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Study Of Pulmonary Hypertension Treatment In Sickle Cell Patients Halted By NHLBI
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health has stopped a clinical trial testing a drug treatment for pulmonary hypertension in adults with sickle cell disease nearly one year early due to safety concerns. In an interim review of safety data from 33 participants who completed 16 weeks of treatment, researchers found that, compared to participants on placebo (dummy pill), participants taking sildenafil (Revatio) were significantly more likely to have serious medical problems. The most common problem was episodes of severe pain called sickle cell crises, which resulted in hospitalization. No deaths have been associated with the drug in the clinical trial.

U.S. Health Care System Fails To Protect Patients From Deadly Medical Errors
Ten years ago, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) sounded the alarm about the widespread toll of medical errors in a groundbreaking report call "To Err is Human." The report prompted a rush of congressional hearings and promises of reform. But in the decade since the report was published, little progress has been made implementing key reforms recommended by the IOM to improve patient safety, according to Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports.
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Black Men's Notion Of Masculinity Leads To Avoidance Of Health-Related Behaviors
African American men could be putting their health at risk by avoiding disease screening, in the belief that the results might threaten their masculinity. Because they prove their masculinity through their sexuality and sexual performance, seeking medical advice including HIV/AIDS testing goes against their notion of masculinity. Waverly Duck, a Post Doctoral Associate from the Department of Sociology at Yale University in the US, argues that current leading theories of gender and masculinity and health behavior models are not relevant enough to African American men and their distinctive notion of masculinity. His results1 are published online in Springer"s Journal of African American Studies.
Mental Health

Economist Examines 'Snail-Fever' In China

The Economist examines schistosomiasis in China. The disease, which is also called snail-fever, is the "world"s second-most prevalent tropical disease after malaria, affecting 207 million people of whom 726,000 are Chinese, according to the most recent official figures, from 2004," the Economist reports. Although "Chairman Mao" ordered a "fierce, if rudimentary, campaign in the late 1950s when cases neared 12 millioṇ€¦ subsequent efforts to eradicate the disease failed, despite the arrival in the 1980s of Praziquantel, a drug scientists say is highly effective in controlling the disease but fails to prevent reinfection," the magazine writes. However, earlier this year Chinese researchers said they had reduced infection rates to less than 1 percent in two villages by improving sanitation and using tractors instead of water buffaloes, a parasite host. According to the Economist, "Nine-tenths of the world"s schistosomiasis sufferers live in Africa and studies have shown the disease leaves sufferers more susceptible to HIV infection." China has the potential to take a lead in addressing the disease in Asia and Africa, but first it must get to the bottom of its own problems in tackling the disease, experts say. Some of the challenges of dealing with schistosomiasis in China include: ignorance about the disease and treatment. The Economist writes, "Some people refuse to take Praziquantel because they believing it will hamper their ability to work. Students and migrant workers often miss their chance of treatment. Villagers also rail against the government policy of using molluscides to kill the snails. They pay workers not to scatter the powder in the water as it depletes shrimp stocks and endangers eel farms." In addition, "Deeper flaws are emerging," which include the high costs of tractors, the effect of the economic slowdown on migrant workers and "the impact of that emblem of controversy, the Three Gorges Dam," the Economist writes, adding that scientists are concerned that changes in water levels along the Yangzi river could create new snail habitats in areas where the disease did not exist previously. In the long term, experts say the solution is to find a vaccine (Economist, 6/18). This information was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at globalhealth.kff.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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