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Media Looks At Surgeon General Nominee's Potential Influence On HIV/AIDS, Other Health Issues
The AP/Lexington Herald-Leader on Tuesday examined the nomination of Alabama physician Regina Benjamin for U.S. Surgeon General by President Obama, the history of the position and how former Surgeon Generals have addressed health issues such as HIV/AIDS (Stobbe, 7/14). According to Advocate.com, "During her speech accepting the nomination, Benjamin acknowledged her familiarity with HIV complications and issues, as her brother died at the age of 44 of an HIV-related illness. Having such a personal experience, especially a loss, due to HIV/AIDS could have a strong impact on her policy and public health campaigns, [Phil Curtis, director of government affairs at AIDS Project Los Angeles], told Advocate.com on Tuesday." The article states, "Curtis said that Benjamin has the ability to reach out to communities that have been largely underserved by efforts to reduce the rate of infection," and she "will also be able to contribute to Congress"s current debate on health care policy, including strategies for early HIV prevention, and accessibility to prescription drugs" (Garcia, 7/14).

Obama Cabinet Members Meet Thursday For H1N1 Preparedness Summit
"The White House, months before flu season, will roll out the big guns Thursday for a swine flu preparedness summit, underscoring the importance the Obama administration is placing on the pandemic," CNN reports. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and National Security Adviser John Brennan are expected to attend sessions held at the NIH.
News of the day
Pilot Study Confirms That Children With Autism Need To Be Taught In Smaller Groups
Since the 1970s, there has been much debate surrounding the fact that individuals with autism have difficulty in understanding speech in situations where there is background speech or noise.
Sexual Health

Development Of DNA Drugs Gives Hope To Lupus Patients

A generation of DNA-like compounds, class R inhibitory oligonucleotides (INH-ODNs), have been shown to effectively inhibit cells responsible for the chronic autoimmune condition lupus. Researchers writing in BioMed Central"s open access journal Arthritis Research & Therapy have demonstrated the anti-inflammatory effects of the INH-ODNs in both in vitro and mouse experiments. Petar Lenert, from the University of Iowa, worked with a team of researchers to develop and test the compounds. He said, "The increased potency of class R INH-ODNs for certain cells involved in lupus flare-ups will help patients by providing specific inhibition, yet allowing them to generate a protective immune response when needed". Lenert and his colleagues found that their INH-ODN drugs, composed of double-stranded DNA-like analogues carrying autoimmune-inhibitory sequences, were able to selectively reduce the activity of autoreactive B cells and dendritic cells. When given to mice with lupus, the compounds delayed death and reduced kidney damage. Systemic lupus erythematosus, more commonly known simply as lupus, is thought to affect around a million people in the USA, but prevalence varies by country and ethnicity. It is much more common in women than men and there is currently no known cure. During periodic "flares", the immune system of people with the condition mounts an attack on cells and tissues throughout the body, resulting in a range of symptoms including the characteristic "butterfly rash" across the cheeks. With further testing, Lenert and his colleagues hope that class R INH-ODNs may become another weapon in the fight against the disease. DNA-like class R inhibitory oligonucleotides (INH-ODNs) preferentially block autoantigen-induced B-cell and dendritic cell activation in vitro and autoantibody production in lupus-prone MRL-Fas lpr/lpr mice in vivo Petar Lenert, Kei Yasuda, Liliana Busconi, Patrice Nelson, Courtney Fleenor, Radhika S Ratnabalasuriar, Peter L Nagy, Robert F Ashman, Ian R Rifkin and Ann Marshak-Rothstein Arthritis Research & Therapy http://arthritis-research.com/ Graeme Baldwin BioMed Central


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