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Evidence Linking Agent Orange, Parkinson's, Heart Disease "Limited Or Suggestive", Report
Writers of a new report found "limited or suggestive evidence" that exposure to Agent Orange and other chemicals used in the Vietnam War is

SCOTUS Ruling Reversing Decision From Sotomayor's Court Not Expected To Affect Nomination
The Supreme Court"s 5-4 reversal of a decision endorsed by a three-judge appellate panel that included Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is attracting criticism from the judge"s conservative opponents but is not expected to have a significant effect on delaying her confirmation, the Washington Post reports. The appellate panel in 2008 upheld New Haven, Conn."s decision to discard a promotion test for firefighters after no blacks and only two Hispanics qualified for advancement after taking the test (Markon/Kane, Washington Post, 6/30). The panel"s ruling affirmed a lower court"s decision that the city had a right to discard the test based on a segment of civil rights law involving actions that have a "disparate impact" on minorities. A group of white and Hispanic firefighters who would have received promotions under the test sued, alleging reverse discrimination. Democrats and legal analysts said that Sotomayor was following legal precedent in the 2008 ruling and that it was the Supreme Court, which has the ability to exercise more discretion, that chose to make law by reversing the decision (Friedman, CongressDaily, 6/29). The Supreme Court typically reverses about 75% of the cases it reviews, according to legal experts. The court previously has reversed four of Sotomayor"s rulings and upheld three of her decisions, the Post reports. Tom Goldstein, a lawyer and founder of the SCOTUSblog Web site, said, "I don"t think it will persuade anybody who is inclined one way or another to change their views about Sotomayor" (Washington Post, 6/30). Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said, "The main charge against Sotomayor is that she will be an activist judge, but this decision clearly shows that she won"t." He said that the results of the case "won"t change things a wit," adding that "in fact, it bolsters (the claim) that she is mainstream" (CongressDaily, 6/29). Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the New Haven case "sharpens our focus on [Sotomayor"s] troubling speeches and writings" that "indicate ... that personal experiences and political views should influence a judge"s decisions." He added that the issue "will clearly be the subject of questioning" at Sotomayor"s confirmation hearing, which is scheduled to begin on Monday (Phillips, "The Caucus," New York Times, 6/29).
News of the day
Group Files Petition Over Enforcement Of Regulations In Adult Film Industry To Prevent Sexually Transmitted Diseases
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation last week filed a petition in Los Angeles County Superior Court asking "the court to order the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to enforce regulations that require condom use in adult-film production or take other reasonable steps to stem the spread of disease," the Los Angeles Times reports (Yoshino, 7/17). In the petition, "the group claims that in the month since an actress tested positive for HIV, the county Department of Public Health has done little to address what it considers to be a serious health threat" (AP/San Jose Mercury News, 7/16). In a statement released last week, the department, said, "The county continues to strongly support state legislation and the regulatory role of the [California Division of Occupational Safety and Health] as the most appropriate means to regulate the practices in the adult-film industry that expose performers to unnecessary and preventable occupational risks of acquiring and transmitting these diseases," adding, "The department does not believe that litigation is the best means to deal with this issue" (Yoshino, 7/17).
Medical Devices

Second U.S. Independent Laboratory Confirms That Oculus Innovative Sciences' Microcyn(R) Technology Effective At Inactivating H1N1 Swine Flu

Oculus Innovative Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:OCLS), a healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets a family of products based upon the Microcyn® Technology platform, which includes new formulations intended to reduce the use of antibiotics by preventing or treating infections including those caused by bacteria and viruses, has confirmed the effectiveness of Microcyn® Technology at inactivating the H1NI Swine Influenza A. In a virucidal time-kill suspension test conducted by an independent laboratory, BioScience Laboratories, Inc., the specific Microcyn Technology formulation reduced infectivity of the swine flu virus by 4.00log10 (99.99%) reduction after just 30-seconds exposure. BioScience Laboratories, working in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, received formal approval to acquire, house and evaluate the specific swine influenza virus in April 2009. Oculus is preparing the study data for submission to both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to help accelerate global awareness of Microcyn Technology"s ability to effectively and safely reduce the incidence of transmission of this pandemic virus. However, specific product formulations of the Microcyn Technology have not yet been reviewed or approved by any regulatory body for a specific swine flu indication. "We experienced increased consumer use of our Microcyn-based products in April and May when the swine flu first hit in Mexico," says Sergio Caleti, sales director of Oculus Innovative Sciences of Mexico. "This resulted in an uptick in product sales along with a corresponding increase in market awareness of the Microcyn Technology in Mexico. We are leveraging this increased name recognition with the introduction this year of a family of Mexican consumer products including a new pediatric skin treatment and smaller consumer packaging for the Microcyn-based wound care products." Oculus previously announced a humanitarian program in which Microcyn Technology is provided pro bono to organizations that are responding to worldwide healthcare challenges precipitated by natural disaster or epidemic disease. The product will be available according to the regulatory claims in each area and at the request of emergency responders and foundations. Representatives of these groups are encouraged to contact Oculus" global outreach at go@oculusis.com. About H1N1 Influenza (Swine Influenza) According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, novel influenza A (H1N1) is a new flu virus of swine origin that was first detected in April 2009. The virus is infecting people and is spreading from person to person, sparking a growing outbreak of illness in the United States. An increasing number of cases are being reported internationally as well. It"s thought that novel influenza A (H1N1) flu spreads in the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread -- mainly through the coughs and sneezes of people who are sick with the virus. On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 in response to the ongoing global spread of the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus. A Phase 6 designation indicates that a global pandemic is underway. More than 70 countries are now reporting cases of human infection with novel H1N1 flu. This number has been increasing over the past few weeks, but many of the cases reportedly had links to travel or were localized outbreaks without community spread. The WHO designation of a pandemic alert Phase 6 reflects the fact that there are now ongoing community-level outbreaks in multiple parts of world. Oculus


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