Public Health
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a total ankle replacement system for arthritic or deformed ankles that may preserve some range of motion in the joint.
Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the Company"s product candidate, NT-501, demonstrated a strong biologic effect in two Phase 2 clinical trials for retinitis pigmentosa (RP). RP is a slowly developing condition that causes the progressive degeneration of rod & cone photoreceptor cells in the retina that over time diminishes night and peripheral vision and eventually leads to blindness. RP is an orphan-designated indication for which there are currently no approved treatments.
The Department of Surgery, University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has invited noted Surgeon Professor (Dr) Rama Kant, Head of Surgery Department at Chhattrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University (CSMMU) to deliver a talk on haemorrhoids (piles).
Supermarket shoppers may be encouraged to buy sugar-filled, calorie-rich drinks by discounts and promotions, according to New Zealand research.
"You can be a Democrat at Liberty University as long as you don"t support" candidates "who so much as hin[t] at supporting abortion rights or same-sex marriage," a Washington Post editorial says, adding, "That, at least, seems to be the message Liberty University sent when it withdrew its recognition of the campus Democratic group as an official club." The editorial continues, "The students" offense was not that they spoke out in favor of abortion or gay marriage but that they supported candidates who do." Considering that the university "is a vibrant, diverse school of 11,500 residential students," it is "too bad its administrators appear to have so little tolerance for political diversity," according to the Post.When the university began recognizing the club in October 2008, it did so "with the understanding that members wouldn"t support gay marriage or abortion," according to the Post. Mathew Staver, dean of Liberty"s School of Law, said that although club members never vocalized support for abortion or gay rights, they were "advocating positions for individual candidates that clearly promoted abortion."Liberty campus Democrats President Brian Diaz said that the university-approved club constitution gives members the freedom to endorse candidates. According to Diaz, most of the club"s members oppose abortion rights and intended to plan antiabortion-rights events for the upcoming school year. Diaz said that he believes abortion is a "great travesty." However, the club is willing to endorse candidates who support abortion rights as long as they are working to reduce the need for abortion, he added.According to the Post, "Diaz"s explanation is as reasonable as the university"s handling of the situation is not." The editorial concludes, "Why recognize a club for campus Democrats but not allow it to actually support Democrats, including the president of the United States? Universities should facilitate healthy exchanges of ideas, not fear them" (Washington Post, 5/27).
The average U.S. family and their employers paid an additional $1,017 in health care premiums in 2008 to pay for care of the uninsured, according to a study released on Thursday by Families USA, USA Today reports (Kim, USA Today, 5/28). According to the study, which examined federal data, the uninsured received $116 billion in health care from hospitals, physicians and other providers in 2008 and paid 37% of that amount. Government programs and charities covered an additional 26%, which left another 37%, or about $43 billion, unpaid. The study then estimated how those costs are when spread across the insured through higher premiums, the study found. According to the study, prepared by the actuarial firm Milliman, the average additional amount paid under private coverage for single individuals was about $370 per year (Werner, AP/Austin American-Statesman, 5/28). Families USA Executive Director Ron Pollack said, "This is a hidden tax on all insurance premiums, whether it is paid by business for their work or by families when they purchase their own coverage" (USA Today, 5/28).The study is available online.
ProTrials Research, Inc.TM, a leader in the clinical research organization industry, announced Medivation, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDVN) has chosen the company to conduct separate international Phase III clinical trials for two novel treatments. ProTrials will test MDV3100 for treating prostate cancer and the investigational drug Dimebon TM as a treatment for Huntington"s disease. Due to the complex nature of these Phase III trials, Medivation again selected ProTrials as its contract research organization partner because of ProTrials" successful past performance with the company"s Phase I, II and III trials.
International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCBB:ISCO), the first company to perfect a method of creating human "parthenogenetic" stem cells from unfertilized eggs, has received positive early results from animal trials designed to improve photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), a form of corrective laser eye surgery that offers an improved alternative to LASIK.
VIB researchers linked to K.U.Leuven and Harvard University show that stretches of DNA previously believed to be useless "junk" DNA play a vital role in the evolution of our genome. They found that unstable pieces of junk DNA help tuning gene activity and enable organisms to quickly adapt to changes in their environments. The results will be published in the reputed scientific ournal Science.
Researchers from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have uncovered a remarkable property of the contractile ring, a structure required for cell division. Understanding how the contractile ring works to divide the cell may facilitate development of therapies to prevent uncontrolled cell division in cancer.
Oxoid, a world leading microbiology brand, has today announced the availability of two new chromogenic media in the Brilliance™ Resistant Screening Agar range. Brilliance ESBL Agar and Brilliance VRE Agar can be used as screening tests to rapidly identify patients colonised with problematic Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) producing organisms and vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE), allowing appropriate infection control and treatment to commence sooner for the best possible patient outcome.
A dog born with a deadly disease that prevents the body from using stored sugar has survived 20 months and is still healthy after receiving gene therapy at the University of Florida - putting scientists a step closer to finding a cure for the disorder in children.
The Centre for Epidemiological Studies into Sexually-Transmitted Diseases and AIDS in Catalonia (CEEISCAT) started a pioneering study in Spain in 2005 to look into the prevalence of sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) among female sex workers (SWs). The objective was to monitor the rates of infection with both HIV and other diseases over time, as well as the prevalence of risky behaviour.
Boehringer Ingelheim announced that it will become the founding sponsor of the World Stroke Academy, a novel training initiative for stroke professionals being developed by the World Stroke Organization ( WSO). This latest educational initiative from the WSO will bring together an international group of stroke experts - led by Professor Michael Brainin of the Danube University Krems, Austria - to provide information about stroke and knowledge for health professionals and medical doctors in order to improve prevention, therapy and management of stroke.
Incyte Corporation (Nasdaq:INCY) announced that based on recent input from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding Incyte"s request for a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) for INCB18424 for patients with primary myelofibrosis (PMF), post-polycythemia vera myelofibrosis (PPV-MF) and post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis (PET-MF), it is clear that the most appropriate single primary endpoint for Incyte"s U.S. Phase III trial is the proportion of treated patients achieving a 35% reduction in spleen volume as compared to patients receiving placebo.
The New England School of Acupuncture announces the launch of its Sports Medicine Acupuncture Certification Program (SMAC) beginning in September 2009. This unique program teaches both Eastern and Western methods of orthopedic medicine, giving students a fully integrated, one-of-a-kind education in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western orthopedics.
Frequent air travelers, as well as people who fly only occasionally, are often inconvenienced by the effects of jet lag, according to research presented today at the American College of Sports Medicine"s 56th Annual Meeting in Seattle. Christopher Berger, Ph.D., Chair of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Task Force on Healthy Air Travel, "Exercise is Medicine™ On the Fly," explains that jet lag, medically called desynchronosis, is the physiological response to alterations to circadian rhythms.
Scientists are reporting discovery of a potential new alternative to aspirin, ReoPro, and other anti-platelet agents used widely to prevent blood clots in coronary artery disease, heart attack and stroke. Their study, scheduled for the June 23 issue of ACS Nano, a monthly journal, involves particles of silver - 1/50,000th the diameter of a human hair - that are injected into the bloodstream.
A person with dyspraxia has problems with movement and coordination. It is also known as "motor learning disability". Somebody with dyspraxia finds it hard to carry out smooth and coordinated movements. Dyspraxia often comes with language problems, and sometimes a degree of difficulty with perception and thought. Dyspraxia does not affect a person"s intelligence, but it can cause learning difficulties, especially for children.
Also known as onychomycosis and tinea unguium, nail fungal infections are the most common diseases of the nails, making up about 50% of nail abnormalities. Both fingernails and toenails are susceptible to the infection, which usually manifests as discoloration and thickening of the nail and crumbling edges. The condition most commonly occurs in toenails.
Not yet convinced about keeping your healthy teeth, here"s another reason.
CAFFEINE SHOWN AS EFFECTIVE AT REDUCING EXERCISE-INDUCED ASTHMA SYMPTOMS AS AN ALBUTEROL INHALER
A new study shows that a large majority of patients who present with advanced colorectal cancer that has spread to other organs (stage IV) don"t require immediate surgery to remove the primary tumor in the colon. Researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) presented their data at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.
Scientists at Singapore"s Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), have identified the protein, WIP1, as the molecular "brake" that curbs severe inflammation in the body.
People who feel pressure to look attractive are more fearful of being rejected because of their appearance than are their peers, according to a new study by researchers at the University at Buffalo and the University of Kent.
Private business in California saw health care premiums increase by 138
There is a frenzied push by mental health providers--almost all of whom have
GTCbio Announces 4th Annual Assay Development and Screening Conference taking place June 8-9, 2009. As compounds derived from high throughput screening increasingly find their way into clinical trials, drug screening has become widely accepted as a critical step in the drug discovery process. After more than a decade of rapid growth, tremendous progress has been made in assay technology, laboratory automation, and informatics. These technological developments have not only facilitated a drastic increase in throughput and efficiency in drug screening, but have also provided novel solutions in other areas of drug discovery and development. As screening has also become prominent in biological research, screening facilities have become increasingly popular in academic institutions.
A University initiative to commercialise novel business ideas and inventions has secured its first two licensing agreements and attracted a further ÷£400,000 in funding.
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have discovered that a complex network of interactions between drugs and the proteins with which they bind can explain adverse drug effects. Their findings suggest that adverse drug effects might be minimized by using single or multiple drug therapies in order to fine-tune multiple off-target interactions.
Agendia, a world leader in molecular cancer diagnostics, announced
Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) cells are present in the majority of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), aplastic anemia (AA), and other bone marrow failure syndromes (BMF), according to interim results from 5,285 patients enrolled in the EXPLORE trial. EXPLORE (EXamination of PNH, by Level Of CD59 on REd and white blood cells) is the first large multicenter study to determine the frequency of PNH cells in these patient populations using a central laboratory conducting a high sensitivity test for PNH cells. The findings from EXPLORE will be presented tomorrow at the 45th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The EXPLORE trial was sponsored by Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:ALXN).
bioTheranostics, a bioMerieux company that discovers, develops and commercializes new molecular diagnostic tests in oncology, announced that a recent study demonstrated the company"s THEROS CancerTYPE ID(R) molecular diagnostic test predicted cancer origin with 75 percent accuracy in patients whose primary cancer was initially "unknown" using traditional diagnostics. Findings were presented at the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fl.
Researchers studying a difficult-to-treat form of childhood epilepsy called infantile spasms have developed a line of mice that experiences seizures with features closely resembling those occurring in patients with infantile seizures. These genetically engineered mice provide a new opportunity for scientists to test treatments that may benefit children.
New data presented at the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncologist (ASCO) Annual Meeting support the use of a laboratory test, ChemoFX(R), to help physicians predetermine the effectiveness of chemotherapy in treating a woman"s endometrial cancer. Investigators found a significant correlation between the test results from 405 patient specimens analyzed using ChemoFx and published patient response rates for each chemotherapeutic regimen, suggesting less effective therapies could be eliminated prior to patient administration. Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic cancer among women in the United States.
Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School and the University of Bristol, using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children and the Exeter Family Study of Childhood Health, have identified a common genetic variant that explains why some women may find it more difficult to quit smoking during pregnancy.
Researchers have identified a gene that is overexpressed in up to 20 percent of breast cancers and that could be blocked in the lab by a currently available blood pressure drug, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Time is short for scientists to respond to the call for comments on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) proposed guidelines for the use of human embryonic stem (ES) cell lines and their eligibility for federal funds. On May 26, the window to provide feedback will close, and the drafted rules leave the possibility that funding for almost all existing cell lines will disappear.
The New Zealand Medical Students" Association (NZMSA) welcomed the allocated funding for increased medical student numbers and doctor retention in the Government"s budget.
The Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council on Thursday issued revised U.S. weight-gain guidelines for obese pregnant women, in response to rising levels of obesity in the country and growing evidence that weight gain can cause health problems for women and their infants, the New York Times reports. The revision, which is the first since 1990, recommends that obese women -- those with a body mass index of 30 or more -- limit their weight gain to 11 to 20 pounds over nine months. The 1990 pregnancy guidelines did not specifically address weight gain for obese women, telling them instead to follow the recommendations for overweight women. According to health officials, the changes to the recommendations for obese women were required to keep up with the changing weight patterns among women in the U.S. The New York Times reports that about 27% of women of childbearing age are considered obese, while 55% fall into the categories of overweight or obese.The recommendations for women with BMIs of less than 30 did not change. They call for overweight women -- those with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 -- to gain 15 to 25 pounds over nine months, while underweight women -- with BMIs of less than 18.5 -- should gain 28 to 40 pounds, and normal-weight women -- with BMIs of 18.6 to 24.9 -- should gain 25 to 35 pounds (Parker-Pope, New York Times, 5/29).Time reports that pregnant women who do not gain enough weight face a higher risk of stunted fetal growth and preterm delivery. However, it is more common for women to gain too much weight, placing them at higher risk for conditions like gestational diabetes and high blood pressure. In addition, their infants are at increased risk of being born earlier, larger and by cesarean section. Time reports that excessive weight gain can increase a woman"s risk of postpartum obesity and elevate risks of heart disease and stroke because most women do not lose extra pounds gained during pregnancy. Many studies also have suggested that a woman"s gestational weight can predict potential weight problems in her offspring (Kingsbury, Time, 5/28).The committee that developed and issued the revision said that the existing guidelines were essentially on target but that women and their physicians need to work harder to help women reach a normal weight before pregnancy and avoid gaining too much weight during pregnancy, according to the Los Angeles Times (Roan, Los Angeles Times, 5/29). The guidelines also recommend more nutrition and exercise counseling during pregnancy, advising physicians or midwives to consult dieticians to shape a woman"s care regardless of her initial weight, the AP/Yahoo! News reports (Neergaard, AP/Yahoo! News, 5/28). The Los Angeles Times reports that health care professionals are expected to recognize and implement some of the recommendations; however, it is not mandatory to do so.Several experts on maternal obesity and child health expressed disappointment with the guidelines, arguing that obese women should gain little to no weight during pregnancy, according to the Los Angeles Times. They also argue the new guidelines do not do enough to address obesity before pregnancy. Maxine Hayes, state health officer for the Washington State Department of Health, said, "If we wait for every woman to be advised about weight gain after they become pregnant, it"s too late. It puts women and their babies on a trajectory that is unhealthy" (Los Angeles Times, 5/29).
Obesity is an independent predictor of inadequate bowel preparation at colonoscopy, and the presence of additional risk factors further increases the likelihood of a poorly cleansed colon, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.
Every $1 invested in mobile healthcare for the medically disenfranchised saves $36 in combined emergency department costs avoided and value of life years saved. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Medicine suggest that "health vans" decrease both the incidence and economic burden of preventable diseases, for a net profit to the healthcare system.
Findings in mice suggest greater hope for targeting brain cancer, but also greater caution in pursuing stem cell treatments for degenerative diseases
A mineral found at health food stores could be the key to developing a new line of antibiotics for bacteria that commonly cause diarrhea, tooth decay and, in some severe cases, death.
Bausch & Lomb, a world leader in eye health, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Besivance™ (besifloxacin ophthalmic suspension) 0.6% for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis, commonly referred to as "pink eye." Besivance™ is a new topical ophthalmic anti-infective, administered via sterile ophthalmic drops, that treats a wide range of eye pathogens including those that most commonly cause bacterial conjunctivitis.4 Bacterial conjunctivitis is one of the most common ocular conditions worldwide. 2
If having malodorous armpits (called osmidrosis) and goopy earwax isn"t bad enough, a discovery by Japanese scientists may add a more serious problem for women facing these cosmetic calamities. That"s because they"ve found that a gene responsible for breast cancer causes these physical symptoms. The report describing this finding is featured on the cover of The FASEB Journal"s June 2009 print issue, and should arm physicians with another clue for detecting breast cancer risk.
It turns out that from the perspective of cell biology, Nietzsche may have been right after all: that which does not kill us does make us stronger. In a review article published in the June 2009 print issue of The FASEB Journal, scientists from the Mayo Clinic explain how cell receptors (called "death receptors") used by the body to shut down old, diseased, or otherwise unwanted cells (called "apoptosis") may also be used to make cells heartier when facing a wide range of illnesses, from liver disease to cancer.
The prevalence of overweight in the US population is among the highest in Mexican-American children and adolescents. In a study of 1,030 Hispanic children between the ages of 4 and 19, published in the June 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine found less than optimal diets in both overweight and non-overweight participants.
ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Limited (ChemGenex) (ASX:CXS) announced that the latest data from its pivotal study of omacetaxine in patients with T315I-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) was the subject of an oral presentation and discussion at the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida. The open label Phase 2/3 study (CGX-635-CML-202) investigated the use of omacetaxine, administered subcutaneously in CML patients who had failed imatinib and who have the highly drug resistant T315I kinase domain mutation.
Pfizer announced today results from studies evaluating the company"s investigational anti-insulin growth factor- type 1 receptor (IGF-1R) antibody, figitumumab (CP-751,871), in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A total of three abstracts were presented at the 45th Annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Orlando.
ImmunoGen, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMGN), a biopharmaceutical company that develops targeted anticancer therapeutics, announced the presentation of encouraging trastuzumab-DM1 (T-DM1) clinical data at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) taking place in Orlando, Florida.
Insurance companies, "the industry that gets credit for helping to kill the Clinton administration"s health care overhaul 15 years ago," are now "striking a conciliatory tone as it faces the most serious attempt to overhaul the system since that effort collapsed," CQ Politics reports. With low favorability ratings and Democrats in control of the federal government, "insurers know they aren"t in a good bargaining position" this time around. They have already offered concessions, including providing "insurance in the individual markets to everyone, without regard to who is sick," and not "charging people who are ill higher rates and cut health care costs." But they"ve also been ""careful to structure their offers in such a way that appears significant but does not overpromise." An individual mandate for all Americans and an end to health screening for applicants could offer "a win-win outcome, one that will benefit not just patients but potentially the profits of the industry as well." But "perhaps the biggest motivation for insurers to deal now is that they fear what might happen if they don"t" - the "creation of a government-run plan that would be more attractive to the public and siphon off customers" (Adams, 6/1).
"Facing difficult economic times and the uncertainties of national health care reform, some Maryland hospitals are choosing to be swallowed up by larger medical systems, with an unusual string of mergers over the past 16 months and more likely on the way," The Baltimore Sun reports. The consolidations could offer benefits to all those involved. Small hospitals gain "the hope of safe harbor from whatever financial storms are on the horizon, hospital chains "get footholds in new areas, where they can build market share and increase the number of patients they serve," and patients may "gain access to large networks of top-notch doctors, even if the patients live many miles from a major medical institution."
We want our husbands, fathers, brothers, uncles and grandfathers, all indispensable parts of our families, to live long, healthy lives. Reliv International nutritional supplements can help them do just that. Distributors of Reliv supplements are honoring National Men"s Health Week, June 15th to June 21st, by offering tips on how men can step up their healthy defenses.
Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a change to the prescribing information for its once-daily Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) treatment VYVANSE® (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) CII, to include supplemental data that demonstrated significant ADHD symptom control in children aged 6 to 12 from the first time point measured (1.5 hours) through 13 hours postdose. VYVANSE is now the first and only oral ADHD stimulant treatment to have 13-hour postdose efficacy data for pediatric patients included in its product labeling.
Researchers at The Children"s Hospital at Westmead are embarking on a ground-breaking new study to investigate whether a different dietary approach to insulin resistance in overweight adolescents can put the brakes on its progression to type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Daniel K. Podolsky, president of UT Southwestern Medical Center, has received the American Gastroenterological Association"s 2009 Julius Friedenwald Medal for Distinguished Service for his lifelong contributions to the field of gastroenterology.
Several of the country"s largest liberal groups said they were prepared to spend $82 million to promote President Obama"s health care reform agenda, the Boston Globe reports. "Joining the effort are two major labor organizations, the AFL-CIO and Change to Win; Health Care for America Now, a coalition of healthcare providers, consumer groups, and activists; MoveOn.org, the massive online activist organization; and other groups that claim a total of 30 million members."
TeraMedica Healthcare Technology announced, along with partner, Sun Microsystems, that the two companies will be offering a pre-configured solution for viewing and managing clinical images originating from different modalities and providers to bring secure, consistent image sharing to point-of-care.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, today wrapped up his health care outreach tour where he visited Austin, College Station, Tyler, Odessa, Temple and Houston to discuss different aspects of the health care debate and learn about common-sense practices that are working on the local level as well as fresh ideas for him to take with him to Washington, D.C.
In the midst of Zimbabwe"s growing humanitarian crisis, U.N. agencies on Monday released a revised statement of appeal for foreign donations totaling $718 million for "food, clean water, AIDS medicines and other aid - up from an estimate of $550 million in November," the AP/Washington Post reports (Shaw, AP/Washington Post, 6/1).
G-20 leaders pledged to provide the International Monetary Fund with $500
Targeting the issue of low birth rates, the Taiwanese government implemented the Mega Warmth Social Welfare Program (MWSWP) in 2006 after its fertility rates dipped lower than most industrial nations.
Researchers at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City believe that they have made a breakthrough connection between atrial fibrillation, a fairly common heart rhythm disorder, and Alzheimer"s disease, the leading form of dementia among Americans.
The World Medical Association has urged the President of Sri Lanka to intervene on behalf of three government employed doctors, two of whom have been detained and the third taken to an unknown destination, after working in the conflict zone in Sri Lanka.
Reclast® (zoledronic acid 5 mg) Injection* has been approved by
The British Dental Association (BDA) has given a broad welcome to today"s announcement of the award of a tender for 38 new dentists in Northern Ireland as part of the solution to the problems some patients face accessing care. But the BDA has also warned that this is not the whole solution to the problems facing Health Service dentistry. Also required, says the BDA, are full support for the more than 800 dentists already working in Northern Ireland and a new contract that allows dentists to provide the kind of modern, preventive care they are trained to do.
Factors that lead to emergency department overcrowdings, ambulance diversions and other incidents that endanger patient safety have been revealed. A study published in BioMed Central"s open access Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine has shown that reductions in the number of hospital beds and downsizing or closure of emergency departments may create a dangerous loss of "surge capacity".
There are many reasons why health care costs in the US are spiraling out of control: ineffective use of res, unmanaged chronic conditions and infrequent implementations of proven prevention strategies all contribute. While it stands to reason that preventative actions are one solution, no one has yet quantified the value of investing in non-traditional prevention programs.
The Health Care Professionals Council has today struck off Arts Therapist Derek Gale following wide ranging incidents of misconduct and abuse towards patients in his care. However, Gale has only been banned from practicing as an arts therapist, and under current legislation, can continue to practice as a psychotherapist or counsellor (1). Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, supported by Jonathan Coe, Chief Executive of WITNESS, said:
By inserting a molecular shunt into the livers of mice, researchers have shown they can make the animals burn more fat. That so-called glycoxylate shunt consists of two metabolic enzymes normally found in bacteria and plants, but not in mammals, according to the report in the June issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication.
Violence, sexual abuse, harassment, appalling living conditions, and a serious lack of access to essential healthcare define the desperate lives of thousands of Zimbabweans in South Africa today, warned the international medical humanitarian aid organization, Doctors Without Borders/Mçİdecins Sans Frontiç¨res (MSF).
As policymakers consider ways to cut health costs as a part of health reform, a new national survey of physician practices finds that physicians on average are spending the equivalent of three work weeks annually on administrative tasks required by health plans. According to the study by Lawrence P. Casalino, M.D., Ph.D., of Weill Cornell Medical College and colleagues, physician practices report that overall the costs of interacting with insurance plans is $31 billion annually and 6.9 percent of all U.S. expenditures for physician and clinical services. The study, published in the online issue of Health Affairs, was co-funded by The Commonwealth Fund and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation"s Changes in Health Care Financing and Organization (HCFO) Initiative.
Actinic keratoses are sun-damaged rough patches or lesions on the skin - often pink and scaly - that doctors have long believed can turn into a form of skin cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma.
Scientists around the world are accelerating their efforts to develop a vaccine against the H1N1 influenza virus (Swine flu) as rapidly as possible, reports Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN). The need for such a vaccine received a strong impetus from the World Health Organization, which has issued a Phase 5 pandemic alert, a strong signal that the WHO believes a pandemic is imminent, according to the June 1 issue of GEN (http://www.genengnews.com/articles/chitem.aspx?aid=2938).
Working with a population of individuals at risk for gastrointestinal cancers, researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have learned that many people misjudge their actual degree of cancer risk and, therefore, their true need for prevention support. Strategies for accurately assessing cancer risk are critical for appropriately targeting educational, counseling, and diagnostic res to prevent cancer in as many individuals as possible, the investigators say.
Call it advanced warfare on the most elemental of levels.
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have created a line of fruit flies that may someday help shed light on the mechanisms that cause insomnia in humans. The flies, which only get a small fraction of the sleep of normal flies, resemble insomniac humans in several ways.
The BMA is stepping up its activity to publicise its concerns about government reforms that have created a market in healthcare and allowed commercially run firms to provide NHS care.
New data on the persistence of avian influenza viruses in the environment has allowed a team of University of Georgia researchers to create the first model that takes into account both direct and indirect transmission of the viruses among birds. The model, which is detailed in the early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has the potential to shed new light on how outbreaks begin in wild bird populations.
Three patients at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center were among the first in the United States to be implanted with a next-generation artificial heart pump called the DuraHeart™ Left-Ventricular Assist System. The surgeries took place earlier this year. NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia is one of only three centers in the U.S. currently enrolling patients in a clinical trial studying the device.
Based on the top-level analysis of a Phase II study, EyeGate Pharma announces that EGP-437, a corticosteroid solution administered by a non-invasive ocular drug delivery system, improved signs and symptoms in patients with dry eye syndrome (DES).
GPC Biotech AG (FRANKFURT: GPC) (XETRA: GPC) announced that data from the double- blind, randomized satraplatin Phase 3 trial, the SPARC trial (Satraplatin and Prednisone Against Refractory Cancer), were presented at the 2009 American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida. The SPARC trial evaluated satraplatin plus prednisone versus placebo plus prednisone in 950 patients with castrate-refractory prostate cancer (CRPC) who had progressed after initial chemotherapy. The data presented are retrospective analyses of the SPARC trial evaluating correlations between overall survival (OS) and pain at baseline, pain progression, and progression-free survival (PFS) at three months.
Diabetes UK launches its national Measure Up Roadshow today to tackle the diabetes epidemic, as it reveals that more than 1.7 million people in the UK could have avoided developing Type 2 diabetes.
An innovative University of Georgia graduate program in special education that has prepared scores of Georgia teachers to work with elementary-age students with autism over the last several years has received a new 4-year, $793,000 federal grant to train teachers to work with similarly challenged secondary-age students.
Tiny fluctuations in a fetus"s heartbeat can indicate distress, but currently there is no way to detect such subtle variations except during labor, when it could be too late to prevent serious or even fatal complications.
It"s a sign of the times, as more and more people use cell or mobile phones and other high tech equipment they are more likely to end up with
Today, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced the results of a Phase III study demonstrating that pazopanib reduced the risk of tumour progression or death by 54% compared to placebo.1
Lee Scott MP for Ilford North who has been campaigning in the House of Commons for parents, carers, children and adults with Asperger"s Syndrome is calling on Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Government to increase the carer"s allowance for possibly over a million carers who are looking after children and adults with autism and Asperger"s Syndrome in the United Kingdom.
High profile outbreaks associated with the viruses have kept EMSL Analytical scientists busy.
Why The Health Care Rush? - The Wall Street Journal
News outlets in several countries recently reported on new cases of polio, including in places where the disease is not endemic. Summaries of the articles appear below.
Stem cells play a role in heart muscle rejuvenation by attracting cells from the body that develop into heart muscle cells. They have been successfully used to halt or reverse cardiac injury following heart attack, but not to prevent injury before it occurs.
Cancer survivors of all ages will celebrate life on June 14 to show the world that life after a cancer diagnosis is not only possible, but it can be positive, productive and meaningful. From 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., in Bloch Cancer Survivors" Park on Harbor Island, cancer survivors, their families, healthcare professionals and the general public will take part in the 12th Annual Celebration of Life, hosted by Cancer Survivorship: San Diego!
MedImpact researchers and Health Alliance Medical Plans, a MedImpact client, presented findings from an important new study that evaluates the impact of value-based benefit design (VBBD) on adherence to diabetes medications. Study results show that implementation of a VBBD program that reduced copayment by almost fifty percent for diabetic medications resulted in significantly improved medication adherence.
More than a decade after Harvard researchers first revealed that life and health insurance companies were major investors in tobacco stocks - prompting calls upon them to divest - the insurance industry has yet to kick the habit, they say.
It has been linked to learning impairment, stroke and premature death. Now UNSW research has found that snoring associated with sleep apnoea may impair brain function more than previously thought.
Swine flu reminded us how important washing our hands can be. Studies show that simple handwashing can decrease communicable gastrointestinal diseases by 50% and communicable respiratory diseases by 20%.
Published recently is a study investigating the use of percutaneous vertebroplasty as a treatment for osteoporotic compression fractures. Vertebral compression fractures are a common complication of osteoporosis and can cause extreme pain and limit movement. Type-II fractures are often resistant to non-operative treatments and therefore the authors wanted to investigate percutaneous vertebroplasty as a pain management technique in these cases.
Scientists at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Universitçİ de Montrçİal have discovered a key mechanism used by cells to efficiently distribute chromosomes to new cells during cell multiplication. Published in the journal Molecular Cell, the study is the first to demonstrate that this mechanism relies on the polo kinase, an enzyme implicated in several cancers. Inhibiting this mechanism could be key to developing effective therapies to treat cancer.
Despite the efforts of college students to quit smoking, recent research conducted by Joyce M. Wolburg at Marquette University suggests that an extended trial and error period is necessary. Given that most college students begin smoking in high school, another study by faculty at HEC Montreal and University of Texas at San Antonio provides insights into how graphic cigarette warning labels impact intentions of American and Canadian teens. Both studies appear in the Summer 2009 issue of the Journal of Consumer Affairs.
Preventing vascular congestion is an important mediator in heart failure, reports a study in the June issue of the Journal of Cardiac Failure, published by Elsevier.
PULMONARY HYPERTENSION: A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY?
Scientists at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa have discovered a powerful new way to stimulate muscle regeneration, paving the way for new treatments for debilitating conditions such as muscular dystrophy.
Roche announced that oral and poster presentations highlighting results from the extensive multi-national ACTEMRA(R) (tocilizumab) clinical development program will be presented at the 10th Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), which will take place June 10-13, 2009, in Copenhagen, Denmark. The studies evaluate ACTEMRA, a novel treatment targeting interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptors, in patients with moderately to severely active RA.