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Dangerous College Drinking: Prevention Is Possible, Studies Suggest
Alcohol is sometimes seen as part and parcel of college life, but there are programs that can significantly reduce students" risky drinking, according to a series of studies in a special college drinking supplement of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

ASH And EHA Jointly Announce Translational Research Training In Hematology Program
In an effort to foster global biomedical research that will ultimately lead to new and improved treatments for patients with blood diseases, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the European Hematology Association (EHA) have collaborated to create the Translational Research Training in Hematology (TRTH) program. This program will provide promising translational investigators an opportunity to undertake intensive training in the causes, diagnosis, and experimental treatment of hematologic disorders from some of the most recognized names in the field.
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Groups Want NJ To Restore Immigrant Outreach Funds
"Immigrant and health-care advocacy groups" are calling on New Jersey to "restore $1 million in funding that has been eliminated in the latest round of budget tightening," the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports. "The money was earmarked for community-outreach efforts to educate legal immigrants on available state health programs." A report released yesterday by Rutgers University concluded that "New Jersey"s percentage of uninsured immigrant children is higher than the national average, and the state has a poor track record of making sure those children receive health coverage."
Oncology

Increased Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Expression In Patients With Bladder Pain Syndrome/Interstitial Cystitis

UroToday.com - Angiogenesis is thought to be important in many chronic inflammatory disorders, including diabetic retinopathy, atherosclerosis, and inflammatory bowel disease. It has also been suggested that the angiogenic components of these diseases contribute to and exacerbate disease conditions. Increased levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) have been detected in patients with asthma and have been shown to be correlated with the severity of the disease. Anti-VEGF therapy has been shown to ameliorate inflammation in animal models of chronic inflammatory bowel disease. This background forms the prelude to a very interested study by Kiuchi and colleagues from Osaka, Japan. The authors note that VEGF is a crucial angiogenic factor, and its secretion is strictly regulated to form functional vessel networks. Pericytes are perivascular cells that wrap around microvessels and contact endothelial cells through discontinuities in the shared basement membrane. When vessels lose pericytes, they become tortuous and hemorrhagic. Abnormal activity of VEGF contributes to insufficient coverage of pericytes, resulting in leaky and hemorrhagic vessels. Kiuchi and coworkers examined biopsy specimens from 30 patients with BPS/IC who demonstrated glomerulations on hydrodistention, and compared them with biopsies from 10 control patients who had isolated bladder tumors and no symptoms of voiding dysfunction. None of the control patients had glomerulations after distention. Immunohistochemical analysis for VEGF expression, microvessel density and immature microvessels was performed. Pericyte coverage of microvessels in the specimens was used as an indicator of mature microvessels, and pericytes were identified by double-immunohistochemistry for CD34 and í±-smooth muscle actin. The researchers generated data that allowed them to conclude that there is an increased VEGF and immature vascularization in the bladder biopsies from patients with BPS/IC, and VEGF expression was associated with the degree of pain experienced by the patients. Taken together, Kiuchi believes that VEGF might contribute to pain and promote the formation of immature vessels in the bladder of patients with BPS/IC. This increased immature vascularization might have a potential role in glomerulations in these patients. Kiuchi H, Tsujimura A, Takao T, Yamamoto K, Nakayama J, Miyagawa Y, Nonomura N, Takeyama M, Okuyama A BJU Int. 2009 Mar 4. (Epub ahead of print) doi:10.1111/j.1464-410X.2009.08467.x Written by UroToday.com Contributing Editor Philip M. Hanno, MD, MPH UroToday - the only urology website with original content written by global urology key opinion leaders actively engaged in clinical practice. To access the latest urology news releases from UroToday, go to: www.urotoday.com Copyright © 2009 - UroToday


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