Sexual Health
A man who used a forged document to obtain an NHS bursary and train as a mental health nurse has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for fraud at Sheffield Crown Court (18 May 2009) after a joint investigation by NHS Counter Fraud and the UK Border Agency.
In studying the preventive effects of vitamin D, researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego, have proposed a new model of cancer development that hinges on a loss of cancer cells" ability to stick together. The model, dubbed DINOMIT, differs substantially from the current model of cancer development, which suggests genetic mutations as the earliest driving forces behind cancer.
Leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies are drawing on Singapore"s
St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) announced European CE Mark approval of its Accent™ RF pacemaker and Anthem™ RF CRT-P (cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemaker).
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society has asked HHS to give the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology authorization to determine which electronic health records systems can receive funding from the economic stimulus package, the Washington Post reports. In a letter dated April 27 to HHS officials, HIMSS officials wrote, "To ensure continuity, recognize CCHIT as the certifying body" of EHRs.Some health care industry officials have raised issue with giving CCHIT the responsibility of certifying EHR products because of the commission"s associations with various IT and health care companies, the Post reports. CCHIT has ties with HIMSS, which played a role in its inception in 2004 and is now managed by Mark Leavitt, the former chief medical officer of HIMSS. In 2005, the commission received a three-year, $7.5 million contract from HHS.According the Post, Internal Revenue Service tax documents show that HIMSS technically paid Leavitt"s salary through 2008, which was reimbursed by CCHIT. However, Leavitt said he is accountable only to CCHIT"s board members and he "was not supervised by HIMSS." He said he expects CCHIT will be "the body or one of several certifying bodies that are recognized" by HHS in part because it already is tasked with certifying health IT products. According to Leavitt, some of the commission"s critics are IT vendors who have failed to meet CCHIT"s standards. The Post reports that the provision in the stimulus package that requires health care providers to demonstrate "meaningful use" of health IT has become an issue because federal officials, IT systems vendors, and physicians and patient advocates have not been able to reach a consensus on the definition of meaningful use. Under the provision, providers must demonstrate meaningful use of health IT in order to receive Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments for adopting the technology (O"Harrow, Washington Post, 5/21). Blumenthal
Singer Elton John on Tuesday at the 2009 Bio International Convention in Atlanta called for renewed efforts to fight HIV/AIDS, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. John, founder of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, addressed an audience that included CEOs of organizations working to develop HIV/AIDS therapies and vaccines. He called on governments and institutions to increase their focus on education, especially among young people; access to medical treatment; and needle-exchange programs (Poole, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/19)."There are long-standing stereotypes and prejudices that inhibit our efforts to combat AIDS," John said, adding, "I am asking for your leadership." According to John, CDC estimates that one in every three new HIV cases occurs among people younger than age 30, a statistic that he said has not received adequate attention. "It is unfathomable and unconscionable that we are not making a bigger effort to educate this demographic about HIV/AIDS with creative materials and up-to-date information," John said, adding, "Our failure to do so is costing lives" (Turner, AP/PennLive.com, 5/19). John also noted a recent report by the Kaiser Family Foundation, which found that the number of Americans who believe HIV/AIDS is an urgent health problem has declined to 6% currently from 44% in 1995. Bob McNally, CEO of GeoVax Labs, said John"s message is that "just not enough is being done" and that "people continue to die from the disease." He added that John "spurred the audience towards being advocates" (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/20).
In a move reflecting the rapid acceptance of Cook Medical"s advanced endogaft for thoracic aortic aneurysm worldwide, the company has received approval to market the Zenith TX2® TAA Endovascular Graft in Canada. Globally, the Zenith TX2 Endovascular Graft is now available in more than 60 markets, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, European Union, Australia and others internationally.
Reorganizational Healing (ROH), an emerging concept for wellness, healing, and personal growth, is explored in depth in a seminal groundbreaking article and accompanying commentaries in the latest issue of The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The Reorganizational Healing articles are available free online at http://www.liebertpub.com/acm.
Although a test for gene mutations known to significantly increase the risk of hereditary breast or ovarian cancer has been available for more than a decade, a new study finds that few women with family histories of these cancers are even discussing genetic testing with their physicians or other health care providers. In a report in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, which has been released online, investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Institute of Health Policy and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute note that their findings illustrate the challenges of bringing genetic information into real-world clinical practice.
A new study published online in Nature Immunology ahead of the June 2009 print issue has found that homologous immunoglobulin (lg) alleles pair up in the nucleus at stages that coincide with V(D)J recombination of the heavy and light chain (Igh and Igk) loci. Researchers led by Jane A. Skok Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Pathology at NYU School of Medicine and a member of the NYU Cancer Institute, showed that the V(D)J recombinase, which consists of the RAG1 and RAG2 proteins, mediates this pairing and helps ensure that only one allele undergoes recombination at a time (a process known as allelic exclusion).
Three quarters (75%) of women with BV (Bacterial Vaginosis) admit the condition has prevented them from getting intimate with their partner, according to a new survey by Balance ActivTM Vaginal Gel.1 Sufferers reveal BV affects their personal relationships more than any other aspect of their lives, with one in ten sufferers resorting to ending relationships as a result of the embarrassing symptoms.1
Biovest International, Inc. (Other OTC:BVTI), a majority-owned subsidiary of Accentia Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Other OTC:ABPIQ), announced that BiovaxID®, Biovest"s personalized anti-cancer vaccine targeting B-cell blood cancers, will be featured in an oral presentation during the Plenary Session at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting on Sunday, May 31st, 2009 in Orlando, Florida.
New advice to help people with respiratory problems cope in a heatwave is published by the Department of Health.
Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. ("Bioniche"; TSX: BNC), a research-based, technology-driven Canadian biopharmaceutical company, today provided an update on its Phase III clinical program evaluating Urocidin(TM) in the treatment of bladder cancer. On March 31st, the Company announced that recruitment had been completed in its initial Phase III registration trial evaluating Urocidin in the treatment of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer that is refractory (unresponsive) to the current standard immunotherapy - Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG).
The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) in conjunction with the National Coalition for Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases held a briefing on Capitol Hill to engage Congress in an action plan for making bone health a national priority and encourage lawmakers to sign on to the "Bone Health Promotion and Research Act."
Alzheimer imaging aficionados thronged to back-to-back meetings held recently in Seattle for a preview of the latest data from the Alzheimer"s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Launched in the fall of 2004 and set to conclude next year, the $64-million ADNI is comparing imaging methods and fluid biomarkers in the same set of people to determine which measures can best predict and track Alzheimer-disease clinical changes over time. The project is approaching the homestretch of data collection. By the fall of 2010, ADNI scientists will have collected three years of longitudinal data from more than 800 participants (about 200 normal, 400 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 200 with Alzheimer disease) at 59 U.S. and Canadian sites. The Seattle meetings featured preliminary analysis of the one-year data.
Metabolic Solutions Development Company (MSDC) announced that its lead compound, MSDC-0160, can improve insulin sensitivity and lower blood glucose levels in humans without the side effects of current therapies when taken over a 28-day period, according to preliminary data derived from the company"s Phase IIa clinical trial.
The Collaborative Research Centre 806 "Unser Weg nach Europa: Kultur-Umwelt-Interaktion und menschliche Mobilität im Späten Quartär" (Our Road to Europe: Culture-Environment-Interaction and human Mobility in the late Quaternary) will be directed by Professor Dr. JÃørgen of the Department of Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology. This research centre is looking at the mobility of populations in the last 190,000 years. The focus of research will be the journey of modern man from Africa to Western Eurasia and Europe, in particular. Migration processes, and the exchange of ideas, technology and culture that entails, are an important prerequisite for important developments. The centre"s main aim is to research, using scientific and archaeological methods, how human behaviour, the climate and the environment influenced important population movements. The scientists particularly want to examine the impacts that these factors have had on the actions and reactions of populations such as emigration, immigration and adaptation to new environments. Other universities and institutions are also involved the project. These include: the University of Bonn; RWTH Aachen University; Heidelberg University; the University of Duisburg-Essen as well as the Rhineland Regional Council; the Rheinisches Amt fÃør Bodendenkmalpflege (Rheinland Department for the Preservation and Care of Field Monuments) as well as the Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann.
Nearly 20% of patients with recently diagnosed breast cancer had additional malignant tumors found only by MRI, according to a study performed at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.
The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has approved Samsca (tolvaptan), in tablet form, for the treatment of hyponatremia. Hyponatremia is when levels of sodium in the blood are abnormally low - it is associated with dehydration.
Canada has received new support to recruit some of its best minds in pediatric leukemia research, thanks to the Cole Foundation. The family foundation has generously pledged $2.5 million to support up-and-coming, Montreal-based researchers at the Universitç© de Montrç©al, McGill University and the Universitç© du Quç©bec"s Institut national de la recherche scientifique - Institut Armand-Frappier. The Cole Foundation investment will include:
Someone who has a low level of response (LR) to alcohol, meaning relatively little reaction to alcohol, has a higher risk for developing alcohol-use disorders (AUDs). A study that examined the influence of LR in conjunction with other characteristics - like family history of AUDs and age of drinking onset - has found that LR is a unique risk factor for AUDs across adulthood and is not simply a reflection of a broader range of risk factors.
President Obama on Wednesday ordered federal agencies to rescind regulations enacted by former President George W. Bush"s administration that protect manufacturers of such products as medical devices from product-liability lawsuits in state court, the Wall Street Journal reports. The decision could affect a wide range of manufacturers and products because the Bush administration "aggressively" encouraged federal agencies to make rules that pre-empt and override state laws, which often meant protecting manufacturers of medical equipment from lawsuits, according to the Journal. Obama in a two-page memo wrote that federal agencies and departments could claim state law is pre-empted by federal law only when there is a well-defined legal basis. The memo stated that state laws are important because they supplement federal regulations. "State and local governments have frequently protected health, safety and environment more aggressively than has the national government," Obama wrote (Mundy/Kendall, Wall Street Journal, 5/21). Obama ordered agencies to review regulations from the past decade and look for possible occasions in which the government improperly declared federal pre-emption (Yost, AP/Kansas City Star, 5/20). According to the Journal, business groups oppose the decision (Wall Street Journal, 5/21).
"Less than two weeks" after health industry interest groups pledged to work with President Obama on health reform, "the double-crossing is already well under way" as Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina prepares a series of ads criticizing a public plan option that might be included in health reform legislation, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman writes. Krugman says, "The medical-industrial complex has called the president"s bluff," adding, "It polished its image by showing up ... and promising cooperation, then promptly went back to doing all it can to block real change." According to Krugman, "The insurers and the drug companies are, in effect, betting that Obama will be afraid to call them out on their duplicity." He concludes, "It"s up to Obama to prove them wrong" (Krugman, New York Times, 5/22).
A total of 199 patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer underwent breast MRI. "We found additional, unsuspected cancers in the ipsilateral breast (the one that had already been diagnosed with cancer) in 16% of patients; we found cancers in the contralateral breast (the one that had not been diagnosed with cancer) in 4% of patients," said Petra J. Lewis, MD, lead author of the study. "These patients had already had bilateral mammography and these tumors had not been apparent on mammography," said Dr. Lewis.
Although creatinine clearance (Ccr) has been measured clinically by a simple method as a preoperative renal function test, Ccr is not strictly equal to glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Recently, an equation for estimated GFR (eGFR) for Japanese individuals has been postulated, and eGFR has been accepted as equal to measured GFR in chronic kidney disease. However, there have been no previous studies regarding the reliability of eGFR as a preoperative renal function test.
The latest special issue of Science in China Series C: Life Sciences focuses on the recent progress in the H5N1-related research field.
Scientists announced in New York the discovery of a 47 million year
Researchers in Finland who tracked the health of over 1,000 men from middle age into old age found that being overweight and having high risk
Commenting in response to the Public Accounts Select Committee report into financial management in the NHS, which highlighted the service had a ÷£1.7 billion surplus at the end of 2007/8, The King"s Fund"s Chief Executive Niall Dickson said:
Single women prefer feminine looking men when judging them for long term relationships, this is the finding of a study published online, in the British Journal of Psychology.
Yesterday, a jury in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia found that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) discriminated against Jeff Kapche when it refused to hire him as a Special Agent because of his diabetes.
There are many ways to deal with the pain of giving birth, but women and their obstetricians can always benefit from having another choice. A Cochrane review has concluded that women in labor should have the option of using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) a non-drug method of pain management.
QIAGEN announced the launch of a novel product for extraction of free circulating fragments of tumor- and fetal-derived nucleic acids as well as viral nucleic acids in human blood. Scientists consider these DNA and RNA fragments to have great potential for the highly sensitive and non-invasive diagnosis of a wide range of diseases, including congenital disorders, malignancies such as colon and lung cancer, and infections. The new QIAamp Circulating Nucleic Acid Kit is expected to significantly facilitate the corresponding biomarker research and the introduction of novel molecular tests in prenatal diagnostics which can replace risky, invasive procedures such as amniocentesis.
Amid all the speculation over what course the Swine Flu epidemic will take, Boston-based biotech firm Replikins Ltd. last week analyzed the most recent peptide genomic sequence data available and determined that the infectivity of the H1N1 virus will increase markedly, while its lethality will remain relatively low for the immediate future.
Researchers at the University of Toronto and the University Health Network"s Centre for Innovation in Complex Care (CICC) have found that a wide array of health-related activity occurs in the 3 dimensional virtual world of Second Life. Second Life is free for users with basic accounts, and reported over 16 million registered users worldwide in 2008. The web-based platform, which is often associated with pornography and "cheating" spouses, is also used to educate people about illness, train physicians, nurses and medical students with virtual simulations, enable disease-specific support and discussion groups, fundraise real-life dollars for medical research, and to conduct research.
UroToday.com - Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Cigarette smoke contains a variety of carcinogenic chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aromatic amines, heterocyclic aromatic amines and N-nitrosamines. Among the N-nitrosamines present in cigarette smoke, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) is the most abundant and the most potent in terms of carcinogenicity.
The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) announced its ECON 09 Business Programs for the 2009 Marketplace Conference, to be held June 28-July 1 in Boston, Massachusetts. The presentations are new additions to the Marketplace program.
On World No Tobacco Day, The Lung Association is celebrating those who have successfully quit smoking and sharing their success stories in the hopes of motivating others to quit.
Dr Hamish Meldrum, Chairman of BMA Council, has written to the Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson, to request that he intervenes to ensure that the UK does not lose further doctors as a result of recent changes to the immigration system. The changes restrict international medical students, who are studying in the UK, from continuing with their medical training beyond the two-year postgraduate Foundation Programme.
Children of parents who refuse vaccines are 23 times more likely to get whooping cough compared to fully immunized children, according to a new study led by a vaccine research team at Kaiser Permanente Colorado"s Institute for Health Research.
In a new study published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, scientists use the zebrafish to gain insight into the influence of known cancer genes on the development and progression of melanoma, an aggressive form of human skin cancer with limited treatment options.
Although teen depression poses a widespread problem for which proven treatments exist, few depressed teens receive any care.
The UK Autism Foundation has backed the call for a substantial increase in the carer"s allowance.
As community-acquired infections due to meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) increase, so lethal cases of CA-MRSA pneumonia are also on the rise. A paper in the June edition of looks at the emerging and deadly threat of community-acquired necrotising pneumonia due to CA-MRSA. CA-MRSA pneumonia appears to occur most commonly following an influenza-like illness and may have special relevance given the emergence of H1N1 influenza.
WHO Member States had earlier agreed to shorten the Assembly from nine to five days in order to allow senior officials to return to their home countries to help oversee preparedness for a possible influenza pandemic.
Trying to quit cigarettes but don"t know how? A new analysis led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health, suggests that Web- and computer-based smoking cessation programs are worth a try, and fortunately during these tough economic times, many of them are free.
The recent H1N1 influenza epidemic has raised many questions about how animal viruses move to human populations. One potential route is through veterinarians, who, according to a new report by University of Iowa College of Public Health researchers, are at markedly increased risk of infection with zoonotic pathogens -- the viruses and bacteria that can infect both animals and humans.
Hours after Hurricane Ike roared ashore in Texas, more than two million homes were without power, which left some scrambling to preserve food and others looking for ways to entertain children, a move that proved to be, in some instances, poisonous. Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston found that 75 percent of children treated for carbon monoxide poisoning caused by gasoline-powered electrical generators were playing video games
A drug currently FDA-approved for use in diabetes shows some protective effects in the brains of patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine report in a study currently available online in the Journal of Neuroimmunology.
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center, together with the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), announced that its landmark study comparing the safety and efficacy of drug-eluting stents and bare-metal stents was published in the May 7 New England Journal of Medicine. The study, HORIZONS-AMI (Harmonizing Outcomes with RevascularIZatiON and Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction), showed that in heart attack patients undergoing angioplasty, the use of paclitaxel-eluting stents reduces rates of target lesion revascularization (TLR) and binary angiographic restenosis when compared to the use of bare-metal stents after one year.
When a cancer patient and his or her doctor discuss the value of a treatment option, the conversation usually centers on a consideration of the treatment"s medical benefits versus its possible side effects for the patient. Increasingly, however, as the already high costs of cancer care continue to rise, a full view of the patient"s welfare must also take into account the economic impact of the treatment on the patient and his or her family.
A short, preoperative team briefing prior to cardiac surgery - where each person on the team speaks - improves communication and reduces errors and costs, according to a pilot study conducted at Mayo Clinic.
Vaxart, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the development of oral vaccines, announced today that the company has created a candidate vaccine for H1N1 influenza (swine flu). On Saturday, May 23, Vaxart began testing for immune responses in animals, just 25 days after initiating the project. The company will compare performance of the research-grade H1N1 vaccine to its successful avian flu vaccine as a first step towards potential human clinical testing.
An Ohio State University researcher is shifting his development of an MRI-compatible treadmill to his start-up company and plans to have a device ready for clinical testing in three months. The treadmill could allow physicians to measure a patient"s heart during peak stress more accurately than the echocardiograph and nuclear imaging processes now widely used.
A review into the quality of training for junior doctors in the light of the implementation of the European Working Time Directive was announced by Health Secretary Alan Johnson today.
California (USC) have identified a
Before reducing or changing working hours for medical residents in Canada, a thorough evaluation of the impact on the educational experience and acquisition of skills should be conducted, write Dr. Diane Kelsall and the CMAJ editorial team. This will ensure that Canadians will benefit from the skills of a healthy, well-trained resident workforce.
Most retail health clinics are located in more affluent areas of the U.S., rather than in low-income, medically underserved neighborhoods, according to a study published on Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the AP/Washington Times reports. For the study, researchers mapped 930 retail clinics operating in 2008 and used U.S. census data to evaluate the overall income and racial characteristics of the neighborhoods where clinics were located. In counties with at least one retail health clinic, researchers compared census areas with and without retail clinics. According to the study, 123 clinics were in communities classified by the federal government as medically underserved. Communities with clinics had lower percentages of black and Hispanic residents, lower poverty rates, higher homeownership rates and higher median incomes, according to the study.Ateev Mehrotra of the University of Pittsburgh said, "Many people have promoted retail clinics as a cure for access to care for the underserved," adding, "These findings show that"s unlikely to happen." Lead study author Craig Pollack of the University of Pennsylvania said the study"s results suggest financial incentives might be needed to bring clinics to low-income communities (Johnson, AP/Washington Times, 5/26).
The Armed Forces Pay Review Body has announced that military doctors and dentists will receive a 1.5% pay rise this year, significantly lower than the 2.8% awarded to other armed forces personnel. There are serious manpower problems in the Defence Medical Services. The BMA is concerned that the announcement will have an adverse effect on the recruitment and retention of armed forces doctors.
Health officials recently held a regional consultation in Kenya to examine mother-to-child HIV transmission services and pediatric HIV/AIDS care in nine Eastern and Southern African countries, IRIN/PlusNews reports. The consultation -- hosted by UNICEF, UNAIDS and the World Health Organization -- included representatives from Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The meeting addressed issues in MTCT prevention services -- including the continued use of single-dose nevirapine instead of more effective combination therapies, as well as delays in diagnosing and initiating treatment -- that are weakening prevention programs in focus countries. According to IRIN/PlusNews, 70% of pregnant women in Eastern and Southern African countries are seen by a health care provider at least once during pregnancy. However, 43% of HIV-positive pregnant women have a health care worker present during labor who can administer PMTCT treatment. In Uganda, a national policy calls for all sub-county level health facilities to provide PMTCT services, but only 53% offer such services because of health worker shortages. Janet Kayita, regional PMTCT adviser for UNICEF, said, "We are doing a bad job of testing women for HIV and then following them up, and an even worse job of ensuring that infants receive appropriate prevention and treatment services." She added that national PMTCT guidelines have not reached local levels. "These policies must become a reality for the people they were designed to help," Kayita said, adding that primary health care systems at all levels must be strengthened (IRIN/PlusNews, 5/25).Some officials at the meeting called on African governments to reach 80% of pregnant women, mothers and children with services; reduce by 50% the number of women and infants who do not receive follow-up care; and double the number of HIV-positive children who receive antiretroviral treatment. Xinhuanet reports that prevention services currently reach about 50% of pregnant women in all Eastern and Southern African countries. At the close of the consultation, officials issued a set of recommendations for meeting PMTCT goals, including increased community involvement in prevention programs; reduced workloads for health workers; and increased coverage of and compliance with PMTCT regimens. In addition, the experts urged governments to prioritize regions with high HIV burdens and strengthen data management to better understand trends (Ooko, Xinhuanet, 5/25). James Kamau, coordinator of the Kenya Treatment Access Movement, recommended that more women in the country deliver in hospitals in order to ensure that they receive PMTCT services (Mwaniki, Daily Nation, 5/25). David Alnwick, a UNICEF regional adviser, said, "It is critical at this juncture, when many countries are faced with shrinking budgets and competing demands, that we do not lose the momentum of what needs to be done to create an AIDS-free generation" (Xinhuanet, 5/25).
The National Institutes of Health is launching the first integrated, drug development pipeline to produce new treatments for rare and neglected diseases. The $24 million program jumpstarts a trans-NIH initiative called the Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases program, or TRND.
U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) introduced an effort aimed at updating the U.S. Census" current function questions to better improve our nation"s long-term care services and support systems. By replacing a small portion of the survey with standardized function questions used by medical providers, the Disability Data Modernization Act will provide more accurately collected data used for planning the future health care needs of elderly and disabled Americans.
The new project is an interdisciplinary research project covering the neurobiological and socio-psychological causes of obesity. It has been awarded EUR 6 million from the EU, corresponding to just over SEK 60 million. The project will gather scientists from seven countries, and will be co-ordinated from the Sahlgrenska Academy.
Heart rate and core temperature spike for NASCAR pit crew athletes during pit stops, a combination of physiological demands that may take a toll on crew performance, says a study presented today at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) 56th Annual Meeting in Seattle. These factors, linked with demand for highly skilled pit crews, heighten the need for physical conditioning of pit crew athletes based on the unique demands of the sport.
Non-invasive imaging can measure how well patients with the most common form of breast cancer - estrogen receptor positive type - respond to standard aromatase inhibitor therapy after only two weeks and shows similar findings that more invasive needle sampling identifies, according to a poster presentation to be presented at the ASCO annual meeting May 29 - June 2, 2009, Orland, Fl.
Aphios Corporation announced that the results of a Phase II/III clinical trial of Zindol® for cancer chemotherapy induced nausea will be presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) being held from May 29 to June 02, 2009 in Orlando, FL. Zindol® is an enhanced ginger product.
Even microbes are governed by the principle of supply and demand - at least at the genetic level. Not all of their gene products, the blueprints for proteins, are required at all times. That means most of their genes only become active when they are needed, as is the case in higher organisms. In the simplest case, a transcription factor will activate the gene in question at the right time. Genes that are regulated in a somewhat more complex manner, on the other hand, are kept inactive by a repressor that is removed only when the gene is needed. Which of these two regulation mechanisms will develop is a question of demand, along the lines of a "use-it-or-lose-it" principle: if genes are frequently active, then, as a rule, they will be directly induced. Genes that encode more rarely used proteins, on the other hand, tend to be kept inactive by repressors. LMU physicist Ulrich Gerland and Professor Terence Hwa of the University of California have now demonstrated using computer simulations and theoretical analyses that another - indeed opposing - principle also comes into play: "wear-and-tear". According to this principle, direct activation can lead to harmful changes. "Which of the two principles prevails depends on evolutionary criteria such as the population size and the periods over which environmental changes take place," says Gerland. "Our study may serve as a useful basis for more detailed studies of the evolution of regulatory systems." (PNAS Early Edition, 22 Mai 2009)
Roche Diagnostics announced the launch of a new tuberculosis test for South Africa. Worldwide, South Africa is one of the countries with the highest prevalence of tuberculosis. The new kit detects different species of Mycobacterium from human sputum samples using the LightCycler® 2.0 Instrument.
Mice and rabbits immunized with a multimeric-L2 protein vaccine had robust antibody responses and were protected from infection when exposed to human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 four months after vaccination, according to a new study published in the May 26 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Statins, a commonly prescribed class of drugs used by millions worldwide to effectively lower blood cholesterol levels, may actually have a negative impact in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients treated with high daily dosages.
The MS Society Scotland has backed a school boy from Glasgow whose campaign aims to seek support for the use of vitamin D in helping to prevent the onset of multiple sclerosis (MS).
Arlington Medical Res (AMR) and Decision Res find that surveyed physicians will increase prescribing of Wyeth"s Tygacil, Merck"s Invanz and Johnson & Johnson"s Doribax in the next five years for the treatment of intra-abdominal infections because of their potent broad-spectrum activity and efficacy against gram-negative and anaerobic organisms.
The Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute (BRNI) and Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. (Inverness, NYSE: IMA) of Waltham, Massachusetts, a global leader in rapid diagnostics and health management, announced today that they will work together to further develop and commercialize a diagnostic test for Alzheimer"s disease first discovered by scientists at BRNI.
Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) announced it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its TAXUS(R) Liberte(R) Atom(TM) Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System, a highly deliverable, next-generation drug-eluting stent (DES) specifically designed for treating small coronary vessels. It was approved for use in vessels as small as 2.25 mm in diameter and joins the TAXUS(R) Express(R) Atom(TM) Stent as the only drug-eluting stents approved for small vessel use in the U.S. The Company plans to begin a full U.S. launch of TAXUS Liberte Atom next month.
Deaths of children aged under five years have dropped by 27% globally since 1990, according to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) estimates. But in WHO"s first progress report on the health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) released today in the World.
- 0 confirmed cases in Wales.
The Indiana Alzheimer Disease Center will host a screening of HBO"s "The Alzheimer Project" from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 28, in the lower level auditorium of the Riley Outpatient Center, 601 West Drive, on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus.
The discovery of faulty genes by Edinburgh researchers could help people with Paget"s disease, a painful bone condition. Dr Omar Albagha has found three genes associated with the disease which, if detected early enough in people, could hasten diagnosis and treatment.
FDA on Tuesday posted on its Web site advertising guidelines for drugmakers and medical device manufacturers, offering suggestions on how to present risk information to health care professionals and consumers, the Wall Street Journal reports. Agency officials said the industry had asked for guidance on how to comply with its rules, which require a balanced presentation of a product"s risk and effectiveness. Exclusion or minimization of risk information is the most commonly cited violation each year in FDA-issued warnings or enforcement letters. The new guidelines include detailed information on how aspects such as font, types of contrast and white space in print materials can appropriately present risk information. According to the Journal, the 24-page document is not binding. FDA will accept public comments for 90 days prior to issuing final guidelines (Corbett Dooren, Wall Street Journal, 5/27).
The hospital"s maternity unit provides year-round support for all mothers, whatever their chosen method of feeding, but the maternity team is committed to increasing the support for breastfeeding.
In Japan reports of violence linked to SSRI antidepressants have raised
Stress levels and cultural considerations affect how much and for what reasons college students exercise, according to research presented at the American College of Sports Medicine"s 56th Annual Meeting in Seattle.
Today"s Irish launch of RoActemra, a new treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from Roche, is being hailed as a breakthrough in the fight against this incurable and often debilitating disease. RoActemra (tocilizumab) is the first medication of its kind developed for the treatment of RA and provides an innovative therapy option (1), which gives people with RA fast relief of RA signs and symptoms, such as pain. Also, people receiving RoActemra continue to benefit from increased relief during the course of treatment, with approximately half reaching remission (minimal signs and symptoms) by one year.
Dr Peter Coleman, Deputy Director of Research at The Stroke Association said:
Premature ejaculation can be embarrassing, but a new study suggests that it might be a genetic disorder.
A Canadian researcher working in the U.K. says doctors, authors and educators are doing hyperactive children a disservice by claiming that hyperactivity as we understand it today has always existed.
Lessons learned at the Canadian-run military hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan could help surgeons prepare for civilian disasters, according to a London, Ontario physician who has served two tours at the hospital. Dr. Vivian McAlister is a professor in the Department of Surgery at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario and a general surgeon at the London Health Sciences Centre. He spent two months working at the Kandahar hospital in 2007 as a civilian surgeon before joining the Canadian Forces and doing a second tour at the hospital this past winter.
The Senate Finance Committee on Thursday will meet to discuss the inclusion of a public insurance plan in its health care reform legislation, the Des Moines Register reports (Beaumont, Des Moines Register, 5/14). Supporters of the public plan say it would allow middle-income workers a choice between their employer coverage and coverage offered by the government. The insurance industry and Republican lawmakers oppose such a plan.The Finance Committee will consider a plan similar to Medicare but that would feature slightly higher reimbursement rates for providers. The plan would either be operated by the government or government-contracted private firms. Another option would allow each state to develop and oversee its own public coverage plan. The committee also will consider a proposal from Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) that would allow a new public plan to compete with private insurers by requiring that the public plan be financed by premiums rather than tax dollars, that it follow the same solvency rules that apply to private firms and that it keep a reserve fund to cover liabilities. Schumer"s plan also would allow doctors and hospitals the choice of participating. The public plan also would be required to follow the same consumer protection rules as private firms (Alonso-Zaldivar/Werner, AP/Contra Costa Times, 5/14). The panel also is expected to discuss employer or individual mandates (Edney, CongressDaily, 5/14).Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who has said he believes a public plan would eventually eliminate private insurance and force U.S. residents out of their employer-sponsored plans, said the committee meeting will reveal the likelihood of Republicans uniting against a public option. "We will have an idea how controversial it is and how strong people feel about it on both sides," Grassley said. He added, "I think before I would write it off completely, I would want to look at what those possible compromises are" (Des Moines Register, 5/14). House Energy and Commerce Committee
That"s one conclusion from a new study that looked at how virulence evolves in parasites. The research examined whether parasites evolve to be more or less aggressive depending on whether they are closely connected to their hosts or scattered among more isolated clusters of hosts.
PerkinElmer, Inc., a global leader focused on improving the health and safety of people and the environment, announced the introduction of four new products leveraging the Company"s innovative infrared sensing (IR) and photon detection technologies. Aimed at a range of OEM applications including energy conservation, enhanced home security, and clinical diagnostics applications, the new products will be showcased at the 16th annual Sensor + Test Fair taking place this week in NÃørnberg, Germany.
A recent study finds that the antidepressant effects of drugs like Prozac involve both neurogenesis-dependent and -independent mechanisms, a finding that may lead to development of better treatments for depression and anxiety. The research, published by Cell Press in the May 28th issue of the journal Neuron, utilizes a new experimental mouse model of depression/anxiety that is the first to permit simultaneous examination of multiple effects of antidepressant treatment in the same animal.
A new instrument for improving patient understanding and acceptance of long-acting injectable antipsychotic therapy (LAT) has been published in the April edition of Psychiatry 2009.1 This novel, psychosocial approach encompasses Goal setting, Action planning, Initiating treatment, and Nurturing motivation (GAIN) through the use of a clinical discussion tool.
Immunology researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered how two biochemical signals play unique roles in promoting the development of a group of immune cells employed as tactical assassins.