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U.S. Study Shows Significant Improvement For Patients Suffering From Excessive Sweating With Topical Antiperspirant
Valeo Pharma announced a new study recently published that demonstrated the efficacy and safety of Hydrosal®, a novel high strength topical antiperspirant with 15% aluminum chloride and 2% salicylic acid in proprietary gel base for patients with moderate-to-severe hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating).

Somnia Anesthesia: 3rd Study Confirms Anesthesia Improves Cancer Detection In Colonoscopies
More pre-cancerous polyps were found in colonoscopies performed with deep sedation primarily using Propofol than with milder sedation in which patients remained conscious, according to a recent study conducted by Katherine Hoda, M.D. of Oregon Health and Science University. This improvement in cancer detection will save lives and reduce the number of patients requiring surgery and chemotherapy.
News of the day
Opinion Pieces Examine Recent Public Opinion Polls On Abortion
Two newspapers recently published opinion pieces on abortion-related public opinion polls. Summaries appear below.~ Steven Kull, Baltimore Sun: Although "many Americans feel morally conflicted about" abortion, it is a "common error to believe that the American electorate is deeply divided about how the government should deal with" the procedure, Kull -- director of WorldPublicOpinion.org and the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland -- writes in a Sun opinion piece. He adds that "there is substantial consensus that the government should not criminalize abortion." According to Kull, a new CNN poll found that 68% of respondents believe Roe v. Wade should not be overturned, and a recent WorldPublicOpinion.org poll found that when asked, "Do you think the government should be involved in trying to discourage abortion or do you think the government should leave these matters to the individual," 69% said that the matter should be left to the individual. Kull adds that "of the 29% who said that the government should be involved in trying to discourage abortions, a remarkably low 8% favored using criminal enforcement methods." According to Kull, other polls have found if "given a middle option -- somewhere between strict prohibition and government permission -- a significant number will choose it." Kull writes that "once the moral question is differentiated from the question of how the government should act, it does appear that there is substantial consensus that abortion should not be criminalized." He concludes, "Once the option of criminal enforcement is taken off the table, constructive options are more likely to emerge and can be an effective focus for the energies freed up from the incessant debates about abortion" (Kull, Baltimore Sun, 5/22).~ Cheryl Wetzstein, Washington Times: "It"s rather ironic that as the most pro-choice government in U.S. history settles into its seats," a Gallup poll "finds that most Americans are pro-life," columnist Wetzstein writes in a Times opinion piece. She adds, "Some observers have tried to pooh-pooh this result, but it doesn"t surprise me for two reasons." Wetzstein writes that her "experience with youth, both personally and professionally, is that they often recoil at abortion," adding, "So I find a pro-life trend in youth to be quite plausible." She continues, "Second, I think some aging baby boomers are changing their views," adding, "People generally become more conservative and self-reflective with age. Legacies matter. Hindsight is 20/20. Regrets appear." Wetzstein concludes, "My suspicion is that in more than a few cases, baby boomers who were willing to have abortions are not at ease with the idea of losing their grandchildren," adding, "It may be that in the autumn of life, being "pro-life" has a whole new meaning" (Wetzstein, Washington Times, 5/26).
Endocrinology

The Most Effective Ways Of Promoting Physical Exercise In Adults, In Terms Of Health Benefits And Financial Cost

A study published this week in the open access journal PLoS Medicine has found that of six interventions promoting exercise in adults in Australia, encouraging the use of pedometers - simple step counting devices that can be used as a motivational tool - and promoting physical activity through mass media campaigns are the most cost-effective in terms of the money spent for the health benefits they result in. Considered as a package, researchers at the University of Queensland also conclude that these six interventions could reduce death and illness from heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes in Australia, with an overall cost saving for the health sector. Despite its image as a sporting nation, physical inactivity in Australia, in common with many countries in the developed world and an increasing number of developing countries, is a major public health problem. The World Health Organisation recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity - which could just be brisk walking - five times per week, but at least 60% of Australia"s population does not even do this modest amount. In Australia, physical inactivity leads to 10% of all deaths, largely as a result of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and globally it is thought to cause 1.9 million deaths per year. Linda Cobiac and colleagues at the University of Queensland reviewed the medical literature to identify a range of interventions to promote physical activity and transport use in adults, which had evidence of effectiveness and which were suitable programs to implement in Australia. They then calculated the cost-effectiveness of six interventions. These included TravelSmart - a program that targeted households in Australia with information about walking paths, bus timetables, and offered incentives to reduce reliance on the car. The six interventions also included two that involved general practitioners (GPs): the standard practice amongst GPs in Australia to screen and prescribe physical activity to inactive patients who visit them, as well as the practice of GPs referring patients to counselling sessions with an exercise physiologist at their local general practice. Internet advice on physical activity, the promotion of pedometers in the community, and a mass media campaign that promoted physical activity and community events and activities, were also assessed. A standardized approach has been developed to assess cost-effectiveness of different physical activity programs that are suitable in an Australian context, so the researchers were able to compare these six interventions. They calculated the health outcomes of each intervention in terms of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) - the number of healthy years of life lost as a result of premature death or illness - through already published data on how physical activity causes heart disease, stroke, colon and breast cancer, and diabetes. Offsetting the financial cost of each intervention against the number of years of death or injury (or DALYs) that the intervention averted, they concluded that the program promoting the pedometer as a motivational tool for physical exercise and the mass media campaign were the most cost-effective. The GP practice of referring patients to an exercise physiologist was the least cost-effective, especially if time and travel costs were considered. Only the pedometer program and the mass media campaign of the six interventions resulted in an overall cost-saving, but the researchers stress that if the six interventions are considered together "it is likely that the package of interventions would not only be cost-effective by very likely cost-saving to the health sector." The researchers point out that questions remain about the long-term effectiveness of these programs, and that the quality of the evidence in the literature they reviewed varied. But importantly, the standardized approach to cost-effectiveness offers a model to guide policy-makers in other countries to identify approaches to decrease the burden of disease caused by cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes as a result of physical inactivity. Note about the embargo for print publications in Australia: In order for journalists working in print in Australia not to be at a disadvantage print publications in Australia may publish stories about this research on the 14th ahead of the 10AM embargo, but we expect all online coverage to observe the embargo. Funding: This research was funded by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Health Services Research grant (no. 351558, http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/grants/types/granttype/strategic/healthserv.htm). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Citation: "Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions to Promote Physical Activity: A Modelling Study." Cobiac LJ, Vos T, Barendregt JJ (2009) PLoS Med 6(7): e1000110. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000110 PLoS Medicine


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