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 An enzyme known to play a key role in the development of emphysema serves as the first line of defense against bacterial infection of the lung, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. They also found that the antimicrobial activity comes from a small portion of the enzyme that is structurally and sequentially unique in nature. Lead author A. McGarry Houghton, M.D., assistant professor, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine,
Pitt School of Medicine, said that prior to this discovery scientists thought that the enzyme, called macrophage elastase, matrix metalloproteinase-12 or MMP-12, which is produced in excess in smokers, didn"t do anything but degrade the lung"s elastic fibers, thereby contributing to the tissue destruction of emphysema. "But we found that mice that didn"t have the gene to make this enzyme could not clear bacteria well and were more likely to die of infection," he explained. "They
couldn"t make this small protein, which kills bacteria by poking holes in cell membranes." The findings were described today in Nature.
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New research from North Carolina State University and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) shows significant reproductive health effects in rats that have been exposed to bisphenol-A (BPA) at levels equivalent to or below the dose that has been thought not to produce any adverse effects. BPA is a chemical found in baby bottles, water bottles, canned foods and an array of other consumer products. The potential health effects of BPA are currently
the subjects of intense debate. The study found that female rats exposed to a BPA dose of 50 micrograms per kilogram of body weight (÷µg /kg) in their first four days of life experienced early onset of puberty. Female rats exposed to 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg) during their first four days of life developed significant ovarian malformations and premature loss of their estrus cycle. 
CentraState Medical Center (Freehold, New Jersey) has purchased two new state-of-the-art Elekta radiation therapy treatment systems, both with Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT). The first site in the world to have both Elekta Axesse and Elekta Infinity, CentraState will offer the most advanced cancer care available to its patients. CentraState Medical Center, a part of the CentraState Healthcare System, currently is treating 45 to 50 patients a day - with fluctuations
as high as 70 patients per day, all on one treatment unit. When the time came to add another treatment system, CentraState elected to replace another manufacturer"s system and install two new Elekta systems. Jan Dragotta, Clinical Director, Radiation Oncology, says the decision process took several months and involved a team of CentraState physicians, physicists and administrators. 
At a meeting sponsored by the National Council on Aging (NCOA) and the Medicare Diabetes Screening Project (MDSP), former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, experts in diabetes research and education, and representatives of senior-serving organizations from a four-state area gathered in Washington, DC to draw attention to the need for increased screening for diabetes among older adults ages 65 and older insured by Medicare. "Diabetes is a major health threat for seniors
and a driver in escalating Medicare costs," said Daschle. "Screening and early diagnosis are critical to managing diabetes effectively and to prevent the onset of the disease for those at risk. And yet, less than 10 percent of Medicare beneficiaries are screened annually for diabetes, even though Medicare offers a free diabetes screening benefit. We have to do better." "When diabetes is undiagnosed and untreated, it can be devastating, and new government statistics show that older adults are
especially vulnerable," said Nancy Whitelaw, Senior Vice President and Director, Center for Healthy Aging of NCOA.