coverage to anyone seeking it, regardless of pre-existing conditions. The government would provide subsidies to lower-income families to help them afford policies. In addition, the legislation would establish health insurance exchanges offering a variety of insurance plans, where consumers with or without subsidies could purchase health insurance (Espo/Werner, AP/Seattle Times, 8/1).Five of the committee"s Democrats joined all 23 Republicans in opposing the measure, the Washington Post"s "Capitol Briefing" reports. The five Democrats who voted against the bill were Reps. John Barrow (Ga.), Rick Boucher (Va.), Jim Matheson (Utah), Charlie Melancon (La.) and Bart Stupak (Mich.) (Kane, "Capitol Briefing," Washington Post, 7/31).The committee was the last of three House panels to take action on the legislation, although the vote comes several weeks after the White House and Democratic leaders originally wanted, the AP/Times reports. The full House is expected to vote on the bill after policymakers return from their August recess.Although the House"s agenda has moved slower than party leaders had hoped, it still was faster than the action in the Senate, according to the AP/Times (AP/Seattle Times, 8/1). Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on July 30 announced that the panel will not mark up a health care reform bill this week after Republican negotiators urged that the speed of discussion in the Senate be slowed, the Post"s "44" reports. The announcement means that health care reform legislation will not be out of committee in both chambers before the summer recess (Pershing, "44," Washington Post, 7/31).Catholic Bishops Say That House Bill Could Expand Abortion Coverage In related news, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in a letter to members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee voiced its opposition to the reform bill, arguing that it could be used to require private health insurance plans to cover abortion services, the Post reports. The bill has been opposed by conservative Christian groups for weeks, with the groups arguing that it could be used to expand abortion rights, the Post reports.In the letter, Cardinal Justin Rigali -- chair of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities -- said the bill could increase federal funding for abortion services because some government funding would not be covered by the Hyde Amendment, which currently bans the use of federal Medicaid funds for abortion services. Rigali also said the bill could overturn state laws that restrict access to abortion services, such as parental notification laws. In addition, Rigali said the bill should continue to ensure provider conscience rights to protect Catholic health care workers who refuse to provide abortion services based on their religious or moral beliefs (Washington Post, 8/1).
The WHO/UNICEF Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy is paying dividends for most health indicators in Bangladesh. But over the seven years since the plan was enacted, there has been no significant effect on mortality of children under 5 years -although the strategy does seem to have reduced mortality at a greater rate than non-strategy areas in the last two years. These are the conclusions of an Article published in this week"s edition of The Lancet, written by Dr Shams E Arifeen, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh, and colleagues.
Researchers have identified what they believe is the original of malignant malaria: a parasite found in chimpanzees in equatorial Africa.
Almost all organisms evolve from a single cell, a fertilised egg. In the first hours after fertilisation, the fate of its future development is determined. It is dictated by the separation of cells that will become sperm and ovules - germ cells-, from the remaining cells, which will be responsible for forming the body - organs and tissues -, and that comprise the somatic cell line. Scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), headed by Jordi Casanova, research professor at CSIC, have identified the mechanism that protects somatic cells against the behaviour of germ cells. When this mechanism fails, the embryo dies. Made in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, this finding could be universal. This research was published yesterday in the advanced online edition of EMBO Reports.
The world"s top lung cancer specialists, medical professionals and researchers are convening this week in San Francisco, CA for the 13th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC), organized by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). As non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the most common types of lung cancer affecting a heterogeneous population, researchers have focused on multi-modality treatment regimens to improve patient outcomes. According to research showcased today at the WCLC, multi-modality, tailored treatment regimens increased patient survival rates compared to single-agent therapies.
A phase I clinical trial enrolled its first patient only two days after U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance of the experimental drug for a first-in-human cancer trial, a milestone that normally takes three to six months. Investigators from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca have reported their work in the Journal of Clinical Oncology published online on August 3rd.
Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas) sent a letter to President Obama yesterday accepting his invitation to "come over to the White House and go over line-by-line" the health care reform plan the President is pushing.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have learned that some healthy people naturally developed an immune response against a protein that is made in excess levels in many cancers, including breast, lung, and head and neck cancers. The finding suggests that a vaccine against the protein might prevent malignancies in high-risk individuals.
ARUP Laboratories, a national clinical and anatomic pathology reference laboratory and a leader in innovative laboratory research and development, supports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration"s (FDA) decision to put KRAS on the label of two targeted drugs, Vectibix (panitumumab) and Erbitux (cetuximab). On July 17, 2009, the FDA noted that, "retrospective analyses of metastatic colorectal cancer trials have not shown a treatment benefit for Erbitux/Vectibix in patients whose tumors had KRAS mutations in codon 12 or 13," and that the use of the drugs is not recommended for the treatment of colorectal cancer patients with these mutations.
Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company developing antiviral therapies, announced today that it has licensed the exclusive worldwide rights to novel Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) technology from Stanford University. This technology, discovered in the lab of Stanford scientist and Eiger founder Dr. Jeffrey Glenn, M.D., Ph.D., is focused on a variety of novel targets, including key features of NS4B, a non-structural protein in the HCV genome, which binds to HCV-RNA and is required for viral replication.
Cervical cancer, or cancer of the cervix, is cancer of the entrance to the uterus (womb). The cervix is the narrow part of the lower uterus, often referred to as the neck of the womb. Cervical cancer occurs most commonly in women over the age of 30.
In an essay in The Washington Post, an infectious disease specialist writes that "the unspoken truth among doctors is that we objectively or subjectively ration care, and often don"t tell patients or their families." Organs, for example, "are a precious commodity, their donation strictly regulated by national guidelines. ò€¦ Because donors are scarce, it seems appropriate to ration their organs on the basis of need and other ethical and medical considerations." Medical care is also rationed through long wait times to see physicians (ranging from 11 to 50 days in major cities, according to a 2009 survey by Merritt Hawkins & Associates) or shortages of beds in a hospital.
The Department of Health and Human Services has created a web site called "Ask Medicare" to help caregivers navigate the often confusing Medicare system. CNN reports on the experience of Kim Mickens, a caregiver who used the site to help her mother, who has Alzheimer"s disease. "Medicare personnel helped her get some of the medical supplies she needed and also recommend a new Web site called Ask Medicare. Designed to give easy access to people taking care of elderly relatives, Ask Medicare provides information and links to services that are important to caregivers."
"Malaria may have jumped to humans from chimpanzees much as AIDS did, U.S. researchers reported on Monday in a [Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences] study they hope could help in developing a vaccine against the infection," Reuters reports. The researchers found evidence the Plasmodium falciparum parasite that "causes most cases of malaria is a close genetic relative of a parasite found in chimpanzees," the news service writes (8/4).
The Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF) has announced $300,000 in awards from its inaugural winter commercialization grant competition to support commercial translation of health-related technologies by two Washington state-based research teams. Commercialization grants are designed to facilitate the transition of promising ideas or technologies from Washington"s non-profit research sector into marketable products and services that can improve health, foster economic growth, and promote life sciences competitiveness in the state. The grants support proof-of-concept experiments and prototype development activities that are expected to lower the risk of commercialization and help new technologies cross the "valley of death" - that stage of the commercialization pathway where development funding is particularly scarce.
More than 35 million Americans suffer from bladder control problems at some time in their lives. Those suffering from uncontrollable bladder may experience unexpected urine leakage, frequent bathroom use, or have the feeling of not being able to completely empty the bladder. Many people experience a combination of these symptoms. Although it is more common in older adults, and more likely to occur in women than men, it can affect anyone.
Death notification forms should include voluntary questions about whether the deceased was a smoker, according to an article published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
People who inject drugs may be less likely to inject buprenorphine-naloxone than other opioid substitutes, according to the results of a recent study published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Cancer Centers of North Carolina, an affiliate of US Oncology, Inc., continues to offer cutting-edge treatment options to its patients through the addition of High Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy. This latest advance in brachytherapy allows physicians to deliver precise radiation treatment to a patient"s cancerous tumor and is rapidly becoming the treatment of choice for certain types of cancer.
A research team led by Dr. Tony Lam at the Toronto General Research Institute and the University of Toronto discovered a novel function of a hormone found in the gut that might potentially lower glucose levels in diabetes.
Do you intend on getting a healthy tan this summer? You may want to rethink your plans. Tan skin is the body"s reaction to sun damage, along with freckles, wrinkles and brown spots. So unless your tan comes from a bottle, it"s probably not healthy.
Washington, D.C., officials are planning to make testing for sexually transmitted infections available at all public high schools in the coming school year, adding D.C. to a growing list of cities that test students for STIs, the Washington Post reports. All 50 states and the district allow minors older than age 12 to be tested for STIs without parental consent.The new program requires all students to attend a lecture about STIs, after which they are escorted into restroom areas in groups of 15 to 20. They are then given paper bags with urine collection cups and go into the stalls, at which point they can decide whether to provide a sample. All students return the paper bags, regardless of whether they provided samples. Students give a password and can call a week later to receive their confidential results and, if necessary, treatment at the school or an STI clinic, which is paid for by the city. The district first offered the program two years ago at two charter schools, and eight high schools were included during the past school year.A 2007 study by the D.C. public school system found that 60% of high school students and 30% of middle school students reported having sex. According to the study, 20% of high school students reported having sex with four or more partners and 12% of middle school students reported having three or more partners.According to the D.C. Department of Health, the program at eight high schools last year found that 13% of 3,000 students tested positive for an STI, most commonly chlamydia or gonorrhea. Fifty percent of the chlamydia and gonorrhea cases in the district are among teenagers.According to the D.C. Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, the new program is an important step toward curbing the district"s HIV/AIDS rate, which is among the highest in the U.S. Walter Smith, executive director of D.C. Appleseed, said, "If 13% of these students are testing positive for [STIs], those same kids could get HIV," adding, "A lot needs to be done to get the message out to the schools, ... and this very high [STI] rate is an indication that what we"ve been doing is not effective" (Fears/Hernandez, Washington Post, 8/5).
Americans appear split over the president"s push for health care reform, a new CNN poll has found. "Fifty percent of those questioned in CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Wednesday morning say they support the president"s plans, with 45 percent opposed. The results indicate a generational divide. ""Obama"s plan is most popular among younger Americans and least popular among senior citizens," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "A majority of Americans over the age of 50 oppose Obama"s plan; a majority of those under 50 support it.""
In October, Ghana"s Ministry of Health plans to begin a national program to eliminate malaria with the goal of being the first country in Africa to eradicate the disease, George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, the minister of health, said recently at the 74th Annual Conference of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana in Accra, Ghana, GNA/Homepage Ghana reports. Yankey cited the looming threat of the malaria parasite"s resistance to artemisinin therapy (8/3).
The fifth annual report card from the Washington, D.C.,-based Appleseed Center for Law and Justice examining the district"s response to HIV gives the city "high marks for rapid testing, interagency coordination, surveillance and fighting the disease in the D.C. Jail," but finds that the city falls short in other areas, the Washington Examiner reports (Neibauer, 8/5). "The government also received above-average grades for leadership, managing grants to groups that help people with the illness, and monitoring the effectiveness of those programs," the Washington Post reports. However, "While Mayor Fenty and his administration deserve recognition for the continued support of ò€¦ numerous [HIV/AIDS Administration] initiatives, his public appearances and statements about the epidemic have fallen short of his enthusiasm for action inside the government," the report said. The report added that the district could do more to address HIV and recommended that HAA assess whether the improvements they have made are reducing the spread of the virus, according to the Post (Fears, 8/5).
According to the latest data in a clinical study supported by St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ), deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy for depression may provide sustainable improvement in depression symptoms among patients with major depressive disorder. Study results will be presented at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) meeting in San Francisco.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) have today published their
Predicting the infection patterns of influenzas requires tracking both the ecology and the evolution of the fast-morphing viruses that cause them, said a Duke University researcher who enlists computers to model such changes.
People living with HIV will benefit from a new test developed by Victoria, Australia scientists that offers a simpler and cheaper way of monitoring the disease in sufferers, Victorian Innovation Minister Gavin Jennings said today.
Direct Flow Medical, Inc. a privately held, emerging medical device Company developing a next generation, minimally invasive implant to treat patients with heart valve disease announced the issuance of its 5th patent on their Percutaneous Aortic Valve (PAV) Technology. The patent (USP# 7,534,259) entitled: "Nonstented Heart Valves with Formed in situ Support" provides further protection for this second generation PAV device.