Medical Devices
Vetericyn Inc., a California-based animal healthcare company, has announced the launch of its new Vetericyn™ equine product, available in a 16-ounce trigger spray for horses. Vetericyn™ utilizes an FDA-cleared technology that has been used to successfully treat over one million human patients without a single serious adverse effect. Now, the innovative topical wound-care product is available to the animal healthcare market.
Evidence suggests that outcomes in many clinical settings leave a lot to be desired, which means that research into quality improvement (QI) in clinical care has the potential to greatly improve the lot of patients. Now a study in the journal Medical Care Research and Review published by SAGE suggests that both theoretical and practical improvements in QI effectiveness studies could make these into much more powerful tools for positive change.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) outlined two budget proposals to address the state"s budget problems, and both plans would affect health care, the Los Angeles Times reports. The first proposal addresses the situation if California voters approve a set of special ballot measures intended to provide funds for fiscal year 2009-2010. The state would still face a $15.4 billion budget deficit even if voters approve the measures, and the second proposal addresses that scenario (Rothfeld, Los Angeles Times, 5/15). The governor proposed $750 million in cuts to Medi-Cal, the state"s Medicaid program, that would reduce eligibility and provider rates. The state would need to seek a federal waiver to implement the cuts. The governor also proposed eliminating eligibility for non-emergency Medi-Cal benefits for documented immigrants (Colliver, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/15). Spending for centers that provide services to people with developmental disabilities would be cut by $234 million (Zapler, San Jose Mercury News, 5/14).If voters do not approve three ballot measures, Schwarzenegger outlined $800 million in additional cuts to health and human services programs, including a proposal to eliminate Healthy Families coverage for about 225,000 children. Healthy Families is California"s CHIP (Yi et al., San Francisco Chronicle, 5/15).
"In a new report released yesterday, the government watchdog group Common Cause found that major health care interests have spent upwards of $1.4 million a day to lobby Capitol Hill so far this year," the National Journal reports. This political spending amount represents a 73 percent increase since 2000. In addition, the report finds that campaign contributions to members of Congress jumped $40 million since 2000, to $94 million in the 2008 election cycle (Krigman, 6/24).
Several Democratic female senators on Wednesday took to the floor in a series of speeches praising Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor and highlighting her judicial qualifications, the Boston Globe"s "Political Intelligence" reports. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) -- a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee -- was joined by Sens. Mary Landrieu (La.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.) and Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.).In her address, Klobuchar said that Sotomayor"s experience "particularly resonated with me," adding that Sotomayor "understands the law is not just some dusty book in your basement" and that its interpretation has consequences. McCaskill said that Sotomayor is a nominee with "integrity, grit, intellect and the ability to pass judgment in the most difficult intellectual challenges that face a Supreme Court justice."According to "Political Intelligence," the floor speeches came after Klobuchar and others praised Sotomayor"s nomination at Monday"s annual convention of the left-leaning legal organization the American Constitution Society. In her speech, Klobuchar defended Sotomayor against conservative critics who have questioned the nominee"s temperament, citing complaints that Sotomayor was impatient with unprepared lawyers. Klobuchar said that she is "hoping that we would get to a point in this country where we could be appointing and confirming as many as rough and to-the-point female judges as we have appointed male judges" ("Political Intelligence," Boston Globe, 6/24).
Excess medical expenses and reduced productivity due to diabetes costs the U.S. economy more than $174 billion annually, a figure that could be reduced by lifestyle modifications and preventive care and by pay-for-performance incentives that reward improved disease management, as supported by three articles in the recent issue of Population Health Management, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.. These diabetes-related reports are available free online here.
More than 50 further education colleges are set to make redundancies leading to the closure of a huge number of nurseries, according to UNISON, UCU and NUS.
A test commonly used to help identify women with diabetes during pregnancy may be an accurate, convenient and inexpensive way to screen the general population for unrecognized diabetes and prediabetes, according to Emory University researchers.
Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) President and CEO Jim Greenwood issued the following statement regarding the letter sent yesterday from the Obama Administration to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman regarding biosimilars:
When humans and animals delay reproduction because food or other res are scarce, they may live longer to increase the impact of reproduction, according to a new study by University of Minnesota researchers published in the June 25 issue of PLoS (Public Library of Science) One.
Childhood physical abuse is associated with elevated rates of cancer in adulthood, according to a new study by University of Toronto researchers.
A UK consumer watchdog that is campaiging for clearer food labelling analysed a selection of pre-packed salads from high street supermarkets
The widely used antidepressant and pain medication amitriptyline--but not other closely related drugs -- can impersonate the brain"s own growth factors, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have shown.
Mice who inherit a particular chromosomal duplication from their fathers show many behaviors associated with human autism, researchers report in the June 26th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press Publication. The duplicated chromosomal region in mice is the equivalent of human chromosome 15q11-13, the most frequent cytogenetic abnormality observed in autism, accounting for some five percent of all cases.
The Center for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine (CSCRM), comprised of Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), Cleveland Clinic (CC), University Hospitals (UH), and Athersys, Inc. has received 5 million dollars from Ohio"s Third Frontier Commission under the Research Commercialization Program. The funding will help support new and innovative stem cell technologies including two commercial, four emerging and three pilot projects. This funding will be matched by each of the projects to create a $10 million grant benefiting stem cell and regenerative medicine in Ohio.
The AGA Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition (FDHN) has named Michael Y. Choi , MD, the first recipient of the Mary Terese Hartzheim Award for Neuroendocrine Tumor Research. This new research award was created for young investigators interested in researching carcinoid or neuroendocrine tumors. Dr. Choi is an investigator at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston. He was previously named an AGA Foundation Research Scholar Award recipient in 2005.
German pain expert company GrÃønenthal GmbH announces that the new centrally acting analgesic tapentadol is now available in the United States. The drug is indicated for the relief of moderate to severe acute pain in patients 18 years of age and older. Approval was given by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2008 for tapentadol (NUCYNTATM) tablets. With the cooperation of GrÃønenthal and its marketing partner Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the medication can now be prescribed by physicians and other appropriate health care professionals in the United States.
Joining a prestigious group including Anish Kapoor and Bernardo Bertolucci, acclaimed Shakespearean actor Simon Russell Beale was welcomed as an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Psychoanalysis at a presentation on Sunday 21 June 2009. The award was made in recognition of Russell Beale"s "contribution to psychoanalysis through his exceptionally thoughtful work as an actor, especially in major Shakespearean roles and through his reflections on them."
The new 4th generation rapid HIV diagnostic test - Determine® HIV 1/2 Ag/Ab Combo - from Inverness Medical is capable of detecting HIV infection several days earlier than HIV antibody only tests and is ideal to help diagnose and screen for early HIV infection. The ability of this test to enhance the diagnosis of those with acute HIV infection will provide additional benefits in HIV prevention programs and ultimately contribute to a reduction in the spread of HIV. Inverness Medical will be showcasing the new Determine Combo test at the International AIDS Society Conference 2009 in Capetown, South Africa, 19-22 July on stand #203.
The Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) is extremely concerned about the length of time that it is taking to resolve the issues for the families of former patients at Gosport War Memorial Hospital.
Newly appointed IHS Director Yvette Roubideaux on Friday announced that American Indian tribes will receive $500 million as part of the $787 billion economic stimulus package to fund health care projects, the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports. According to the Press-Gazette, American Indian tribes frequently cite lack of adequate health care as a major issue on reservations. President Obama also included a $454 million increase for IHS programs in his 2010 budget proposal to address such barriers.The $500 million includes:
A new Auburn University-designed, high-tech pharmacy in Meridian, Miss., is the first of its kind and is a model facility that could be built in communities across the United States.
Understanding the molecular signals that guide early cells in the embryo to develop into different organs provides insight into ways that tissues regenerate and how stem cells can be used for new therapies. With regenerated cells, researchers hope to one day fill the acute shortage in pancreatic and liver tissue available for transplantation in cases of type I diabetes and acute liver failure.
Tobacco acts as a precipitating factor for headaches, specifically migraines. This is indicated in a study which shows that smokers have more migraine attacks and that smoking more than five cigarettes a day triggers this headache. The work has appeared in The Journal of Headache and Pain.
Health Community Should Welcome Human Rights Community"s Help With Reducing Maternal Deaths
Respironics announced today that it has voluntarily recalled 4,992 infant apnea monitors. This recall of the SmartMonitor®2 models 4002 and 4003 is being conducted due to the possibility of an audible alarm failure. Caregivers or parents who are using a SmartMonitor 2 Infant Apnea Monitor for their infant, should contact their homecare provider immediately to determine if their device is affected. However, they should continue using the apnea monitor until it is replaced, unless directed otherwise by a physician.
Health professionals are being given clear guidelines for prescribing particular antibiotics in different diagnostic scenarios in the latest National Prescribing Service (NPS) education program, Management of specific respiratory tract infections. The therapeutic program aims to address inappropriate antibiotic use, particularly for treating acute bronchitis, sore throat and other respiratory tract infections, but also gives prescribers the facts to be confident prescribing symptomatic treatments.
A specific biomarker, a protein released by dying tumor cells, has been identified as an effective tool in an animal model to gauge the response to a novel gene therapy treatment for glioblastoma mulitforme. The finding, reported in the July 1 issue of Clinical Cancer Research, paves the way for a Phase 1 clinical trial expected to begin in late 2009.
Less than one-half of one percent (0.4%) of the 22 million people in the U.S. who are medically eligible for bariatric surgery actually get the surgery, and those who do are most likely to be white females with higher incomes and covered by private health insurance, according to a new study presented here at the 26th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).
Janssen®, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Supplemental New Drug Applications (sNDAs) for the use of RISPERDAL® CONSTA® (risperidone) Long-Acting Treatment as both monotherapy and adjunctive therapy to lithium or valproate in the maintenance treatment of Bipolar I Disorder.
The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) will publish in mid-July the second edition of Pagliaros" Comprehensive Guide to Drugs and Substances of Abuse. Written by veteran authors Louis A. Pagliaro and Ann Marie Pagliaro, the reference includes more than 100 monographs-11 of them new-dealing with each of the major drugs and substances of abuse used in North America, from acetone to zopiclone.
UCB announced that Neupro® (rotigotine transdermal patch) can now be prescribed to all patients with idiopathic Parkinson"s disease in Europe and is newly available for the symptomatic treatment of moderate to severe idiopathic Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) in adults. This follows the decision of the European Commission to lift treatment restrictions on Neupro® in line with the recommendation of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), issued on 29 May 2009.
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) called for urgent assessment and responses from regulatory authorities into a possible link between the use of insulin glargine (an insulin analogue) and increased risk of cancer based on findings published on 26 June, 2009 in Diabetelogia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).
Biolex Therapeutics, Inc. announced that it has completed patient enrollment in the SELECT-2 Phase 2b trial of its lead product candidate Locteron® for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Locteron, controlled-release interferon alpha 2b, is designed to improve patient care by providing a more convenient once-every-two week dosing schedule and by reducing the side effects, including flu-like symptoms, associated with pegylated interferons, the current standard of care.
Sosei Group Corporation ("Sosei"; TSE Mothers Index: 4565) and Vectura Group plc ("Vectura"; LSE: VEC) announce the commencement of a Phase III clinical study by Novartis, with NVA237, a once-daily, long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). NVA237 is a dry powder formulation for oral inhalation of glycopyrronium bromide, a LAMA with a rapid onset of activity. The study has now appeared on clinicaltrials.gov and will be recruiting in the next few weeks when the first patient first visit will trigger a $7.5 million milestone payment to both Sosei and Vectura.
AlphaRx Inc. (OTCBB: ALRX) and Gaia BioPharma Limited reported positive pre-clinical results on GAI-122 injectable nanoemulsion in multiple in vitro and in vivo studies of memory impairment after prolonged anesthesia.
Pig heart valves used to replace defective aortic valves in human patients failed much earlier and more often than expected, says a report from cardiac surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. This is the first report to demonstrate this potential problem, the researchers say.
Medicare beneficiaries" activities of daily living (ADL) improved in their first year of the Medicare Part D senior prescription drug plan, according to a ground-breaking study presented at the Annual AcademyHealth meetings in Chicago today.
An article published Online First and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet reports the findings of the INSPIRE trial on treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) with interferon gamma-1b (Ifn-g1b). It is written by Professor Talmadge E King Jr, of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), USA and his team. Results show no improvement in survival compared with placebo. There is no effective treatment for IPF which is a fatal disease.
The challenge to the Prime Minister by Mark Harper MP, Shadow Minister for Disabled People, to remove Section 141 of the Mental Health Act which strips an MP of their seat in Parliament if detained under the Act for more than six months, and his tabling of an amendment to the Equality Bill on this issue, are both very welcome and long overdue.
Analysis of the longest running ICSI programme in the United States has found reassuring evidence that babies born from frozen embryos fertilised via ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) do just as well as those born from frozen embryos fertilised via standard IVF treatment.
The CDC convened a national vaccine advisory committee Friday to discuss the best response to the spread of H1N1 (swine flu) with an estimated 6,000 new cases in the U.S. last week alone, Reuters reports. "The key point is this new infectious disease is not going away," despite the fact the flu season in North America has passed, Dr. Anne Schuchat of the CDC said. "In the U.S., we"re still experiencing a steady increase in the number of reported cases."
The first three guides - Clinical Engagement, Governance and Prioritising Investment - will be launched at the Practice Based Commissioning National Forum, on 1 July. A fourth guide, on Patient and Public Engagement, will be published over the summer and a fifth, on Procurement, is already in the pipeline and expected to be published in September.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) has welcomed the appointment of Mr Robert Nicholls CBE as the Chair Designate of the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
Achaogen, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company addressing the issue of multi-drug resistant bacterial infections through the discovery and development of innovative broad-spectrum antibiotics, announced today the presentation of research on aminoglycoside (AG) resistance trends and comparative AG toxicities at the 19th Annual European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), being held May 16-19, 2009 in Helsinki, Finland.
Interest and concern about possible health threats posed by endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is on the rise, yet there is currently no comprehensive coordinated approach to regulating EDCs in the United States. To address this emerging public health issue, The Endocrine Society today released a new position statement outlining the public health concerns of exposure to EDCs and proposing a series of recommendations for revising current policy and generating new policy on EDCs.
Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc. announced today that a federal jury has returned a verdict of $1.67 billion against Abbott Laboratories in a patent infringement suit.
New HIV therapies have prolonged lives and improved health for patients with HIV, but the treatments have also brought the longer-term effects of the disease into sharper focus.
Speaking at the Annual Conference of the British Medical Association (BMA), Dr Peter Terry, chairman of the BMA Scotland urged MSPs to put party politics aside and stand together to improve health. He also underlined the need for legislation on the price of alcohol as an effective measure to tackle Scotland"s drink problem.
Some people who take the fast-acting sleep-aid zolpidem (Ambien) have been observed walking, eating, talking on the phone and even driving while not fully awake. Many often don"t remember doing any of these activities the next morning. Similarly, this drug has been shown to awaken the minimally conscious into a conscious state. A new study by Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) researchers may help explain why these "awakenings" occur.
In a study published online by the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, UC Davis researchers report that it takes at least a year for former methamphetamine users to regain impulse control. The results tell recovering substance abusers, their families and drug-treatment specialists that it can take an extended period of time for the brain functions critical to recovery to improve.
UK experts are calling for greater consideration of gastric banding as an option for obese people with type 2 diabetes who need to lose weight. Dr Jonathan Pinkney, diabetologist, and Mr Paul Super, obesity surgeon, initiated this call to action following the recent European label change confirming that weight loss with Allergan"s LAP-BAND [TM] AP System can lead to improvement or remission of type 2 diabetes. The risk of developing type 2 diabetes is increased up to 10 times in obese people and, alarmingly, the UK has the fastest growing rate of obesity in the developed world.
Croup is a common respiratory condition characterized by inflammation of the upper airways that often occurs in infants and children. The result is a swelling and narrowing of the larynx (voice box) and trachea (wind pipe) that results in a harsh, barking cough.
Plans to scrap some centrally driven targets and proposals for giving doctors and nurses control of their budgets were announced by Health Minister Lord Darzi today.
Being given enough time with a GP and feeling that their problems are taken seriously are the most important factor in patients" satisfaction with their local surgery, according to new data out today. The GP Patient Survey, the biggest healthcare survey of its kind, found that overall satisfaction with surgeries was high at 91%, but there is still room for improvement in accessing GP services, especially getting through on the phone and being able to make appointments more than 48 hours in advance.
Many young smokers want to quit but don"t know what methods work.
Bio-Matrix Scientific Group, Inc. (OTCBB:BMSN), a San Diego-based biotechnology company, announced today the launch of a national marketing program aimed at hospitals in need of storing umbilical cord blood specimens for future transplantation. The firm"s state-of-the-art 15,000 square foot cryogenic banking and processing facility serves a niche in the "storage" of adult stem cells from umbilical cord blood of patient donors" specimens.
CytRx Corporation (NASDAQ: CYTR), a biopharmaceutical research and development company engaged in the development of high-value human therapeutics, provided a favorable progress update for its ongoing Phase 2 STAR-1 registration clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of orally administered tamibarotene as a third-line treatment for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL).
The UK"s leading dementia charities united with eminent scientists to urge the government to commit to a national dementia research strategy and triple annual investment to ÷£96 million in five years.
The following summarizes selected women"s health-related blog entries. ~ "Just Released: Gains and Losses for Women in 2008-09 Supreme Court Decisions," National Women"s Law Center"s "Womenstake": The Supreme Court"s 2008-2009 term, which concluded Monday, included "several crucial decisions that demonstrate the impact of the court on women"s lives," according to the blog post, which summarizes a new analysis from NWLC on the cases. For example, the blog post says that the rulings in Fitzgerald v. Barnstable School Committee and Crawford v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tenn., increased employees" protections against discrimination in the workplace. However, the rulings in Ricci v. DeStetano -- which overturned an appellate court"s anti-discrimination ruling -- and AT&T Corp. v. Hulteen -- which "permitted AT&T to pay women lower pension benefits for the rest of their lives" -- were "not as positive," the blog entry says. NWLC Co-President Marcia Greenberger said that the Supreme Court "ignored the realities of the workplace and the intent of Congress and ruled against female workers" in AT&T v. Hulteen. Greenberger also said that such cases "underscore why every seat on the Supreme Court is of paramount importance to women," adding that it is "absolutely critical" that Supreme Court nominees have "a strong commitment to upholding and enforcing women"s basic legal rights and protections" ("Womenstake," National Women"s Law Center, 6/29).~ "Waldman and Saletan: Oh What a Fine Bromance!" Jodi Jacobson, RH Reality Check: In a recent bloggingheads.tv chat on "common ground" in the abortion-rights debate, Slate columnist Will Saletan and Beliefnet Editor-in-Chief Steve Waldman "spent as much time as possible complimenting each other"s work" and "as little as possible on any real substance regarding reproductive health and choice issues," Jacobson writes. It is "clear that the Obama administration"s stated intention to create "a common ground platform"" on abortion rights has become "a full employment program for both Waldman and Saletan," she writes. Jacobson continues, "So perhaps the most striking thing about the conversation was that, in the end, they both effectively concluded that the common ground enterprise was a "just for show" political strategy," and that the "real strategies" necessary to reduce the need for abortion "are the very prevention programs least likely to be supported by the far right. (Revelation!)." She adds, "However, they came to this conclusion through the same faux-expert uninformed arguments that characterize their columns." During the "Will-interviews-Steve format," Saletan "revealed once again that there is no core philosophy or framework underlying his ever-shifting positions on choice and abortion," according to Jacobson. She adds that "Waldman, for his part, several times underscored what is clear from reading his work": that he "just throws things "out there" without considered thought" about what "might be good versus bad data, not understanding how to read evidence," and "oblivious or uncaring about the effects his free-form moralistic misinformation and opinions might actually have on an already polarized debate." According to Jacobson, "Public policies affecting sexual and reproductive health issues" should be "based first and foremost on public health and on promoting individual rights balanced by individual responsibilities," but "as anyone living on Planet Earth knows, sex and reproduction have become the front in a war waged by ultra-conservative religious and political forces for which Waldman serves as a paid flacky." She continues, "In fact, Waldman himself stated during the program: "I have a corporate interest in injecting religion into every debate."" Jacobson states, "Reading and watching this duo is like buying the OK! magazine version of the culture wars at the grocery store; they put whatever sells on the front cover, no matter the truth or consequences.
First Lady Michelle Obama visited a Washington, D.C. community health center Monday afternoon to announce the release of $851 million for the expansion and rehabilitation of clinics around the country, The New York Times reports.
The Health and Human Services Department Monday "rescinded three controversial Bush administration regulations governing Medicaid and said it would postpone and possibly change or rescind a fourth," according to CQ Politics.
A spokesperson from the vaccine manufacturer Roche confirmed reports Monday that a Denmark patient with H1N1 (swine flu) developed resistance to the antiviral Tamiflu, a drug known to decrease the spread and severity of the virus, Reuters reports (Cage/Arnold, 6/29). According to the AP/News & Observer, the patient has since recovered.
HHS this week will issue proposed regulations to remove HIV from the list of "communicable diseases of public health significance," effectively lifting the ban on HIV-positive foreign residents from entering the country, Newsday reports (Reddy, 6/29). Last year, then-President George W. Bush signed into law a provision to remove HIV from the HHS list, the Washington Post"s blog, "44," reports. The proposed rule has to be published in the Federal Register, and then undergo a 45-day comment period before becoming finalized (Hsu, 6/29).
Renishaw, a world leader in engineering technologies, is introducing an exciting range of high precision systems for functional and stereotactic neurosurgery at the 15th Quadrennial Meeting of the World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (WSSFN) taking place in Toronto, Canada, from May 24th to 27th 2009. These include the neuromate® surgical robot, and image-guided stereotactic technologies, some of which are still in development.
Katherine Camacho Carr, CNM, PhD, a certified nurse-midwife, professor and assistant dean of graduate studies at the Seattle University College of Nursing, is the recipient of the 2009 Hattie Hemschemeyer Award from the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM.) The "Hattie" is ACNM"s most prestigious award and was presented to Carr at ACNM"s 54th Annual Meeting in Seattle. Carr has been a resident of the Seattle area for 32 years.
Responding to the publication of Lord Darzi"s report, High Quality Care for All: Our Journey So Far, Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said:
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has called on Defra to abandon its plans for a new animal health body that will give responsibility for animal health to an independent board and leave responsibility for animal welfare with ministers.
While major advances have been made in the understanding of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) anatomy and reconstruction, a literature review published in the July 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS) finds that there must be continued advances in basic science research in order to determine the best course of treatment for those with PCL injuries.
Local laws, insurance reimbursement and public misperceptions impede emergency medical services (EMS) workers from using best resuscitation practices, according to a study reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
As scientists continue to decode the human genome and the information becomes publicly available, private companies that offer online genetic testing are multiplying. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health were concerned that perhaps these tests posed a risk.
The equipment used for biomedical research is shrinking, but the physical properties of the fluids under investigation are not changing. This creates a problem: the reservoirs that hold the liquid are now so small that forces between molecules on the liquid"s surface dominate, and one can no longer shake the container to mix two fluids. Instead, researchers must bide their time and wait for diffusion to occur.
A new report issued by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and published in the scientific journal Osteoporosis International1, shows that populations across the globe are suffering from the impact of low levels of vitamin D. The problem is widespread and on the increase, with potentially severe repercussions for overall health and fracture rates.
A novel vaccine strategy using virus-like particles (VLPs) could provide stronger and longer-lasting influenza vaccines with a significantly shorter development and production time than current ones, allowing public health authorities to react more quickly in the event of a potential pandemic.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have devised a microscale tool to help them understand the mechanical behavior of biofilms, slimy colonies of bacteria involved in most human infectious diseases.
Aclasta® (zoledronic acid 5 mg)[1] has been approved in the European Union to treat men and post-menopausal women with osteoporosis caused by the long-term use of glucocorticoids, commonly known as steroids.1 The new indication for the treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO) is important because glucocorticoids (often referred to as corticosteroids or steroids) are widely used to treat inflammatory conditions such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. Patients receiving long-term steroid therapy are at increased risk of fracture, as their use is associated with side effects such as bone loss and consequently osteoporosis.3
The results of the first Welsh GP patient survey have been published recently.
Pfizer Inc announced the discontinuation of the SUN 1122 Phase 3 trial that evaluated Sutent® (sunitinib malate) plus FOLFIRI (irinotecan plus infusional 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin) versus FOLFIRI alone for the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). The independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) found that the addition of sunitinib to the chemotherapy regimen FOLFIRI would be unable to demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in the primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) compared to FOLFIRI alone, in this study. No new safety issues were identified.
After a series of comprehensive research studies and a governmental research initiative, a respected team of radiation biologists and antioxidant scientists at Premier Micronutrient Corporation has developed BioShield-Radiation® - a patented micronutrient formulation specifically designed to address oxidative stress produced by ionizing radiation.
Because females carry two copies of the X chromosome to males" one X and one Y, they harbor a potentially toxic double dose of the over 1000 genes that reside on the X chromosome.
Women who get less than the recommended eight hours sleep a night are at higher risk of heart disease and heart-related problems than men with the same sleeping patterns.
Today, during a Westminster Hall debate on the Archer Inquiry into the infection of nearly 5,000 haemophiliacs with HIV and Hepatitis C through NHS blood products, Jenny Willott, Liberal Democrat MP for Cardiff Central, revealed evidence to show that the department"s reasons for offering fair compensation to those infected is inaccurate and unjustified.
AstraZeneca announced that it has received a licence by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for its oral targeted anti-cancer drug, gefitinib, for EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase) activating mutation positive patients with Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer and accounts for 80% of all lung cancer cases. [1] The licence means that for the first time, thousands [2] of patients undergoing first line treatment of NSCLC in the UK may benefit from a more effective, [3] oral alternative to doublet chemotherapy (UK standard of care) without many of the side effects associated with chemotherapy. [3]
Like astronomers counting stars in the familiar universe of outer space, chemists in Switzerland are reporting the latest results of a survey of chemical space - the so-called chemical universe where tomorrow"s miracle drugs may reside. The scientists conclude, based on this phase of the ongoing count, that there are 970 million chemicals suitable for study as new drugs. Scheduled for the July 1 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the study represents the largest publicly available database of virtual molecules ever reported, the researchers say.
Scientists in New Jersey are describing discovery and successful tests of the first once-a-month pill for controlling both fleas and ticks in domestic dogs and cats. Their study is in the current issue of ACS" Journal of the Medicinal Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.
Novocaine? Not necessarily. The widespread belief that dentists rely on Novocaine to make those office visits almost painless needs some updating, according to an article scheduled for the June 29 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS" weekly newsmagazine. In fact, patients are more likely to get any of several other anesthetics than the century-old standby Novocaine, which once reigned as the archetypal dental anesthetic.
The U.N."s World Food Programme (WFP) said Wednesday a "lack of international funding and new restrictions by North Korea on its staff and where it can operate has left it unable to reach millions of hungry women and children in the impoverished country," AP/Taiwan News reports. According to the WFP, it has received 15 percent of the $504 million it needs to feed 6.2 million North Koreans (Sanderson, 7/1). The agency has had to reduce its goal of reaching all 6.2 million, and is now targeting 2.27 million people, Torben Due, the WPF"s country representative in North Korea.
Medarex, Inc. (NASDAQ:MEDX) announced it will receive a milestone payment of an undisclosed amount from Novartis Pharma AG (Novartis), in connection with the marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to market Ilaris® (canakinumab, previously known as ACZ885) for the treatment of children as young as four years old and adults with cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome, or CAPS, a serious life-long auto-inflammatory disease caused by rare genetic mutations.
The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously voted to uphold Al Franken"s (D) win in the 2008 U.S. Senate election in Minnesota, effectively clearing the way for Franken to become the state"s newest senator, the Wall Street Journal reports. His election gives Democrats in the Senate a 60-vote supermajority, which could help the party pass health care reform legislation, according to the Journal. Following the ruling, opponent Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) conceded the election, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) said that he would certify the result Tuesday.Franken is expected to be seated next week. He will join the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he will vote on the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which is completing its draft of health care reform legislation (Bendavid/Hitt, Wall Street Journal, 7/1).
XenoPort, Inc. (Nasdaq:XNPT) announced positive preliminary results from a Phase 2 clinical trial of arbaclofen placarbil (AP), also known as XP19986, for the treatment of patients with spasticity due to spinal cord injury (SCI). Doses of 20 and 30 mg of AP, given twice daily (BID), demonstrated statistically significant improvements compared to placebo for the primary endpoint of the study. AP was well tolerated during the trial.
"Domestic violence is a serious law enforcement and public health problem affecting as many as one in four women in this country," but "Washington has devoted too little attention to reducing domestic violence and sexual assaults generally," a New York Times editorial states. The editorial continues, "We welcome President Obama"s decision to create a new post, White House adviser on violence against women, and his appointment" of former National Network To End Domestic Violence Executive Director Lynn Rosenthal, "a seasoned advocate for victims to fill it." According to the editorial, Rosenthal will report to Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, "whose keen interest in the issue dates from his days in the Senate and his key role in enacting the 1994 Violence Against Women Act." The "challenge" facing Rosenthal and the Obama administration "will be to improve the carrying out of existing laws intended to protect women, starting with better coordination of the activities of all the government bureaucracies involved," including the Department of Justice, HHS and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the editorial states. It notes that a national survey of domestic violence shelters released in May found "a significant increase in the number of women seeking assistance since last fall, a rise largely attributable to the stresses of the economic crisis and rising unemployment." The editorial recommends that states create more emergency shelters, establish more transitional housing for "people fleeing violent situations" and "do more to help these victims rebuild their lives." Rosenthal "will need to tackle bureaucratic and legal hurdles and find more money to help states, localities and charitable groups address those needs," the editorial states. In addition, Rosenthal must "help end the scandal of the thousands of rape kits sitting untested in crime labs and police storage facilities across the country, allowing countless criminals to escape punishment." The editorial concludes, "All of this will require strong and creative leadership" from Rosenthal, Biden and Obama (New York Times, 7/1).
As the White House declines direct comment on pending health care reform bills in Congress, President Obama is readying his message ahead of his second town hall meeting in as many weeks, Roll Call reports.
Being overweight or obese is a leading contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and associated risk factors; however, in patients with established CVD, obesity appears to play a protective role. In fact, data suggest obese patients with heart disease do better and tend to live longer than leaner patients with the same severity of disease, according to a review article published in the May 26, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The state Division of Senior and Disabilities Services is working this summer in coordination with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve its compliance with federal standards in the areas of Home and Community Based Medicaid Waivers and Personal Care Services (Personal Care Assistance).
WHAT: Food prices rose by 5.5 percent in the past year and are expected to increase up to an additional 4 percent in 2009. Americans are seeking to get the most out of their dollar, and since together, dairy foods provide a unique package of nine essential nutrients, they are a nutritional bang for the buck.
Liver transplantation offers a good chance for survival for patients with drug induced acute liver failure, however, certain pre-transplant factors are associated with worse outcomes. Patients who are on life support, who have elevated serum creatinine, and children whose liver failure was caused by antiepileptic drugs did not fare as well after transplantation. These findings are in the July issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons. The article is also available online at Wiley Interscience.
Deleting two genes in mice responsible for repairing DNA strands damaged by oxidation leads to several types of tumors, providing additional evidence that such stress contributes to the development of cancer. That"s the conclusion of a recent study* in DNA Repair by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and the New York University School of Medicine (NYUSM).
A study in the July 1 issue of the journal SLEEP demonstrates that levels of inflammatory markers varied significantly with self-reported sleep duration in women but not men.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it is requiring manufacturers to put a Boxed Warning on the prescribing information for the smoking cessation drugs Chantix (varenicline) and Zyban (bupropion). The warning will highlight the risk of serious mental health events including changes in behavior, depressed mood, hostility, and suicidal thoughts when taking these drugs.
The second of two reviews in this week´s The Lancet discusses the primary origins of the health gap. In an effort to understand these inequalities, the authors attempt to give an Indigenous perspective. It is the work of Professor Malcolm King, of the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, and Scientific Director, Institute of Aboriginal Peoples" Health (Canadian Institutes of Health Research); Dr Alexandra Smith, of the University of Toronto, Canada; and Professor Michael Gracey, Unity of First People of Australia, Perth, Australia. In this review, the authors focus on North American Indigenous groups, although others are discussed.
Phill Wilson, CEO of the Black AIDS Institute (BAI), last week addressed the annual convention of the National Newspapers Publishers Association where he discussed the reasons blacks "were so slow to grasp the severity of the threat" of HIV, the NNPA/Seattle Medium reports. According to Wilson, many blacks believed that HIV/AIDS was not directly affecting their communities in the early years of the epidemic. In addition, he said when AIDS reached its peak between 1980 and 1982, blacks also were dealing with unemployment, poverty and welfare reform and, as a result, addressing HIV/AIDS was not a priority. Wilson also noted the reluctance by blacks to deal with the stigma related to the virus. Wilson said, however, "I"m more optimistic now around mobilizing black folks around HIV than [ever] before. I think we"ve made tremendous stride[s] and our institutions across the board are at a different place than they were" (Curry, 7/1).
An OECD report has confirmed that GP-led primary care is a cost effective way to promote good health while sending a warning about the need to better promote general practice as a career. The OECD Health Data 2009 report says despite the growing need for GPs worldwide there is an increasing trend towards specialisation. The number of specialists rose by 60% between 1990 and 2007, compared with only a 23% increase in GPs.
The Wellcome Trust on Thursday pledged 30 million pounds or about $50 million to support health research at more than 50 African institutions, Nature reports (Nayar, 7/1).
Before taking her job as the White House health reform director, Nancy-Ann DeParle earned more than $6 million serving on the boards of major health care corporations, some of which were accused of fraud, mismanagement and regulatory violations during her tenure, the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University reports on MSNBC.com. Some critics say the corporate relationships could be a conflict of interest for DeParle. Also, while there"s no evidence DeParle was involved in or aware of allegedly fraudulent activities, in three cases, she served on board committees overseeing the companies" legal and regulatory compliance.
Home remains the likeliest place to suffer an eye injury, according to a survey conducted by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy) and the American Society of Ocular Trauma (ASOT). The annual Eye Injury Snapshot, a clinical survey of eye injuries across the U.S., conducted from May 17 to May 24 this year, found that nearly half (47.6 percent) of the 2.5 million eye injuries that Americans suffer annually now happen in and around the home in common places like the lawn, garden, kitchen or garage.
"As Congress prepares to do battle over health reform, a parallel dispute is shaping up among small-business groups that are staking out opposing positions on a key element of reform proposals: whether Uncle Sam will take on a bigger role in offering insurance coverage or leave the field to the private market," CNN Money reports. A fierce critic of the Clinton administration"s health care reform efforts a decade ago, the [National Federation of Independent Business] now considers universal health care to be one of its top legislative priorities. But it wants to see that care and coverage come from the private sector." The NFIB supports "a reform plan that would provide universal coverage and cut costs by increasing competition among private insurers, likely through the creation of government-mediated insurance pools." But "the Main Street Alliance, founded last year to lobby on behalf of small-business owners around health reform, says its survey of 1,200 small business operators and self-employed entrepreneurs in the 12 states where it operates found that 59% prefer a public option, with only 26% wanting more private plan choices alone" (deMaus, 7/2).
The excitement of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs will inspire young players and weekend warriors to hit the ice. But, traveling up to 30 miles an hour on a quarter inch blade of steel and stopping instantly will put anyone at risk for injury. According to American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) spokesperson Mark Mortland, PT, ATC, team physical therapist of the Pittsburgh Penguins, there are special precautions one can take to help avoid the multiple injuries that can occur in this high-speed, high-impact sport.
Planning for emergencies must take into account the growing numbers of frail elderly people who will by virtue of shifting demographics be involved in any natural or manmade disaster, according to US researchers writing in the International Journal of Emergency Management.
The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) submitted comments to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology"s (ONC) request for feedback on determining criteria for the term "meaningful use" of electronic records (EHRs), prepared by ONC"s HIT Policy Committee.
Women with breast cancer who receive chemotherapy appear more likely than those treated with radiation therapy to experience a major change in work status, according to a study published in the journal Cancer, Reuters reports. For the study, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researcher Michael Hassett and colleagues used a large health insurance claims database to identify 3,233 women who were first diagnosed with breast cancer between 1998 and 2002. All of the women were younger than age 64, insured, and working full time or part time as of diagnosis. About 54% of the women received chemotherapy, and 58% received radiation therapy.Hassett said that most of the women did "not experience a significant change in their employment after cancer diagnosis and treatment." However, of the 6.6% who experienced such a change, those who received chemotherapy had a 1.8-fold greater risk of leaving work, retiring or going on long-term disability leave in the subsequent year. Sixty-seven percent of women who experienced a change went from full-time employment to early retirement, while the rest went from full-time employment to long-term disability or retirement, or their status was unknown. Although the study looked at many factors, only chemotherapy and older age were associated with an increased likelihood of a change in employment. Hassett said that most of the participants in the study worked for large employers that offered health insurance. He added that further research is needed to evaluate the effect of cancer diagnosis and treatment on work status for women who are self-employed or work for smaller companies (Hendry, Reuters, 6/30).
You know we"re coming to the Emerald City for our annual convention, and you know there"s been a lot of talk about our hosting the world-renowned fishmongers from Pike Place Fish Market.
In a snapshot survey published by Terrence Higgins Trust today, two thirds of top organisations were found to ask irrelevant health related questions on job application forms. A coalition of charities wants these questions banned to reduce the discrimination faced by people with "invisible" conditions such as mental illness or HIV.
We swim in a sea of information, but filter out most of what we see or hear. New analysis of data from dozens of studies sheds new light on how we choose what we do and do not hear. The study found that while people tend to avoid information that contradicts what they already think or believe, certain factors can cause them to seek out, or at least consider, other points of view.
The American Society of Radiologic Technologists announced it has released the first in a series of interactive learning modules focusing on computed tomography. CT Basics: Module 1 - Fundamentals provides in-depth information about the modality and its equipment and also offers radiologic technologists information about careers in CT. The first of 10 modules, the program features colorful images with easy-to-understand animations that engage participants in the learning process.
Statement of Captain Charles D. Connor, U.S. Navy (Ret.), American Lung Association President and CEO: