Medical Devices
Oculus Innovative Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:OCLS), a healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets a family of products based upon the Microcyn® Technology platform, which includes new formulations intended to reduce the use of antibiotics by preventing or treating infections including those caused by bacteria and viruses, has confirmed the effectiveness of Microcyn® Technology at inactivating the H1NI Swine Influenza A. In a virucidal time-kill suspension test conducted by an independent laboratory, BioScience Laboratories, Inc., the specific Microcyn Technology formulation reduced infectivity of the swine flu virus by 4.00log10 (99.99%) reduction after just 30-seconds exposure. BioScience Laboratories, working in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, received formal approval to acquire, house and evaluate the specific swine influenza virus in April 2009.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) welcomes the amendments made to the Health Workforce Australia Bill 2009 this week. The Bill establishes the Health Workforce Authority (HWA) as proposed by the Council of Australian Governments (CoAG). The legislation was passed subject to an amendment, which restricts the HWA from having responsibility for the accreditation of clinical education and training, which includes general practice vocational training.
A possible government rethink into the "flawed and expensive" private financing of NHS hospitals has been welcomed by Unite, the largest union in the country.
Some patient advocates are lobbying to legalize "compassionate use" of experimental drugs for people with terminal illnesses who have exhausted other treatments, prompting a debate about how and when to provide such patients with treatments that could prolong their lives, the New York Times reports. Most insurers do not cover unproven treatments, and physicians have concerns that using experimental treatment could give patients false hope and cause unnecessary pain. Drugmakers are concerned that if there are unfavorable outcomes from providing patients with an unproven treatment, it could hurt the drug"s chances of receiving FDA approval. At the same time, FDA does not want to grant drugs and their makers the opportunity to skip clinical trials. Currently, patients must individually apply to receive treatments through compassionate use (Harmon, New York Times, 5/17).
The Senate Commerce Committee has found that a flawed payment database produced by a UnitedHealth subsidiary and distributed to other major insurance companies has led insurers to underpay millions of out-of-network claims, forcing patients to make up the difference of health care providers" fees, the Wall Street Journal reports. Aetna, Cigna, WellPoint, and other large insurers used the data to calculate their "reasonable and customary" charges. They also provided UnitedHealth"s subsidiary, Ingenix, with historic data about their payments, which became the foundation of ongoing versions of the flawed payment models.
Chembio Diagnostic Systems, Inc. (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chembio Diagnostics, Inc.) (OTCBB: CEMI) has been awarded a three-year $3 million Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase II grant from the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fully develop, validate, and commercialize a rapid diagnostic test for leptospirosis for general use worldwide. The test will be developed utilizing Chembio"s patented Dual Path Platform (DPP®) technology together with proprietary reagents developed by Cornell University and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation at the Brazilian Ministry of Health.
Factory owners in Greater Manchester are being urged to put the safety of their staff first after an aerospace engineering company regularly ignored health and safety rules for eight years.
The H1N1 (swine flu) virus has reached the sub-Saharan African countries of Cape Verde, Ethiopia and Ivory Coast, according to the WHO, the AP/Boston Herald reports. Last week, South Africa became the first country in the region to confirm a 12-year-old, who had returned from the U.S., tested positive for the H1N1 virus.
The North Carolina Senate on Tuesday voted 25-21 to approve a bill (S. 221) that would require public school systems in the state to offer a sex education curriculum that includes information on abstinence, contraceptives and sexually transmitted infections, the Winston-Salem Journal reports. Currently, only two public school systems in the state offer comprehensive sex education, with the rest teaching abstinence-only curricula. Under the bill, parents would be able to have their children removed from the comprehensive portions of the program (Romoser, Winston-Salem Journal, 6/24). The bill would apply to students in seventh through ninth grade (AP/Virginian-Pilot, 6/23).The bill includes several changes from an earlier version that was approved by the state House. The measure now returns to the House, where lawmakers will decide whether to approve the Senate"s changes (Winston-Salem Journal, 6/24).
Mylan Inc. (NASDAQ: MYL) announced that its subsidiary Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its supplemental Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Temazepam Capsules USP, 22.5 mg. This strength is in addition to Mylan"s currently marketed 15 mg and 30 mg strengths of the product.
Condom vending machines will be unveiled on Monday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, as part of a six-year pilot HIV prevention initiative in the country, Tanzania"s The Citizen reports. Daniel Crapper of Population Services International said, "We are working very hard to ensure that condoms are widely available to the people." About 100 machines -- at a cost of about 380,000 Kenyan shillings, or $350 -- will be installed in various bars in Dar es Salaam. The project also will be carried out in Morogoro, Iringa and Mbeya before being rolled out to other regions across the country, according to Crapper. "Bars and night clubs are in our targets because they have the highest risk of unsafe sex, especially when people get drunk," Crapper said, adding, "This will enable condoms to be available almost daily." He noted that the condoms will be offered at a lower cost compared with some retail outlets and that the new initiative will not interfere with condom distribution systems throughout the country. According to The Citizen, the condoms will be available for purchase from the vending machines for 100 shillings, or about $1. John Wanyancha, PSI"s HIV/AIDS program manager, said that the project"s leaders focused on targeting areas with high HIV/AIDS rates after research revealed that inaccessibility to condoms at night was a major challenge in efforts to curb the spread of the disease. He noted that about 324 million condoms have been distributed in Tanzania since 2001 (Mbani, The Citizen, 5/15).
The following statement was issued today by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) regarding the agreement reached among the Obama administration, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and the Senate Finance Committee to help close the coverage gap in the Medicare prescription drug program:
A revolutionary new protein stabilisation technique has been developed by scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) which could lead to 30 per cent more proteins being available as potential targets for drug development - opening up exciting possibilities in drug discovery.
Although the recorded HIV prevalence in Pakistan is relatively low, health officials are concerned that a concentrated epidemic of the virus among injection drug users could carry over to commercial sex workers and other high risk groups in the country, IRIN/PlusNews reports. To address the issue, the National AIDS Control Program and the United Nations Population Fund recently held a meeting, called the National Consultation on HIV and Sex Work, in an effort to improve HIV prevention efforts targeted at sex workers by consulting with workers in the field.Sex workers at the meeting made various recommendations, including HIV testing, referrals and increased efforts to decrease stigma. The Ministry of Health reports that from 2006 to 2007, female sex workers were at a high risk of HIV in 12 cities across Pakistan. A survey of 4,639 female sex workers found that less than 25% reported condom use; 10% had a partner that had used injection drugs during the past six months; and that illiterate sex workers were less likely to use condoms than those with a higher level of education. A female sex worker at the meeting said, "It is very hard for us to convince [partners] to put on a condom, but I feel that a female condom would put us in a position where we can protect ourselves against HIV and sexually transmitted infections." She added that female condoms are not widely available. Legalizing sex work would make it easier for sex workers to protect their rights, another female sex worker at the conference said. She added that often, outreach workers face barriers from police forces. Daniel Baker, UNFPA"s country representative for Pakistan, said that sex workers should have greater involvement in creating and implementing HIV programs. He added, "The female sex workers have to be in there as managers, workers and leaders to benefit in the long run." Safdar Kamal Pasha with UNFPA agreed that the recommendations from sex workers are critical points to address in future programming. "The female sex workers agreed that there should be vocational training and the means for alternative work opportunities for those who want to move out of sex work, as well as those who are past their prime and do not find sustainability in sex work," Pasha said (IRIN/PlusNews, 5/14).
A UK consumer watchdog that is campaiging for clearer food labelling analysed a selection of pre-packed salads from high street supermarkets
In primates including ourselves, the ability to register where others are looking is key in social circles. And, according to a new report published online on June 25th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, the way our brains process gaze-direction is much more sophisticated than a simple eyes-right versus eyes-left.
The AGA Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition (FDHN) has named Michael Y. Choi , MD, the first recipient of the Mary Terese Hartzheim Award for Neuroendocrine Tumor Research. This new research award was created for young investigators interested in researching carcinoid or neuroendocrine tumors. Dr. Choi is an investigator at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston. He was previously named an AGA Foundation Research Scholar Award recipient in 2005.
German pain expert company GrÃønenthal GmbH announces that the new centrally acting analgesic tapentadol is now available in the United States. The drug is indicated for the relief of moderate to severe acute pain in patients 18 years of age and older. Approval was given by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2008 for tapentadol (NUCYNTATM) tablets. With the cooperation of GrÃønenthal and its marketing partner Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the medication can now be prescribed by physicians and other appropriate health care professionals in the United States.
Merck & Co., Inc. (Whitehouse Station, N.J., U.S.A.), which operates in many countries as Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD), has received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency"s (EMEA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommending restricted first line use of "Januvia" (sitagliptin) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. With this positive opinion, the CHMP recommends that sitagliptin be indicated to improve glycaemic control when diet and exercise alone do not provide adequate glycaemic control and when metformin is inappropriate due to contraindications or intolerance. If this opinion is accepted by the European Commission, sitagliptin will be the only diabetes treatment in the DPP-4 inhibitor class to have a restricted first line indication.
The International Diabetes Federation"s 20th World Diabetes Congress will be held at the Palais des Congrç¨s de Montrç©al in Montreal, Canada from October 18 -22, 2009. The Congress will bring together over 15,000 delegates from over 160 countries to share the latest developments in clinical research, release new data on the state of the diabetes pandemic, and lobby for political change to tackle diabetes care worldwide.
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a highly contagious viral infection that can lead to paralysis, breathing problems, or even death. The term poliomyelitis is from the Greek poliÃös meaning "grey", myelÃös referencing the spinal cord, and -itis meaning inflammation.
A new Auburn University-designed, high-tech pharmacy in Meridian, Miss., is the first of its kind and is a model facility that could be built in communities across the United States.
Many animals and people experience chronic joint pain. In dogs, a common of joint pain is hip dysplasia, a developmental defect of the hip joint. Implantation of gold into the soft tissues around the hip joints of dogs with dysplasia can relieve pain and lessen stiffness for several years.
An article published Online First and in this week"s edition of reports information about Golimumab, a new tumour necrosis factor-í± (TNF-í±) inhibitor. It reduces the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in patients who have previously received any other TNF-í± inhibitor. This drug might be a good alternative for patients who have inadequate responses to one or two other TNF-í± inhibitors.
Women who have depression symptoms prior to becoming pregnant are at an increased risk for having preterm births, with the risk twice as high for black women as for white women, according to a study in the Journal of Women"s Health, Reuters reports. For the study, Amelia Gavin of the University of Washington and colleagues examined the links between race, preterm birth and pre-pregnancy depressive mood among 555 women. The study used data collected from 1990-1996 as part of a larger, long-term investigation of heart disease risk.Researchers determined that 18.1% of the 249 black women in the study gave birth prior to 37 weeks" gestation, compared with 8.5% of the 306 white women in the study. The study also found that 9.4% of black women had pre-pregnancy symptoms of depressive mood, compared with 7.2% of white women. After researchers accounted for other factors associated with preterm birth, such as body weight and sociodemographic characteristics, black women"s risk remained more than twice that of white women.Gavin said, "The black-white disparity in preterm birth may be in part a consequence of different exposures to depressive mood prior to pregnancy." She said, "Reproductive outcomes must be viewed in light of women"s health over the entire life-course, as well as during pregnancy," adding that the study"s results suggest that "the experience of cumulative health disadvantages or "weathering"" might play a role in increased risk for preterm birth (Hendry, Reuters, 6/25).
White House officials said Thursday that biotech drugs (also known as biologics) should only be protected from generics competition for seven years, Reuters reports.
VOA News examines malaria in southern Sudan. In the region, malaria is "widespread" and accounts for "up to 30 percent of all diseases treated by health facilities." It is the "number one killer of children in southern Sudan," though there are "no reliable statistics on the number in southern Sudan who suffer, or die from, malaria," VOA News reports.
Many people who test positive for HIV are diagnosed late in the course of their infection when treatment might be less effective, according to a report published Thursday in CDC"s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Reuters Health reports. The report looked at data on people who were diagnosed with HIV from 1996 to 2005 and found that 45 percent had developed AIDS within three years of their initial HIV diagnosis, 38.3 percent within one year and an additional 6.7 percent within the next two years (Reuters Health 6/25). R. Luke Shouse of CDC"s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention in the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, said, "This means that they may have unknowingly transmitted HIV. It also means that there is a time when they had HIV when they were not under appropriate medical care, so there are missed opportunities for prevention and care." A separate CDC report also published yesterday found that 22.3 percent of high school students who are sexually active and 12.9 percent of all students have been tested for HIV (Reinberg, HealthDay/KATC.com, 6/25).
July 1, 2009
Hot or not? Men agree on the answer. Women don"t.
The efficacy of preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) has been one of the most hotly disputed subjects in assisted reproduction over the past few years. None of the trials carried out so far has shown conclusively whether it works or not. Now the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) Task Force on PGS has decided to try to find out if a novel method of doing PGS using polar body biopsy and chromosome array analysis offers a possible solution.
New research from the US that studied the diet and health outcomes of over half a million people suggests that high consumption of dietary fat,
New data demonstrate that treatment with Afinitor® (everolimus) in combination with Sandostatin® LAR® (octreotide acetate suspension for injection) and Afinitor monotherapy may have the potential to stabilise tumour growth in patients with advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (NET). These results were presented at the 11th World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer in Barcelona, Spain.
Draft proposals by the Productivity Commission designed to reduce the red tape burden on medical practices will benefit patients, the AMA said today.
This Friday 26 June, Alzheimer"s Society representatives and sports personality Micky Quinn will join Richard Dunwoody, in his quest to walk 1,000 miles in 1,000 hours.
A series of articles in the July/August 2009 issue of The Journal of Midwifery & Women"s Health (JMWH) focuses on midwives" participation in the education of medical students and residents. This issue includes the results of a new national survey by Edie McConaughey, CNM, MS and Elisabeth Howard, CNM, PhD, which found that the number of midwives involved in medical education in the United States has tripled in the past 10 years. More recently, the growth of this model has accelerated secondary to the mandated decrease in resident work hours.
Diabetelogia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), published a series of research papers today examining a possible link between insulin glargine (brand name, Lantus) and cancer. Findings from these research papers are conflicting and inconclusive, and the American Diabetes Association cautions against over-reaction until more information is available.
Because tobacco use impairs military readiness, harms the health of soldiers and veterans, and imposes a substantial financial burden on the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, these agencies should implement a comprehensive strategy to achieve the Defense Department"s stated goal of a tobacco-free military, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. DOD should gradually phase in a ban on tobacco use in the military, starting at military academies and officer training programs and among new recruits, the report says. DOD should also stop selling tobacco products in Army and Air Force commissaries -- Navy and Marine Corps commissaries already do not sell them -- and should stop selling them at a discount in military exchanges and other stores. In addition, Congress should allow VA to establish tobacco-free medical centers.
Legislation to create smokefree public places has been named as the most important policy implemented by the Scottish Parliament in the 10 years since devolution, according to a survey of Scottish doctors conducted by BMA Scotland. The results of the survey mark the publication of a new BMA Scotland newsletter yesterday (Monday 29 June) to celebrate 10 years of devolution and the creation of policy making powers for health in Scotland. Also featuring in the most popular policies to be implemented in Scotland were: ending the internal market in healthcare where GPs and hospitals compete to provide services, introducing free personal care and fee free education.
BMA Chairman, Dr Hamish Meldrum, called on the government to stop playing around with the NHS and to admit when policies have not worked. In his keynote address to the BMA"s annual representative meeting (ARM) Dr Hamish Meldrum, Chairman of Council at the BMA said: "Don"t play around with our health service. It"s not a toy you cast aside and replace with the latest product off the shelf when you"ve tired of it. It needs looking after. It"s our NHS, make it yours too."
UCB announced that Neupro(R) (rotigotine transdermal patch) can now be prescribed to all patients with idiopathic Parkinson"s disease in Europe and is newly available for the symptomatic treatment of moderate to severe idiopathic Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) in adults. This follows the decision of the European Commission to lift treatment restrictions on Neupro® in line with the recommendation of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), issued on 29 May 2009.
AlphaRx Inc. (OTCBB: ALRX) and Gaia BioPharma Limited reported positive pre-clinical results on GAI-122 injectable nanoemulsion in multiple in vitro and in vivo studies of memory impairment after prolonged anesthesia.
Patients who have regained weight after gastric bypass surgery now have access to an incisionless procedure that appears highly effective at reversing weight gain, according to data presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons. Santiago Horgan, MD, professor of surgery and director of the Center for the Treatment of Obesity at UC San Diego, presented six-month outcomes from a national registry of 116 patients who underwent the procedure, known as ROSE (Restorative Obesity Surgery, Endolumenal).
Analysis of the longest running ICSI programme in the United States has found reassuring evidence that babies born from frozen embryos fertilised via ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) do just as well as those born from frozen embryos fertilised via standard IVF treatment.
DuoCort publishes data from its Phase I study for the rare and life threatening disease adrenal insufficiency. The release profile of DuoCort"s new form of treatment with once-a-day hydrocortisone dosing closely resembles the physiological secretion pattern. The data is published in the European Journal of Endocrinology, a leading scientific journal for endocrinology.
HOPE, the charity for adults with autism and learning
A bill (S. 221) approved by the North Carolina Legislature that would require a public school sex education curriculum covering abstinence, contraception and sexually transmitted infections "will be the most comprehensive and science-based approach the state has used" for sex education, a Charlotte Observer editorial states, adding that Gov. Bev Perdue (D) "should sign it." The bill would require all public school districts in the state to teach a curriculum that focuses on abstinence but also includes information on preventing pregnancy and STIs. Parents would be able to have their children removed from the comprehensive portions of instruction. According to the editorial, the measure "still gives parents a choice in deciding what kind of sex education their children will receive." The editorial adds, "It also finally provides a curriculum that gives N.C. students vital access to age-appropriate, science-based information critical to their health, safety and well-being," which is "the kind of information that can help them make smart choices in serious situations."Parents are "often the best people for kids to turn to for advice and information" on sex, but "not all children have parents who can provide it, or are even willing to," and "not all children [who] go to their parents adhere to their advice," the editorial states. It continues, "The schools provide another avenue to get this critical advice and information -- and state lawmakers are right to make it available." According to the Observer, North Carolina has the ninth-highest teenage pregnancy rate in the U.S., and about "20,000 teenagers will get pregnant in North Carolina this year." A "comprehensive, science-based education program can help reduce the number of unintended teen pregnancies" and help reduce the spread of STIs, the editorial says. It concludes, "By reaching agreement on this matter, state lawmakers have given the children of this state vital tools to safeguard their health and welfare. ... Perdue should sign this bill and make it law" (Charlotte Observer, 6/26).
Roll Call reports that "several major industry stakeholders" will be "noticeably absent from the advertising airwaves over the July Fourth recess. Though they will continue to keep in touch with Members through meetings and grass roots, AARP, the American Medical Association, America"s Health Insurance Plans, the Federation of American Hospitals and AdvaMed all say they are sitting out this recess when it comes to advertising campaigns." Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and White House aides have "warned that any groups that run ads attacking reform efforts before the bills have been crafted would lose their seats at the bargaining table," but the "advocacy ad floodgates" may "open shortly." Until then, "groups are working in a lower-profile way to get their messages across to Members," such as planning in-district meetings with Members and activating grassroots networks.
A new study uncovers a molecular mechanism that explains why joints fail to develop in embryos with paralyzed limbs. The research, published by Cell Press in the May issue of the journal Developmental Cell, answers a longstanding question about the influence of muscle activity on developing joints and underscores the critical contribution of movement to regulation of a signaling pathway that is important during development and beyond.
The Miami Herald reports that healthcare reform could acutely affect South Florida and provide both benefits and risks.
Fox News examines a U.S.-supported program in Iraq that is equipping women with the skills they need to become nursing aids.
At the annual meeting of the American Optometric Association (AOA), members voted Friday 1,126 to 887 in favor of establishing the American Board of Optometry (ABO) as the entity to develop and implement the framework for board certification and maintenance of certification.
Findings from Universitç© de Montrç©al"s Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital-Fernand-Seguin Research Centre and McGill University Health Centre
The recent release of two large randomized trials suggests that if there is a benefit of screening, it is, at best, small, says a new report in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. Authored by Otis W. Brawley, M.D. of the American Cancer Society and Donna Ankerst, Ph.D. and Ian M. Thompson, M.D. of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, the review says because prostate cancer is virtually ubiquitous in men as they age, it is clear that a goal of "finding more cancers" is not acceptable. Instead, public health principles demand that screening must reduce the risk of death from prostate cancer, reduce the suffering from prostate cancer, or reduce health care costs when compared with a non-screening scenario. The authors suggest prostate cancer screening has yet to reach one of these standards to date.
Responding to the publication of High Quality Care for All, Our journey so far, Professor Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians, said
Achaogen, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company addressing the issue of multi-drug resistant bacterial infections through the discovery and development of innovative broad-spectrum antibiotics, announced today the presentation of research on aminoglycoside (AG) resistance trends and comparative AG toxicities at the 19th Annual European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), being held May 16-19, 2009 in Helsinki, Finland.
Recommendations for how the HHS Office of the Secretary will spend $400 million in funds for patient-centered research, also known as comparative effectiveness research, were released by Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER). The report, mandated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is designed to help the HHS Secretary and lawmakers improve the quality of care for patients, and provide patients and doctors the best information possible to make decisions about health care.
Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) announced today a definitive agreement with Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE:EW) under which Baxter will acquire certain assets related to Edwards" hemofiltration product line, also known as Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT). The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2009, pending regulatory approvals.
To be properly diagnosed, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), the leading cause of childhood blindness in the United States and worldwide, requires a time intensive process and significant coordination between ophthalmologist and NICU staff. A recent study examining ROP diagnosis speed using indirect ophthalmoscopy versus telemedicine, remote medical consultation, is featured in the July issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology, published by Elsevier.
Visitors can see how their stress levels could affect the heart rate of their unborn baby and find out why pregnant women should reduce their anxiety, at a new exhibit at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, which opens today (30 June 2009).
A Kansas State University researcher is studying the potential health benefits of a specially bred purple sweet potato because its dominant purple color results in an increased amount of anti-cancer components.
Tel Aviv University researcher Prof. Noam Eliaz of the TAU School of Mechanical Engineering has developed an electrochemical process for coating metal implants which vastly improves their functionality, longevity and integration into the body.
In a study with important consequences for studies on the effects of chemicals on steroid responses in humans, a team of French and American scientists, including Michael E. Baker, PhD, professor in UC San Diego"s Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology-Hypertension, have found that - contrary to earlier assumptions - enzymes used for the synthesis of steroids in insects, snails, octopuses and corals are unrelated to those used in humans.
The Office of Tobacco Control (OTC) today (July 1, 2009) welcomed the commencement by the Department of Health and Children of further provisions of the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts, 2002 and 2004. The key provisions now commenced are:
With the heat wave hitting all corners of the UK this week, millions of adults will be flocking to the seaside in search of sun, sea, sand and a much needed snooze. Unfortunately many are likely to end up needing medical treatment for severe burning, prickly heat or heatstroke. As seven out of ten Brits will not be practicing "safe sun" and will foolhardily be going without wearing any sun cream.
Helicobacter pylori survives in the body by manipulating important immune system cells. This is shown in a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy. The discovery may lead to new treatments against the common peptic ulcer bacterium.
In two recent COPD studies sponsored by DEY LP, PARI"s LC Plus nebulizer and PRONEB compressors (Ultra and Ultra II) were used to show that nebulized formoterol fumarate (Perforomist, DEY LP, Mylan Inc.) improves pulmonary function.
Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) released its updated 2009 Facts About Lung Cancer illustrating again the devastating toll caused by lung cancer. LCA last released its Fact Sheet in 2008.
Tuberculosis (TB) experts at Johns Hopkins have evidence from a four-year series of experiments in mice that anti-inflammatory drugs could eventually prove effective in treating the highly contagious lung disease, adding to current antibiotic therapies.
A new survey from the Stanford University School of Medicine suggests that a significant number of Asian Americans living in California adopt unhealthy sun-exposure behaviors as they become more westernized. The findings underscore a need for increased skin-health awareness on the part of primary care physicians, dermatologists and people of Asian ancestry, who may incorrectly assume that pigmented skin and hair protect against skin cancer.
The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation named 4 new Damon Runyon Clinical Investigators at its April 2009 Clinical Investigator Award Committee review. The recipients of this prestigious, three-year award are outstanding early career physician-scientists conducting patient-oriented cancer research at major research centers under the mentorship of the nation"s leading scientists and clinicians. Each will receive $450,000 to support the development of his cancer research program.
CytRx Corporation (NASDAQ: CYTR), a biopharmaceutical research and development company engaged in the development of high-value human therapeutics, provided a favorable progress update for its ongoing Phase 2 STAR-1 registration clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of orally administered tamibarotene as a third-line treatment for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL).
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq: TEVA) and its partner, Antares Pharma, Inc. (NYSE Amex: AIS) announced the approval of a Supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA), which added "needle-free injection" to its Tev-Tropin® [somatropin (rDNA) for injection] brand human growth hormone (hGH) drug label. Teva will market the Antares needle-free device as the Tev-Tropin Tjet Injector system.
Dr. Gary D. Kao testified Monday about botched prostate cancer treatment he gave to patients at a Veterans Affairs hospital run by the University of Pennsylvania. The New York Times reports: "The radiation oncologist whom regulators accuse of mishandling scores of radioactive seed implants at the Philadelphia veterans" hospital told a Congressional panel on Monday that while he "could have done better" with some implants, his patients over all received effective treatment for their prostrate cancer."
"Only 26 percent of likely voters in Massachusetts believe health care reform has been a success and just 21 percent believe reform has made health care more affordable, according to newly released poll results," The State House News Service/Boston Herald reports. "The Rasmussen Reports poll of 500 likely Massachusetts voters, taken in April, also found only 10 percent said the quality of health care is getting better under the reform law rules here." "The poll was taken before talks stirred in Washington about a national health care reform push and before a wave of news in Massachusetts about difficulty affording the coverage expansions authorized under the 2006 reform law" (6/29).
Today Sutent® (sunitinib) has received a recommendation as a
The Grameen Foundation on Tuesday launched the first application of its Application Laboratory (AppLab) project, which aims to use "the proliferation of mobile phones in Africa as a way to get information and services to poor communities in Uganda without Internet access," the Seattle Times" blog, the "Business of Giving," reports (Heim, 6/29).
Boston Globe columnist Derrick Jackson examines why some Ugandans do not support indoor spraying of DDT to prevent malaria. Grace Kagoro, a biology professor and environmental researcher at Mbarara University of Science and Technology, is "nervous about adding what she said could be one more shock to the soil and water," according to Jackson.
Katherine Camacho Carr, CNM, PhD, a certified nurse-midwife, professor and assistant dean of graduate studies at the Seattle University College of Nursing, is the recipient of the 2009 Hattie Hemschemeyer Award from the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM.) The "Hattie" is ACNM"s most prestigious award and was presented to Carr at ACNM"s 54th Annual Meeting in Seattle. Carr has been a resident of the Seattle area for 32 years.
Australia"s premier research centre for all aspects of oral health will be established at the University of Adelaide thanks to a $2.4 million Federal Government grant.
Elsevier, the leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information, is pleased to announce its renewed publishing partnership with The European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), the leading European association in the field of liver research. The agreement calls for Elsevier to publish the society"s flagship journal, the Journal of Hepatology, for the next five years.
Transferring just one embryo at a time to a woman"s womb after embryos have undergone preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and freezing at the blastocyst stage has become a real option after researchers achieved pregnancy rates that were as good as those for blastocysts that had not had a cell removed for PGD before freezing. Their results mean that it will be possible to reduce the number of multiple pregnancies after PGD and the consequent complications associated with these pregnancies.
Local laws, insurance reimbursement and public misperceptions impede emergency medical services (EMS) workers from using best resuscitation practices, according to a study reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
MUSCLE BIOLOGY: Not strong enough: the protein OPN promotes muscle degeneration
A team of Harvard scientists has taken an important first step toward the development of new treatments to help people with HIV battle Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) infection. In their report, appearing in the July 2009 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology they describe how HIV interferes with the cellular and molecular mechanisms used by the lungs to fight TB infection. This information is crucial for researchers developing treatments to help people with HIV prevent or recover from TB infection.
Tomorrow"s Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting is a crucial opportunity to focus on achieving concrete long-term health improvements for Indigenous people, the AMA said.
The largest study of the genetics of schizophrenia ever undertaken has revealed several new common single-letter variants in the sequence of the human genome (SNPs) linked to risk of the disease. The study, by a multinational consortium of scientists led by a team from deCODE genetics (Nasdaq: DCGN), analyzed the genomes of more than 50,000 patients and control participants from fourteen countries. It is published today in the online edition of Nature.
A report from researchers at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States examines how $577 million in PEPFAR funding between 2004 and 2008 was used in Zambia, PlusNews/IRIN reports. According to the findings, the authors write, "we observed and documented some impressive prevention programming funded through PEPFAR ò€¦ Nonetheless, when stepping back and observing the whole picture, it becomes apparent that the overall approach of PEPFAR dollars to HIV prevention is far from comprehensive. Instead, it is overly restrictive, adhering to a narrow vision of a moralistic ideal, rather than responding to the reality of the epidemic and the needs of the entire population."
There is growing evidence that a procedure for identifying chromosomal abnormalities in embryos prior to in vitro fertilization is ineffective at helping older women become pregnant, the Wall Street Journal reports. The procedure -- known as pre-implantation genetic screening, or PGS -- is performed in dozen of U.S. fertility clinics and sometimes marketed to older women as a way to increase the odds of a healthy live birth. PGS involves extracting a single cell from a six-cell embryo and inspecting it for chromosomal abnormalities known as aneuploidies; unaffected embryos can then be implanted through IVF. Women older than age 35 have a higher risk of aneuploidies, in which embryos have fewer or more than the usual number of 23 pairs of chromosomes. Aneuploidies can trigger early miscarriage or certain genetics conditions, such as Down syndrome. Most medical experts agree that embryo screening is capable of significantly reducing the risk of Down syndrome and other serious chromosome-related illnesses. However, evidence from several studies increasingly suggests that the procedure does not increase older women"s chances of healthy live births. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine released an initial opinion about PGS in 2007, saying that available evidence does not support the use of embryo screening to increase live birth rates in older women. Andrew La Barbera, scientific director of the society, said, "Since that time, there have been several more trials that have reached the same conclusion." Another shortcoming is that most clinics can only test for fewer than half of the 23 chromosomes, meaning that many defects can go undetected. However, medical experts say that the use of PGS has increased in the two years since ASRM issued its recommendations. According to the Journal, PGS can add more than $2,000 to the roughly $10,000 cost of one IVF cycle. Very few health insurers cover PGS, though some pay for IVF. Some experts contend that studies showing a lack of clinical benefit from PGS do not use more efficient biopsy techniques that can prevent damage to the embryo. Santiago Munne, scientific director for Reprogenetics, said that the treatment is "effective." In a 2007 study, Munne and colleagues used PGS to reduce the rate at which patients miscarried. However, the chances of a woman getting pregnant largely were unchanged, which the authors said could be attributed to the small number of study participants (Naik, Wall Street Journal, 6/1).
Health care is increasingly expensive, including for the insured, and many insurance plans offer only limited benefits and a false sense of security.
Kuldev Singh, MD, MPH, Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of the Glaucoma Service at the Stanford University School of Medicine, was elected to Chair the Board of the Glaucoma Research Foundation at the Board of Directors Annual Meeting held April 29. The Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF) is America"s oldest national institution dedicated solely to preventing vision loss from glaucoma.
Schizophrenia is a devastating mental disease, thought to be caused by the interaction of both genetic and environmental factors. Because there is no biochemical test that can identify the disorder, physicians rely upon the recognition of its symptoms - which can include auditory hallucinations and paranoia - in order to make their diagnosis.
Stanford University School of Medicine scientists have played a major role in an international effort that has shown, for the first time, that modern genetic technologies can solve the riddle of how gene variations lead to schizophrenia.
The frontiers of cell transplantation for cardiac repair are discussed in the current issue of Cell Transplantation (Vol. 18 No.3), now available on-line without charge at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct.
The joint research, funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the UK MS Society as well as the National Institutes of Health and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, was conducted by scientists at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and University of Cambridge and was published in the journal Genes and Development.
In response to Trust for America"s Health "F as in Fat" report released today, Health Secretary Alfredo Vigil, MD, said New Mexico needs to continue to strengthen its obesity-prevention efforts to address a serious problem with obesity. The report details obesity rates by states and discusses effective state policies and programs.
Critical Outcome Technologies Inc. (TSX VENTURE:COT), announced positive results today from combination agent animal experiments carried out at a prominent American cancer research facility. The results provide strong supportive evidence for the continued evaluation of COTI-2 in combination with conventional single agent therapy for the treatment of ovarian cancer:
The first of two reviews in this week"s edition of The Lancet discusses the standards of health and lifestyles of Indigenous people. It is the work of Professor Michael Gracey, of the Unity of First People of Australia, Perth, WA, Australia, and Professor Malcolm King, of the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. There are almost 400 million Indigenous people in the world with low standards of health that are usually linked to malnutrition, poverty, environmental contamination, and prevalent infections. However, as those people shift to more modern or "western" lifestyles, conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes have been on the rise. Physical, social and mental disorders related to misuse of alcohol and other drugs are also increasing. Indigenous people must be encouraged and given the means to take responsibility for issues that affect their health. In this review, the authors discuss indigenous people worldwide but focus on Aboriginal Australians.
A new study by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) reveals the genetic underpinnings of what causes lung cancer to quickly metastasize, or spread, to the brain and the bone the two most prominent sites of lung cancer relapse. The study will be published online in the journal Cell on July 2.
Figures presented in a report to the NMC on 2 July 2009 show an increase in the number of complaints about nurses and midwives.
Two studies that may influence clinical treatment of serious eye conditions are reported in the July issue of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. One correlates the incidence of silent cerebral infarcts (SCI) and visual field loss in patients with normal-tension glaucoma ; the other investigates inflammation biomarkers in relation to corneal transplant rejection in herpes simplex patients.
The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) advises consumers to take acetaminophen products as recommended on the labeling and seek guidance from pharmacists or other healthcare providers on evaluating medication options. This recommendation comes as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) convened a public advisory committee meeting on June 29 and June 30, 2009 regarding acetaminophen use in both over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription (Rx) products, the potential for liver injury, and potential interventions to reduce the incidence of liver injury.
"A year into a new effort to expand health coverage, recession-weary Marylanders are flocking to the state"s Medicaid program in numbers far greater than expected, costing the state $50 million more in the process," The Baltimore Sun reports. "As of this week, 44,255 additional state residents had enrolled in Maryland"s Medicaid system after income limits were significantly relaxed, outpacing projections that enrollment would increase by 26,605." Health advocates say "the state is doing the right thing by expanding publicly funded health care to adults who have children," but "increased enrollment has also enlarged the price tag." And "while the federal government picks up half the cost, the higher expenses come as Maryland is battling severe budget shortfalls. State health spending has been propped up this year by a major influx of stimulus dollars. Proponents had hoped to extend the public plan to adults without children this year, but the initiative was a victim of state budget constraints" (Fisher, 7/2).
The NPA is working with LPCs and PCTs to develop a process for assuring the quality of commissioning of community pharmacy services. The aim of the project is to increase constructive dialogue between contractors and commissioners, increase the level of local investment in pharmacy services and improve PCT performance right the way around the commissioning cycle.
A new campaign has just been launched encouraging young men in Argyll & Bute aged 16 - 24 to get tested for chlamydia and gonorrhoea. The scheme, run by Terrence Higgins Trust Scotland and funded by NHS Highland, aims to reduce undiagnosed sexually transmitted infections (STIs) amongst young men because research suggests they are much less likely to get checked out.
In a snapshot survey published by Terrence Higgins Trust today, two thirds of top organisations were found to ask irrelevant health related questions on job application forms. A coalition of charities wants these questions banned to reduce the discrimination faced by people with "invisible" conditions such as mental illness or HIV.