Endocrinology
The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) recently revised a position statement on Reimbursement for Nurse Practitioner Services. This statement affirms that Nurse Practitioners must receive equitable reimbursement from all payers in order for them to provide the communities they serve with the full scope of healthcare services.
EndoGastric Solutions (EGS), the recognized leader in the emerging field of Natural Orifice Surgery (NOS), announced that the American Society of General Surgeons (ASGS) has published a position statement endorsing its Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication (TIF) procedure for the treatment of GERD. ASGS is the preeminent society of general surgeons with membership exceeding 2,000.
Bayer Diabetes Care in the UK and Ireland today unveils "DIDGET(TM), the
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) respects and values PETA"s right to express an opinion and hold a peaceful demonstration at our 146th Annual Convention in Seattle. On the other hand, we disagree with their position on our use of fish during an educational and motivational presentation by the fishmongers of Pike Place Fish Market.
DxS, a personalised medicine company, has had its TheraScreen: K-RAS Mutation Kit granted a licence by the regulatory body Health Canada for use as a diagnostic for anti-EGFR therapies and as the companion diagnostic for Amgen"s colorectal cancer therapy, Vectibix™ (panitumumab).
safefood today launched a new advertising campaign to highlight common and widespread poor food hygiene practices in the home as new research (1) revealed that 84% of people did not thoroughly wash their hands after handling raw chicken. The campaign titled "Don"t Take Risks" focuses on key messages of proper hand washing, proper cleaning of cooking utensils and thorough cooking, steps all of which can help minimise the risks of food poisoning in the home. The research also revealed that 72% failed to properly wash a knife used in preparing raw chicken before its reuse on salad vegetables, and 56% did not check if the chicken was cooked properly.
US scientists have come a step closer to finding a way to help treat people with diabetes by reactivating their own insulin-producing beta cells in
Governor Jon S. Corzine and Health and Senior Services Commissioner Heather Howard applauded the Obama administration for allocating $10 million to New Jersey to enhance the state"s efforts to be as prepared as possible to deal with the fall 2009 H1N1 Influenza season.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the blood-thinning drug Effient tablets (prasugrel) to reduce the risk of blood clots from forming in patients who undergo angioplasty, a common procedure to unblock a clogged coronary artery.
Partnering with local physicians, working with local clinics, conducting educational seminars and health fairs were found to be the most effective tools in recruiting people for clinical studies
Scientists at deCODE genetics (Nasdaq: DCGN) and colleagues from Europe and the United States today report the discovery of a common single-letter variant in the sequence of the human genome (SNP) conferring increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) and stroke. The findings will be integrated directly into the deCODE AF(TM) reference laboratory test for gauging individual risk of AF and stroke and helping to identify stroke patients who may benefit from enhanced monitoring for AF.
Though discoveries about Alzheimer"s disease risk factors are often in the news, adults do not know about the relationship between Alzheimer"s disease risk and heart health, nor that physical activity can be protective against dementia, according to new research reported today at the Alzheimer"s Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer"s Disease (ICAD 2009) in Vienna.
Nonin Medical, Inc., a leading innovator of noninvasive physiological monitoring solutions, announced FDA clearance for its Model 7600 Regional Oximetry System. Introduced in June 2009 at the European Society of Anaesthesiology (ESA) conference in Milan, Italy, the innovative Model 7600 offers real-time monitoring of cerebral oxygenation for patients at risk of ischemia.
Two Sides to Every Health Care Debate New York Times
Statement of Captain Charles D. Connor, U.S. Navy (Ret.), American Lung Association President and CEO:
The AMSA National Leadership Development Seminar will be held from the 7th to the 9th of September 2009.
The Primary Care Paradox and the Need to Integrate Primary and Specialty Care to Improve the Quality of Healthcare
Plans to improve access to occupational health services in Wales to help tackle absenteeism and ill-health in the workplace will be announced today [Tuesday, 14 July] by Health Minister Edwina Hart.
The General Medical Council has announced that it has appointed The King"s Fund"s chief executive Niall Dickson as its new chief executive. Niall Dickson will remain at the Fund until the end of the year before formally starting in his new role in January 2010.
A new study identifies a group of individuals at increased risk for developing colon cancer and holds the promise for developing new tailored cancer treatments. The study in this week"s issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) is by Sanford Markowitz, M.D., Ph.D., the Markowitz-Ingalls Professor of Cancer Genetics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and oncologist at the Ireland Cancer Center of University Hospitals Case Medical Center, and colleagues.
People with Parkinson"s disease have significantly higher blood levels of a particular pesticide than healthy people or those with Alzheimer"s disease, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.
A well known UK orchestra conductor Sir Edward Thomas Downes, CBE, and his wife Lady Joan Downes have died after choosing to end their
One of the UK"s leading weight loss organisations has backed calls for changes to the way that obesity is being tackled nationally after a new study suggested that children learn unhealthy lifestyle behaviour from parents of the same gender.
A new research study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine and led by noted men"s health researcher Dr. Paul Turek has a powerful conclusion: that men diagnosed with infertility suffer intense negative sexual, personal and social strains that might be considered typical for other medical illnesses, including cancer.
Physician-scientists from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center believe that a heightened level a certain growth factor in the blood may explain why blacks have a greater prevalence of hypertension and kidney disease compared to whites. Results from a new study are the first to show that an elevated level of a protein, called transforming growth factor b1 (TGF-b1), raises the risk of hypertension and renal disease in humans.
The National Autistic Society, urged that new reforms should not be allowed further marginalise people with disabilities, including autism, in a bid to fulfil a black hole in social care funding.
Elbit Imaging Ltd. (TASE: EMIT, Nasdaq: EMITF), announced that, its subsidiary (in which EI holds indirectly approximately 58.34%, InSightec Ltd., announced that a team at the University Children"s Hospital Zurich has completed a feasibility study testing the use of non-invasive transcranial MR-guided focused ultrasound surgery (TcMRgFUS) for the treatment of neuropathic pain. Ten adult patients diagnosed with chronic neuropathic pain successfully underwent non-invasive deep brain ablation surgery (central lateral thalamotomy) with transcranial TcMRgFUS and showed improvement in pain scores and reduction of pain medication with no adverse effects at three months follow-up. This is the first study in the world to test non-invasive transcranial focused ultrasound as a treatment modality for functional brain disorders.
While only two-thirds of Texas doctors treat Medicaid patients, a Texas government agency is using tactics that might turn more doctors away from the program, according to the Texas Medical Association (TMA).
Following yesterday"s police operation at a makeshift camp for migrants in Patras and the subsequent fire that broke out, Doctors Without Borders/Mç©decins Sans Frontiç¨res (MSF) expresses concern for the medical and humanitarian condition of the migrants and asylum seekers who were left homeless, as well as those who were arrested. MSF urges authorities to ensure humane living conditions and the provision of medical assistance to this population.
President Obama told Sen. Max Baucus that he wants a Senate Finance Committee health overhaul bill by the end of the week, The Associated Press reports. "These officials said Obama made his wishes known directly to Baucus, D-Mont., at a White House meeting Monday attended by administration officials and senior Democratic lawmakers."
A USA Today/Gallup Poll found that "most Americans say it"s important to overhaul health care this year," but "they are less enthusiastic about some of the proposals to pay for it," USA Today reports. "And while a majority say controlling costs should be the legislation"s top goal, more than nine in 10 oppose limits on getting whatever tests or treatments they and their doctors think are necessary." But some good news for President Obama: "A third of those surveyed say they trust him and congressional Democrats most when it comes to changing health care, compared with 10% who choose congressional Republicans. Another 45% trust doctors and hospitals the most."
"Senators agreed Monday to give high-tech biologic drugs 12 years of market protection before generic versions can compete," according to The Associated Press.
There were 839 reported cases of HIV/AIDS in Alabama in 2008, and of those 122 were reported in Montgomery County, which had the highest number in the state per capita, the Montgomery Advertiser reports. Black residents comprised 70 percent of all HIV/AIDS cases in Alabama reported that year. Poverty, lack of transportation to health services, not knowing a partner"s status and not getting tested are cited as factors contributing to the greater risk for HIV among blacks in the state, according to the Advertiser. Jane Cheeks, director of HIV/AIDS programs for the Alabama Department of Public Health, said, "The more we test, the more we find," adding, "But we"re hoping we can lower the infection rate." She also said, "In 2007, we got a pretty significant increase in funding and we were able to provide more services and give more testing." In addition to administering HIV tests, the "state educates the public through public service announcements and rolling billboards on the sides of 18-wheelers, which give people toll-free numbers to call" for information, the article states (Klass, 7/11).
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Monday rejected several Republican abortion-related amendments to the committee" health overhaul bill but adopted a Democratic amendment allowing health care providers who oppose abortion to contract with health plans, CQ HealthBeat reports. The committee voted mostly along party lines to reject an amendment by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) that would have prohibited abortion coverage in a health care exchange for participants who receive government-subsidized coverage. Democrats said that the language could have been used to restrict abortion coverage in private insurance plans. The amendment failed in an 11-12 vote, with Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) crossing party lines to support it. The committee also voted 11-12 to reject an amendment by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) that would have specified that federal health reform legislation could not override state laws on parental notification when minors seek abortion services. The committee adopted by voice vote an amendment submitted by Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) on behalf of committee Chair Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), who is battling brain cancer. The amendment states that health care providers could not be excluded from contracting with health plans taking part in a health insurance exchange on the basis that the provider performs abortions or refuses to perform abortions except in an emergency if "performing abortions is contrary to the religious or moral beliefs of the provider or entity." Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) said that he is concerned the amendment might be unconstitutional because Congress cannot legislate on religious issues. Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) expressed concern that the phrase "except in emergency" was not more clearly defined. Dodd declined Enzi"s request to withdraw the amendment until it could be clarified. The committee rejected Coburn"s amendment that was a more sweeping version of "conscience" protections for health care providers with religious or moral objections (Norman [1], CQ HealthBeat, 7/13). Dodd said he expects the committee to complete its work on the bill Tuesday night (Norman [2], CQ HealthBeat, 7/13).According to NPR"s "Morning Edition," abortion is one of the most likely issues to "throw a wrench into the already fragile gears" of health reform legislation. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said, "I take a view that there"s almost anything (that can be compromised) in public affairs except probably the issue of abortion." Nineteen House Democrats recently sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), saying, "We cannot support any health care reform proposal unless it explicitly excludes abortion from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan." Democratic pollster Mark Mellman said any new restrictions on abortion coverage in government-subsidized health plans might be unpopular with the public. "Right now most health care plans cover abortion, cover contraception, cover women"s reproductive health," Mellman said. He added, "To some extent what they"re talking about on Capitol Hill is taking away coverage that people already have. Americans want health care reform. But they will oppose health care reform if it takes away the coverage they now have for things like abortion and contraception." Mellman recently conducted a poll for the National Women"s Law Center that found that 75% of respondents would prefer to have an independent commission of medical experts and citizens, rather than lawmakers, decide what should be covered (Rovner, "Morning Edition," NPR, 7/14).
A bill (HR 20, S 324) in Congress that would mandate funding for research, services and public education related to postpartum depression has sparked debate over whether all women should be screened for the condition, Time reports. The Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act, also known as the Mothers Act, passed the House and is before the Senate. The bill does not specifically include funding for PPD testing, though an earlier version did; regardless, critics say it would still lead to greater screening. According to Time, the issue at the center of the debate is whether PPD screening identifies actual cases "or simply contribute[s] to the potentially dangerous medicalization of motherhood." Ingrid Johnston-Robledo, director of women"s studies at the State University of New York, said that experts on both sides of the debate agree about increased support for women. "The problem with women"s reproductive health issues is that they tend to be ignored or exaggerated," Johnston-Robledo said. She added, "We need to find a way to come down in the middle: acknowledge women"s depression but not assume that all women who struggle with the transition to motherhood are depressed."Critics of the bill argue that mental health screenings are notorious for giving false positives. They also contend that increased testing is a bid by pharmaceutical companies to sell more medication to women who do not need it. Some psychologists argue that universal PPD screening would be misdirected because the greatest risk factor for the condition is previous depression, not giving birth. Paula Caplan, a clinical and research psychologist, said, "(We) should be addressing the social factors causing women to be upset after they give birth, not locating the problem within the women."Some proponents of PPD screening say it is not supposed to be used as a diagnostic tool but as a way to identify which patients require further evaluation. According to Time, studies suggest that PPD affects as many as one out of seven women who have recently given birth and that leaving it untreated exposes women and their infants to unwarranted risk. Katherine Wisner, a psychiatrist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, said, "Postpartum depression is not a benign, uncommon thing." She added, "We screen all infants for (the genetic disorder) phenylketonuria, which is extremely rare. Why don"t we screen women for this?" (Elton, Time, 7/20).
The NPHS influenza surveillance scheme, which records reports of diagnoses of flufrom more than 300 GP practices across Wales, shows low but increasing levels of influenza activity in all parts of Wales.
The University of Florida will receive nearly $26 million over five years to speed the transformation of scientific discoveries into medical advances for patients.
Young American-raised Asian and Pacific Islanders (API), who are in the sexual minority, face psychological and social stresses in dealing with their families" values and ancestral cultures that significantly impact the development of their ethnic and sexual identities.
New research published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons reveals that African Americans with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), a rare cancer that begins in the wall of the gastrointestinal tract, now have survival rates equivalent to those of Caucasians. Prior to 2000, African Americans were more likely to develop GIST and less likely to undergo surgical treatment for this type of cancer.
Results of a survey published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons show that a large subset of surgical residents consider duty hour regulations (DHR) a significant barrier to their surgical education and express a desire for flexibility to work longer hours than current restrictions allow.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announcedrecently that Mount Sinai School of Medicine has received a Clinical and Translational Research Award (CTSA) for $34.6 million over the next five years. The CTSA will help support a new research paradigm at Mount Sinai that will facilitate the translation of breakthrough research from bench to bedside and will be led by Hugh Sampson, MD, Dean for Translational Biomedical Sciences, Director of the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, and the Kurt Hirschhorn Professor of Pediatrics.
Researchers at the University of Rochester have developed a mathematical model to predict immune responses to infection with influenza A viruses, including novel viruses such as the emergent 2009 influenza A (H1N1). This model examines the contributions of specific sets of immune cells in fighting influenza A virus. The model also helps predict when during the immune response to viral infection antiviral therapy would be most effective.
The 2009 Interventional Radiology Coding Users" Guide, a comprehensive re for endovascular and interventional procedures and services, is now available in both book and CD formats. This unique reference is made available by the Society of Interventional Radiology, a national organization of physicians, scientists and allied health professionals dedicated to improving public health through disease management and minimally invasive, image-guided therapeutic interventions.
As summer vacations begin, experts at Lighthouse International urge everyone to take eye safety seriously and prevent damage from the sun that could be permanent. Lighthouse International, based in New York City, is the 104 year old non-profit leader in vision health.
The following are helpful tips to pet owners offered by veterinarians at Colorado State University?s Veterinary Teaching Hospital. The paragraphs can be used alone as filler or in a group as a set of tips. If you need additional information, please contact Dell Rae Moellenberg at 970-491-6009 or DellRae.Moellenberg@colostate.edu. If you?d like to attribute the information, please attribute it to Colorado State University?s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) announced Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approval of its Libra® and LibraXP™ deep brain stimulation (DBS) systems for treating the symptoms of Parkinson"s disease, a neurological disorder that progressively diminishes a person"s control over his or her movements.
Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE-Amex:PLX), announced that the Company held a pre-NDA meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the a proposed new drug application (NDA) submission for prGCD, a new proprietary plant-cell expressed recombinant form of glucocerebrosidase, for the treatment of Gaucher disease and to confirm the clinical, nonclinical and chemistry requirements for the proposed NDA filing.
High-resolution comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) has rapidly emerged as the method of choice for molecular cytogenetic detection and characterization of chromosomal abnormalities associated with mental retardation, cancer, and other complex phenotypes. In two recent studies published in the Journal of Medical Genetics (1, 2), high-resolution NimbleGen CGH arrays were used to further characterize two recently identified genomic disorders (3, 4).
UCSF scientists have created a method of quickly identifying large numbers of the genetic material known as short hairpin RNA - also called shRNA - that turns genes on and off.
There is a thin layer of cells (membrane) between the inner surface of the eyelids and the whites of the eyes, called the conjunctiva. Conjunctivitis is when the conjunctiva becomes inflamed. Another name for conjunctivitis is pink eye. Inflammation causes tiny blood vessels (capillaries) in the conjunctiva to become more prominent, giving the eye a red or pink look.
A sub-analysis of a Phase IIb multinational study(1) with edoxaban(2) - an investigational oral Factor Xa inhibitor - provides insights into why patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) receiving edoxaban once daily (QD) experienced fewer bleeding events than patients given edoxaban twice a day (BID). The analysis finds that bleeding associated with edoxaban is most closely correlated with minimum concentration levels of the drug in the blood, and that these trough levels may best predict bleeding events, rather than total exposure or maximum concentration levels.
Based on the data presented, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) recommended that the combination of DOXIL(R) (doxorubicin HCI liposome injection) and docetaxel did not provide a sufficient benefit-risk profile for first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer.
Based on the data presented, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) recommended that the combination of trabectedin when administered with DOXIL(R) (doxorubicin HCI liposome injection) did not provide a sufficient benefit-risk profile for the treatment of relapsed ovarian cancer.
The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.), whose mission is to improve patient care by advancing the science and practice of nutrition support therapy, is saddened by the recent death of an infant in Madrid, Spain, who died when formula was given to him through an IV catheter and not through a feeding tube in his stomach.
Most children who suffer from chronic daily headache may outgrow the disabling condition, according to research published in the July 15, 2009, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Nearly 1.5 percent of middle school children are affected by chronic daily headache, which includes chronic migraines and tension-type headaches.
Scientists have sequenced the genome of the parasite that causes intestinal schistosomiasis (also known as bilharzia or snail fever), a devastating tropical disease that afflicts more than 200 million people in the developing world.
Genetics researchers have unveiled a powerful new re for scientists and health providers studying human illnesses--a reference standard of deletions and duplications of DNA found in the human genome. Drawn from over 2,000 healthy persons, the study provides one of the deepest and broadest sets of copy number variations (CNVs) available to date, along with a new research tool for diagnosing and identifying genetic problems in patients.
Legislation protecting patients from the practice of health insurers and health plans canceling their coverage when they get seriously ill today passed the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Single mother Marça Carmen del Bousada de Lara, a retired shop worker from Cadiz in Spain, has died at the age of 69, orphaning her two and a
CQC publishes national review of NHS child safeguarding
USA Today asks what the additional $1 trillion cost of a health care overhaul (over 10 years) will actually buy. "Although the eye-popping price tag would help boost insurance coverage to 95% or more of the public, it"s not enough to do everything advocates initially want. The proposals being shaped in Congress - including the $1.042 trillion bill unveiled by House Democratic leaders Tuesday - offer subsidies to fewer moderate-income families than originally intended, bar most workers from choosing to leave their employer-provided plans and likely drive up Medicaid costs for states." The Congressional Budget Office estimates that "at the end of a decade, 15 million to 20 million would remain uninsured."
A California device maker settles a Medicare fraud case while a New Jersey doctor and his office manager are accused in a Medicare fraud scheme.
"Here"s a little secret you might not know about the health care reform being debated in Washington: Minnesota might not want it," Minnesota Public Radio reports. The state"s congressional delegation is "not sure that the potential cures for the system - requiring everyone to have insurance, expanding Medicare or taxing health benefits - won"t be worse than what currently ails health care." Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., is critical of the additional taxes proposed to help pay for the overhaul. "What they"re talking about doing here is just adding some more gasoline to the fire that"s going to burn down this country. And I"m not going to go along with that," Peterson says.
"The new state budget in Massachusetts eliminates health care coverage for some 30,000 legal immigrants to help close a growing deficit, reversing progress toward universal coverage just as Congress looks to the state as a model for overhauling the nation"s health care system," the New York Times reports. The affected immigrants are permanent residents who have had green cards for less than five years and are insured through the Commonwealth Care program, an insurance program created by the 2006 law that brought near-universal coverage to Massachusetts. The cuts would save around $130 million (Goodnough, 7/14).
A 9-1-1 For Health Care Reform: Send Leadership Now Washington Post
Angel Medical Systems has announced that Dr. David Fischell, Chief Executive Officer,
New research shows that childhood adversity is associated with diminished neural activity in brain regions implicated in the anticipation of possible rewards.
In the United States, adolescence is a time when many teens become less interested in academics. A new longitudinal study has found that this disengagement is greater for American teens than for Chinese teens.
Array BioPharma Inc. (NASDAQ: ARRY) announced the filing of an investigational new drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial in cancer patients with its most advanced wholly owned MEK inhibitor, ARRY-162. Recent research confirms that the MEK pathway acts as a central axis in the proliferation of different tumors including melanoma, non-small cell lung, head/neck and pancreatic cancers. Array plans to simultaneously develop ARRY-162 for the treatment of both cancer and inflammatory disease. Array is currently completing a worldwide Phase 2, double-blinded clinical trial with ARRY-162 in 200 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis.
AGA Medical Corporation has received European CE Mark approval for its AMPLATZER® vascular plug, AVP 4. The device, which is indicated for arterial and venous embolizations in the peripheral vasculature, uses AMPLATZER"s proven mesh-braided Nitinol technology and may eliminate the need for catheter exchange, giving physicians a more efficient procedure. AGA Medical will begin marketing the AVP 4 in Europe immediately.
Just like a conductor cueing musicians in an orchestra, Fgf10, a member of the fibroblast growth factor (Ffg) family of morphogens, lets brain stem cells know that the moment to get to work has arrived, ensuring that they hit their first developmental milestone on time, report scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in the July 16, 2009, edition of the journal Neuron.
Diabetes patients taking NovoLog® (insulin aspart [rDNA origin] injection) can now use the insulin in their pump for up to six days following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a labeling change, diabetes care company Novo Nordisk announced today.[i] The previous label allowed for NovoLog® to be stored in the pump reservoir for two days. This makes NovoLog® the first and only rapid-acting insulin with this extended in-use time.
Accelr8 Technology Corporation (NYSE Amex:AXK) announced the start of a comprehensive study that integrates its BACcel™ test methods using respiratory clinical specimens from ICU patients. Accelr8"s scientists had previously developed each of its test methods using cultured strains. Development then progressed to clinical specimens, focused on optimizing each individual step. The next stage of combining the steps begins with the new study. The study will test ICU respiratory specimens and compare results with those from standard culturing methods (the "gold standard" for testing). Study completion will constitute a major technical milestone toward commercialization.
An innovative treatment for infections of the respiratory tract in cystic fibrosis patients has received a second orphan drug designation in the US only weeks after a first designation was granted. The recent designation relates to Burkholderia cepacia pathogens that can cause lethal infections in cystic fibrosis patients. For Axentis Pharma AG of Zurich, Switzerland, both designations affirm the therapeutic potential of its product candidate Fluidosomes(TM)-tobramycin, whose unique microbiological profile sets it apart from other antibiotic formulations (including free tobramycin).
Elderly Medicare beneficiaries are more satisfied with their health care, and experience fewer problems accessing and paying for care, than Americans with employer-sponsored insurance (ESI), according to a study by Commonwealth Fund researchers published May 12 on the Health Affairs Web site. If given the opportunity, many adults under age 65 would likely select a public health insurance option, say lead author Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, and colleagues.
The College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) launched their annual campaign to educate the public on the steps they can take to ensure their children aren"t struggling with reading and learning because of undiagnosed vision problems.
Concerns raised by the Pharmacists" Division of the Association of Professional
Mental Health America today commended Senate and House health reform legislation for including mental health and substance use coverage in a benefit package.
Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) said he plans to introduce an amendment to the House health care overhaul bill (HR 3200) that would prohibit insurers from being required to cover abortion, unless the woman"s life is at risk or the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest, CQ Today reports. Pitts said he will offer the amendment Thursday at the first House Energy and Commerce Committee mark-up session.The House bill would authorize the Obama administration to craft minimum benefit standards for health insurance plans, CQ Today reports. President Obama has said that he considers reproductive health care an essential service. Democrats say Republicans are trying to expand the Hyde amendment"s exclusion on using federal Medicaid funding to cover abortion to all health care services. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), vice chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, said, "I think that if anti-choice Republicans or others see this as an opportunity to expand prohibitions on a legally allowed and medically appropriate practice, then they are wrong." She added, "We are not going to use the health care bill to expand prohibitions on a legal medical practice, period." Pitts, Rep. Christopher Smith (R-N.J.) and other supporters of the amendment say it is necessary to block the administration from requiring abortion coverage. The committee has blocked three of Smith"s abortion-related amendments so far this year (Wayne, CQ Today, 7/15).
Votes are planned Thursday in the House Education and Labor and Ways and Means committees on a $1.5 trillion plan to overhaul the nation"s health care system, The Associated Press reports.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it is conducting a safety review of Xolair (omalizumab), a drug used to treat certain adults and adolescents with moderate-to-severe persistent asthma.
The conservative message on health care is that President Obama"s revamp of the health care system in America will produce a costly government-run program that limits patient choice, The Associated Press reports.
"A hospital that serves thousands of indigent Massachusetts residents sued the state on Wednesday, charging that its costly universal health care law is forcing the hospital to cover too much of the expense of caring for the poor," according to the New York Times.
Scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have discovered a set of brain proteins responsible for some of the most common and devastating brain diseases. The proteins underlie epilepsy, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disease, mental retardation and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer"s and Huntington"s diseases.
The Daily Trust/allAfrica.com examines food security in Nigeria. Despite its agricultural potential, the "food crisis" in Nigeria "poses a big question as to what is responsible for the insecurity in food production, preservation and storage," according to the newspaper. A government committee recently toured the country in an effort to address some of the problems involved with agricultural production and food insecurity.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has awarded AIDS Services of Austin a five-year, $1.6 million grant to fund a program targeting black residents who were recently incarcerated, the Austin Business Journal reports. The grant will be used to create Project Fresh Start, a substance abuse and HIV prevention program aimed at black adults in Travis County who were released from prison or jail in the last two years. The program is set to launch in September. "An estimated 9,000 people will be served during the lifetime of the project," according to the Business Journal (7/15).
Yesterday"s Senate HELP Committee"s vote for a health reform bill and the beginning today of the committee markup process in the House of Representatives mark significant steps forward on the path to comprehensive health reform.
Sirona Biochem Corp. (TSX-V: SBM) announced it is now ready to begin testing its novel new compounds to fight diabetes and obesity.
Springer, one of the leading publishers in the fields of science, technology and medicine, has signed a co-publishing agreement with the Association of Food Scientists and Technologists, India (AFST(I)), for one of their publications, the Journal of Food Science and Technology (JFST). Dr. Satish Kulkarni, Head of the Southern Campus at the National Dairy Research Institute in Bangalore and President of AFST(I); Dr. S.G. Prapulla, Deputy Director of the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysore and Honorable Secretary of AFST(I); Dr. William F. Curtis, President of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC; and Sanjiv Goswami, Managing Director of Springer India, signed the agreement at the Southern Campus at the National Dairy Research Institute in Bangalore.
Insurgent groups like the Taliban can only be effectively engaged with timely and accurate military intelligence, and even good intelligence may only succeed in containing the insurgency, not defeating it, according to a new study in the current issue of Operations Research, a flagship journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS®).
This statement updates Members on the Influenza A (H1N1v) swine flu outbreak and the latest developments in Wales and across the UK.
Following Gordon Brown"s meeting at Downing Street with Britain"s top drinks industry executives he called for them to harness their considerable marketing powers to drive for change in social norm and cultural attitudes towards alcohol in the UK. This has resulted in Project "N" - a collaboration of the not inconsiderable res of top companies throughout the UK.
According to the latest thinking, eating healthily and taking more exercise are not enough by themselves to combat the nation"s rising obesity levels. Instead we need a better understanding of the issues underpinning compulsive eating so that psychological help can be successfully targeted.
Cystic fibrosis medicines that help to break down mucus in the lungs may carry an unexpected long-term benefit, a study suggests.
Mothers of premature infants shouldn"t rely solely on breast pumps to establish and maintain their breast milk supply, researchers at Lucile Packard Children"s hospital and the Stanford University School of Medicine have found. Moms already have a simple, safe and free tool for assisting breast milk production: their own hands.
The SCAN Foundation released a policy report by Georgetown University researchers presenting four distinct policy options for including long-term care support and services in health care reform. The report comes on the heels of a National Omnibus Survey on Long-Term Care released last week, also from The SCAN Foundation, showing that nearly 80 percent of Americans would be more likely to support a health care reform package that includes improved coverage for long-term care services.
Clarithromycin is currently one of the antibiotics used for eradication of Helicobacter pylori. However, reports of H. pylori resistance to this antibiotic are increasing worldwide. Clarithromycin resistance has been attributed to the presence of mutations in the 23S rRNA gene, a component of the ribosome that is the protein manufacturing machinery of all living cells. There is little information on the prevalence and characteristics of clarithromycin resistance in H. pylori strains isolated from Malaysian patients.
American Medical Systems, Inc. (AMS) (NASDAQ: AMMD) a trusted provider of medical solutions for restoring men"s and women"s pelvic health, announced that its AMS 700® with INHIBIZONE® has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the only inflatable penile prosthesis with clinical evidence showing a significant reduction in the rate of revision surgery due to infection.
Universal Detection Technology (www.udetection.com) (OTCBB:UNDT), a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats and provider of counter-terrorism consulting and training services, reported today that its handheld biodetection kits have been certified by the Department of Homeland Security as an "Approved Product for Homeland Security" under the Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies (SAFETY) Act of 2002.
UPMC is once again the region"s only medical center named on the annual U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll of America"s Best Hospitals. UPMC is ranked 13th of only 21 hospitals nationwide who made the Honor Roll of the "nation"s best" in the 2009 survey.
The nation"s largest union and professional association of registered nurses hailed passage of a key amendment in the House Education and Labor Committee to the national healthcare reform bill this morning that would enable individual states to go a step farther and adopt single-payer, Medicare-for-All style reforms.
In August and September, the University of Antwerp organises vaccine studies for different producers of Mexican flu (H1N1v) test vaccines. 300 to 400 volunteers will be recruited for these tests. "There is a good chance that a Mexican flu vaccine is available early November", expects vaccine expert prof. dr. Pierre van Damme, director of the Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), a department of the Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO) at the University of Antwerp.
The House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday voted 23-18 to approve its health care reform bill (HR 3200) after rejecting dozens of Republican amendments, including attempts to exclude abortion coverage from the essential benefit package created in the legislation, CQ Today reports. An amendment offered by Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas) was rejected in an 18-23 vote; Reps. Bill Pascrell (N.J.), Earl Pomeroy (N.D.) and John Tanner (Tenn.) were the only Democrats to support the amendment. The amendment included exceptions for abortion to save the woman"s life or in cases of rape or incest. Committee members voted 19-22 to reject a similar amendment by House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.).The House health reform bill would establish a panel to set a minimum benefits package that health insurers must offer. The bill aims to expand health insurance coverage by mandating that individuals obtain insurance, requiring employers to offer workers coverage or pay a fine, and establishing a health insurance exchange where people could compare and purchase plans. The exchange would include a government-run health insurance option that would compete with private plans (Rubin, CQ Today, 7/17).
"For a brief moment Thursday, Senate Democrats could celebrate. Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus suggested for the first time publicly he was hoping for a bipartisan deal to pay for health care reform by the end of the day. The good feelings didn"t last long," Politico reports. "Within hours, Baucus (D-Mont.) said the talks were suspended until next week - defying President Barack Obama"s request to produce an agreement by the weekend and throwing into doubt any hopes of meeting the president"s August deadline to pass a Senate bill." And Baucus "had to call the White House and apologize for saying earlier in the day that Obama"s resistance to taxing employer health benefits "is not helping us" get a bill."
"In a move that caught many public health experts by surprise, the WHO quietly announced Thursday that it would stop tracking swine flu cases and deaths around the world," the New York Times reports. According to the newspaper, the announcement "perplexed some experts, and even baffled a WHO spokesman, Gregory Hartl," who "earlier in the day ò€¦ had confirmed Argentina, with 137 swine flu deaths since June, had surpassed Mexico, where the epidemic began in February, as the country with second largest number of swine flu deaths." While the last WHO updated indicated nearly 95,000 people worldwide had been infected with H1N1, "[m]any epidemiologists have pointed out that, in reality, millions of people have had swine flu, usually in a mild form, so the numbers of laboratory-confirmed cases were actually meaningless" while tests "overwhelmed national laboratories," according to the New York Times (McNeil, 7/16).
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Thursday said food prices remain high in many developing countries because of reduced harvests, civil conflict and other factors, AP/Google.com reports (7/16).
CDC"s latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) examines the sexual health of young adults and teenagers in the U.S., Reuters reports. "The data presented in this report indicate that many young persons in the United States engage in sexual risk behavior and experience negative reproductive health outcomes," the MMWR states (7/16). For the report, CDC compiled data from several different studies involving hundreds of thousands of teenagers and young adults age 10 to 25. Among other findings, the data indicated that AIDS rates among boys age 15 to 19 increased from 1.3 cases per 100,000 in 1997 to 2.5 cases in 2006. The report also said that new HIV and AIDS diagnoses were highest among young blacks across all age groups (Chicago Tribune, 7/17). Kevin Fenton, director of CDC"s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, said, "It is imperative that all of us at the national and community level work together to ensure STD and HIV prevention programs are reaching young people, particularly in communities with the greatest burden of disease" (Brewington, "Picture of Health," Baltimore Sun, 7/16).
Hebrew SeniorLife has received a $105,000 grant from the Tufts Health Plan Foundation for the expansion and implementation of three evidence-based healthy aging programs designed to disseminate preventive health-related information to seniors in the community.
The aloe vera plant has a long history of healing power. Its ability to heal burns and cuts and soothe pain has been documented as far back as the 10th century. Legend has it that Cleopatra used aloe vera to keep her skin soft. The modern use of aloe vera was first recognized the 1930s to heal radiation burns. Since then, it has been a common ingredient in ointments that heal sunburn, minor cuts, skin irritation, and many other ailments. Recently, aloe vera has gained some popularity as an active ingredient in tooth gel. Similar to its use on skin, the aloe vera in tooth gels is used to cleanse and soothe teeth and gums, and is as effective as toothpaste to fight cavities, according to the May/June 2009 issue of General Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry"s (AGD) clinical, peer-reviewed journal.
Luv N" Care Ltd. of Monroe, La., is initiating a nationwide recall of gel-filled teethers with the brand names "Nuby," "Cottontails" and "Playschool," because the liquid inside the gel-filled teethers has been found to contain Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus circulans bacteria in the gel.
On 30 July sexual health and HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) will officially open its new centre in Nottingham. The charity has been based in the city since February 2008 from its old site in Lace Market. THT"s new centre on 23 Barker Gate, which is funded by NHS Nottingham City, NHS Nottinghamshire County, Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council will offer a wider range of services to support people living with HIV and help prevent the rising rates of sexual ill-health.
New strategies are needed to encourage general practitioners to teach medical students in their practices, according to a letter published in this year"s General Practice edition of the Medical Journal of Australia.
The ability to imitate is crucial for human social interaction and cultural inheritance. Until recently, it was assumed that this ability was innate. We review new evidence indicating that experience plays a critical role in the development of imitation.
Data from two presentations highlighting the use of Perforomist® (formoterol fumarate) Inhalation Solution in moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients were featured at the International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego. In one analysis, use of Perforomist Inhalation Solution, when added to maintenance tiotropium, resulted in improved pulmonary function, dyspnea (shortness of breath) and rescue medication use versus treatment with tiotropium alone. In a second study, patient satisfaction increased in those treated with Perforomist Inhalation Solution twice daily compared with ipratropium/albuterol metered-dose inhaler (MDI) four times daily.
Family doctors in Northern Ireland moved to allay fears over the swine flu virus.
Five organizations representing the nation"s experts in infectious diseases medicine, infection prevention in healthcare settings, and public health and disease prevention announced their support for a provision requiring national reporting of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) rates, which is contained within the healthcare reform bill introduced by leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Many countries worldwide are digitizing patients" medical records. In the
-39% of suicides by hanging took place when the patient was supposed to be subject to observation by staff
The Washington Post reports that Regina Benjamin -- President Obama"s nominee for U.S. surgeon general -- shares Obama"s position on reproductive health issues, a position that could put her "at odds" with the Catholic Church"s positions on reproductive rights, according to s familiar with her selection. White House spokesperson Reid Cherlin said, "Like [Obama], she believes that this is an issue where it is important to try and seek common ground and come together to try and reduce the number of unintended pregnancies." Cherlin added, "As a physician, she is deeply committed to the philosophy of putting her patients" needs first when it comes to providing care." The White House would not specifically comment on her views on abortion rights, and an HHS spokesperson says Benjamin is not permitted to speak publicly until she is confirmed. s close to Benjamin, who is Catholic, say that she does support abortion rights, the Post reports. However, several individuals who know Benjamin said her views would not affect her role as surgeon general. David Satcher -- a surgeon general in the Clinton administration who taught community health to Benjamin at the Morehouse School of Medicine -- said, "We all have our religions, but when you speak as the surgeon general to the American people, it"s not about your religion." He added, "I don"t see why the surgeon general has to get involved in a discussion about abortion." Jorge Alsip -- president of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama -- said abortion-related issues occasionally arose when he and Benjamin served on the Alabama State Committee on Public Health. Alsip, who is Catholic, said he does not know her position on the issue, adding, "You kind of have to park your personal beliefs at the door when they conflict with what your role is."Sister Carol Keehan, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association, said, "This is not pivotal to the surgeon general"s job." She added, "From the perspective of being a practicing Catholic, you can certainly say that it matters. I think being willing to work to reduce (abortion) is a good thing."Robert Lawrence, a director at Johns Hopkins University"s Bloomberg School of Public Health and chair of the board of Physicians for Human Rights, served with Benjamin on the group"s board from 1996 until 2002. He said, "I would think that as surgeon general she would uphold the law of the land, and the law of the land guarantees women a choice for reproductive health." He added, "The charge of the surgeon general is to be the people"s doctor and ensure that all those health services guaranteed under federal law are available to the people" (Thompson, Washington Post, 7/19).