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International Workshop Assesses Revisions Aimed At The Purity, Quality Of Blood Thinner
Continuing to help ensure the identity, purity and quality of heparin, the U.S. Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention has revised written and physical standards for the widely used blood thinner. In February, USP released updated heparin standards at the request of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in response to the 2008 public health crisis in which more than 200 people died as a result of heparin adulterated for economic gain. A second phase of revisions is reflected in the newly posted standards. These developments and new information about heparin were discussed by scientists and regulators at the third International Heparin Workshop held at USP headquarters in Rockville, Maryland, July 27.

Insured Immigrants Have Lower Medical Costs Than U.S.-Born Citizens, Study Finds
Insured immigrants have lower medical expenses than insured U.S.-born citizens after taking into account their health status and other characteristics, according to a study released on Thursday and published in the American Journal of Public Health, Reuters Health reports. For the study, Leighton Ku, a health policy researcher at George Washington University, and colleagues examined data on adults ages 19 to 64 from the 2003 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, and found that about 44% of recent immigrants and 63% of established immigrants were insured.After controlling for possible contributing factors, researchers found that medical costs averaged about 14% to 20% less than those who were born in the U.S. The finding was the same even after taking into account lower insurance levels among immigrants. Ku said, "When you control for their health status and all sorts of characteristics like age, they actually have medical expenditures that are far below those of U.S. citizens." According to the study, "Being a recent immigrant or an established immigrant was independently associated with both a reduced likelihood of using any medical care in the year and with lower total medical expenditure levels, compared with U.S.-born adults" (Reuters Health, 5/14).
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Prostate Cancer Gene 3 (PCA3): Development And Internal Validation Of A Novel Biopsy Nomogram
UroToday.com - In this paper, we investigated 809 prostate cancer patients subjected to >10 cores at initial or repeat prostate biopsy from two prospective, multi-center studies from Europe and North America It has been demonstrated that the urinary marker Prostate CAncer gene 3 (PCA3) represents a novel prostate cancer (PCa) detection marker capable of increasing accuracy of multivariable biopsy nomograms.[1] The paper reports the first PCA3-based nomograms which accurately identify individuals at risk of harboring PCa (AUC=0.73). If a PCA3 score in combination with established risk factors is available, this novel tool assists clinicians in deciding whether further prostatic evaluation is necessary.
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Mini-stroke Patients Get Better Care In Hospitals With Stroke Services

Patients who suffer from transient ischaemic attack (so-called "mini-strokes") are more likely to receive rapid assessment and care if they attend a hospital which has organised stroke care services, according to the results of a survey published in the Medical Journal of Australia. Mr Christopher Price, of the National Stroke Foundation, and his co-authors surveyed 74 hospitals on their current services for transient ischaemic attack (TIA) patients. TIA is caused by a temporary cut in blood supply to part of the brain and places patients at greater risk of a stroke or heart attack. "Recent evidence indicates that the greatest risk of stroke is within the first few days after a TIA event. It also suggests that rapid expert assessment and initiation of preventive treatment may significantly reduce subsequent stroke rates," Mr Price said. "Our survey found that only 5% of sites involved stroke specialists in the initial assessments of patients with suspected TIA. "Only 60% of hospitals commenced treatment or modified existing treatment during the initial consultation. "The presence of a stroke unit in a hospital was associated with improved processes of care for patients with TIA. This highlights the need to improve patient access to stroke unit care and the associated clinical expertise." The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association. Australian Medical Association


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