Nutrition
UN Launches Pilot Study In Uganda That Uses Text Messages To Promote Public Health
America"s largest, most influential physician group said "it will oppose creation of a government-sponsored insurance plan, which President Obama and many other Democrats see as an essential element of legislation to remake the health care system," the New York Times reports. In comments to the Senate Finance Committee, the American Medical Association said, "The introduction of a new public plan threatens to restrict patient choice by driving out private insurers, which currently provide coverage for nearly 70 percent of Americans," and would lead to an "explosion of costs" (Pear, 6/10).
A bill introduced Wednesday in the House would create an artificial joints database to root out bad practices and unnecessary surgeries, The New York Times reports. "The bill, co-sponsored by (Democrats) Bill Pascrell Jr. of New Jersey and Lloyd Doggett of Texas, would establish a government-backed registry to track patients" results over time and help detect ineffective surgical practices and faulty devices. Patient registries, in areas like orthopedics, are expected to play an important role in "comparative effectiveness" reviews that the Obama administration hopes will help identify which medical procedures and products work best."
The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine is pleased to announce the release of Medical Ultrasound Safety, Second Edition. All operators of ultrasound systems with an output display should review the information in this publication. The book consists of 3 parts: Bioeffects and Biophysics, Prudent Use, and Implementing ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable). With the information from this 64 page publication, users can better control the diagnostic ultrasound equipment and examination to ensure that needed diagnostic information is obtained with minimal risk to the patient.
Operation Rescue President Troy Newman on Wednesday said that his group is considering trying to purchase murdered abortion provider George Tiller"s Wichita, Kan., clinic, which Tiller"s family permanently closed on Tuesday, the New York Times reports. The clinic is owned by Tiller"s family. The family"s lawyer, Dan Monnat, called Operation Rescue"s proposal "just another irreverent, extremist publicity stunt." He declined to comment further on the situation. The family has not announced its plans for the building and land, which are worth $734,100, according to Sedgwick County, Kan., property records. The clinic has long been a focal point for the antiabortion-rights movement because it was one of the few in the U.S. that offered abortion later in pregnancy. Newman said that he has discussed the possible purchase with only a few members of Operation Rescue"s board but is certain that the funds could be raised if they decide to attempt to buy the clinic. Newman also said that one possibility for the location would be to turn it into a memorial museum to serve as "a tribute to the babies." He denied the claim that his comments are a publicity stunt.According to the Times, the closing of Tiller"s clinic has set off a "flurry of concerns" from abortion-rights advocates that it will be more difficult for women to access abortion services in situations when catastrophic health issues are identified late in pregnancy (Davey, New York Times, 6/11). LeRoy Carhart, a Nebraska abortion provider who worked with Tiller at the clinic, said that he will continue to perform third-trimester abortions in Kansas but did not provide information on where he will practice, the AP/Yahoo! News reports. Although he did not provide details, Carhart said that "there will be a place in Kansas for the later second- and the medically indicated third-trimester patients very soon." He said he has seen an increase in patients at his Nebraska clinic since Tiller"s murder. Carhart traveled to Tiller"s clinic to perform second- and third-trimester abortions because Kansas has less restrictive abortion laws than Nebraska. Carhart said he has not performed any procedures at his clinic after 22 weeks" gestation because his staff is not trained to do them. According to the AP/Yahoo! News, Nebraska law prohibits abortion when a fetus is considered viable. Kansas law, however, allows abortion after 21 weeks" gestation if continuing the pregnancy would endanger the woman"s life or cause "substantial and irreversible impairment" of a major bodily function, which courts have interpreted to include mental health (Gibbs, AP/Yahoo! News, 6/11).Broadcast CoverageThree media outlets on Wednesday reported on issues related to Tiller"s murder. Summaries appear below.~ MSNBC"s "The Rachel Maddow Show": The program included a discussion with Jennifer Boulanger, executive director for the Allentown Women"s Center, about threats to the center since Tiller"s murder (Maddow, "The Rachel Maddow Show," MSNBC, 6/10).~ NPR"s "All Things Considered": The program included a discussion with NPR health policy correspondent Julie Rovner about the correct terminology for referring to abortion later in pregnancy and why the phrase "late-term abortion" is inaccurate (Block, "All Things Considered," NPR, 6/10).~ WBUR"s "On Point": The program included a discussion with the Rev. Katherine Ragsdale -- a board member of NARAL Pro-Choice America and the incoming dean and president of Episcopal Divinity School -- and Jim Wallis -- founder and editor of the progressive evangelical group Sojourners -- about abortion-rights supporters" reaction to violence in the antiabortion-rights movement (Ashbrook, "On Point," WBUR, 6/10).
Have you ever wished you could be in two places at once? Perhaps you"ve had the desire to create a copy of yourself that could stand in for you at a meeting, freeing you up to work on more pressing matters. Thanks to a research project called LifeLike, that fantasy might be a little closer to reality.
Dr. Damon T. Arnold, state public health director, announced the first bird testing positive for West Nile virus in Illinois this year was found in LaSalle County.
This week, the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) reported 24 new cases of H1N1 swine flu, bringing the state"s total number of cases to 58. The new cases are in Harrison (7), Jackson (4), Hinds (3), Holmes (2), Rankin (2), Jones (2), Lowndes (2), Lauderdale (1) and Madison (1) counties.
Fear plays a major role in whether women decide to go for cancer screening or not, but healthcare providers underestimate how much women need to know and wrongly assume that they will ask for information if they want it.
It"s rare when real-world events perfectly mirror experiments that scientists are conducting.
Researchers at Addenbrook"s Hospital in Cambridge published a study on bmj.com in which they explain their design and evaluation of a new cognitive test for detecting Alzeimer" disease called TYM ("test your memory") which is considered quicker and more precise than many existing tests, and which can also help diagnose early dementia.
New data from Phase 3 European clinical trials reinforce that Wyeth"s (NYSE: WYE) investigational pneumococcal vaccine, Prevenar 13 (Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccine, 13-valent [Adsorbed]), has the potential to provide coverage against the 13 most prevalent serotypes associated with pneumococcal disease (PD), the leading cause of vaccine-preventable death in children younger than five worldwide.
The International
Versartis, Inc., a
Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), a longtime Senate leader in the fight against Big Tobacco, today hailed the historic passage of the FDA tobacco bill. The bill would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate the sale and distribution of tobacco products, and prevent cigarette makers from targeting children in their advertising and marketing and making false claims to the public.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting patients to the Class I recall of certain Medtronic Kappa and Sigma pacemakers. These devices may fail due to a separation of wires that connect the electronic circuit to other pacemaker components, such as the battery.
BVA and Animal Health have agreed to undertake a survey/time and motion study of the time taken for on-farm TB testing. This is being undertaken in order to provide an up-to-date assessment of how long each element of an on-farm test takes.
The American Lung Association cheers the Senate"s overwhelming vote in favor of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (HR 1256) today.
Awarepoint Corporation announced deployment of its Real-time Location System (RTLS) at the Rebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center. This deployment adds a third UCSD Medical Center hospital to Awarepoint"s RTLS coverage, which currently includes the system"s Thornton and Hillcrest campuses. The Awarepoint enterprise RTLS installation has now been expanded to include nearly 1.5 million square feet with more than 2,000 assets under management, covering three hospitals across nearly 14 miles.
PharmaCom BioVet, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: PHMB) is pleased to announce that the Company has begun the process to potentially apply and endeavor to receive a Minor Use/Minor Species (MUMS) drug approval from the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). Meeting the MUMS requirement is part of the New Drug Approval Process if the Company decides to potentially run clinical trials on a histone deacetylase inhibitor for canines with hemangiosarcoma, which the Corporation is considering the development of. The histone deacetylase inhibitor would be directed for dogs suffering from an acute type of cancer, canine hemangiosarcoma. The Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Health Act became law in 2004.
World Blood Donor Day is being celebrated across the world at the weekend (14th June) but there will be nowhere like the walking blood bank on board the world"s largest charity hospital ship.
Insomnia is associated with increased frontal cerebral metabolism during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. Cerebral hypothermia, or cooling of the brain, has been found to reduce cerebral metabolism in other medical conditions, but its effects in insomnia are unknown.
The World Health Organization declared a swine flu pandemic Thursday, raising its pandemic warning from phase 5 to 6, making swine flu the first global flu epidemic in 41 years. Now that H1N1 "Swine Flu" has been elevated to pandemic status, with reports of outbreaks in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, San Francisco, USA-based Cannabis Science Inc. (OTCBB: CBIS) CEO Steven Kubby urges public health officials around the world to "take medical cannabis seriously."
The research group of Dr. Frçİdçİric Charron, a researcher at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montrçİal (IRCM), has made a discovery which could help treat spinal cord injuries and neurodegenerative diseases. This new finding has been published in the current issue of the prestigious scientific journal Neuron. Patricia T. Yam, Sçİbastien D. Langlois and Steves Morin, all at the IRCM, are listed as co-authors.
Pfizer announced today that data from two new mid-stage clinical studies of the company"s oral JAK-3 inhibitor, CP-690,550, showed statistically significant response versus placebo for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Data from these two Phase 2 trials and one ongoing open-label safety study are being presented this week at the 10th Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR). These results confirm findings from two previously reported Phase 2 studies in RA and have been used to support dose selection for Phase 3.
Ardea Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:RDEA) announced positive interim results from an ongoing Phase 2a, proof-of-concept study of RDEA594, its lead product candidate for the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout, as well as additional positive results from completed Phase 1 studies of RDEA594 in normal, healthy volunteers. The Phase 1 results, along with additional preclinical data, were presented at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology hosted by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) in Copenhagen, Denmark.
A study involving 678 individuals who apply pesticides, culled from a U.S. Agricultural Health Study of over 50,000 farmers, recently found that exposure to certain pesticides doubles one"s risk of developing an abnormal blood condition called MGUS (monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance) compared with individuals in the general population. The disorder, characterized by an abnormal level of a plasma protein, requires lifelong monitoring as it is a pre-cancerous condition that can lead to multiple myeloma, a painful cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow. The study will appear in the June 18 issue of Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology.
Orphan Therapeutics, LLC and Ikaria Holdings, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the final section of the New Drug Application (NDA) filing seeking marketing approval for LUCASSIN(R) (terlipressin for injection) for the treatment of hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) Type 1. The filing was completed on May 4, 2009, and LUCASSIN has been granted Priority Review as well as Orphan Drug status and Fast Track designation.
WASHINGTON D.C. - Most patients with acromegaly who are switched to the long-acting somatostatin analogue lanreotide (SomatulineR Depot) injection from initial treatment with octreotide cite a preference for lanreotide as their future therapy, according to data released here at the 91st Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society (ENDO 09).
A retrospective analysis conducted by clinicians at Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS) found that a protocol of care using a standardized algorithm with advanced products reduced the prevalence of pressure ulcers by 90 percent, according to data presented this week at the 41st Annual Conference of the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses (WOCN) Society.(1)
An embolism - from the Greek çİmbolos meaning "stopper" or "plug" - is the term that describes a condition where an object called an embolus is created in one part of the body, circulates throughout the body, and then blocks blood flowing through a vessel in another part of the body. Emboli (plural of embolus) are not to be confused with thrombi (plural of thrombus), which are clots that are formed and remain in one area of the body without being carried throughout the bloodstream.
Long-term estrogen use does not protect male-to-female transsexuals from death due to cardiovascular disease but does not appear to raise their overall death rate, a new study found. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society"s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Dartmouth Medical School geneticists have made new inroads into understanding the regulatory circuitry of the biological clock that synchronizes the ebb and flow of daily activities, according to two studies published May 15.
Recently the use of laparoscopy for vascular procedures has been limited by difficulties in aortic exposure and anastomosis techniques, as well as the concurrent competitive progress of endovascular surgery. For aortic repair, best results (in terms of long-term patency) have been obtained by conventional surgery which has been associated short-term morbidity and mortality.
Frail elderly women with unexplained weight loss may benefit from supplementation with the body"s appetite-stimulating hormone, ghrelin, or with similar agents, according to a new study. Results of the study, which was funded partially by the National Institutes of Health, were presented at The Endocrine Society"s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
A research group based at the University of Granada, in cooperation with the Neurology Unit of the San Cecilio Hospital of Granada and the Department of Experimental Sciences of the University of Jaen, is studying the Neurobiology of Parkinson"s disease (PD). They have developed a non-invasive method for serological diagnosis of Parkinson"s disease, which is being patented by the University of Granada. To this end, the scientists analyzed and purified proteins associated with this disease, such as aminopeptidase. However, it is not an easy task: "there are thousands of proteins in the blood, and only a few are related to neurodegenerative diseases."
UroToday.com - Nephron-sparing surgery has become the well-accepted method for treating patients with localized tumor disease of the kidney. Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) has evolved such that it is considered equivalent to open partial nephrectomy for tumors 4 cm. They had 110 patients with Stage T1b-T3N0M0 renal cell carcinoma treated with LRN (N=75) or LPN (N=35). As expected the LRN group had larger tumors and more T3a tumors with clear cell pathologic features. The median follow up was 57 months in the LRN group and 44 months in the LPN group. There was no difference between the two treatment groups with regards to overall mortality, cancer-specific mortality, or recurrence rates. However, the LPN group had significantly less reduction in estimated glomerular filtration rate compared to the LRN group. None of the LPN group patients developed second stage chronic kidney disease compared to 12% in the LRN group.
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have discovered how the mutated huntingtin gene acts on the nervous system to create the devastation of Huntington"s disease. The report of their findings is available in Nature Neuroscience online.
A new PTB measuring system offers the possibility of measuring the absorbed dose in the direct environment of the irradiated tumour
On Monday June 15th 2009, it"s the Department of Health"s National Bug Busting Day. It"s the day for families everywhere to check their hair for traces of head lice and nits. In support of this Department of Health incentive, The Hairforce are setting up a Head Lice Check & Clear Hotline (0844 848 5948) for people to call-in and listen to advice about checking and clearing hair.
An expert group has been set up to review pharmacy services across Wales as part of the Welsh Assembly Government"s commitment to develop community pharmacy services and pharmacy-based drop-in centres.
Mental Health America announced Sharon Jenkins Tucker of Decatur, Georgia, as its 2009 recipient of the Clifford W. Beers Award.
Merck & Co., Inc. issued the following statement in response to today"s communication from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) addressing updated information on leukotriene inhibitors, including SINGULAIR® (montelukast sodium).
When President Obama chose Green Bay, Wis., to talk about the need for health reform, he did so in part because the area has achieved a high level of quality, and compared with other parts of the country, succeeded in restraining health care costs, National Public Radio reports. "They"re certainly spending a lot less money, and they are providing care that is equal or better than the care that is provided in many other communities around the country," Elliot Fisher, a researcher at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice told NPR in an interview. NPR says: "Some of the research the administration is relying on comes from the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice," which focuses on variations in health quality and costs around the country.
The U.S. Senate joined the House in passing landmark legislation to regulate tobacco by a vote of 79-17.
New legislation introduced yesterday would attempt to shift Medicare reimbursement policy to reward patient health outcomes, rather than the volume of services provided, MinnPost, a nonprofit online news organization, reports. "We need to be sure to keep score," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who introduced the bill, according to MinnPost. "That means measuring outcomes and rewarding providers that deliver quality results."
The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) released the following statement today on the Administration"s comments regarding financing health care reform:
A large, well-controlled, multi-national clinical trial program has demonstrated the effectiveness and safety of what may become the first FDA-approved medicine for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF.
The Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme
Human Genome Sciences (HGS) has reported continuation data from a Phase II study of BENLYSTA™ (belimumab, formerly LymphoStat-B®) showing sustained improvement in patients with active systemic lupus after four years of treatment. The data was presented at the EULAR 2009 scientific meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Most vaccines that protect against viruses generate infection-fighting proteins called antibodies that either block infection or help eliminate the virus before it can cause disease. Attempts to create a vaccine that induces antibodies that prevent HIV infection or disease, however, have so far been unsuccessful. But several recent studies suggest promising new research directions for the development of an antibody-based HIV vaccine, according to John R. Mascola, M.D., deputy director of the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, and colleagues.
After five years of receiving infliximab (IFX) anti-TNF therapy, 61.8% of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) showed substantial clinical benefit (ASAS40, ASsessment in AS, 40-response) and 27.6% achieved ASAS partial remission.
Exposure to particulate matter has been recognized as a contributing factor to lung cancer development for some time, but a new study indicates inhalation of certain particulates can actually cause some genes to become reprogrammed, affecting both the development and the outcome of cancers and other diseases.
Theratechnologies (TSX:TH) announced today that results from a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) evaluation of tesamorelin were presented as a poster (Poster number: P3-641) at the Endocrine Society"s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. Tesamorelin is an analogue of the growth hormone releasing factor evaluated for the treatment of excess abdominal fat in HIV patients with lipodystrophy.
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) says the establishment of the new Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery portfolio and the appointment of Warren Snowdon MP as the new Minister is recognition of the significant problems that Australians who live in the bush have in accessing health care services.
Yissum Research Development Company Ltd., the Technology Transfer Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, announced today at the ILSI-Biomed Israel 2009 conference, it has signed an agreement with Aurum, Ventures MKI, the technology investment arm of Mr. Morris Kahn, for the development of a nanotechnology controlled release drug delivery platform that increases the bioavailability of orally administered lipophilic drugs. The technology was developed by Prof. Simon Benita at the Hebrew University"s School of Pharmacy.
Gallstones are lumps or stones that develop in the gallbladder or bile duct. Some of the chemicals which exist in the gallbladder, such as cholesterol, calcium bilirubinate, and calcium carbonate, harden into either one large stone or many small ones. According to Medilexicon"s medical dictionary, a gallstone is "A concretion in the gallbladder or a bile duct, composed chiefly of a mixture of cholesterol, calcium bilirubinate, and calcium carbonate, occasionally as a pure stone composed of just one of these substances". An article describes a gallbladder in the bile duct similar to trying to squeeze a golf ball through a straw.
A new generation of innovative Telehealth products that include an
In recent years, the epidemiology of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has been changing. This trend may be the result of antimicrobial use, infection control practices, or other factors. It is critical for healthcare professionals to be aware of the epidemiology of this virulent pathogen and apply evidence-based principles for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
Possessing a greater purpose in life is associated with lower mortality rates among older adults according to a new study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center.
City of Hope Medical Center registered nurses will be joined by a broad coalition of public officials, religious and labor leaders, and hospital employees at a June 17 rally at the Duarte facility, the California Nurses Association announced.
The Genetic Interest Group, the UK patient organisation for all those affected by genetic disorders,
The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) says the annual Roy Morgan professions survey, which shows nurses are regarded as the most "ethical and honest" of all professions, confirms the Australian public continues to appreciate the benefits nurses bring to Australia"s health.
"With Republicans fighting the idea of a government-run health insurance plan, members of President Barack Obama"s team said Sunday that they are open to a compromise: a cooperative program that would expand coverage with taxpayer money but without direct governmental control," the Associated Press reports. The non-profit, health insurance cooperatives were suggested in Congress by Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the concession could be a path to bipartisan health reform legislation (Elliott, 6/15).
Kathleen G. Sebelius: I am pleased Congress has taken swift action to pass the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation of tobacco products will be a critical piece of a coordinated effort to save lives, lower costs and reduce suffering from heart disease, cancer and other tobacco-related illness. This is a great step towards a healthier America.
Reuters examines the WHO"s battle against the H1N1 (swine flu) virus in "[d]eveloping countries, where medical care systems are weak and supplies of antivirals insufficient." In addition to "supplying countries with diagnostic kits, medicines and masks and gloves to protect health care workers and minimize the further spread of the new virus," the WHO is continuing to distribute doses of the antiviral Tamiflu, which has been "shown to be effective so far against H1N1," according to Reuters.
Twenty-nine students arrived at Indiana University School of Medicine"s Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research to work a 10-week summer internship alongside top pediatric researchers. More than 250 applicants vied for the treasured research spots. Most of the candidates come from Indiana universities.
High levels of brain energy are required to maintain consciousness, a finding which suggests a new way to understand the properties of this still mysterious state of being, Yale University researchers report.
One main reason why viruses such as HIV or hepatitis C persist despite a vigorous initial immune response is exhaustion. The T cells, or white blood cells, fighting a chronic infection eventually wear out.
The tobacco industry knows exactly what makes social smokers tick. Now, researchers want to use that once-secret information to help them quit.
Today Center for Health Development - Metro Manila (CHD-MM) and World Lung Foundation (WLF) published the first results of a survey that shows 52% of Metro Manila citizens are exposed to second-hand smoke every day in workplaces, restaurants and other public spaces. The comprehensive survey of smoking knowledge, attitudes and behavior also revealed that 74% are exposed at least once per week.
A new article in Scrip World Pharmaceutical News highlights enormous change in cancer medicine with highly personalised treatments, patient top-up payments in some markets, response-related payments and even refunds when there is no response to a treatment, all driving the future of cancer care worldwide.
ExonHit Therapeutics (Paris:ALEHT) announced that clinical testing of EHT 0202, its lead therapeutic compound in Alzheimer"s disease, is progressing well. Final patient dosing for the Phase IIa proof-of-concept clinical trial assessing EHT 0202 in patients with Alzheimer"s disease is completed.
Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE Amex: RNN), announced the results of a wide-ranging animal study offering more evidence that Serdaxin™ may be an effective therapeutic for the treatment of anxiety disorders in humans. Serdaxin is Rexahn"s leading anxiety and depression drug candidate, and is currently in Phase II clinical trials.
Alcohol-related deaths, heavy drinking episodes and drunk driving have all been on the rise on college campuses over the past decade, a new government study shows.
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) has announced the recipients of the 2009 Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease Award. MUHC researcher Dr. Maya Saleh was one of six recipients granted $500,000 over a 6-year period for her research proposal, "Regulation and molecular mechanisms of NLR-mediated innate immunity."
We know that the environment can have long-term effects on our health, but what about the health of those who aren"t born yet? A recent study looking at the birth weights of more than 5 million children born in Canada between 1981 and 2003 showed an increase in the frequency of genital malformations in male newborns and a decrease in male fertility.
British scientists have developed a unique air purifier, now patented in 36 jurisdictions around the world, which according to independent research can kill the viruses H1N1 Swine Flu and H5N1 Bird Flu within minutes in any room or other enclosed space. It is also effective against the MRSA "superbug" and other airborne bacteria and viruses: Tri-Air Developments
Mayo Clinic cardiology researchers have found a peptide that helps preserve and improve kidney function during heart failure, without affecting blood pressure. Earlier variations of this peptide caused blood pressure to drop limiting the potential benefits to the kidneys. The findings appear in the current Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The American Dental Association (ADA) Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry (EBD) and The Forsyth Institute announce the offering of an intensive, five-day training course in evidence-based principles and tools, including systematic reviews and applications for clinical decision making.
Sparta Systems, Inc., the maker of TrackWise(R) software and the market leader in enterprise quality and compliance management solutions, outlined its recommendations to help companies prepare for electronic Medical Device Reporting (eMDR), the expected regulation from FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH). The mandate will require electronic filing of safety reports for medical device organizations.
More and more couples from the United Kingdom are crossing the ocean for donor egg treatment at Shady Grove Fertility Center, the Washington/Baltimore area"s largest in vitro fertilization (IVF) and fertility clinic. More than five dozen British patients received IVF treatment there last year, which was a 350-percent increase over 2007; most were donor egg recipients.
It is well known that chronic pain and clinical depression go together, but a study in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society, shows that the connection between pain and depression is strongest in middle-age women and African Americans.
Autistics are up to 40 percent faster at problem-solving than non-autistics, according to a new Universitçİ de Montrçİal and Harvard University study published in the journal Human Brain Mapping. As part of the investigation, participants were asked to complete patterns in the Raven"s Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) - a test that measures hypothesis-testing, problem-solving and learning skills.
This June, the Alzheimer Society is recognizing the extraordinary efforts of four Canadians who are rising to the challenge in the fight against Alzheimer"s disease and related dementias.
"GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, Ky., GOP Senate Whip Jon Kyl, Ariz., Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander, Tenn., and House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence, Ind., went on the offensive following Obama"s speech in Chicago to the American Medical Association. Kyl and McConnell unveiled a bill to rival the Democratic bill, while Alexander and Pence spoke to reporters," according to the Hill. "Pence, who said he did not watch Obama"s speech, said House Republicans would try to force amendments to the bill and would vote "no" on the bill otherwise because it improperly pits the government against private insurers. He and Alexander both said such a government role would eventually prompt employers to reduce the plans they offer employees."
A group of 50 families will ask lawmakers this week to keep in mind 9 million uninsured children and many more who are underinsured when they undertake health reform this summer, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "Covering all children, and making sure they have access to the care they need regardless of their family"s financial situation or where they live, is an achievable first step toward covering all Americans," the CEO of the Children"s Hospital Association told the Enquirer.
Pakistan "s Allocations For Public Health MDG Lagging
The number of assisted reproduction procedures, such as in vitro fertilization, continues to increase at a rapid pace, with half of the 54,656 infants born in 2006 being twins, triplets or higher multiples, according to a series of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports, HealthLeaders Media reports. Since 2001, the number of live-birth deliveries -- which includes those in which at least one infant was born -- as the result of assisted reproductive technology increased by 41%, and the number of infants born as a result increased by 34%, according to CDC. ART services are offered at 483 medical centers, compared with 421 in 2001.According to CDC, ART procedures are more likely to result in multiple births, which produce higher rates of complication in the infants, such as prematurity, low birthweight and disability. CDC said that the cost of treating complications resulting from ART pregnancies totaled $1 billion in 2005, presenting an economic burden to hospitals and payers. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology recommend that doctors transfer one embryo in women younger than age 35, one or two in women ages 35 to 37, no more than three embryos in women ages 38 to 40 and up to five in older women and "extraordinary circumstances." However, CDC reported that about 16% of ART procedures since 2001 involved four or more embryos, and 5% involved five or more embryos, indicating that these guidelines were not widely followed. According to CDC, "In certain states, ART procedures are not covered by insurance carriers, and patients might feel pressured to maximize the opportunity for live-birth delivery by transferring multiple embryos." The report also noted that physicians might be implanting more embryos to increase the percentage of total live-birth deliveries by their patients. The report said that to "minimize the adverse maternal and child health effects associated with multiple pregnancies, ongoing efforts to limit the number of embryos transferred in each ART procedure should be continued and strengthened."Many hospitals consider ART a lucrative field because most patients undergoing the procedures have private insurance or pay out of pocket. However, health plans pass on the costs of complications to employers and the insured in the form of higher premiums, HealthLeaders Media reports. Thomas Moore, director of Obstetrical Services at the University of California-San Diego, said, "Even though private insurance pays a large percentage of the cost of caring for these newborns, it can be expensive for the health insurance industry overall," adding, "At $2,000 to $3,000 a day for intensive care, which can continue three and four months, that"s a cost that raises premiums across the board" (Clark, HealthLeaders Media, 6/12).
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised consumers to stop using three products marketed over-the-counter as cold remedies because they are associated with the loss of sense of smell (anosmia). Anosmia may be long-lasting or permanent.
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) will highlight the critical role pharmacists play in ensuring the safety of the medication-use process in hospitals during a webinar hosted by the National Quality Forum (NQF) on June 18, 2009.
The 150th anniversary of the death of Jacob Bell, founder of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, was remembered on Friday 12 June at a ceremony at his memorial in Woodbury Park Cemetery, Royal Tunbridge Wells.
The ways we deal with death are finding a new life online, according to research being published by a Kansas State University journalism professor and her colleague.
Attorney Tom Keegan of the law firm Keegan & Keegan, Ross & Rosner, said President Barack Obama"s proposal to reduce the number of medical malpractice lawsuits being filed nationwide will not benefit the people of New York in any way because such legal mechanisms are already in place to cut down on the number of frivolous lawsuits being filed in the state. He further states that, contrary to what the president said, New Yorkers will not see a reduction in health care costs.
Taking popular cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, such as Lipitor® (atorvastatin), does not lower the risk of pneumonia. That"s the new finding from a study of more than 3,000 Group Health patients published online on June 16 in advance of the British Medical Journal"s June 20 print issue.
Utopia Home Care, Inc. has announced that Michelle Harris will be its 2009 Caregiver of the Year. At the company"s annual corporate breakfast meeting this morning, Utopia Home Care, Inc. President and CEO Manuel F. Martinez and Executive Vice President Manuel G. Martinez presented Ms. Harris with a commemorative plaque and a check for $1,000. The presentation was made before approximately 125 staff members representing Utopia offices in New York, Connecticut, Florida, South Carolina and Pennsylvania.
The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) announced that results of the largest meta-analysis to date comparing mortality rates for drug-eluting stents (DES) versus bare metal stents (BMS) were published online June 15 in the journal Circulation. The study also compared the rates of myocardial infarction (MI) and target vessel revascularization (TVR).
A list of more than 200 indicators of high quality care in the NHS is being published for the first time to help clinicians drive up the quality of care they deliver to patients, the Department of Health and The NHS Information Centre announced today.
In a multi-center trial led by a Saint Louis University researcher, investigators found that a new combination therapy of daily consensus interferon and ribavirin helps some hepatitis C patients who have not responded to previous treatment. The findings, published in the June issue of Hepatology, offer a new option for hepatitis C patients, and may be effective even for those patients with factors that make their condition difficult to treat.
Aruba Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARUN), a global leader in wireless LANs and secure mobility solutions, announced that Saudi Arabia"s King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), the teaching hospital of King Saud University, has deployed Aruba"s high-speed 802.11n Wi-Fi and security solutions for PACS, RIS, and HIS applications at its facilities in Riyadh. KKUH is the largest teaching hospital in the Kingdom, with more than 800 beds and 500 medical specialists. The network was deployed by ASACO-IT (Ahd Al-Saudia Company), an authorized Aruba partner in Saudi Arabia.
Scientists at Harvard University have shown, for the first time, that intelligence varies among individual monkeys within a species - in this case, the cotton-top tamarin.
A coalition of organizations representing healthcare stakeholders throughout Greater Boston has been selected by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to participate in a planning grant to become part of the Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) initiative. AF4Q is the Foundation"s signature effort to lift the overall quality of healthcare in targeted communities, reduce racial and ethnic disparities, and provide models for national reform.
The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, announced recently that the Government of Canada is supporting research to find alternatives to nuclear-produced Technetium-99m, the principal medical isotope affected by the current shutdown at the Chalk River nuclear reactor. Health professionals use medical isotopes in combination with imaging technologies to diagnose and treat conditions such as cancer and heart disease.
Pablo Sobrado, assistant professor of biochemistry with the infectious disease research group at Virginia Tech, has received a Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award for his research on enzymes that are essential for infection in two important human pathogens.
The findings of the ATLAS ACS-TIMI 46 study are reported in an article Online First and in a future edition of The Lancet, and written by Dr Jessica L Mega, Brigham and Women"s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA, and collaborators. They suggest that the intake of the oral anti-clotting drug rivaroxaban in patients after an acute coronary syndrome (such as a heart attack or an unstable angina) reduces the risk of stroke, another heart attack, and death.
The most popular type of gastric bypass surgery appears to nearly double the chance that a patient will develop kidney stones, despite earlier assumptions that it would not, Johns Hopkins doctors report in a new study. The overall risk, however, remains fairly small at about 8 percent.
How molecules of the oldest branch of the human immune system have interconnected has remained a mystery. Now, two new structures, both involving a central component of an enzyme important to the complement system of the immune response, reveal how this system fights invading microbes while avoiding problems of the body attacking itself.
A German study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics addresses the differences between inpatient versus day clinic treatment of bulimia nervosa.
The first results from the Medtronic Inc., (NYSE: MDT) OMNI Study were released at Heart Rhythm 2009, the annual congress of the Heart Rhythm Society, revealing that one out of six patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) or cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillators (CRT-Ds) to prevent sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), received potentially life-saving medical therapy - either in the form of anti-tachycardia pacing (ATP) or a shock for dangerously fast heart rhythms - within a period of two years following their implant. Further, the study showed that patients received therapy at similar rates, regardless of whether they meet current medical society guidelines.
The health and physiological effects of an intervention which facilitates the opening of feelings are described in a paper published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.
The Obama administration has called for $200 billion in cuts for hospital reimbursements in an effort to overhaul the health care system. Federal funding under the reimbursement system known as "disproportionate share payments" is provided to hospitals in large part to help meet the cost of caring for the uninsured. Administration officials argue that as the number of uninsured decrease, reimbursements should also fall. However, hospital leaders and staff worry about such cuts as well as calls for a government-run insurance plan to compete with private plans.
Ahead of this year"s World AIDS Day, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the World AIDS Campaign and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) have come together to announce the theme of "Universal Access and Human Rights".
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon during a General Assembly meeting Tuesday urged governments not to cut aid for the international fight against HIV/AIDS, the AP/Washington Post reports. Even as Ban "called for "bold action" not only to increase funding but also to break down social barriers to achieve the goal set by world leaders in 2006 of universal access to comprehensive HIV prevention services, treatment, care and support by 2010," he and other speakers at the meeting "reviewing progress and challenges in the battle against AIDS indicated that it will be exceedingly difficult - if not impossible - to reach the goal" (Lederer, AP/Washington Post, 6/16).
Consumers of over-the-counter homeopathic and "natural" cold remedies should carefully research such treatment options and properly follow dosage instructions, urges a UMDNJ physician who specializes in integrative medicine.
Policy makers must increase investment in services to improve the lives of people with epilepsy, according to The Lancet Neurology this month.
Injuries to mothers during childbirth decreased significantly between 2000 and 2006, according to the latest news and numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The number of mothers who experienced injuries while giving birth vaginally without the use of forceps or other instruments dropped by 30 percent. For mothers giving birth vaginally with the use of instruments and by cesarean section, injuries declined about 20 percent.
For most parents, soothing a child"s anxiety is just part of the job. But for a parent whose child has obsessive-compulsive disorder, soothing anxiety and helping with behaviors linked to the disease could lead to more severe symptoms, University of Florida researchers say.
The Premier healthcare alliance has recognized the nation"s top hospitals for their commitment to outstanding patient care and operational efficiency with the 2009 Premier Award for Quality (AFQ). Premier announced the 23 winners of the award, out of more than 3,796 eligible hospitals nationwide, at Premier"s annual Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition in Anaheim, Calif.
An overactive enzyme is behind a leaky calcium channel that plays a role in the development of atrial fibrillation, which is the most common cardiac arrhythmia that is responsible for a third of all strokes. However, it doesn"t act alone, say researchers at Baylor College of Medicine. The findings can be found online in the current edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.