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Nationwide Telemedicine Networks Are Essential For Successful Health Care Reform
The U.S. healthcare system is in critical need of basic change to enable more equitable, effective, efficient care. Experts in various fields of medicine, public health, and industry propose that telemedicine, or information technology enhanced healthcare, must be a core component of a viable healthcare reform strategy, a view they forcefully present in a white paper published online ahead of print in Telemedicine and e-Health, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association. The white paper is available free online

Senate HELP Committee Approves Bill That Would Allow FDA To Regulate Tobacco
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Wednesday voted 15-8 to approve a bill (S 982) giving FDA authority to regulate tobacco products, the Wall Street Journal reports. Under the bill, FDA could ban certain tobacco products, such as candy-flavored cigarettes, restrict tobacco advertising to black-and-white ads, and prohibit use of the terms "mild" and "low tar" (Yoest/Mundy, Wall Street Journal, 5/21). FDA also could limit the amount of nicotine in tobacco products, as well as enlarge warning labels. To pay for the new regulatory efforts, the bill would require all tobacco companies to pay a fee that would raise nearly $5.4 billion over the first 10 years. Committee members voted down a number of amendments:
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First Testicular Cancer Risk Genes Found
A team led by scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) compared the genes of 730 men who had developed testicular cancer with the genes of healthy men. They found many of the men who had suffered cancer shared common DNA variants on chromosomes 5, 6 and 12 that the healthy men did not have.
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Australian Researchers Identify Genes That Cause Melanoma

Scientists from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) have found two new genes that together double a person"s risk of developing melanoma. As part of an international study, a team at QIMR, led by Professors Nick Hayward and Grant Montgomery, studied the genes of almost 6,000 people together with their mole count. Specific changes in two genes were found to make people more susceptible to developing moles. The researchers went on to show, in another 4,000 people, the same two genes increased the risk of developing melanoma - the most deadly form of skin cancer. "These are the first genes found to increase melanoma risk by influencing the number of moles a person has," explained Professor Hayward. "This finding improves our understanding of the genetics of melanoma and therefore the molecular pathways that lead to its development." "It has long been known that having a large number of moles is the biggest risk factor. Therefore we predicted we would find genes linking moles and melanoma. We now have conclusive genetic evidence that having a large number of moles increases an individual"s risk of developing melanoma." The study found that people who carry one of these two gene variants have a 25% increased chance of developing melanoma, while for individuals carrying both variants their risk is doubled. "In the long term, this research will be useful in developing screening techniques, and will also allow us to identify potential new drug targets and ultimately develop new therapies to treat melanoma," said Professor Hayward. Moles are normal but people should seek advice from their doctor if they observe any changes in size, colour or shape. People with lots of moles are at a higher risk of developing melanoma and should therefore take extra care to avoid overexposure to ultraviolet radiation. Australia has the highest incidence of melanoma in the world with more than 10,000 new cases and 1000 people dying from the disease every year. Queensland has the highest incidence of any state with seven Queenslanders diagnosed with melanoma every day. More than one in 20 Queenslanders is expected to develop melanoma during their lifetime. The collaborative research involved scientists from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, King"s College London and The University of Leeds. The study was funded by the US National Institutes of Health and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and published in Nature Genetics. Sarah Tennant Research Australia


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