Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

Washington D.C., Makes Improvements On HIV/AIDS Efforts, But More Work To Be Done, Report Finds; District Expands STD Testing Program For Students
The fifth annual report card from the Washington, D.C.,-based Appleseed Center for Law and Justice examining the district"s response to HIV gives the city "high marks for rapid testing, interagency coordination, surveillance and fighting the disease in the D.C. Jail," but finds that the city falls short in other areas, the Washington Examiner reports (Neibauer, 8/5). "The government also received above-average grades for leadership, managing grants to groups that help people with the illness, and monitoring the effectiveness of those programs," the Washington Post reports. However, "While Mayor Fenty and his administration deserve recognition for the continued support of ò€¦ numerous [HIV/AIDS Administration] initiatives, his public appearances and statements about the epidemic have fallen short of his enthusiasm for action inside the government," the report said. The report added that the district could do more to address HIV and recommended that HAA assess whether the improvements they have made are reducing the spread of the virus, according to the Post (Fears, 8/5).

Global Public Health Threat Continues From Lead-Based Consumer Paint
Although lead content in paint has been restricted in the United States since 1978, University of Cincinnati (UC) environmental health researchers say in major countries from three continents there is still widespread failure to acknowledge its danger and companies continue to sell consumer paints that contain dangerous levels of lead.
News of the day
Earlier Commencement Of Antiretroviral Therapy Yields Better Clinical Outcomes
A clinical trial has demonstrated that HIV-infected adults in a re-limited setting are more likely to survive if they start antiretroviral therapy (ART) before their immune systems are severely compromised.
Nutrition

Rosiglitazone Does Not Harm Bone Healing If Combined With Metformin In Rats

Taking the diabetes medications metformin and rosiglitazone together reverses the adverse effects on bone of rosiglitazone treatment alone in an experimental model, according to a new study done in rats. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society"s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Both metformin and rosiglitazone are widely used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome, said lead author Claudia Sedlinsky, MD, of GIOMM - La Plata National University, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Recent research, however, shows that rosiglitazone decreases bone mineral density in healthy humans and appears to increase fractures in women with type 2 diabetes, compared with those receiving metformin or another diabetes medication. Previously, Sedlinsky"s group reported that metformin helps grow bone cells in laboratory cultures. They wanted to find out if metformin could have beneficial effects on bone healing in an animal model and to compare it with rosiglitazone. Sedlinsky and her colleagues tested four groups of rats that had a small hole in a bone. One group of rats received only metformin in their drinking water, a second group got only rosiglitazone, a third group received both medications and the last group - the controls - received plain water with no drug (placebo). After 30 days of treatment, the researchers removed the injured bone from the animals and studied it for evidence of new bone formation. As expected, metformin increased bone healing and rosiglitazone decreased bone healing compared with placebo (no treatment). However, in the rats that received combined treatment, metformin completely reversed the ability of rosiglitazone to inhibit new bone formation, the authors found. Bone healing was similar to that observed in control rats. Further investigations are needed to know whether these results can translate to humans, Sedlinsky stressed. "This important finding may lead to further investigations about how to treat patients with anti-diabetic drugs while avoiding potential harm to their bones," she said. Partial funding for this research came from Quimica Montpellier, a pharmaceutical company in Buenos Aires; Province of Buenos Aires Scientific Research Council (CICPBA) and La Plata National University. Aaron Lohr The Endocrine Society


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009