Endocrinology
Dr Elaine Vickers, Research Relations Manager at Asthma UK, says: "This is an important piece of research which helps to explain why the majority of children with severe eczema go on to develop asthma in later childhood, as a result of their genetic make-up.
Bayer Schering Pharma
Studies have reported an increasing incidence of thyroid cancer since 1980. One possible explanation for this trend is increased detection through more widespread and aggressive use of screening tests. Researchers at the American Cancer Society analyzed thyroid cancer incidence between 1988 and 2005 using the National Cancer Institute"s (NCI"s) Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) dataset.
US scientists have come a step closer to finding a way to help treat people with diabetes by reactivating their own insulin-producing beta cells in
Summer is the peak time for people to be bitten by ticks and mosquitoes, which may carry diseases that can infect humans. The Department of Health tracks cases of these diseases and has noted a recent increase in human cases of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and ehrlichiosis, both of which are transmitted through tick bites. TDOH urges Tennesseans to follow commonsense precautions to protect themselves and help reduce the risk of illness.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released the first in a series of health care "success story" reports that document innovative programs and initiatives that can serve as models for a reformed American health care system. The inaugural report highlights the Michigan Keystone ICU Project. A joint partnership between the Michigan Health & Hospital Association and the Johns Hopkins University, the Michigan Keystone ICU Project helped dramatically reduce the number of health care associated infections in Michigan, saving over 1,500 lives and $200 million.
Nonin Medical, Inc., a leading innovator of noninvasive physiological monitoring solutions, announced FDA clearance for its Model 7600 Regional Oximetry System. Introduced in June 2009 at the European Society of Anaesthesiology (ESA) conference in Milan, Italy, the innovative Model 7600 offers real-time monitoring of cerebral oxygenation for patients at risk of ischemia.
TUESDAY: Dozens of Registered Nurses to March on Kaiser Permanente-Fremont to Protest Effort to Slash Urgent Care
Elderly people with no memory or thinking problems are more likely to later develop thinking problems if they have a growing amount of "brain rust," or small areas of brain damage, according to a study published in the July 14, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
People with Parkinson"s disease have significantly higher blood levels of a particular pesticide than healthy people or those with Alzheimer"s disease, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.
The confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor are scheduled to begin Monday, and members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are expected to question her about abortion rights and other "politically charged issues," the New York Times reports (Liptak, New York Times, 7/12). The hearing on Monday will include opening remarks from the 12 Democrats and seven Republicans on the committee, as well as an opening statement from Sotomayor. The questioning portion of the hearings is scheduled to begin on Tuesday (Sherman, AP/Houston Chronicle, 7/12). Although Sotomayor will be asked questions on abortion rights, race, foreign law and other contentious issues, she will "probably answer only a predictable few" and "will have little reason to deviate from the convention" of her predecessors, the Times reports. According to the Times, most Supreme Court nominees since former Justice Sandra Day O"Connor have followed the same strategy of speaking knowledgably about precedent and law without specifically saying how they would rule (New York Times, 7/12).According to USA Today, senators from both parties will use Sotomayor"s hearings not only to lay out their views but to "establish the tone for any future nominations" by President Obama (Biskupic, USA Today, 7/13). Because Sotomayor is replacing Justice David Souter, who retired in June, her addition to the court is not expected to change the balance of power (AP/Houston Chronicle, 7/12).Although committee members are expected to ask Sotomayor about her position on abortion rights, the issue is not likely to play as large a role as in previous Supreme Court nomination hearings, the Times reports. It is possible that Democrats will raise the issue as they seek reassurance that Sotomayor would uphold the tenets of Roe v. Wade if such a case were presented to her as a justice. While most court nominees have not explicitly said if they would uphold Roe, Sotomayor will probably "respond in a sort of code" and say that she respects precedent on court rulings related to abortion rights, according to the Times (New York Times, 7/12). Sotomayor has not ruled on a constitutional right to privacy, and the decisions she has written that briefly deal with abortion rights do not reveal a specific stance on that issue, according to USA Today. In one decision regarding the prohibition of federal funding from international family planning groups that support abortion rights, Sotomayor wrote that the government is "free to favor the antiabortion position over the pro-choice position, and can do so with public funds" (USA Today, 7/13).Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Freedom, said the group has pressed Democratic senators to ask Sotomayor about her views on abortion rights. Northup said, "Constitutional protection for abortion rights should not be treated differently than other important questions of constitutional law" (New York Times, 7/12). Some women"s rights groups have remained relatively quiet in expressing their support for Sotomayor, citing her limited record on abortion rights, the AP/Google.com reports. National Organization for Women Vice President Melody Drnach said that the group has been publicly focusing on the health care reform debate but that it would soon step up efforts behind the scenes to lobby support for Sotomayor. She added that despite Sotomayor"s limited ruling on abortion rights, the group feels it would be "very, very surprising if the president and his team would nominate somebody who was not going to believe in full equality for women and girls to be a part of the highest court in the land." NARAL Pro-Choice America officials said the group has focused its res on urging senators to ask Sotomayor questions about the right to privacy during the hearings. Marcia Greenberger of the National Women"s Law Center said women"s groups are not withholding support for Sotomayor but have been busy examining her record. The National Association of Women Lawyers rated Sotomayor as "highly qualified" but noted that
Trail results have highlighted the benefit of abdominal massage in the management of constipation - a common symptom in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).
One in three breast cancer patients identified in certain nations" public screening programs might have undergone unnecessary treatment, according to a study published Friday in BMJ, the AP/Google.com reports. For the study, Karsten Jorgensen and Peter Gotzsche of Copenhagen"s Nordic Cochrane Centre examined breast cancer trends at least seven years before and after the launch of government-run screening programs in parts of Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Norway and Sweden. The programs usually test women ages 50 to 69.According to the AP/Google.com, effective screening programs should detect more cases and result in a decline in advanced cancer cases detected in older women, whose cancers would have been caught in earlier screenings. However, the study found that the national screening systems simply detected thousands more cases than previously identified.Experts say that overtreatment of cancer occurs wherever there are widespread screening programs, including in the U.S. Some cancers develop too slowly to ever cause symptoms or death, the AP/Google.com reports. However, it is impossible to determine which cancers will be deadly, so all detected cases are treated. Jorgensen said that there is "significant harm in making women cancer patients without good reason" and that the "information needs to get to women so they can make an informed choice."Gilbert Welch of the VA Outcomes Group and the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Research wrote in an accompanying editorial that although mammography "undoubtedly helps some women," it "hurts others." Welch wrote that it is "one of medicine"s "close calls," ... where different people in the same situation might reasonably make different choices."Britain"s National Health Service recently stopped distributing breast cancer screening pamphlets in response to criticism that they included too little information on cancer overtreatment. Laura Bell of Cancer Research UK said that although the organization still urges women to be screened, it is important that they be made aware of potential benefits and harms (Cheng, AP/Google.com, 7/9).
The Union is opening an office in Kinshasa to support its TB, TB-HIV and other collaborations with the National Tuberculosis Programme, Ministry of Health and other partners.
The Assembly of parliamentarians of Francophone countries have adopted a resolution reaffirming their commitment to the AIDS response. The resolution, which was adopted during their annual assembly which was held from 3 to 6 July 2009 in Paris, gave a strong message that Francophone parliamentarians are continuing to put AIDS high on the agenda and push the response forward in their countries and beyond.
Two Sides to Every Health Care Debate New York Times
"Blog Watch" offers readers a roundup of health policy-related blog posts.The Congressional Budget Office is making waves: several bloggers are prognosticating about the agency"s forthcoming estimate of the cost of health reform proposals. The New Republic"s Jonathan Cohn reports that he"s hearing the cost estimate could be closer to $1 trillion than the previously discussed $1.5 trillion. However, Cohn notes that the figure does not include employer contributions and could still leave one-quarter to one-third of the uninsured without coverage. Cato"s Michael Cannon interprets last week"s announcement that several industry groups pledged to slow the growth of health care spending as evidence that the real motivation was "to pressure the Congressional Budget Office to assume that Democrats" health care reforms would reduce spending, despite the lack of evidence." (his emphasis) Bob Laszewski also hinted at this with a post titled "An Open Letter to the Men and Women Over at the CBO" that ended: "The only thing standing between BS reform and real reform are the men and women -- real men and real women -- over at the CBO ... Hang in there!!!!" Cannon echoes the sentiment with fewer exclamation points: "The CBO (and everybody else) should resist the Democrats" effort to make truth yield to power." Marginal Revolution"s Tyler Cowen says he"s reviewing "health care cost fallacies" and asks readers to "sign on to" this statement: "The fiscal outlook is grimmer than before, therefore we should spend less on health care reform than I used to think." Ezra Klein, from his new perch at the Washington Post, counters with his own: "The fiscal outlook is grimmer than before, therefore we should agree on more radical health reforms than were previously considered." Klein then links to a Center for Economic and Policy Research graph, which shows the projected deficit as a proportion of the gross domestic product for various industrialized nations. Unsurprisingly, the line for the United States is headed skyward, while those for Canada, France, Germany and England drop. Meanwhile, disputes continue on a public plan option. Families USA President Ron Pollack reminds readers of his support: "As I said last week at the Senate Finance Committtee"s roundtable. ... First, a public plan option would increase choice. Second, it creates a benchmark on cost that is likely to have a positive impact on lowering costs on private plans. Third, the public plan would be a of obtaining important data about health care that is unlikely available through the private plans, and will enable certain improvements in America"s health care system." Yet Jeff Goldsmith on the Health Affairs Blog says that such a plan is "not worth the risks" and advises, "Health reformers would be smart to trade the radioactive "public plan" bargaining chip for concessions from the industry and to focus their attention on finding an employment-friendly financing plan, and on Medicare payment reform." The National Journal"s Marilyn Werber Serafini solicits her experts" opinions: Are we any closer to consensus on a public health plan after Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) presented three options for the committee to consider as part of broader health care reform legislation this year? The responders -- Stuart Butler, Karen Davis, Marian Wright Edelman, Uwe Reinhardt and John Sheils -- don"t come to a conclusion. Interesting elsewhere:
"A large percentage" of U.S. and Mexican men who regularly engage in sexual activity with sex workers in Tijuana, Mexico, do not use condoms and have a history of substance and alcohol use, according to a study published in the online journal AIDS, the Los Angeles Times" blog "L.A. Now" reports. The study, by researchers from Mexico and the University of California-San Diego, surveyed 400 men - both Mexico and U.S. residents - and found that half of the men had unprotected sex with a female sex worker within the last four months. Researchers noted that although Tijuana authorities require that sex workers be registered and tested regularly for HIV, "only about half of [sex workers] have registered or been tested," according to the blog. Thomas Patterson of the UC-San Diego"s department of psychiatry and the Veterans Affairs health center, said the findings indicate a need for an educational campaign targeting men who frequent sex workers (Perry, 7/11).
PARASITOLOGY: Immune protection against lethal parasitic disease
ULTRASOUND OUTPERFORMS SYMPTOM ANALYSIS IN DETECTING OVARIAN CANCER
A study published this week in the open access journal PLoS Medicine has
The beta-carotene in so-called "Golden Rice" converts to vitamin A in humans, according to researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Tufts University in an article that appears in the current issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (CSI) (Nasdaq: CSII), a medical device company developing and commercializing innovative interventional treatment systems for vascular disease, announced today that the first patient has been enrolled in the COMPLIANCE 360 degree clinical trial. This prospective, randomized study will generate additional data on patient outcomes achieved in treating lesions above the knee with CSI"s Diamondback 360°® Peripheral Arterial System, a minimally invasive catheter for treating peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
New research from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Stanford Hospital & Clinics suggests that the use of a dietary supplement after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery can help obese patients to more quickly lose weight and to avoid deficiency of a critical B vitamin.
A study by scientists at Penn State provides new information about the genes that are involved in a mammal"s early brain development, including those that contribute to neurological disorders. The study is the first to use high-throughput sequencing to uncover active genes in developing brains, and it is likely the best evidence thus far for the activity in the brain of such a large number of genes. The research results one day could lead to the development of drugs or gene therapies that treat neurological disorders such as autism and mental retardation. The research, which was led by Distinguished Professor of Biology Hong Ma and Associate Professor of Biology Gong Chen, will be published online in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences sometime during the week of 13 July 2009.
Anyone who has ever had cats knows how difficult it can be to get them to do anything they don"t already want to do. But it seems that the house cats themselves have had distinctly less trouble getting humans to do their bidding, according to a report published in the July 14th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication.
Eye movement tests developed by Queen"s University researchers to aid in understanding childhood brain development and healthy aging may also help in the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and detecting the early onset of Parkinson"s disease. The project has received close to $1 million in recent funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
Memantine improves functional communication skills in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer"s disease (AD), noticeable by caregivers. These are the study results discussed at the International Conference on Alzheimer"s Disease (ICAD). The data of two recent clinical trials support that AXURA®/AKATINOL® - an uncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist - effects language skills in AD patients and improves cognitive abilities and functional communication. Leading neurologists emphasize that improvement of communication skills is a meaningful treatment target. Communication breakdown can trigger feelings of frustration in Alzheimer"s patients and these feelings may manifest as behavioral instability. This in turn is known to be a major of caregiver"s burden and distress.
Medtronic announced that Reclaim(R) Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Therapy has received CE (Conformite Europeene) Mark approval for the treatment of chronic, severe treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This is the first time that a deep brain stimulation therapy has gained approval in Europe for the treatment of a psychiatric disorder.
The American Medical Student Association (AMSA) Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. William Kassler as President and Chair of its Board of Directors.
"After a series of false starts, House Democrats are finally expected to unveil the details of a sweeping reform measure on Tuesday that would drastically revamp the country"s health care system," Politico reports. "Party leaders had initially planned to introduce legislation last week and start considering it in committees this week. But that timeline was scuttled when a parade of moderates threw up their arms last week at a draft of the bill offered weeks earlier by the three chairmen writing it." While the Democrats "know that the clock is ticking-that the slower the process goes, the more time opponents will have to plant doubts in the minds of voters," Republicans are "feeling giddy-free to stand back and watch as Democrats fight amongst themselves."
"After a weeklong overseas trip that pushed him to the fringes of Washington"s health care debate, Mr. Obama moved aggressively to reclaim control," the New York Times reports. "He summoned top Democrats to the White House to urge them to stick to his legislative timetable - he wants the House and the Senate to pass bills before the August recess - and appeared in the Rose Garden to cast himself as a kind of sheriff who had just come back to town."
To mark World Population Day on July 11, U.N. officials are calling for investment in women and girls during the global financial crisis as a way to promote economic recovery and tackle poverty and inequality, afrol News reports. "There is no smarter investment in troubled times," Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, executive director of UNFPA, said. According to Obaid, even before the financial downturn, women and girls were the majority of the world"s poor. "Now, they are falling deeper into poverty and face increased health risks, especially if they are pregnant," she said, adding that the "health gap" will get bigger "unless we increase social investments, maintain health gains and expand efforts to save more women"s lives."
According a Toronto Star column, it is an "enormous challenge" for India"s government to try to get all of its citizens immunized against polio. "It has used everything from elephants and camels to rickety boats and bikes to ferry the vaccine to remote regions where temperatures have topped 40C the past three months. The polio serum needs to be kept at a temperature below 8C. Its efforts have not all been in vain: the number of new cases in the country last year was 559, down from 200,000 in the early 1980s," writes columnist Rick Westhead.
Researchers have identified a potential biological mechanism that could explain why oral contraceptives may be less effective at preventing pregnancy in obese women, as some epidemiological studies have indicated.
The interaction between a network of altered genes appears to play an important role in the development and progression of brain tumors, according to a study in the July 15 issue of JAMA.
Children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy and their early childhood years may be predisposed to take up smoking as teens and young adults, compounding the physical damage they sustained from the smoke exposure.
Results of a survey published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons show that a large subset of surgical residents consider duty hour regulations (DHR) a significant barrier to their surgical education and express a desire for flexibility to work longer hours than current restrictions allow.
Drugs that block a growth factor receptor on brain cells may prevent epilepsy after brain damage, according to a new study appearing in the July 15 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.
A reminder program aimed at screening for breast cancer when it is most treatable boosted mammography rates by more than 17 percentage points, according to a new study by Kaiser Permanente"s Center for Health Research in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The program used electronic health records to identify women who would soon be due for a mammogram and reached out to them via postcards, automated voice messages and personal phone calls.
The best way to keep bacteria from doing any damage is to stop them in their tracks before they can start down their pathological road to destruction.
Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs) will be made to seven more academic health centers, bringing the consortium to 46 member institutions, the National Center for Research Res (NCRR), part of the National Institutes of Health, announced today. This national network of medical research institutions is working to accelerate the process that develops laboratory discoveries into treatments for patients, to engage communities in clinical research and to train a new generation of clinical and translational researchers.
As summer vacations begin, experts at Lighthouse International urge everyone to take eye safety seriously and prevent damage from the sun that could be permanent. Lighthouse International, based in New York City, is the 104 year old non-profit leader in vision health.
New insights into how a Phase III Alzheimer"s drug might work were among the advances in potential therapies targeting two abnormal brain proteins - beta amyloid and phosphorylated tau - at ICAD.
Many young children who get a severe skin rash develop asthma months or years later. Doctors call the progression from eczema, or atopic dermatitis, to breathing problems the atopic march. In this week"s issue of PLoS Biology, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report another step taken towards understanding the process of atopic march. Their findings show that a substance that is secreted by damaged skin can circulate through the body and trigger asthmatic symptoms in laboratory mice when exposed to eczema-causing or dermatitis-causing agents, also known as allergens . The researchers suggest that early treatment of skin rash and inhibition of the trigger substance might block asthma development in young patients with eczema.
Most people get allergic conjunctivitis when their eyes come into contact with an allergen - a substance which makes the body"s immune system overreact. The eye becomes sore, inflamed and sometimes painful. Symptoms occur because the overreacting immune system makes the body release histamine and other active substances by mast cells - these cause dilation of blood vessels (blood vessels expand, widen), which irritates the nerve endings and causes increased secretion of tears.
Single mother Marēa Carmen del Bousada de Lara, a retired shop worker from Cadiz in Spain, has died at the age of 69, orphaning her two and a
A new Alabama law effective July 1 provides free treatment options for women diagnosed with
A new kit to help meet the developmental needs of young children affected by emergencies was launched in Geneva by UNICEF Executive Director, Ann M. Veneman.
Commenting on news that Lord Ara Darzi will stand down as a government minister, Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), paid tribute to his contribution to the health service. He said:
"President Barack Obama may rely only on Democrats to push health-care legislation through the U.S. Congress if Republican resistance doesn"t eventually give way, two of the president"s top advisers said," Bloomberg reports.
The new surgeon general is expected to focus on primary care.
"The new state budget in Massachusetts eliminates health care coverage for some 30,000 legal immigrants to help close a growing deficit, reversing progress toward universal coverage just as Congress looks to the state as a model for overhauling the nation"s health care system," the New York Times reports. The affected immigrants are permanent residents who have had green cards for less than five years and are insured through the Commonwealth Care program, an insurance program created by the 2006 law that brought near-universal coverage to Massachusetts. The cuts would save around $130 million (Goodnough, 7/14).
"Brazil has been successful in its nearly 20-year effort to treat people living with" HIV/AIDS, and generic medicines have been "a large part of the solution," according to a recent Health Affairs review, UPI reports (UPI, 7/14). The review examines Brazil"s passing of "a law in the 1990s that guaranteed citizens free and universal access to drugs for HIV and AIDS treatment" as well as the country"s production of generic HIV/AIDS medicines in public factories, AHN reports. "The [Brazilian] government also prompted drug companies to lower their prices by threatening to make generic versions of [patented] HIV and AIDS drugs in the public factories," writes AHN (Goodhue, 7/14).
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).
The University of Miami (UM) School of Nursing and Health Studies has received two grants totaling over $60,000 from the Department of Health and Human Services" Health Res and Services Administration (HRSA). One grant will provide scholarships to undergraduate students while the other grant will support students in the school"s graduate nurse practitioner programs.
As lawmakers debate how to pay for an overhaul of the nation"s health care system, a new report from The Commonwealth Fund projects that including both private and public insurance choices in a new insurance exchange would save the United States as much as $265 billion in administrative costs from 2010 to 2020. Congressional leaders are attempting to keep 10-year federal budget costs of health care reform legislation under $1 trillion.
An osteoporosis drug proven to save lives after hip fractures may do so by strengthening the body"s immune system, according to geriatrics researchers at Duke University Medical Center.
Prolonged use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to treat people infected with both HIV and hepatitis B (HBV) helps to better control the hepatitis B infection and could delay or prevent liver complications, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have shown that disclosing genetic risk information to adult children of patients with Alzheimer"s disease (AD) who request this information does not result in significant short-term psychological distress. The report from the REVEAL Study*, which appears in the July 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, is the first randomized trial to disclose to participants whether or not they carried the ķµ4 variant of the APOE gene, a variant that has been found to increase the risk of developing AD. The study demonstrated that test-related distress was reduced among those who learned that they were APOE ķµ4 negative, and was only transiently increased among those who learned they were APOE ķµ4 positive. The study also showed that persons with high levels of emotional distress before undergoing genetic testing were more likely to have emotional difficulties after disclosure.
In the United States, adolescence is a time when many teens become less interested in academics. A new longitudinal study has found that this disengagement is greater for American teens than for Chinese teens.
The capacity to figure out what others are thinking and what they mean is an ability unique to people that"s central to our lives. A new study on the neural mechanisms that govern these abilities sheds light on the relation between how people and groups interact, on the one hand, and how the brain develops and functions, on the other.
Children raised in institutions are more likely to lag physically, socially, and cognitively, but little is known about what happens to children"s brains when they live in institutions. Now a new study finds that placing institutionalized children in high-quality foster care may improve their brain activity.
New England Cord Blood Bank, Inc. (NECBB), a global cord blood processing and storage facility, announced today that it will be implementing an automated blood processing system at the company"s Newton facility. The AutoXpress™ System (AXP), developed by ThermoGenesis Corp. and distributed by GE Healthcare, is a state-of-the-art, fully closed and sterile system that will provide automated cell separation and processing for cord blood samples, ensuring quality and consistency in cord blood processing while maximizing the yield of valuable stem cells from the cord blood.
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).
For the first time UK scientists have shown what the food poisoning bug Salmonella feeds on to survive as it causes infection: glucose.
Scientists from the University of Cambridge have identified 27 genes that are associated with either Asperger Syndrome (AS) and/or autistic traits and/or empathy. The research is published in the journal Autism Research. This is the first candidate gene study of its kind.
Four major US national laboratories have worked together to develop a computer model to help airport authorities screen passengers for pandemic influenza. The tool can help estimate false negatives, people with influenza who slip through the screening process, and so assess the risk of infected passengers unknowingly spreading disease across the nation.
In general, radiation is a process where energy emitted by one body travels in a straight line through a medium or through space. Radiation comes from the sun, nuclear reactors, microwave ovens, radio antennas, X-ray machines, and power lines, to name a few.
PLC Systems Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: PLCSF), a company focused on innovative cardiac and vascular medical device-based technologies, announced that a follow-up study of the landmark Cardiac Angiography in Renally Impaired Patients (CARE) Study determined that Contrast-Induced Nephropathy (CIN) is associated with long-term adverse events, ranging from pulmonary edema to death, and that patients with CIN were twice as likely as those who did not develop CIN to experience adverse events.
Elderly Medicare beneficiaries are more satisfied with their health care, and experience fewer problems accessing and paying for care, than Americans with employer-sponsored insurance (ESI), according to a study by Commonwealth Fund researchers published May 12 on the Health Affairs Web site. If given the opportunity, many adults under age 65 would likely select a public health insurance option, say lead author Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, and colleagues.
A recently identified gene allows immune cells to start the self-destructive processes thought to underlie autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatoid arthritis, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found.
Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have found a way to block the genetic flaw at the heart of a common form of muscular dystrophy. The results of the study, which were published in the journal Science, could pave the way for new therapies that essentially reverse the symptoms of the disease.
Senate Finance Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) have been privately negotiating over how their panel"s version of health reform legislation will address abortion coverage, Newsweek reports. According to Newsweek, Grassley has been pushing to include measures that would prohibit what he considers "taxpayer-subsidized abortion."Earlier this month, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Raising Women"s Voices and other women"s health advocates intensified efforts to ensure that abortion access was treated like access to all other services in health care reform, according to Newsweek. The article points out, "Though usually publicly debated in the language of personal liberty and morality, abortion is a medical procedure performed by a doctor. It"s currently covered by most private insurance plans and existing government programs, at least under some circumstances. This expanded federal oversight and use of federal dollars raises several thorny issues." Grassley is urging that federally regulated and subsidized plans be prohibited from covering the procedure. Lawmakers also could weigh whether religious organizations -- such as Catholic hospitals or health plans -- could opt out of the coverage.Jill Kozeny, Grassley"s spokesperson, said the senator "is opposed to mandating abortion coverage in health care legislation." According to his office, "At one point during the recent negotiations, there was a (compromise) solution that didn"t work out." Grassley -- who is known as a staunch opponent of abortion rights -- said in March, "I take a view that there is almost anything compromisable in public affairs. Abortion is about the only issue I know of that"s not compromisable."Baucus" office declined to comment on the legislation, citing "longstanding Finance Committee policy not to discuss the specifics of ongoing negotiations." Erin Shields, Baucus" press secretary, noted that the lawmaker has a 100% approval rating from NARAL. She added, "He has always fought for a woman"s right to choose and will continue to do so."According to Newsweek, the House"s and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee"s proposals do not specify covered benefits, instead leaving the decision to an independent commission or the HHS secretary. A recent National Women"s Law Center poll found that 62% of participants would oppose a provision excluding abortion and family planning coverage (Feder, Newsweek, 7/14).
Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) are pleased to announce a new series of Health Policy Briefs aimed at providing clear, accessible overviews of timely and important health policy topics. The first brief explores the current debate over cutting payments to Medicare Advantage plans - the privately run health plans that now serve almost a quarter of Medicare enrollees.
The board of directors of Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), announced that the company"s annual meeting of shareholders will be held at 10:30 a.m., Central Daylight Time, on Thursday, August 27, 2009 at Medtronic World Headquarters, located at 710 Medtronic Parkway, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Shareholders of record at the close of business on June 29, 2009, will be eligible to vote at the meeting.
US researchers have discovered the molecular mechanisms by which the human body metabolizes selenium, a trace element that plays an essential
The Pig Veterinary Society"s revised 2009 edition of Casualty Pig, funded by the BVA Animal Welfare Foundation (BVA AWF) is now available.
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) announces the debut of the Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize, to be awarded at ASH"s annual meeting in December. The inaugural recipients are Thomas Maniatis, PhD, of Harvard University, and Yuet Wai Kan, MD, of the University of California - San Francisco.
As part of a series about Americans" response to the H1N1 flu outbreak, the Harvard Opinion Research Program at the Harvard School of Public Health is releasing a national poll that focuses on Americans" views and concerns about the potential for a more severe outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1) in the fall or winter. The polling was done June 22-28, 2009.
Consumers may be able to eat longer-lasting, potentially healthier fish fillets if research at Oregon State University makes its way to the supermarket.
Following Gordon Brown"s meeting at Downing Street with Britain"s top drinks industry executives he called for them to harness their considerable marketing powers to drive for change in social norm and cultural attitudes towards alcohol in the UK. This has resulted in Project "N" - a collaboration of the not inconsiderable res of top companies throughout the UK.
According to the latest thinking, eating healthily and taking more exercise are not enough by themselves to combat the nation"s rising obesity levels. Instead we need a better understanding of the issues underpinning compulsive eating so that psychological help can be successfully targeted.
The latest rise in the indirect taxation on tobacco and alcohol took place in June. The most popular brand of cigarettes went up in price from 3.10 euros to 3.30 euros per packet. Are these taxes a form of dissuasion or a way of compensating the rest of society for the harm generated by those who smoke? A study by the Polytechnic University of Cartagena has looked into the most significant questions concerning the tobacco economy.
Gene therapy has emerged as a novel approach to combat HCV infection in the last few years. However, one of the most important obstacles to overcome is "targeting": the appropriate genes must be delivered and expressed in HCV infected hepatocytes without harming normal tissues.
Clarithromycin is currently one of the antibiotics used for eradication of Helicobacter pylori. However, reports of H. pylori resistance to this antibiotic are increasing worldwide. Clarithromycin resistance has been attributed to the presence of mutations in the 23S rRNA gene, a component of the ribosome that is the protein manufacturing machinery of all living cells. There is little information on the prevalence and characteristics of clarithromycin resistance in H. pylori strains isolated from Malaysian patients.
UPMC is once again the region"s only medical center named on the annual U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll of America"s Best Hospitals. UPMC is ranked 13th of only 21 hospitals nationwide who made the Honor Roll of the "nation"s best" in the 2009 survey.
WHO publishes its first guidelines on indoor air quality, addressing dampness and mould (WHO guidelines on indoor air quality: dampness and mould. Copenhagen, WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2009 (See Here).
Correspondence and a linked Editorial in this week"s Lancet criticise the election tactics employed by the British National Party (BNP) prior to the recent European Elections.
People who can speak two languages are more adept at learning a new foreign language than their monolingual counterparts, according to research conducted at Northwestern University. And their bilingual advantage persists even when the new language they study is completely different from the languages they already know.
In August and September, the University of Antwerp organises vaccine studies for different producers of Mexican flu (H1N1v) test vaccines. 300 to 400 volunteers will be recruited for these tests. "There is a good chance that a Mexican flu vaccine is available early November", expects vaccine expert prof. dr. Pierre van Damme, director of the Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), a department of the Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO) at the University of Antwerp.
Teens who drink heavily are more likely than their peers to have behavioural and attention problems and suffer from anxiety and depression, a team led by researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has reported.
One of the aims imposed by the European Union in 2004 is to reduce the number of traffic accidents. However, despite the measures taken by the different administrations and the consequent decrease in the number of accidents, the results for 2010 are not close to those set by Europe. Gerardo Reveriego, a young researcher of the University of Mē”laga, has designed software that informs drivers of the risk situations s/he has while driving. This allows drivers to self-assess themselves and improve their driving behaviour.
"Congress"s chief budget analyst delivered a devastating assessment yesterday of the health-care proposals drafted by congressional Democrats, fueling an insurrection among fiscal conservatives in the House and pushing negotiators in the Senate to redouble efforts to draw up a new plan that more effectively restrains federal spending," the Washington Post reports.
California cuts back on health insurance for children, while New Hampshire expands state insurance to young adults. Meanwhile, a regional health commission in Missouri hopes to help the uninsured, and an Iowa report concludes that minorities face discrimination in the health care system.
IAS Conference Blog; Lancet Profiles Incoming Executive Director
A group of chemists from the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) has developed a method to quantify the fragrance allergens found in baby bathwater. The researchers have analysed real samples and detected up to 15 allergen compounds in cosmetics and personal hygiene products.
Texas Medical Association (TMA) statement from TMA president William H. Fleming III, MD, regarding H.R. 3200, "America"s Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009," Congressional legislation to reform America"s health care system.
The nation"s aging population and expanded health care coverage will increase the demand for physical therapist (PT) services, says the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) as a new federal report1 that presents a projection of potential developments in the US labor market over the next 5 to 10 years is released.
"Where care lodges, sleep will never lie," says Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet.
PolyMedix, Inc., an emerging biotechnology company developing acute care products for infectious diseases and acute cardiovascular disorders based on biomimetics, announced that three posters relating to the Company"s heptagonist compounds were presented at the International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis Conference. The posters were presented at the conference on July 16, 2009, by PolyMedix"s collaborators at Loyola University.
Yesterday the AMA issued formal endorsement of the House Healthcare Bill. According to Sermo (http://www.sermo.com), the largest online community of physicians in the US, AMA"s endorsement does not reflect the position of practicing physicians.
IntraOp Medical Corporation (OTCBB: IOPM), a provider of Intra-Operative Electron-beam Radiation Therapy (IOERT) solutions for the treatment and eradication of cancer, announced today two new orders for its Mobetron system from its Chinese distribution partner, Hui Long New Technology Co. LTD.
Rice University"s Andrew Barron and his group, working with labs in Italy, Germany and Greece, have identified specific molecules that could block the means by which the deadly virus spreads by taking away its ability to bind with other proteins.
For over a century neurologists and psychologists have investigated how the human brain processes and controls the imitation of gestures, and looked for differences depending on whether the gestures were meaningful, such as grabbing an object, or meaningless, on the goal of the action, and on the body part used.
Genentech, Inc. announced that an international Phase III study demonstrated that oral Xeloda® plus oxaliplatin (XELOX) is superior to a commonly used intravenous chemotherapy, 5-FU/LV (infused 5-fluorouracil plus leucovorin), in increasing the time people with adjuvant colon cancer lived without their cancer returning when given immediately after surgery. The data show those who participated in the study and took XELOX immediately after surgery lived longer without their cancer being detectable than those who took intravenous 5U/LV. No new adverse events related to Xeloda were observed in the study.
American Medical Association sent a letter to House leaders supporting H.R. 3200, "America"s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009."
A major research grant will help scientists study the links between memory and oral health in a bid to establish control over Alzheimer"s disease.
Family doctors in Northern Ireland moved to allay fears over the swine flu virus.
At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. marshals today seized livestock and horse feeds stored under filthy conditions at the Bi-County Farm Bureau Cooperative Association, Inc., in Florence, Ky.
US Oncology, Inc. today announced that US Oncology Research will participate in the BiPar Sciences" Phase III, Multi-center, Open-Label, Randomized Trial of Gemcitabine/Carboplatin (G/C), with or without BSI-201, in patients with Estrogen Receptor (ER), Progesterone Receptor (PR), and HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.
Children with stressed out parents may be more susceptible to developing asthma associated with environmental triggers such as high levels of traffic-related pollution and tobacco smoke, according to a new study led by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC).
Many countries worldwide are digitizing patients" medical records. In the
-39% of suicides by hanging took place when the patient was supposed to be subject to observation by staff
Latest research on proton therapy highlights medical physics meeting next week in Anaheim
The development, which has taken five years to complete, is part of a ÷£500m PFI scheme, commissioned by Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CMFT), and delivered in partnership with Catalyst Healthcare. The new Royal Manchester Children"s Hospital - a "super-hospital" for children - will be accompanied by The Manchester Royal Infirmary, Saint Mary"s Hospital and Manchester Royal Eye Hospital.
It is an amazing sight: What looks like a tiny beating heart is actually a piece of synthetic, gauze-like mesh, barely the size of a fingernail, floating in a Petri dish. And yet it keeps squeezing away, nice and rhythmically.
Cancer treatment has come a long way, leading to a multitude of therapy options and improved survival rates. These successes, however, have created a challenge for young cancer patients since chemotherapy and radiation treatments that often save lives threaten fertility. Techniques available to safeguard fertility, such as freezing eggs for later embryo development, have poor odds of success, leaving patients with very limited options for the future. But that is beginning to change as researchers improve current techniques, mature human eggs in the laboratory, and discover cellular mechanisms that could help preserve and even restore fertility. Researchers will report on these and other findings at the 42nd annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR), July 18 to 22, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.