Oncology
"Medical bills are involved in more than 60 percent of U.S. personal bankruptcies, an increase of 50 percent in just six years, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday," according to Reuters. The researchers found that "more than 75 percent of these bankrupt families had health insurance but still were overwhelmed by their medical debts." Most of them were "well-educated, owned homes and had middle-class occupations," the researchers from Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School and Ohio University wrote in the American Journal of Medicine.
A Veterans Affairs study found that people treated by doctors being compensated under pay-for-performance arrangements weren"t short-changed and received high-quality care. Health Day News reports that the study, which used data from both medical charts and patients" ratings of their care, "should reassure patients and the doctors who treat them." The study calms concerns that doctors might avoid patients who are very sick because their quality ratings and pay might suffer if they take the time to properly treat people with multiple conditions.
A Johnson & Johnson-run study found that its experimental drug TMC207 could make conventional tuberculosis treatment five times more effective against multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) because it cleared traces of the TB bacteria in the sputum of 48 percent of study volunteers after eight weeks, Reuters reports (Emery, Reuters, 6/3). The results were published on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
A combination of measures taken to improve nutrition, indoor air pollution, immunization and child pneumonia case management could reduce total child mortality worldwide by 17 percent and global pneumonia deaths by more than 90 percent, according to a study published in the June issue of the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, UPI reports.
Tamiflu
A University of Nebraska Medical Center research team has determined that a superfamily of molecules hold the secret to the progression and spread of melanoma -- the deadliest form of skin cancer. The study results were published in today"s issue of the British Journal of Cancer.
Latent HIV genes can be "smoked out" of human cells. The so-called "shock and kill" technique, described in a preclinical study in BioMed Central"s open access journal Retrovirology, might represent a new milestone along the way to the discovery of a cure for HIV/AIDS.
The first of six online courses to educate healthcare professionals on preventing the transmission of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is being launched by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) cause 99,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.
The Institute for OneWorld Health, the US-based non-profit pharmaceutical company that develops drugs for people with neglected infectious diseases in the developing world, today announced that it has successfully completed its first screening campaign of the Roche proprietary compound library and will select up to 40 new drug leads for further study intended to identify a new treatment for childhood diarrhea.
Eating a curry once or twice a week could help prevent the onset of Alzheimer"s disease and dementia. The magic ingredient in curry is curcumin, a component of the spice, turmeric.
Scientists in Michigan and California are reporting an advance toward development of a new generation of drugs that treat disease by orchestrating how genes in the body produce proteins involved in arthritis, cancer and a range of other disorders. Acting like an "on-off switch," the medications might ratchet up the production of proteins in genes working at abnormally low levels or shut off genes producing an abnormal protein linked to disease. Their report is in the current issue of ACS Chemical Biology, a monthly journal.
Doctors and other health workers should be more aware of the high risk of eating disorders among people with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and other anxiety disorders.
Patients with psychiatric disorders occupy around 15% of total bed days in the NHS - and have a longer length of stay than people with other medical conditions.
New research offers prospect of watching the brain as it learns. Scientists at the University of Leicester are developing new ways of studying how brain cells work -thanks to jellyfish!
Everyone knows that smoking can kill you, but did you know that it may help with your allergies? A new study shows that cigarette smoke can prevent allergies by decreasing the reaction of immune cells to allergens.
To reduce an estimated half million deaths and two million hospitalizations from diarrhea caused by rotavirus each year, the WHO on Friday recommended that oral rotavirus vaccines be added to national childhood immunization programs, broadening access to the vaccine in the developing world,
"ADAP Watch," National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors: The report found that as of May 20, 2009, there were 99 people on AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) waiting lists in Indiana, Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming -- 37 more people than the previous ADAP Watch report, published in March 2009. The report also found that 11 ADAPs anticipate implementing new cost-containment measures by the end of March 2010, six of which anticipate implementing a waiting list. In addition, the report identifies factors contributing to the need for cost-containment measures, and discusses how state budget deficits are affecting HIV programs, including ADAPs ("ADAP Watch," NASTAD, 6/4).
Half of all patients who undergo myocardial infarction are experiencing onerous fatigue four months after the infarction. The patients who are most fatigued are those who perceive the infarction as a sign of chronic illness, those who experience the illness as difficult to control, and those who believe that the illness has a large impact on their life. These are the conclusions of a thesis presented at the Sahlgrenska Academy.
In the sense that organisms existing today are connected through a chain of life - through their parents, grandparents and other ancestors - almost a billion years back to the first animals of the pre-Cambrian era, an animal"s reproductive cells can be considered to be immortal. These germline cells generate their offspring"s somatic cells - other cells involved in all aspects of growth, metabolism and behavior, which have a set lifespan - and new germline cells that continue on, generation after generation.
UroToday.com - The dynamic contrast-enhanced dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-DSC-MRI) technique presented in the article(1) is based on a novel dual-contrast sequence. The sequence is a gradient echo sequence that uses a single inversion pulse and subsequent acquisition of two contrasts/echoes with different inversion and echo times. Inversion preparation increases the signal-to-noise ratio in comparison to other gradient echo sequences. The blood volume in the prostate is relatively small, i.e., approximately one percent, while the interstitial contrast-agent-enhancing volume is approximately 20 percent. Therefore, conventional imaging sequences fail to separate the low contrast agent signal originating from the blood from that originating from interstitial tissue. The first contrast/echo is acquired with a short echo time and is T1-weighted, allowing quantification of the total signal contribution while failing to separate the blood signal from the interstitial contrast agent signal.
Musculoskeletal problems are among the complaints most frequently reported in health interview surveys. Typically around 50 percent of the population report having had musculoskeletal pain in one or more areas for at least one week during the past month. Musculoskeletal disorders are also the most common work-related health problems in the EU: 25 percent of European workers complain of backache and 23 percent of muscular pains. The trend will become even more acute as demographic changes lead to an ageing society.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that rotavirus vaccination be included in all national immunization programmes in order to provide protection against a virus that is responsible for more than 500,000 diarrheal deaths and two million hospitalizations annually among children. More than 85 percent of these deaths occur in developing countries in Africa and Asia. This new policy will help ensure access to rotavirus vaccines in the world"s poorest countries.
"Ameritas believes strongly in the importance of preventive care and oral wellness education," said Roxann Brennfoerder, vice president - group customer relations and operations. Using new technology along with conventional visual exams, this simple screening makes it easier for dentists to detect oral cancer sooner, allowing patients to seek treatment sooner.
Merck & Co., Inc. said that preliminary results for the pivotal Phase III study of rolofylline (MK-7418), the Company"s investigational medicine for the treatment of acute heart failure, show that rolofylline did not meet the primary or secondary efficacy endpoints. While Merck will continue to analyze the data with outside experts, the Company will not file applications for regulatory approval this year. The results from this study will be presented at a medical meeting later this year.
PolyMedix, Inc. (OTC BB: PYMX), an emerging biotechnology company developing acute care products for infectious diseases and acute cardiovascular disorders, has initiated dosing in a second Phase I clinical trial with its defensin mimetic antibiotic compound, PMX-30063. PolyMedix received a notice of no objection from Health Canada for the Company"s Clinical Trial Application ("CTA") for PMX-30063 on May 21, 2009. PMX-30063 is a defensin mimetic antibiotic compound, the first of an entirely new class of antibiotic drugs that is believed to work in such a way that makes bacterial resistance unlikely to develop.
Experts in criminology will discuss "Alternatives to Custodial Sentencing" at a Parliamentary seminar organised by the British Psychological Society and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Social Services and Policy. The event takes place at Westminster on Tuesday 16 June (4.30 - 6.00 p.m.)
The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme is expanding the evidence base surrounding the treatment of traumatic brain and head injury (TBI) by commissioning four new research projects. If left untreated many patients with head injury will rapidly develop complications which may lead to death or permanent disability. More than 100,000 people in the UK have long-term effects caused by such injuries. Prompt medical treatment may prevent the worsening of symptoms and lead to a better outcome.
On Wednesday 3 June 2009 the situation in the UK was as follows:
Using rosiglitazone (Avandia) in combination with standard diabetes treatments (metformin or a sulfonylurea) to lower blood glucose in type 2 diabetics does not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease or death. However, the study confirms that using rosiglitazone more than doubles the risks of heart failure, and also increases the risk of fractures, mainly in women. The findings of the RECORD study are published in an Article Online First and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet. They are being simultaneously presented at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) meeting in New Orleans, USA.
Today, Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced new developments in its long-standing goal to create a "closed-loop" diabetes management system designed to closely mimic the insulin delivery of a normal pancreas. This system, sometimes referred to as an "artificial pancreas," would emulate a healthy pancreas by using technology that continuously monitors glucose levels and automatically adjusts insulin delivery in patients with diabetes.
The long-awaited results of the Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation in Type 2 Diabetes (BARI 2D) study, a multicenter trial led by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, were reported at a symposium here today at the American Diabetes Association"s 69th Scientific Sessions.
The National Audit Office (NAO) on Friday released findings from a new report exploring the problems and challenges of supporting adults with autism. The aim of the report was to assess current service provision in areas including: health, social care, education, benefits and employment support. It also identified how these areas could be made more effective, efficient and appropriate to the needs of adults with autism and their carers.
MAQUET Cardiovascular LLC announced that data presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery show that administration of a heparin bolus with doses as low as 2500U prior to endoscopic vein harvest (EVH) was associated with improved acute saphenous vein (SV) graft patency in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB). Pre-heparinization was also linked to a significant reduction in the incidence and volume of residual clot strands within the vein.
Diamyd Medical reported that the company has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to include children with type 1 diabetes from 10 years of age in the company"s Phase III study with the diabetes vaccine Diamyd(R).
Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMLN) and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced interim results from a retrospective study including nearly 260,000 patients that showed the risk of acute pancreatitis among patients initiating therapy with BYETTA(R) (exenatide) injection was not increased compared to patients initiating other antidiabetic therapies. These findings were presented at the 69th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in New Orleans.
I want to update Members on the swine flu outbreak and how preparations in Wales are proceeding.
Sexual abuse in childhood damages women far more than men and could account for just over a quarter of suicide attempts in women, according to new research.
In an effort to transform medical education and bring it into line with 21st century scientific knowledge, Yale School of Medicine Dean Robert J. Alpern, M.D., and Sharon Long, Ph.D., Dean Emerita of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University, co-chaired a committee of renowned scientists and physicians who are calling for a major overhaul of undergraduate premedical and medical school curricula.
For patients with the most common form of hepatitis C, the addition of a hepatitis C-specific protease inhibitor called telaprevir to the current standard therapy can significantly improve the chances of being cured, and it does it in half the time of standard therapy alone.
Democrats working feverishly on health care reform "face increasingly noisy protests from those on the left who complain that a national program like those in Europe has been excluded from the debate," The Washington Post reports.
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.
The recession has increased the number of uninsured Americans and made it more difficult to access health care programs while also placing special burdens on caregivers.
"When a Supreme Court nominee such as Judge Sonia Sotomayor comes before the Senate for confirmation, she is promised a full, fair hearing," yet "every nominee"s path is booby-trapped by the history of previous confirmation battles," Washington Post columnist David Broder writes. Broder examines prior confirmation hearings, noting that the "[o]ne thing that may make it harder to forget the partisan and ideological battles of the past is that President Obama found reasons to oppose" Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito while he was in the Senate.During Roberts" confirmation hearing, Obama said that although he was "sorely tempted to vote for Judge Roberts," he had issues with Roberts in cases where "precedent and rules of construction" are insufficient and where justice "can only be determined on the basis of one"s deepest values." Obama added that the rights of women and minorities are dependent on cases in which "the critical ingredient is supplied by what is in the judge"s heart." Obama said Roberts" record on women"s rights and other issues was not strong enough to quell doubts about Roberts" "deepest values."Broder continues, "Based on the Obama precedent, the White House can hardly complain if Republicans push beyond the question of Sotomayor"s qualifications and examine her values -- and her biases." He concludes, "Someday, the Senate may again be satisfied to examine only professional credentials, recognizing the uncertain dynamics of a nine-person bench," but while past precedents survive, "that is not likely" (Broder, Washington Post, 6/4).
As advocates for people living with mental illnesses, we strongly urge the FDA to carefully consider the importance of viable treatment options for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in pediatric and adolescent populations. Access to safe and effective treatments, including more information about all treatment options, is crucial to treating these serious and complex conditions in children and adolescents.
According to a research abstract presented on June 8, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, television watching may be an important determinant of bedtime, and may contribute to chronic sleep debt.
Opal Events is proud to present our next exciting conference Drug Discovery Partnerships: Academia & Industrial Interactions , to be held at the Hyatt Regency in Boston on October 28-30, 2009.
A consortium of research centers in the Tri-state Region, including Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, has received a $46 million grant to conduct research on emerging infectious diseases.
As many as fifteen million American women suffer from a disabling medical condition known as fibromyalgia. In the medical community, sides have been drawn over whether fibromyalgia is a genuine syndrome or a catchall diagnosis based on vague clinical criteria. In The Fibromyalgia Controversy, M. Clement Hall, MD presents an unbiased overview of the fibromyalgia situation today and reviews the most up-to-date opinions and studies on this condition and its surrounding controversy.
This Sunday, thousands of people around the globe will join the
Biotech company Pharming Group NV ("Pharming" or "the Company") (NYSE Euronext: PHARM) today announced that the Paediatric Committee (PDCO) of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has adopted an opinion agreeing the paediatric investigation plan (PIP) for Rhucin® (recombinant human C1 inhibitor) in the therapeutic area of immunology-rheumatology transplantation.
CEL-SCI Corporation (NYSE Amex: CVM) announced that it is expanding the pre-clinical testing of its flu vaccine, utilizing its proprietary L.E.A.P.S. technology (Ligand Epitope Antigen Presentation System) to determine its efficacy against the more dangerous and virulent virus strains that may arise during the up coming winter flu season. The Company has begun pre-clinical formulation, evaluation and testing of a new application of its L.E.A.P.S vaccine, which will allow the targeting of "mutated" versions of H1N1 swine and other influenza viruses. It is believed that the influenza virus may mutate and evolve between now and the winter flu season. In conjunction with the testing, CEL-SCI has produced several L.E.A.P.S. flu vaccines that focus on the conserved, non changing epitopes of the different strains of Type A Influenza viruses (H1N1, H5N1, H3N1, etc.), including "swine", "avian or bird", and "Spanish Influenza", in order to minimize the chance of viral "escape by mutations" from immune recognition. CEL-SCI"s L.E.A.P.S. flu vaccine contains epitopes known to be associated with immune protection against influenza in animal models. The Company had previously announced that it had begun pre-clinical testing of swine and H1N1 flu viruses, which were non-mutated versions of the virus.
Arete Therapeutics Inc. announced the presentation of three posters that validate the mechanistic activity and therapeutic potential of the company"s lead drug candidate, AR9281, an orally-administered soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitor that is in a Phase II clinical program for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. sEH is an enzyme involved in the metabolism of arachidonic acid, a key signaling molecule implicated in diabetes, hypertension and inflammatory disorders.
United Therapeutics Corporation (Nasdaq: UTHR) and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced the results of a pivotal 16-week study showing that a once-daily dose of tadalafil was generally well tolerated, improved exercise capacity and improved time to clinical worsening in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)(1). The randomized, double-blind, 16-week, placebo-controlled Phase 3 study followed 405 patients with PAH, either treatment-naive or taking bosentan, randomized to placebo or tadalafil 2.5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg or 40 mg orally. Results from the study entitled, "Tadalafil Therapy for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension," were published in today"s issue of Circulation.
Pharmasset, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRUS) announced that it had completed the single ascending dose study and begun dosing in a multiple ascending dose trial with PSI-7851, a nucleotide analog polymerase inhibitor for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. This study is designed to assess the safety, tolerability and antiviral activity of PSI-7851 over 3 days in HCV-infected individuals.
A Brown University professor is among the first in the country to win a federal research grant funded by national economic stimulus efforts.
Two chemicals - trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) - found to have contaminated drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune from the 1950s to 1985 have been linked to certain diseases and disorders, including various cancers. A new report from the National Research Council, Contaminated Water Supplies at Camp Lejeune - Assessing Potential Health Effects, reviews scientific evidence about the potential adverse health effects that could occur after exposure to TCE, PCE, and other contaminants; recommends the usefulness of conducting additional studies on former residents of the base; and identifies scientific considerations that could help the U.S. Department of the Navy, under which the Marine Corps operates, set priorities on future actions. The report will be released at a 90-minute public briefing.
In the White House"s pitches for health care reform, controlling costs has replaced universal coverage as the leading imperative to overhaul the system. A top White House economist, Christina Romer, said in a public appearance Monday, "Good health care reform is good economic policy," the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "Fixing what"s wrong with our health care system is no longer a luxury we hope to achieve - it"s a necessity we cannot postpone any longer" (Abate, 6/9).
"Black, Latino and Asian lawmakers want President Barack Obama to focus more on racial disparities reported in medical treatment as the White House works toward overhauling the nation"s health care system," the Associated Press reports. "Members of the Congressional Black Caucus sent Obama a letter last week calling for more attention to minority health problems" and are "expected to join lawmakers from Hispanic and Asian caucuses Tuesday at a news conference on Capitol Hill." They plan to "introduce an alternative health care proposal soon that would improve services in low-income areas, eliminate language barriers and improve data collection to help detect gaps in care for various racial and ethnic groups" (Evans, 6/9).
Senior and elderly advocate groups are calling on Congress to get rid of the "doughnut hole" in Medicare"s drug benefit as part of the larger efforts to reform health care, according to The Dallas Morning News.
UroToday.com - At present, no consensus exists on how patients with PSA recurrence after radical prostatectomy (RP) should be treated. Although patients with postoperative PSA recurrence frequently undergo androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) before evidence of metastatic disease, the benefit of this approach is uncertain. As no randomized studies are performed in this clinical setting there is no conclusive evidence that hormone therapy (HT) after RP will prolong survival or reduce morbidity.
Small LDL (sLDL) is the most harmful form of cholesterol! People with small LDL are five times as likely to have cardiovascular disease. However, most laboratories do not test for it. Randox provides an easy to use sLDL test to help assess cardiovascular disease risk.
According to a research abstract that will be presented on Wednesday, June 10, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, older adults are able to retain better cognitive functioning during sleep deprivation than young adults.
The New York Times on Friday examined how two events -- controversy surrounding President Obama"s upcoming commencement speech at University of Notre Dame on Sunday and the selection of a replacement for retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter -- are testing the "delicate balancing act" the president has pursued on abortion rights. Notre Dame"s invitation to Obama to deliver the commencement speech and receive an honorary degree has sparked ongoing protests from abortion-rights opponents, and Obama is now forced to decide whether he will recognize this opposition in his address on Sunday. According to Anita Dunn, the president"s communication adviser, Obama likely will "make reference to the controversy" in his speech but will not "allow it to become the focus of a day that"s actually supposed to be about the graduates." Meanwhile, the pending Supreme Court vacancy has "galvanized backers of abortion rights," according to the Times. Although both sides expect that Obama will select a nominee who supports abortion rights, advocates "are taking no chances," the Times reports.Obama has attempted to present a nuanced approach to abortion-rights issues and expressed that he intends to form consensus around reducing unintended pregnancies and promoting adoption. In addition, his policy moves to date have attempted "to straddle the abortion divide" by creating a dialogue with religious conservatives, avoiding contentious legislative fights and taking a gradual approach to reversing the policies of former President George W. Bush, the Times reports. Obama has named abortion-rights supporters to head jobs, such as his nomination of Dawn Johnsen, a former legal director of NARAL Pro-Choice America, to lead the Justice Department"s Office of Legal Counsel. He also repealed the "Mexico City" policy, which prohibited federal funding for international groups that provide abortion services or information; lifted some limits on embryonic stem cell research; proposed decreasing funding for abstinence-only sex education; and took action to rescind the Bush administration"s HHS provider "conscience" rule allowing health care workers to refuse to provide services they find morally or religiously objectionable. However, the president has stepped away from some abortion-related issues, including the Freedom of Choice Act, which would effectively codify Roe v. Wade. Although Obama said in a 2007 speech to Planned Parenthood that he would sign the bill if elected president, he said in a press conference last month that it is not his "highest legislative priority."Meanwhile, Obama"s top domestic policy adviser, Melody Barnes, is convening a series of meetings with leaders from both sides of the abortion rights debate to discuss policy ideas, with an aim of drafting recommendations by late summer. David Gushee, a Christian ethics professor at Mercer University who has participated in the talks, said the president is signaling to moderate Catholics and evangelicals that "he clearly knows what the bright red lines are and is trying to avoid stepping over them." However, some religious conservatives and abortion-rights opponents who have not been included in the discussions contend that "Obama is trying to have it both ways," according to the Times. Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life, said coming to a consensus would entail the president advocating for restrictions such as parental consent requirements for minors and bans on certain abortion procedures. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who opposes abortion rights, called Obama"s strategy "[m]oderate rhetoric, hard-left policies."Polls show that U.S. residents remain "deeply conflicted" over abortion rights, with support declining over the years, the Times reports. About 60% of U.S. residents believed abortion should be legal in all or most cases in a 1995 poll; a recent Pew Research Center poll showed the number declined to 46% (Stolberg, New York Times, 5/15).
Three researchers from the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech have developed and evaluated a new one-step bioanalytical approach that allows them to profile in detail complex cellular extracts of proteins. The method has allowed the scientists to look at how the levels of proteins change in breast cancer cells when they are treated with hormones or cancer drugs like tamoxifen.
Acting Surgeon General Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H., issued The Surgeon General"s Call to Action to Promote Healthy Homes at a press conference from the National Building Museum in Washington D.C. The Call to Action looks at the ways housing can affect health; its release will initiate a national dialogue about the importance of healthy homes.
Scientists at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and a team of collaborators from across the country have identified a new risk factor gene for rheumatoid arthritis. The paper will be published in Nature Genetics and the finding brings light to the nature of the disease. The gene, dubbed REL, is a member of the NF-íºB family, important transcription factors that have many roles in the body. The NF-íºB family seems to have a big hand in regulating the body"s immune response as well.
CPD4Health Innovation is facilitating a ground breaking event, The Missing Expertise, which will bring together service users, carers, health technology companies, NHS staff and higher education representatives.
Researchers in Berlin, Germany have found that a specific type of immune cell, the regulatory T lymphocyte (Treg) plays an important role in hypertension-induced cardiac damage. The injected Treg that they harvested from donor mice into recipient mice were infused with angiotensin II, a blood pressure-raising peptide. The Tregs had no influence on the blood pressure response to angiotensin II. Nonetheless, cardiac enlargement, fibrosis, and inflammation was sharply reduced by Treg treatment. Furthermore, the tendency to develop abnormal heart rhythms that could lead to sudden cardiac death was also reduced. Dr. Heda Kvakan and Dr. Dominik N. MÃøller at the Experimental and Clinical Research Center at the Max DelbrÃøck Center do not intend Treg as a therapy. However, a better understanding of how the immune system fits into hypertension-induced organ damage could result from these studies (Circulation, Vol. 119, No. 22, June 9, 2009, 2904-2912 ).*
The Missouri Senate on Thursday voted 25-7 to approve a bill (SB 264) that would add additional requirements to the state"s existing informed consent law for women seeking abortion, the AP/Newark Star-Ledger reports.The measure would require physicians to hold in-person meetings with women seeking abortion 24 hours before the scheduled procedure to inform them about the physical and psychological risks and the physical development of their fetuses. The existing informed consent law allows physicians to provide this information by phone. Under the revised bill, health care providers also would be required to offer a woman the option to view ultrasound images of the fetus and to listen to the fetus" heartbeat. Providers also would be required to tell women who are at least 22 weeks pregnant that their fetuses have the ability to feel pain and offer fetal anesthesia. The new measure would exempt the Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia, Mo., one of two in the state that perform abortions, from the requirements until August 2012.Susan Klein of Missouri Right to Life said, "This bill just makes sure the woman is fully informed about what she is about to decide that will affect her for the rest of her life." The bill was sponsored by state Sen. Rob Mayer (R) and now heads to the House for consideration and a vote. If the House approves the bill before 6 p.m. on Friday, when the Legislature concludes its 2009 session, it will go to Gov. Jay Nixon (D) for his consideration. During his campaign last year, Nixon said he supported Missouri"s existing abortion laws without changes but declined to say whether he would veto bills containing additional restrictions the AP/Star-Ledger reports (Blank, AP/Newark Star-Ledger, 5/14).
There is a high probability of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in non-obese, middle-aged patients, according to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
Older women who take hormone therapy to relieve menopausal symptoms may get the added benefit of reduced body fat if they are physically active, according to a new study. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society"s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Angiotensin 1-7, a hormone in the body that has cardiovascular benefits, improves the metabolic syndrome in rats, according to a new study. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society"s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
An ingenious new method of obtaining marine microbe samples while preserving the microbes" natural gene expression has yielded an unexpected boon: the presence of many varieties of small RNAs - snippets of RNA that act as switches to regulate gene expression in these single-celled creatures. Before now, small RNA could only be studied in lab-cultured microorganisms; the discovery of its presence in a natural setting may make it possible finally to learn on a broad scale how microbial communities living at different ocean depths and regions respond to environmental stimuli.
Considerable discrepancies have been reported between diagnoses of colorectal epithelial neoplastic lesions made by Western and Japanese pathologists from endoscopic cold biopsies and resected specimens of the same lesions
In a world-first breakthrough, University of New South Wales (UNSW) medical researchers have used stem cells cultured on a simple contact lens to restore sight to sufferers of blinding corneal disease.
In a discovery that could lead to new treatment approaches for depression, researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have shown that internet-based therapy programs are as effective as face-to-face therapies in combating the illness.
Restaurants in Germany legally sell alcohol to teenagers after their sixteenth birthdays and French children drink wine with dinner at an early age, but U.S. parents who follow this relaxed European example, believing it fosters a healthier attitude toward alcohol, should be careful -- it may increase the likelihood that their children binge drink in college.
The chemical bisphenol A, commonly found in many plastic household items, has been linked to yet another health problem in animals - an increased frequency of arrhythmias, or heartbeat irregularities, a new study found. The results, seen only in females, will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society"s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) announces it will be delivering training sessions for the RSPH Level 1 Health Awareness and the RSPH Level 2 Understanding Health Improvement awards.
President Obama on Friday appointed New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden as CDC director, according to Obama administration officials, the New York Times reports. According to the Times, Frieden, an infectious disease specialist, has "cut a high and sometimes contentious profile" in his seven years as health commissioner in New York City, during which time he has advocated for a smoking ban in restaurants and bars, made HIV testing part of routine medical exams and protected a program that distributes 35 million condoms a year. According to the Times, Frieden is expected to take office next month. The Times reports that he will "inherit a host of immediate and long-term problems," including questions surrounding a vaccine for the H1N1 influenza virus, also known as swine flu, health care reform and organizational issues at CDC.The Times reports that a potential advantage for Frieden is a positive relationship with likely FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, who also was New York City health commissioner. Frieden would work with Hamburg to combat the H1N1 flu virus and to re-evaluate the U.S. food safety system (Harris/Hartocollis, New York Times, 5/15).
New post-hoc analyses, presented at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 69th Annual Scientific Sessions, of data pooled from studies of 104 weeks in duration showed "Januvia" (sitagliptin), when taken alone* (2 studies) or in combination with metformin (2 studies), provided significant blood sugar lowering, which was sustained over two years.[i]
A new investigational study presented at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 69th Annual Scientific Sessions showed that "Januvia" (sitagliptin), when added to ongoing insulin therapy with or without metformin, significantly improved blood sugar control.[i] Applications to use "Januvia" and "Janumet"* (sitagliptin/metformin) in combination with insulin have been accepted for review by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) and by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are currently under review.
In a study that sheds light on how insurance coverage may drive health care and may reveal an unexpected result for the uninsured, a team of Yale School of Medicine and Yale-New Haven Children"s Hospital physicians has found that babies from uninsured families who are born with congenital defects are far more likely than those whose families have insurance to be transferred out of the large community hospitals where they are born and into children"s hospitals for corrective surgery.
The Desert Sun published a series of articles related to HIV/AIDS. The articles include a feature profiling people living with the virus and others looking at efforts by advocates to offer culturally appropriate information on HIV to Hispanics, blacks and other minorities; the efficacy of antiretrovirals, and how the drugs are enabling people to live longer; and the potential effects of proposed state budget cuts on HIV/AIDS programs in Riverside County (Brambila, Desert Sun, 6/10).
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday voted unanimously to approve a $91.3 billion defense and foreign aid spending bill that includes President Obama"s request for $1.5 billion in emergency funds to fight a potential influenza pandemic, the AP/Winston-Salem Journal reports. The House version of the bill, approved Thursday in a 368-60 vote, adds $500 million to the pandemic preparedness funds (AP/Winston-Salem Journal, 5/15). Last month, the public health emergency involving the H1N1 influenza virus spurred congressional lawmakers to rethink the elimination of $870 million from the economic stimulus package that would have been used to combat an influenza pandemic. Democratic legislators eliminated the funds in order to garner support from congressional Republicans to pass the stimulus package (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 4/28).
UNAIDS Executive Director Highlights Latin America, Caribbean Successes In Battle Against HIV/AIDS
A Selection of Opinions and Editorials
It"s June, the month when many couples promise to stay together "in sickness and in health."
World Health Organization officials are meeting today to discuss the world swine flu situation and are expected to decide to move the pandemic
A genetic analysis of data from three studies suggests that genetically elevated levels of lipoprotein(a) are associated with an increased risk of heart attack, according to a study in the June 10 issue of JAMA.
EUROPACE, the official congress of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), is the foremost European meeting on cardiac arrhythmias and pacing. More than 4,000 participants are expected to attend this year"s event, whose main themes are atrial fibrillation and sudden cardiac death.
He"s already shown that a blue curing light stunts tumor growth. Now the senior in the Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry is trying to identify the proteins responsible.
NHLBI Funds Research and Training Centers Aimed at Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Diseases in Developing Countries and Collaborates with UnitedHealth Group"s Chronic Disease Initiative
Benefit of bupropion proven - Benefit of reboxetine not proven: manufacturer conceals study data
DrugScope has welcomed the publication of the Association of Public Health Observatories report into drug use in England.
According to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, a link exists between the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and weight gain.
Health and social service professionals who care for adults with depression should not only tackle their clients" physical and mental health, but also detect and prevent possible spillover effects on their children, says a new report from the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. To achieve this new family-focused model of depression care, federal and state agencies, nonprofits, and the private sector will have to experiment with nontraditional ways of organizing, paying for, and delivering services, said the committee that wrote the report.
AVI BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVII), a developer of RNA-based drugs, announced that Patrick Iversen, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Strategic Alliances, will present at the upcoming 7th Annual Biodefense Vaccines & Therapeutics conference taking place in Washington, D.C.
Lambda Legal, a group that represents HIV-positive people, on Tuesday filed a law suit against the Fox Ridge assisted-living facility in North Little Rock, Ark., for allegedly evicting a resident because he is HIV-positive, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.The Rev. Robert Franke, a retired biology and religion professor who was diagnosed with HIV in 1987, moved into Fox Ridge, which is operated by Parkstone Living Center, in February. The day after he moved into the facility, an unidentified administrator told his daughter, Sara Franke Bowling, that her "superiors" said Franke needed to be discharged from the facility "because of his HIV." Franke disclosed his HIV status on application materials before moving into the facility. The suit alleges that Parkstone violated the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Arkansas Civil Rights Act and requests a permanent injunction to prevent the facility from denying apartments or services to people living with HIV/AIDS. The suit also seeks compensatory and punitive damages and attorneys" fees and costs. The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Eisele. The facility declined to comment on the suit. Julie Munsell, a spokesperson for the state Department of Human Services, said Arkansas law allows for people who have been discharged for assisted-living facilities to remain in the facility pending a hearing if the discharge is appealed. Munsell said the department"s Long-Term Care Division received notice that Franke was appealing the discharge but that the appeal was later dismissed without a hearing. According to Munsell, facilities are not permitted to discharge residents based on medical diagnoses but that some facilities have said they do not have the capacity to provide care for certain conditions. Munsell also said that Fox Ridge is "claiming that they did not admit this client so there is no need for a hearing." Scott Schoettes, staff attorney for Lambda"s HIV Project, said that Franke was not seeking medical care from Fox Ridge, although the facility does provide medical services. "He didn"t require any services beyond which they were licensed to provide," Schoettes said. Franke"s eviction is "particularly blatant and egregious, but unfortunately, not all that uncommon," Schoettes said, adding, "This happens all across the country. We want to send a message that this kind of discrimination is not going to be tolerated" (Satter, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 5/13).
Cocaine and heroin increase permeability of the placenta. Researchers writing in BioMed Central"s open access journal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology have shown that exposure to the drugs causes an increase in the passage of some chemicals into the fetus.
Eureka! Vancouver scientists from the Ovarian Cancer Research (OvCaRe) Program at BC Cancer Agency and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute have discovered that there appears to be a single spelling mistake in the genetic code of granulosa cell tumours, a rare and often untreatable form of ovarian cancer. This means that out of the three billion nucleotide pairs that make up the genetic code of the tumour, one - the same one in every tumour sample - is incorrect. The discovery, published online June 10th in the New England Journal of Medicine, marks the beginning of a new era of cancer genomics, where the complete genetic sequence of cancers can be unravelled and the mutations that cause them exposed. For women with granulosa cell tumours it represents the first specific diagnostic tool and clear path to develop much needed treatments for this cancer.
One of the most widely read books in endocrinology recently came out in its second edition.
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).
Acceleron Pharma, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics that modulate the growth of cells and tissues including red blood cells, bone, and muscle, today announced it will provide three oral presentations on data from its ACE-031 program at the Endocrine Society"s 91st Annual Meeting to be held in Washington, DC from June 10-13, 2009. The presentations will provide results from preclinical studies highlighting the effects of its lead investigational product for treating diseases involving the loss of muscle mass and function.
Health officials in Allegheny County, Pa., on Wednesday held a sexually transmitted infection diversity conference to discuss the disproportionately higher STI rates among blacks and strategies to reduce them, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Blacks comprise 13.5% of the Allegheny County population. According to the Post-Gazette, last year in Allegheny County blacks were involved in:
When is a cataract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common malignancy worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Type 2 diabetes mellitus has been associated with HCC. However, the relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus and the underlying liver cirrhosis, and the effects of antidiabetic therapy on HCC risk have not yet been fully evaluated.
New Era examines discussions at the meeting over how "an acute scarcity of financial res is threatening to set back the commendable strides achieved in the global fight against HIV/AIDS pandemic within the next three to five years." The Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria"s Director for the Africa Unit Fareed Abdullah said during a news briefing at the conference, "There is no[t] enough money on the table for antiretroviral (ARV) treatments. It is a massive conundrum. The funding gap would start to hit in the period going forward."