Oncology
President Obama on Wednesday signaled in a letter to top Senate Democrats that he may be open to requiring all Americans to have health insurance coverage as part of health care reform.
Health Care Crippling The Economy - Chicago Tribune
New technology allows student doctors to practice operations and other procedures on simulators before trying them out on real patients, just as pilots practice for emergencies on aircraft simulators. Medical educators feel that this will increase patient safety, by avoiding first-time mistakes being made on live patients. But does education by simulation actually work? Can doctors learn new skills on simulators instead of on humans?
Kansas has become "perhaps the fiercest battleground" in the abortion-rights debate with mass protests, prosecutions, lawsuits and the recent murder of abortion provider George Tiller, the AP/Washington Post reports. Kansas State University political scientist Joe Aistrup said, "There"s a very prominent vein in Kansas politics that tends toward moral righteousness." He said that this contributes to that unending debate and has produced extremists on both sides of the issue in the state.Peter Brownlie, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, said that the majority of those who maintain the intense debate on abortion rights are political leaders. "There is a very clear and growing gap between the general public and the political leaders who are committed to this being such a constant and volatile issue," he said. Brownlie added that on issues relating to abortion, sex education and family planning, "Kansans" views are not markedly different from most Americans, but there are political forces at work, some of them well beyond the state borders."The Post reports that Kansas is different than most states where either supporters or foes of abortion rights dominate. According to the AP/Post, Kansas often sways between having key lawmakers who support abortion rights and those who oppose them. For example, a Republican-dominated Legislature over the past six years passed several bills to restrict abortion access, but much of the legislation was vetoed by former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D). The result has triggered frustration in groups opposing abortion rights, and they continue to feed widespread opposition to abortion in the state, the AP/Post reports.According to Burdett Loomis, a University of Kansas political science professor, there even is a split among Kansas Republicans in regard to abortion rights, as some Republicans in the state are evangelical Christians who oppose abortion rights, while others are moderates who support such rights. He said the split "might pop out in gun laws, home schooling, evolution, but it starts and stops with abortion" (Crary/Hanna, AP/Washington Post, 6/3).Wall Street Journal Examines Abortions Later in PregnancyIn related news, the Wall Street Journal on Thursday examined how Tiller"s clinic in Kansas became a battleground in the abortion-rights debate particularly because some of his patients were in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. According to the Journal, even though the subject of abortion later in pregnancy is the of "a deep cultural divide," both sides agree that it is "anguishing." Fewer than 1% of all abortions in the U.S. are performed in the second or third trimesters, and most states prohibit abortions late in pregnancy but include exceptions for the woman"s life and health.The Journal reports that abortion procedures performed later in pregnancy often carry increased health risks, are more expensive and are emotional. The Guttmacher Institute reports that 8.9 maternal deaths occur during every 100,000 abortions performed later in pregnancy, compared with 7.1 deaths per 100,000 births. The article also profiled women who chose to undergo abortions later in pregnancy at Tiller"s clinic, as well as arguments from abortion-rights opponents (Simon, Wall Street Journal, 6/4).
Following President Obama"s nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter, the differences between how male and female judges see and rule on cases has come into question, the New York Times reports. Although retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O"Connor, the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, often said that a female judge would come to the same decision as a male judge, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has said that her perspective on certain cases is different because of her gender.The Times cites two examples, one involving the strip search of a 13-year-old girl -- to which Ginsburg said that her male colleagues could not understand how the girl felt. The second example involves the issue of certain abortion procedures. When deciding about the constitutionality of a federal ban on so-called "partial-birth" abortions, Ginsburg took issue with Justice Anthony Kennedy"s majority opinion that women who undergo the procedure likely would experience attacks of conscience. She responded that Kennedy"s views reflected "ancient notions of women"s place in the family and under the Constitution -- ideas that have long since been discredited."The issue has come up again with Sotomayor"s nomination, specifically regarding her 2001 statement that she "would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn"t lived that life." The perception that female judges inherently might view cases differently than male judges has raised some concerns even among some female judges who believe it might be true, according to the Times. Judge Judith Kaye, former chief judge of New York state, said that she avoided discussing the issue with others but then accepted the idea that female judges see things differently at times. "To defend the idea that women come out different on some cases, I just feel it," Kaye said, adding, "I feel it to the depths of my soul" because women"s experiences are "just different." Attorney Lawrence Robbins, however, said, "Any person in the real world should be highly reluctant to make these broad generalizations."The most recent study comparing male and female judges found that female judges were more likely to rule in favor of plaintiffs who claim sex discrimination at workplaces. The study also found no differences in cases involving disability law, environmental issues and capital punishment (Lewis, New York Times, 6/3).
TCT Symposium will feature strategies for nurses and technologists to improve care for angioplasty patients
Pandinus imperator, the emperor scorpion, is not only popular as a pet, but is also of interest for research purposes. The reason for this is its blue blood, which transports oxygen and distributes it throughout the body. Like tyrosinase, the key enzyme in melanin synthesis, the blue blood pigment hemocyanin found in the emperor scorpion and other arthropods belongs to a group of special molecules that occur in all organisms and that have many different functions: coloring the skin, hair and eyes, immune response, wound healing or the brown discoloration of fruit. "When these enzymes mutate, this may result in albinism, or in birth marks when production of the pigment melanin increases, as often seen in melanoma," explains Professor Heinz Decker of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. The biophysicist has been studying hemocyanins and the associated tyrosinases for the past 20 years. In cooperation with researchers, Dr. Cong and Dr. Chiu, from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston he has now been able to show for the first time exactly how the enzymes become active, thereby fulfilling their various functions. This work was published in the journal Structure on 13 May.
A research team at the Faculty of Odontology at Malmo University in Sweden has discovered two new proteins that are of importance to the survival of bacteria and their colonization of the human body. Besides enhancing our knowledge of the ability of bacteria to spread, the findings may also lead to more effective treatment of endocarditis and infections associated with implants.
Heart failure is one of the world"s most frequent causes of death - caused by conditions such as diabetes and obesity. With people who are overweight, the heart has to do more work in order to pump the blood through the circulatory system and this causes an increase in blood pressure. The heart itself becomes enlarged as the myocardial muscle cells increase in mass. To enable the heart to grow there also has to be an increased supply of energy and oxygen. However, the myocardial muscle cells suffer from a lack of oxygen and energy until such time as there are enough blood vessels to support the tissue.
The results of the RECORD study are reported in an article published Online First and in a future edition of The Lancet. The findings are presented at the same time at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) meeting in New Orleans, USA. They indicate that the use of rosiglitazone (Avandia) together with regular diabetes treatments (metformin or a sulfonylurea) to reduce blood glucose in type 2 diabetics does not raise the risk of cardiovascular disease or death. On the other hand, the research establishes that using rosiglitazone multiplies by more than two the risk of heart failure, and increases the risk of fracture, mostly in women.
"Flying into a developing country, operating on people for a few days or weeks and flying out again helps individual persons but has nothing to do with sustainable development work." Professor Martin Salzer, Vice-president of "Austrian Doctors for Disabled" -- the Austrian society for medical development assistance -- is convinced that "it makes even less sense to fly in people from such countries for difficult operations, as humanitarian the motive may be. That money can be invested more effectively." For the group of physicians and medically interested persons around Prof. Salzer it is a question of sustainability in the field of development cooperation, something to which they can contribute their medical experience. "After care for the disability or sickness, our concern is networked interdisciplinary and sustainable rehabilitation. We also hope to thereby make a contribution toward combating poverty" Prof. Salzer says in summing up the main concern of the organization.
Manchester based software engineering company, Godel Technologies Europe Ltd, is to implement a virtual learning portal for the NHS.
"With a continuously ageing population the incidence of osteoporosis is steadily rising. This does not only pose problems to the individuals concerned but is also an enormous challenge for our societies" according to Professor Wolfhart Puhl, past president of the European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (EFORT). Prof. Puhl, of the Orthopç¤dikum Allgç¤u, Germany, who is in Vienna for the EFORT Congress, emphasized that the problem"s "dimension is frequently underestimated. Policy makers and funding agencies do not always consider this development sufficiently in their planning."
A pair of Michigan State University professors have received a total of nearly $400,000 for their cardiovascular research projects as part of the first wave of stimulus funding from federal agencies.
With just $399 and a bit of saliva in a cup, consumers can learn about their genetic risk for diseases from breast cancer to diabetes. Now, thanks to social networking sites set up by personal genomics companies, they can also share that information with family, friends and even strangers on the Internet.
Cigarette smoking induced COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a disease that results in severe breathing difficulty. According to World Health Organization (WHO) it is the fourth leading killer worldwide. However the mechanisms responsible for some smokers developing COPD and others evading the disease have not been well understood.
Westminster Kingsway College has launched a new Access to Higher Education programme in Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences at its new King"s Cross Centre in central London. The College is already a leading provider of Access to Higher Education courses in London as well as specialising in courses for Pharmacy Technicians in conjunction with the University of London"s School of Pharmacy and Birkbeck College.
Like human infants, young apes are known to hoot and holler when you tickle them. But is it fair to say that those playful calls are really laughter? The answer to that question is yes, say researchers reporting online on June 4th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication.
A new partnership between NHS Counter Fraud and law firm Capsticks will strengthen support to health bodies seeking to recover NHS funds lost to fraud.
Patients with psychiatric disorders occupy around 15% of total bed days in the NHS - and have a longer length of stay than people with other medical conditions.
Nearly 2 in 3 U.S. adults (63%) think that it is important that dental coverage is part of an overall health reform package, and 40 percent say it is very important, according to a new public opinion survey commissioned by Oral Health America. The survey, sponsored by the Dental Trade Alliance Foundation, and conducted by Harris Interactive(R), was released today at the launch of National Smile Month, the largest independent international campaign promoting good dental care including brushing, regular dental visits, and healthy food choices as well as the need for effective oral healthcare policies.
ActoGeniX, a development stage biopharmaceutical company, announced that the United States÷´ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Company÷´s Investigational New Drug (IND) application for AG013, a novel therapeutic product for the treatment of oral mucositis in cancer patients. This IND application approval allows ActoGeniX to initiate a phase 1B clinical trial with AG013, which will now become the second clinical development program in ActoGeniX÷´s portfolio.
Dey, L.P., a subsidiary of Mylan Inc. (NYSE: MYL), has announced that data from two presentations highlighting the use of Perforomist® (formoterol fumarate) Inhalation Solution will be featured in poster format at the International Conference of the American Thoracic Society on May 19, 2009 in San Diego.
Ultrasound examination of the carotid artery is a patient-friendly and inexpensive method for assessing atherosclerosis and thereby predicting the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Peter Holdfeldt, who recently defended his doctoral thesis at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, has developed new analytical methods for ultrasound images that can provide more reliable and more exact assessments of atherosclerosis.
Scientists of the Electronic Technology group of the University of Seville (US), led by Professor Jos̩ Manuel Quero, have completed the first phase of Mireia, a research project financed by the Plan Nacional del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovaci̚n (National Plan of the Spanish Science and Innovation Ministry), whose aim is to develop an intelligent chip to regulate diabetes in any kind of patients suffering this disease.
Both blood pressure and serum lipid levels have improved in Swedish middle-aged women during the past 30 years. Levels of perceived mental stress, however, have increased significantly. These are the of a thesis presented at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Transplant surgeon, Stuart R. Geffner, M.D., Director of Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Surgery, Saint Barnabas Health Care System Renal and Pancreas Transplant Division, is the first in the world to use the Intuitive Surgical"s da Vinci(TM) Surgical System to successfully implant a kidney into a living recipient. This procedure revolutionizes kidney transplant surgery, taking an open procedure to an advanced form of laparoscopic surgery.
UroToday.com - Together with Drs. Heruti, Bechor, Justo and Galor, we studied 815 Israeli male adults of whom 305 had complete data and were included in the statistical analysis. In the analyzed population, 2.1% of people without erectile dysfunction (ED) had advanced periodontal disease (defined as recession of periodontal bone of 6 mm or more) in comparison to 9.8% of the mild ED and 15.8% of the moderate/severe ED populations, respectively. However, due to the relatively small groups, we could not present the odds ratio. We are now planning a large-scale study to further establish the association between the two conditions.
Versartis, Inc., a new company developing novel biologics with enhanced properties for patients with metabolic diseases, published abstracts for preclinical data on its two product candidates, VRS-859 (exenatide-rPEG) and VRS-808 (glucagon-rPEG), at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions annual meeting in New Orleans.
Cracks permeate the dried-out desert ground, the landscape bears testimony to the lack of water. But even here, where there are no lakes, rivers or groundwater, considerable quantities of water are stored in the air. In the Negev desert in Israel, for example, annual average relative air humidity is 64 percent - in every cubic meter of air there are 11.5 milliliters of water.
The Senate Judiciary Committee"s vetting of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama"s nominee for the Supreme Court, officially began Thursday when the White House delivered her written responses to a comprehensive questionnaire designed by the committee"s leadership, Roll Call reports. The questionnaire -- developed by Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) -- will be used as part of preparations for Sotomayor"s as-yet-unscheduled round of confirmation hearings (Stanton, Roll Call, 6/4).Sotomayor disclosed a large amount of information in the questionnaire, such as her net worth and a timeline for when she learned that she was under consideration by the White House as a potential replacement to retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter (Perine, CQ Today, 6/4). According to Roll Call, Sotomayor"s responses might offer members of both parties "fodder to support or oppose her nomination."Leahy, who has the authority to schedule the confirmation hearings, said in a statement that Sotomayor "has advanced the confirmation process by promptly complying with this Senate requirement, and now the Senate should promptly schedule hearings to fairly consider her nomination to our highest court," adding, "The unfair attacks that have been leveled at her from outside the Senate are all the more reason to give her the chance to respond." Earlier this week, he said that he would announce a start date for the hearings after Sotomayor"s responses were received (Roll Call, 6/4). Meanwhile, Sotomayor on Thursday continued another round of private meetings with senators on Capitol Hill, including a few GOP senators who earlier had expressed concerns about her past comments and actions, CQ Today reports (CQ Today, 6/4).Questions Over Sotomayor"s Position on Abortion-Rights Issue RemainIn related news, USA Today on Friday examined how Sotomayor in the past 17 years as a federal judge "has left no clear footprints revealing" her position on abortion-rights issues. This week, some Democratic senators in private meetings with Sotomayor attempted to seek answers, while advocates on both sides of the debate are urging senators to question her about her views on Roe v. Wade during the expected confirmation hearings. On Wednesday, following a meeting with Sotomayor, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said that she believes Sotomayor has respect for judicial precedent. Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said, "I don"t have concerns about this nominee in the sense that I think there is something on the record (against abortion rights)," adding, "We just think it"s important for Supreme Court nominees to say where they stand." Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life, agreed, noting the lack of a definitive position on abortion rights in Sotomayor"s record. Feinstein also said that she will persist on abortion-rights issues. "I remember what it was like when abortion was illegal, and the lives of young, desperate women were in jeopardy," she said, adding that she is concerned "Americans no longer appreciate what it would mean if (abortion rights) were taken away" (Biskupic, USA Today, 6/5).
The Washington Post on Friday examined the renewed attention on abortion procedures performed later in pregnancy following Kansas provider George Tiller"s shooting death on Sunday. Tiller was one of the few physicians in the U.S. who performed late abortions. The Post reports that these abortions make up a small portion of the 1.2 million abortions performed each year -- more than 88% of abortions are performed in the first trimester and less than 1% are performed after 21 weeks" gestation. Data published in 2001 from 15 states and New York City show that as many as 2,400 abortions after 24 weeks" gestation were performed in the U.S. that year, according to Stanley Henshaw, a senior fellow at the Guttmacher Institute. He added that most of those abortions likely were performed in the 25th or 26th week.Henshaw said that little is known about the circumstances surrounding third trimester abortion procedures and that "information just isn"t available." The government does not collect detailed data regarding the number of such procedures, who is performing them and under what circumstances. In addition, abortion providers who perform the procedure later in pregnancy supply very little published information, the Post reports. According to the Post, most abortion providers will not perform the procedure after 22 or 24 weeks" gestation because of legal and other concerns, social stigma, or inadequate training and lack of experience. A 2001 survey of 1,819 abortion providers indicated that 18 clinics and 12 hospitals performed abortions at 26 weeks" gestation. However, the Post reports that the number of providers offering abortions later in pregnancy likely has declined in correlation with the decreasing number of overall providers. Henshaw said the number of providers offering the procedure later in pregnancy also likely has declined.Abortion-rights supporters say that third-trimester abortions are performed only when medically necessary, such as when a fatal abnormality is detected in the fetus or a life-threatening complication in the woman is discovered. Other circumstances include cases when the woman suffers serious emotional issues or is undergoing cancer treatment, the Post reports. Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation, said that women who experience such pregnancies have "no good choice" and "nee[d] to terminate their pregnancies to protect their own health." Tiller "provided both the emotional and physical care for women in that situation," she said (Stein, Washington Post, 6/5).Los Angeles Times Profiles Abortion Provider Hern The Los Angeles Times on Friday profiled Warren Hern, a Colorado-based abortion provider who performs the procedure later in pregnancy and was a close friend of Tiller"s. Hern has provided abortions since 1973 when the Supreme Court legalized the procedure with Roe v. Wade. He said he "felt doing abortions was the most important thing I could do with my life." Hern opened the Boulder Abortion Clinic in 1975, and in the 1980s authored and self-published a textbook, Abortion Practice. He said that he eventually began to focus on abortion procedures later in pregnancy, which currently make up the majority of his practice. Such abortions usually are performed because of medical complications in the woman or abnormalities in the fetus. Patients at Hern"s clinic receive counseling to explain the procedure and to ensure the woman wants it, although he said many women have already made their decision with their own physician. Hern said that although Tiller"s death has been an emotional situation, his clinic is "pretty busy taking care of people who said they couldn"t find anyone else" to perform abortions later in pregnancy (Correll, Los Angeles Times, 6/5).Bond Set for Tiller Shooting Suspect Sedgwick County, Kan., District Judge Warren Wilbert on Thursday set a $5 million bond for Scott Roeder, the man charged with shooting and killing Tiller, the AP/Yahoo! News reports. A preliminary hearing for Roeder is scheduled for June 16. If convicted, Roeder face
The CDC has released a fact sheet informing people that there is some risk of transmitting HIV to others through oral sex, even though it is much lower than the risk of transmission from vaginal or anal intercourse, the Lakeland Ledger"s "Robin"s Rx: Medical Blogging in Polk County" reports. According to the CDC, many people believe that oral sex is safe or has no risk of transmitting disease. The CDC fact sheet said that abstaining from any sexual activity or engaging in mutual monogamy where both partners are uninfected are the only ways to completely prevent HIV transmission, but that condoms and other barriers between the mouth and genitals can reduce the risk of transmission through oral sex (Adams, "Robin"s Rx: Medical Blogging in Polk County," Lakeland Ledger, 6/4).
Dengue Fever (DF) and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) are the most important vector-borne viral diseases in the World. Around 50-100 million cases appear each year putting 2.5 billion people at risk of suffering this debilitating and sometimes fatal disease. Dengue Fever is prevalent in the Tropics. For that reason, an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Miami (UM) and the University of Costa Rica have used global climatological data and vegetation indices from Costa Rica, to predict Dengue outbreaks in the region.
Half of all patients who undergo myocardial infarction are experiencing onerous fatigue four months after the infarction. The patients who are most fatigued are those who perceive the infarction as a sign of chronic illness, those who experience the illness as difficult to control, and those who believe that the illness has a large impact on their life. These are the conclusions of a thesis presented at the Sahlgrenska Academy.
In the sense that organisms existing today are connected through a chain of life - through their parents, grandparents and other ancestors - almost a billion years back to the first animals of the pre-Cambrian era, an animal"s reproductive cells can be considered to be immortal. These germline cells generate their offspring"s somatic cells - other cells involved in all aspects of growth, metabolism and behavior, which have a set lifespan - and new germline cells that continue on, generation after generation.
UroToday.com - The dynamic contrast-enhanced dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-DSC-MRI) technique presented in the article(1) is based on a novel dual-contrast sequence. The sequence is a gradient echo sequence that uses a single inversion pulse and subsequent acquisition of two contrasts/echoes with different inversion and echo times. Inversion preparation increases the signal-to-noise ratio in comparison to other gradient echo sequences. The blood volume in the prostate is relatively small, i.e., approximately one percent, while the interstitial contrast-agent-enhancing volume is approximately 20 percent. Therefore, conventional imaging sequences fail to separate the low contrast agent signal originating from the blood from that originating from interstitial tissue. The first contrast/echo is acquired with a short echo time and is T1-weighted, allowing quantification of the total signal contribution while failing to separate the blood signal from the interstitial contrast agent signal.
UroToday.com - The prevailing view is that MRI has a limited role in the management of prostate cancer. Currently, the threshold for requesting a pre-treatment staging MRI is variable with most advocating this for only those classified as high risk localized prostate cancer, although some also advocate men with intermediate risk disease.
PMSI Settlement Solutions, a leading solutions provider for liability and workers" compensation claims, announced its initiative to address payor concerns regarding the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) new prescription drug requirement associated with Medicare Set-Asides (MSA"s). As part of this initiative, PMSI Settlement Solutions will work with government affairs experts, industry consultants and other interested payors.
"Ameritas believes strongly in the importance of preventive care and oral wellness education," said Roxann Brennfoerder, vice president - group customer relations and operations. Using new technology along with conventional visual exams, this simple screening makes it easier for dentists to detect oral cancer sooner, allowing patients to seek treatment sooner.
Staff at Scotland"s care watchdog have been praised for completing a specialist course aimed at improving care standards across the country.
"Rehabilitation medicine is facing a major challenge today," says Dr. Karsten Dreinh̦fer (Head of Department for Orthopaedics and Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical Park Berlin Humboldtm̿hle, Germany) speaking at the EFORT Congress in Vienna. "Not only in Germany but in many other European countries too, the trend is towards the shortest possible stay in an acute hospital after orthopaedic or trauma-related surgery. This means patient care is shifting increasingly to the rehabilitation sector, which must then be appropriately equipped and trained." But demographic developments are also presenting a significant challenge to orthopaedic rehabilitation: with modern surgical procedures, surgery such as joint replacement operations can be carried out on more and more patients, including the elderly and the very elderly, who then require special care and mobilization assistance, says Dr. Dreinh̦fer, who has been appointed to the professorship for musculoskeletal rehabilitation, prevention and health care research at the Charit̩ in Berlin. Broad interdisciplinary cooperation is also necessary, he says. "Multimodal concepts have proven to be especially effective in numerous diseases of the musculoskeletal system," says Dr. Dreinh̦fer, speaking of a further important trend. "This involves orthopaedics working together with other disciplines, such as physiotherapy, psychotherapy and sports sciences, to be able to help effectively such common complaints as back pain." He says it is also important to cooperate across various health sectors. "It is increasingly important to optimise, via treatment pathways, the transition from the pre-inpatient sector, to acute care and to rehabilitation."
Nine of the top 20 health issues researched on the internet relate to dieting, weight loss and healthy living.
Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) Federal Secretary Ged Kearney said comments made by Senator Nick Xenophon today display a lack of understanding of the award modernisation process and the benefits this process brings to nursing staff, employers and the aged care industry.
The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) convened an Expert Panel June 1-2 to address the urgent and unmet need for the development and approval of new, safe, effective, and tolerable medications for people with lupus. It has been more than 50 years since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new drug specifically to treat lupus. Discussions during the two-day meeting in Washington, DC focused on how to better conduct studies of potential new lupus treatments, including clinical endpoints, diagnostic tools, background medications, and clinical trial design.
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.
The Pest Management Regulatory Agency of Health Canada has granted Innovotech (TSV VENTURE:IOT) a Research Authorization for large-scale field trials for the 2009 season to test its novel seed treatment, AgressTM. This Research Authorization provides growers with an opportunity to assess the real-world ability of AgressTM to fight bacterial disease and its ease of use. In conjunction with cooperating growers, dry beans treated with AgressTM have been planted on farms in Alberta.
The National Audit Office (NAO) on Friday released findings from a new report exploring the problems and challenges of supporting adults with autism. The aim of the report was to assess current service provision in areas including: health, social care, education, benefits and employment support. It also identified how these areas could be made more effective, efficient and appropriate to the needs of adults with autism and their carers.
When pouches begin to protrude outwards from the colon wall the person has diverticular disease or diverticulosis. When one of these pouches becomes infected and inflamed, that infection is called diverticulitis. People may have lots of protruding pouches and feel fine. However, when one of them becomes infected it can be very painful.
The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) welcomes the world"s leading researchers in cardiovascular medicine to present their most-recent findings at its 20th Annual Scientific Sessions, June 6-10, at the Gaylord National Convention Center in Washington, DC. This year, NBA basketball player and former heart patient, Ronny Turiaf will be in attendance to talk about how echocardiography, otherwise known as heart ultrasound, saved his life.
The Washington Independent examines a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, which found that a federal law requiring most international food aid to come from U.S. farmers could be "hobbling efforts to feed the world"s hungry." Currently, Food for Peace - the nation"s largest food aid program - "requires that the crops be purchased from U.S. growers, processed through U.S. companies, and shipped using U.S.-flagged vessels," according to the article.
Congressional Democrats are preparing the message to go with their sweeping health reform in both the House and the Senate, after Sen. Edward Kennedy"s draft reform bill was circulated, CNN.com reports.
Several newspapers had articles about major congressional players in the health care debate.
The American Journal of Men"s Health (AJMH), published by SAGE, has been accepted for inclusion in MEDLINE, the premier bibliographic database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), containing more than 16 million journal article citations.
DrugScope has welcomed the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse"s announcement of an extra ÷£11.8m government investment in drug treatment.
St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) announced the completion of patient implants in its U.S. pivotal clinical study of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the symptomatic treatment of Parkinson"s disease, a neurological disorder affecting approximately 6.3 million people worldwide that progressively diminishes a person"s control over his or her movements. The announcement was made at the Movement Disorder Society"s 13th International Congress of Parkinson"s Disease and Movement Disorders in Paris.
Primary care pediatricians may be under-diagnosing sleep disorders in children and teens, according to a research abstract presented on June 8 at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
As the official sponsor of birthdays, the American Cancer Society announced new survey results that show people who say they are in excellent health enjoy better birthdays. The online survey of 2,002 U.S. adults, which demonstrated a strong link between health and attitudes about birthdays, revealed that people who say they are in excellent health are more likely to consider birthdays special and exciting events. In addition, people who say they are in excellent health are nearly twice as likely to love celebrating birthdays, generally consider them fun and feel more special on their birthday than people who say they are in poor health.
Computer/console gamers who play for more than seven hours a week and who identify their gaming as an addiction sleep less during the weekdays and experience greater sleepiness than casual or non-gamers, according to a research abstract presented on June 8 at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies
A close relative of the microorganism that causes tuberculosis in humans has been found to form spores. This is a sensational finding because researchers have long been convinced that these kinds of bacteria - the mycobacteria - were incapable of forming spores. Leif Kirsebom"s research group at Uppsala University now has photographic proof, obtained while working with the bacteria that causes tuberculosis in fish, to challenge this long-held belief. Their discovery, which has attracted much attention from other scientists, might constitute a new turn in the fight against human tuberculosis.
Study results presented for the first
New data presented at the EHA (European
The fuzzy pale mold that lines the glass tubes in Dr. Yi Liu"s lab doesn"t look much like a clock.
Children and especially boys diagnosed with intermittent exotropia, a condition in which the eye turns outward (away from the nose) only some of the time, appear more likely to develop mental illness by young adulthood than children without strabismus (when the eyes deviate or are misaligned when looking at an object), according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Health professionals across the world can now get on-the-spot access to expert opinion, guidelines and the latest clinical evidence on their mobile phone.
In this week"s edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PNAS, Uppsala University scientists describe a new mechanism behind an important process that causes a rapid reduction of DNA in the chromosomes of bacteria. The findings advance our knowledge of how DNA content has been reduced, which is something that has occurred in bacteria that live as parasites inside the cells of other organisms.
MDRNA, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRNA) announced that it has obtained full U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for generic calcitonin-salmon nasal spray for the treatment of osteoporosis and that Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc. (NYSE: PAR) has launched the product.
If somebody asks you "Do you remember what you did on March 13, 1985?" you are very likely to answer "I don"t know", even if your memory is excellent. In a study conducted by Dalla Barba and Decaix from the Institut National de la Santç© et de la Recherche Mç©dicale and the Department of Neurology of the Hç´pital Saint Antoine in Paris and published by Elsevier in the May 2009 issue of Cortex, researchers found that a patient with severe amnesia reported detailed false memories in answering this type of question. People with normal memories are unable to answer this type of question because it is beyond their memory capacity. This is the first reported case of a pathological condition that the authors of the article named "Confabulatory Hyperamnesia".
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.
Biotech company Pharming Group NV ("Pharming" or "the Company") (NYSE Euronext: PHARM) today announced that the Paediatric Committee (PDCO) of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has adopted an opinion agreeing the paediatric investigation plan (PIP) for Rhucin® (recombinant human C1 inhibitor) in the therapeutic area of immunology-rheumatology transplantation.
An over-the-counter prostate cancer test kit
A CT scan stands for Computed Tomography scan. It is also known as a CAT (Computer Axial Tomography) scan. It is a medical imaging method that employs tomography. Tomography is the process of generating a two-dimensional image of a slice or section through a 3-dimensional object (a tomogram). The medical device (the machine) is called a CTG scanner; it is a large machine and uses X-rays. It used to be called an EMI scan, because it was developed by the company EMI. Undergoing a CT scan is a painless procedure.
One-year data from the two-year Phase III LITHE (TociLIzumab Safety and THE Prevention of Structural Joint Damage) study demonstrated that a greater proportion of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with ACTEMRA(R) (tocilizumab), a novel interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor inhibitor, in combination with methotrexate, experienced a significant inhibition in the progression of structural joint damage compared with patients treated with methotrexate alone. These data will be presented at the 10th Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) in Copenhagen, Denmark, along with additional studies that support the use of ACTEMRA as a long-term treatment option for patients with moderately to severely active RA.
Gregg Duester, Ph.D., professor of developmental biology at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham), along with Xianling Zhao, Ph.D., and colleagues, have clarified the role that retinoic acid plays in limb development. The study showed that retinoic acid controls the development (or budding) of forelimbs, but not hindlimbs, and that retinoic acid is not responsible for patterning (or differentiation of the parts) of limbs. This research corrects longstanding misconceptions about limb development and provides new insights into congenital limb defects. The study was published online in the journal Current Biology on May 21.
A small study published in Acupuncture Medicine reports that acupuncture may be beneficial in easing symptoms of indigestion which are very frequent in pregnant women. The hormonal changes in the body during pregnancy cause heartburn, stomach pain and discomfort, reflux, belching and bloating. Between 45 to 80 percent of women are reported to experience those symptoms.
A Brown University professor is among the first in the country to win a federal research grant funded by national economic stimulus efforts.
In a joint effort by national laboratory-, university- and private-sector institutions, researchers are developing new tools for rapidly characterizing biological pathogens that could give rise to potentially deadly pandemics such as Influenza A (H1N1).
Protesting what they call a "dangerous and frightening" reduction in medical res, Registered Nurses from UCSF will picket their hospital this Wednesday, calling on administrators to immediately withdraw their proposal to increase patient loads for nurses by 25 to 100 percent.
Despite a recent ruling by India"s Supreme Court that all tobacco products must have pictorial warnings by May 31, one week after the ruling was to go into effect, the warning labels have yet to appear on packaging, the National reports.
A recent study found developing countries affected by war receive less money for reproductive health than other developing nations, despite having acute needs, Reuters reports. "In war-affected countries, 1,041 pregnant women die for every 100,000 live births due to complications such as bleeding, infections and obstructed labour" compared to 720 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in "underdeveloped countries that were unaffected by war," Reuters writes. Nine women die for every 100,000 live births "in advanced countries with modern healthcare facilities," according to Reuters.
On Monday, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, D- N.Y., told reporters that the House bill will include a new public insurance plan, Reuters/The Boston Globe reports. "Similar to legislation being developed in the Senate, the House bill would establish an insurance exchange to help people without employer-sponsored insurance find medical coverage." The government-sponsored public insurance plan would be "one of the options available, lawmakers said." The bill would also establish a mandate that would "require individuals and businesses to obtain coverage."
Low blood glucose levels do not explain the excess deaths seen in the intensive control group of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial, according to a report presented here today at the American Diabetes Association"s 69th Scientific Sessions.
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.
President Obama"s appointment of Alexia Kelley, founder of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, as director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships at HHS "took the pro-choice movement by surprise," Salon contributor Frances Kissling, a former president of Catholics for Choice, writes in an opinion piece. According to Kissling, abortion-rights supporters "want to know ... why the post, which includes oversight of the department"s faith-based grant-making in family planning, HIV and AIDS and in small-scale research into the effect of religion and spirituality on early sexual behavior, has gone to someone who both believes abortion should be illegal and opposes contraception." She adds that Kelley and CACG have "sought to narrow the interpretation of common ground on abortion to efforts to reduce the number of abortions by providing women who are already pregnant with economic support for continuing the pregnancy and making adoption easier."Kissling notes that the "HHS budget for family-planning services grants to faith-based and community groups is more than $20 million." She asks, "Can pro-family-planning religious groups expect a fair deal from a director who believes that birth control, even for married couples, is immoral? Will programs that provide contraception to adolescents get funded?" Kissling continues that Obama"s February executive order on the office directed it to work to prevent teen pregnancy and reduce the need for abortion. She says of Kelley, "How can an opponent of the single most effective way to do both -- contraception -- lead that effort in HHS enthusiastically and effectively?"Kissling also notes Kelley"s accomplishments, writing that she "has much to offer in government -- but not at HHS." There are "10 other government agencies that have faith-based offices," and a "far less controversial placement could have been found at Labor, Housing and Urban Development, or the Department of Education," according to Kissling.Kissling continues that some leaders in the abortion-rights movement "have not yet commented on the Kelley appointment; most are still reeling from Dr. Tiller"s murder." However, "One hopes they will turn their attention to this appointment and demand a review of Kelley"s qualifications for this post," Kissling writes. She continues, "Pro-choice groups also contributed to the president"s election. They deserve appointees who agree with the platform on which the president ran. The pro-choice movement"s recommendations for pro-choice appointees to the faith-based office"s advisory council were ignored."Kissling adds that the "mission going forward must be to ensure that any additional staff members appointed to faith-based centers in Cabinet-level agencies reflect the pro-choice, pro-family-planning values of the administration." She concludes that as abortion-rights supporters "try to get to the bottom of the Kelley appointment, greater oversight of, and consultation on, future appointments need to be secured" (Kissling, Salon, 6/7).
In response to a study, funded by the British Heart Foundation and published online by Tobacco Control Journal , Betty McBride, Policy & Communications Director, at the British Heart Foundation, said:
According to a research abstract that will be presented on Wednesday, June 10, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, increased sleep disturbances are associated with lower education, income or being unmarried or unemployed. Disturbances are much more likely in multiracial individuals.
According to a research abstract that will be presented on Wednesday, June 10, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, caffeine use prevents increased risk taking that occurs after several nights of total sleep deprivation.
The NHS met a number of key commitments on healthcare priorities at the end of the last financial year and continues to show strong financial management, the Department of Health announced today.
The nature of the U.S. Navy workplace leads to higher heavy drinking for sailors than for civilians, according to an article in the May issue of the Journal of Mixed Methods Research published by SAGE.
A leading anxiety charity has today criticised Veteran Labour MP Sir Gerald Kaufman for using Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder as an excuse for, by his own admittance "bizarre and daft" MP expense claims.
Researchers in Berlin, Germany have found that a specific type of immune cell, the regulatory T lymphocyte (Treg) plays an important role in hypertension-induced cardiac damage. The injected Treg that they harvested from donor mice into recipient mice were infused with angiotensin II, a blood pressure-raising peptide. The Tregs had no influence on the blood pressure response to angiotensin II. Nonetheless, cardiac enlargement, fibrosis, and inflammation was sharply reduced by Treg treatment. Furthermore, the tendency to develop abnormal heart rhythms that could lead to sudden cardiac death was also reduced. Dr. Heda Kvakan and Dr. Dominik N. MÃøller at the Experimental and Clinical Research Center at the Max DelbrÃøck Center do not intend Treg as a therapy. However, a better understanding of how the immune system fits into hypertension-induced organ damage could result from these studies (Circulation, Vol. 119, No. 22, June 9, 2009, 2904-2912 ).*
-- 2 confirmed cases in Wales:
A team of U.S. investigators led by neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) are steadily uncovering the role that amyloid precursor protein (APP) - the protein implicated in development of Alzheimer"s disease - plays in normal brain function. In the June 10 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, they discovered that APP interacts with another protein known as Reelin to promote development of abundant connections between brain neurons.
Cancer patients who are older than 65 years have poorer physical health and, in some cases, mental health when compared with people of the same age group without cancer, according to a study in the June 9 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Self-reported nightmares among patients seeking emergency psychiatric evaluation uniquely predicted elevated suicidal symptoms, according to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
Bicuspid Aortic Valve (BAV), a condition in which patients" aortic valves have just two leaflets instead of the normal three, is the most common cardiac anomaly, affecting up to two percent of the general population. The defect can result in calcification deposits on the heart valve, leakage of the valve and may results in a feeling of tightness in the chest as well as shortness of breath. The condition is easily diagnosed; often physicians can hear a "click" or a murmur when they listen to a BAV patient"s heart with a stethoscope.
So many classic childhood movies (Dumbo) and sing-a-longs (Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro?) emphasize large and protruding ears. But it turns out that having protruding ears is often-times a humiliating feature for a teenager.
Elsevier, the world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, has announced the launch of the online version of the Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines (CJNM). Established in 2003, the Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines is now available for the first time in English on ScienceDirect.
The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) announces it will be delivering training sessions for the RSPH Level 1 Health Awareness and the RSPH Level 2 Understanding Health Improvement awards.
Weekly tablet delivers major new benefits for patients, doctors and payors: avoiding the need for burdensome and costly infusions and related infection risks; weekly tablet dosing offers potential for better safety and side effect profile of a "gold standard" oncology drug.
Building on the momentum of their previous events, The Stem Cell Awareness Association will hold a Stem Cell Awareness Rally in Denver, Colorado on June 13th, 2009. The group"s last event, in Punta Gorda, Florida, drew past patients, prospective patients, news media, U.S. physicians and specialists, as well as members of the public interested in learning more about stem cell treatment.
New investigational data presented at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 69th Annual Scientific Sessions showed that initial combination therapy with "Januvia" (sitagliptin) and pioglitazone* substantially improved blood sugar control. [i]
The United States is becoming a nation of haves and have-nots when it comes to tobacco control, according to a comprehensive publication on cigarette smoking prevalence and policies in the U.S. which has just been released.
Four suspects often found at the scene of the crime in cancer are guilty of the initiation and progression of breast cancer in mice that are resistant to the disease, a team led by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports in the June edition of Cancer Cell.
Emory University researchers have identified a surprising mechanism in the brains of mother mice that focuses their awareness on the calls of baby mice. Their study, published June 11 in Neuron, found that the high-frequency sounds of mice pups stand out in a mother"s auditory cortex by inhibiting the activity of neurons more attuned to lower frequency sounds.
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation has launched an advertisement campaign in Washington, D.C., comparing the federal government"s response to the district"s high rate of people living with HIV/AIDS to the government"s response to Hurricane Katrina, myfoxdc.com reports. The group is urging President Obama to push CDC recommendations designed to make HIV testing a routine part of health care (Parker, myfoxdc.com, 6/10).
President Obama urged Congress to enact into law tough financial rules requiring them to offset any new spending or taxes, but was clear that where health care is concerned, lawmakers should overlook those rules, Bloomberg reports. "Under fire from Republicans for his spending proposals, Obama is seeking to impose a "pay-as-you-go" system on the budget to demonstrate his commitment to fiscal restraint" (Faler and Runningen, 6/9).
"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."
Trust for America"s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) released a new public opinion survey today which finds that Americans rank prevention as the most important health care reform priority, and overwhelmingly support increasing funding for prevention programs to reduce disease and keep people healthy.
People with chronic health conditions who receive coaching tailored to their level of health activation showed significant improvements in clinical outcomes, and experienced fewer hospitalizations and visits to the emergency room than those coached using traditional methods, according to a study published in the June issue of The American Journal of Managed Care.
The family of murdered Kansas abortion provider George Tiller announced on Tuesday that his Wichita clinic will not re-open, leading some abortion-rights advocates to voice concern about access to the procedure, the New York Times reports. Tiller was one of a handful of abortion providers who performed the procedure in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, and women for decades have traveled to the clinic from across the U.S. and other countries. The clinic, Women"s Health Care Services, also was Kansas" only clinic outside the Kansas City area (Davey, New York Times, 6/10). The Tiller family said in a statement that the clinic will be "permanently closed" effective immediately. The family also said it does not plan to be involved "in any similar clinic" but will "honor Dr. Tiller"s memory through private charitable activities" (Slevin/Stein, Washington Post, 6/10).While abortion-rights advocates expressed empathy for the family, some added that they also are concerned that the clinic"s closure could have devastating effects for women who learn of fatal health problems late in their pregnancies, the Times reports. Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said, "It is unacceptable that antiabortion intimidation and violence has led to the closing of Dr. Tiller"s clinic." She added, "Not only have we lost a fearless defender of women"s fundamental health and rights in Dr. Tiller"s murder, but the closing of his clinic leaves an immediate and immense void in the availability of abortion" (New York Times, 6/10). Suzanne Poppema, board chair of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health and a retired ob-gyn who performed abortions, said that abortions later in pregnancy would still be available, including through university hospitals that do not advertise the service. The closing is "not going to stop people who want to provide the service, but it will slow them down," she said. Marla Patrick, Kansas coordinator for the National Organization for Women, said abortion-rights advocates are working to open another Wichita-based clinic that provides abortions later in pregnancy (Bello, USA Today, 6/10). The AP/Yahoo! News reports that Kansas state law permits abortion after 21 weeks" gestation only if continuing the pregnancy would endanger the woman"s life or cause a "substantial and irreversible impairment" of a major bodily function, which courts have interpreted to include the mental health of the woman (Hegman/Hanna, AP/Yahoo! News, 6/9).According to the Times, some abortion-rights advocates had hoped other abortion providers would take over Tiller"s work at the clinic. LeRoy Carhart, a Nebraska abortion provider who also worked with Tiller, said he is "currently exploring every option to be able to continue to make second- and early, medically indicated third-trimester abortions available." Warren Hern, a Colorado abortion provider who performs procedures later in pregnancy, said, "Where does it end? The antiabortion fanatics got exactly what they wanted" (New York Times, 6/10). According to the Wall Street Journal, abortion-rights opponents" response to the closure was "subdued." Some expressed concern that antiabortion-rights extremists would think that violence "gets results where legal protest doesn"t," the Journal reports (Simon, Wall Street Journal, 6/10). Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue, said that while the group is "thankful" that the clinic is closed, they "wish it would have come through the peaceful, legal channels that we were pushing" (New York Times, 6/10).Broadcast CoverageMSNBC"s "The Rachel Maddow Show" on Tuesday reported on the clinic"s closure and included a discussion with Susan Hill, president of the National Women"s Health Organization, about violence against abortion providers and an increase in the hostility of protesters outside abortion clinics since Tiller"s murder (Maddow, "The Rachel Maddow Show," MSNBC, 6/9). NPR"s "All Things Considered" on Tuesday also reported on the clinic"s closure ("All Things
Three faculty members from the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing will be inducted as fellows into the American Academy of Nursing.
Cancer Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCBB: CTHP), an emerging biotechnology business incubator with a specific emphasis on disruptive cancer treatments and nanotechnology, announced its new partner, NanoTherapies, Inc., is utilizing calcium phosphate nanoparticles to detect and treat cancer. These particles are about 350 times smaller than a human cell while providing both a safe and effective way to transport drugs and imaging materials into diseased cells.
Scientists have identified for the first time a mechanism by which nanoparticles cause lung damage and have demonstrated that it can be combated by blocking the process involved, taking a step toward addressing the growing concerns over the safety of nanotechnology.
Cocaine and heroin increase permeability of the placenta. Researchers writing in BioMed Central"s open access journal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology have shown that exposure to the drugs causes an increase in the passage of some chemicals into the fetus.
Cecal volvulus is axial twisting that occurs involving the cecum, terminal ileum, and ascending colon. Rarely, it may take the form of upward and anterior folding of the ascending colon ("cecal bascule").
Hundreds of people gathered at a planned rally on Wednesday at the California State Capitol in Sacramento to protest the proposed $80.1 million in budget cuts to HIV/AIDS programs in the state, which would result in an 80 percent reduction in prevention, testing and counseling programs, as well as significant cuts in programs for people living with HIV, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. According to the Chronicle, the budget plan "faces pushback from the Legislature, where the leaders of both houses have announced their strong opposition," including Sen. Mark Leno (D). At the rally, Leno urged other lawmakers to examine the possible effects of the cuts. Lisa Page, a spokesperson for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), said the governor understands the consequences of the cuts but the state is facing a $24.3 billion budget deficit and has limited options. She said, "Many of these cuts the governor would never consider except in a worst-case scenario, and this is the worst-case scenario" (Buchanan, San Francisco Chronicle, 6/11).