Sexual Health
The 2009 spring issue of the NAMI Advocate Magazine features a cover story about two conversations Matt Kunz of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) had with President Barack Obama on the mental health needs of America"s veterans.
Cellerant Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel hematopoietic stem cell-based cellular and antibody therapies for blood disorders and cancer, announced today that it has dosed its first patient in a Phase 1 IND trial of CLT-008 for hematological malignancies. CLT-008 is an off-the-shelf cell-based biologic designed to rapidly produce mature neutrophils and platelets in vivo and facilitate long-term engraftment in patients undergoing bone marrow or cord blood transplantation, or being treated for chemotherapy- or radiation-induced neutropenia among other applications.
Once placed into a patient"s body, stem cells intended to treat or cure a disease could end up wreaking havoc simply because they are no longer under the control of the clinician.
Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd., (DSP) announced today positive results from the first phase 3 clinical trial for lurasidone, which is under clinical development globally, for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia. In this six-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, lurasidone 80 mg/day was significantly more effective than placebo for the treatment of acute schizophrenia. In addition, lurasidone was well-tolerated and had a relatively low discontinuation rate. The findings were presented at the 162nd Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in San Francisco, held on May 16-21.
"Nature" journals are synonymous with the very best in research. Earlier this year, an article by University of Leicester bioengineer Professor Rodrigo Quian Quiroga not only appeared in Nature Reviews Neuroscience, but also featured on the magazine cover. In the article, Prof. Quian Quiroga and co-author Dr. Stefano Panzeri discuss new methodologies that are enabling scientists to better understand how our brain processes information.
Alkermes, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALKS) announced the initiation of two new clinical trials of ALKS 33, an oral opioid modulator for the potential treatment of addiction and other nervous system disorders. Study ALK33-004 is a phase 1 clinical trial designed to examine the ability of ALKS 33 to block the effects of an opioid following a single oral dose of ALKS 33 in healthy, non-dependent, opioid-experienced subjects. Study ALK33-003 is a phase 1 clinical trial designed to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, safety and tolerability of multiple doses of ALKS 33 in healthy volunteers.
Stromal Caveolin-1 Predicts Breast Cancer Prognosis
Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Reps. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Wednesday introduced the Patients" Choice Act (S 1099, HR 2520), a counter proposal to Democratic health care reform plans that would create state-based health insurance exchanges and provide U.S. residents tax credits to subsidize coverage premiums, Roll Call reports (Drucker [1], Roll Call, 5/20). The act would require states to separately establish health insurance exchanges made up of private health insurers through which individuals could pick their coverage. The legislation would provide $5,700 in tax credits to families and $2,200 in tax credits to individuals to subsidize coverage premiums, the Washington Times reports (Washington Times, 5/21). An additional $5,000 tax credit would be provided to low-income families (Budoff Brown, Politico, 5/20). The credits would be funded by taxing employer-provided health benefits (Washington Times, 5/21). Under the plan, states would be allowed to shift state residents covered by Medicaid into private coverage (Wayne, CQ Today, 5/20). The measure also would establish a system of health coverage auto-enrollment at emergency departments, motor vehicle departments and through employers (Politico, 5/20). The plan does not establish any new government health care programs (Drucker [1], Roll Call, 5/20). According to Politico, the bill"s sponsors hope to achieve universal coverage for U.S. residents (Politico, 5/20). According to the bill"s sponsors, the plan is budget neutral (Drucker [1], Roll Call, 5/20). Prospects
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Wednesday voted 15-8 to approve a bill (S 982) giving FDA authority to regulate tobacco products, the Wall Street Journal reports. Under the bill, FDA could ban certain tobacco products, such as candy-flavored cigarettes, restrict tobacco advertising to black-and-white ads, and prohibit use of the terms "mild" and "low tar" (Yoest/Mundy, Wall Street Journal, 5/21). FDA also could limit the amount of nicotine in tobacco products, as well as enlarge warning labels. To pay for the new regulatory efforts, the bill would require all tobacco companies to pay a fee that would raise nearly $5.4 billion over the first 10 years. Committee members voted down a number of amendments:
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society has asked HHS to give the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology authorization to determine which electronic health records systems can receive funding from the economic stimulus package, the Washington Post reports. In a letter dated April 27 to HHS officials, HIMSS officials wrote, "To ensure continuity, recognize CCHIT as the certifying body" of EHRs.Some health care industry officials have raised issue with giving CCHIT the responsibility of certifying EHR products because of the commission"s associations with various IT and health care companies, the Post reports. CCHIT has ties with HIMSS, which played a role in its inception in 2004 and is now managed by Mark Leavitt, the former chief medical officer of HIMSS. In 2005, the commission received a three-year, $7.5 million contract from HHS.According the Post, Internal Revenue Service tax documents show that HIMSS technically paid Leavitt"s salary through 2008, which was reimbursed by CCHIT. However, Leavitt said he is accountable only to CCHIT"s board members and he "was not supervised by HIMSS." He said he expects CCHIT will be "the body or one of several certifying bodies that are recognized" by HHS in part because it already is tasked with certifying health IT products. According to Leavitt, some of the commission"s critics are IT vendors who have failed to meet CCHIT"s standards. The Post reports that the provision in the stimulus package that requires health care providers to demonstrate "meaningful use" of health IT has become an issue because federal officials, IT systems vendors, and physicians and patient advocates have not been able to reach a consensus on the definition of meaningful use. Under the provision, providers must demonstrate meaningful use of health IT in order to receive Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments for adopting the technology (O"Harrow, Washington Post, 5/21). Blumenthal
Somerset"s midwives can now offer women a new early pregnancy support service.
Scientists have uncovered how and why limbs are targeted by thalidomide - the drug that caused serious defects in babies whose mothers had taken it to relieve their morning sickness.
In an effort that will contribute to raising the quality of medicines in Peru and the surrounding region, the country"s National Center for Quality Control - the Centro Nacional de Control de Calidad (CNCC) - has attained internationally recognized ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accreditation for testing and calibration laboratories. This achievement is being celebrated today in Lima by the CNCC along with its partners who assisted the laboratory in achieving this accreditation, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention, a scientific nonprofit organization that develops and disseminates standards for the identity, quality, purity, strength and consistency of medicines as well as dietary supplements and food ingredients.
Genentech, Inc. and Biogen Idec (Nasdaq:BIIB) announced that the companies submitted two supplemental Biologics License Applications (sBLAs) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Rituxan® (rituximab) plus standard chemotherapy for people with previously untreated or treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The companies will request a priority review, and if granted, anticipate the FDA will make a decision within six months.
Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (NYSE: KCI) announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its ABThera™ Open Abdomen Dressing. Earlier this year, the FDA cleared the ABThera™ Open Abdomen Negative Pressure Therapy Unit. Together, the ABThera™ Open Abdomen Negative Pressure Therapy System will be indicated for temporary bridging of abdominal wall openings where primary closure is not possible or repeat abdominal entries are necessary. The intended use of the system is for open abdominal wounds, with exposed viscera, including but not limited to abdominal compartment syndrome.
Amid renewed calls to consider reducing the legal drinking age, a new University of Georgia study finds that lower drinking ages increase unplanned pregnancies and pre-term births among young people.
Impax Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ: IPXL) confirmed that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval of the Company"s Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for generic versions of Precose® Tablets (acarbose), 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg strengths. Precose®, a Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals product, is used in the management of type two diabetes mellitus.
Women"s reproductive and lifestyle characteristics can be linked to different invasive breast cancer subtypes. Data on 2544 breast cancer cases, presented in the open access journal Breast Cancer Research, suggests that traditional risk factors for development of the condition are associated with different kinds of tumor.
An experimental vaccine applied to the surface of the skin appears to protect against certain types of ear infections. Scientists from the Research Institute at Nationwide Children"s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, reported their findings at the 109th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Philadelphia.
Biovest International, Inc. (Other OTC:BVTI), a majority-owned subsidiary of Accentia Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Other OTC:ABPIQ), announced that BiovaxID®, Biovest"s personalized anti-cancer vaccine targeting B-cell blood cancers, will be featured in an oral presentation during the Plenary Session at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting on Sunday, May 31st, 2009 in Orlando, Florida.
The Family Support Foundation for Mental Illness announces today the official launch of http://www.fsfmi.org, a website devoted to increasing awareness and understanding of mental illness issues, supporting legislation that benefits those suffering from mental illness and their families, and fundraising and events that help support qualifying families with significant unreimbursed mental healthcare expenses and other non-profit organizations that have been strong and effective leaders on issues consistent with the Foundation"s mission.
On World Hepatitis Day, Concateno, a provider of drug testing and medical screening solutions, calls for the increased use of a broader range of Hepatitis testing techniques including dried blood spot and oral fluid testing. The company argues that these cost-effective and easy to use methods are often more convenient than collecting whole blood samples, and could significantly increase screening among injecting drug users (IDUs), one of the highest risk groups for infection.
Hospital facilities upgrades due for completion by June 2009. Measures to reduce and eventually eliminate mixed sex wards and washing facilities throughout Somerset"s 13 community hospitals are nearing completion. Last year the government pledged to reduce mixed sex accommodation throughout all England"s NHS hospitals. All hospitals have now stepped up their efforts to deliver this goal.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Margaret Chan and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with over 30 vaccine manufacturers from developing and developed countries at WHO headquarters today. Both the Director-General and the Secretary-General stressed the importance of assuring that any eventual vaccine for Influenza A(H1N1) was made available in a spirit of equity and fairness, and invited the manufacturers to continue to work with them to develop a strategy for this. Industry representatives affirmed their wish to cooperate in making supplies available to developing countries, and said they stood ready to produce the vaccine when requested.
Vaginal thrush (thrush) is a yeast infection caused by a type of fungus of the candida species, usually Candida albicans. It can affect all women, but is more common among women who are pregnant, those who have weakened immune systems, and women aged 30 to 50. Thrush is generally recurring - it comes back. The fungus, candida albicans, exists naturally in the vagina. As long as it does not multiply too much a woman will not notice it is there. However, if can sometimes multiply to such an extent that it causes swelling of the vagina and vulva.
The following summarizes selected women"s health-related blog entries. ~ "Peaceful Revolution: Another Blow to Women," Debra Ness, Huffington Post blogs: The Supreme Court"s ruling this week in AT&T Corp. v. Hulteen "dealt a serious and painful blow to working women and the families who rely on their retirement benefits," Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, writes. The ruling "affects a limited number of people," and it "would be easy to ignore them -- easy, but terribly wrong," Ness continues. "This ruling sends a terrible message about whether discrimination will bring penalties and costs, and whether the courts will address the ongoing effects of prior discrimination," she writes. Ness notes that the ruling "couldn"t come at a worse time," adding, "In today"s grim economic climate, women and their families cannot afford to see their retirement benefits kept lower by discriminatory workplace policies that should have been remedied decades ago." Ness writes that it is "sobering that, at a time when negative stereotypes about pregnant women clearly persist, we have a Supreme Court that doesn"t stand firm for equal rights and equal opportunity." She concludes, "It"s a good reminder of what"s at stake with the Supreme Court nomination President Obama is about to make" (Ness, Huffington Post blogs, 5/21).~ "This Week in Religion and Politics," Sarah Posner, American Prospect"s "The FundamentaList": When "viewed in the context of Obama"s entire faith-based outreach project, the events" surrounding the University of Notre Dame"s commencement ceremony "highlighted how he has embraced traditionalist, conservative religion -- to the detriment of sexual and reproductive justice," Posner writes. President Obama has "focused his outreach efforts" to reduce the need for abortion "on more conservative religious groups" and "claims to honor their position on moral issues," Posner writes. However, "when the dust settles on the Notre Dame controversy, he"ll have to figure out what to do with the policy advice he has sought" from the White House Office on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, she continues. Posner adds, "How Obama reacts to that advice will demonstrate whether the council is mere window dressing to shore up support from swing constituencies or whether Obama will yield to conservative religious dogma on reproductive-health issues." Meanwhile, Christian conservatives have been "making hay of the findings" of recent Pew and Gallup polls that found more U.S. residents identifying with "pro-life" positions and using the data to argue "that Obama"s position is out of touch with the majority of Americans," Posner writes. However, as bloggers at The Monkey Cage and FiveThirtyEight have pointed out, the polls are not representative of most U.S. residents" views on abortion rights, she writes. "Because of that deception on reproductive rights, it"s more important than ever for the president to lay the moral groundwork for his own position -- not just to recognize the moral qualms of abortion opponents," Posner says (Posner, "The FundamentaList," American Prospect, 5/20).~ "Meghan McCain Preaches What She Practices," Willa Paskin, Slate"s "XX Factor": Meghan McCain -- Sen. John McCain"s (R-Ariz.) daughter -- "acquitted herself quite admirably" on Monday"s episode of Comedy Central"s "The Colbert Report" by "defending her core position" that the Republican Party "needs to appeal to younger voters, and it can only do so by getting liberal on social issues," Paskin writes. On the show, McCain said, "I think it"s not realistic for this generation to be just plain abstinent, I think we need to have sex education with condoms and birth control. ... I would never practice anything I didn"t preach." Paskin also includes a video clip of McCain"s appearance (Paskin, "XX Factor," Slate, 5/19).~ "Skill the Messenger," Cristina Page, Birth Control Watch: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin"s (R) 18-year-old daughter Bristol -- who was
Women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) who exhibit an overexpression of the protein HER2/neu have a six-fold increase in risk of invasive breast cancer, according to a new study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. The results, published in the May issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, may help clinicians distinguish between DCIS that requires minimal treatment and DCIS that should be treated more aggressively.
VIA Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: VIAP), a biotechnology company focused on the development of compounds for the treatment of cardiovascular and metabolic disease, announced that it has completed enrollment in a Phase 2 clinical trial of its lead drug, VIA-2291 in patients who have experienced an acute coronary syndrome event such as a heart attack or unstable angina. The randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study examines the impact of VIA-2291 on plaque inflammation as measured by Positron Emission Tomography with fluorodeoxyglucose tracer (FDG-PET), as well as other standard biomarkers of inflammation, over 24 weeks following such an acute event. A total of 52 patients have been enrolled in the study, which is expected to report data in the second half of 2009.
Barts and the London NHS Trust has become the first National Health Service provider in the United Kingdom to offer rapid, oral HIV tests, BBC News reports. Officials hope that the service will increase the number of people who seek testing because requirements of giving blood and waiting for test results are eliminated with the rapid tests. Barts will offer the rapid, oral tests in non-health care settings such as outreach centers. In addition, sexual health workers hope to be able to offer the test in night clubs in the future. About 200 people in Barts clinics have received rapid tests since March, and officials hope to test 250 people monthly. Merle Symonds, the sexual health adviser at the trust, said the message that HIV is a treatable disease has not "filtered through and stigma does remain around HIV, even if it is waning." Lisa Power of the Terrence Higgins Trust -- an HIV/AIDS organization that also offers rapid, oral tests -- said that a major problem surrounding HIV/AIDS in the United Kingdom is that many people are not aware of their status. She added, "Anything we can do to increase the take-up of testing is welcome, and we think what Barts is doing is fantastic."According to BBC News, the United Kingdom has the largest number of people living with HIV in Western Europe, with men who have sex with men accounting for 41% of new cases. BBC News reports that approximately one-third of HIV-positive people in the country are not aware of their status (BBC News, 5/20).
Pi-deficiency in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is one of the most common digestive diseases and usually the equilibrium of gastrointestinal microflora are broken, which plays many important roles in the growth, development and performance of the host. Therefore, more clinical interests are arising in monitoring changes of intestinal microflora in intestinal disease and the consequent treatment, especially in TCM therapies. It has been found that some Chinese materia medica have curative effects on regulating the equilibrium of intestinal microflora and therefore promote the recovery of "Pi". However, ways of monitoring the intestinal flora are quite limited, not only because of the complexity of its constitution, but also the difficulty of culturing for most gastrointestinal bacteria in vitro.
InVitria"s Director of Cell Culture, Dr. Steve Pettit, will present the performance enhancing features of ZAP-CHO, a new media component for Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell culture, at 3:30 pm on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 as part of BioProcess International"s BioProcess Theatre, a venue employed to facilitate the sharing of advances and discoveries in the biopharmaceutical sector.
Data presented at this year"s American Thoracic Society (ATS) congress, demonstrated that SYMBICORT® (budesonide/formoterol-TURBUHALER®, a dry powder inhaler) added to SpirivaTM (tiotropium) provided greater clinical improvements than tiotropium alone over a 12-week treatment period.1,2
Following the lead of the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act in the U.S., government regulations regarding syringe needle handling and disposal continue to proliferate worldwide, fostering increased demand in the use of safety syringes. Retractable syringes represent the most elegant approach to addressing the caregiver sharps risk issue by lowering the risk of user error and de-emphasizing the need for a separate sharps disposal step.
Commenting in response to the Public Accounts Select Committee report into financial management in the NHS, which highlighted the service had a ÷£1.7 billion surplus at the end of 2007/8, The King"s Fund"s Chief Executive Niall Dickson said:
First year pharmacy students from Brighton University have completed the NPA "University" Interact course. Students, who received 93% or over on the Interact course, were awarded with certificates at a prize ceremony on Monday 18 May.
Responding to the figures contained in Statistics on Alcohol: England 2009, Professor Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians said:
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the National Collaborating Centre for Women"s and Children"s Health have today (22 April 2009) published a clinical guideline on assessing and managing diarrhoea and vomiting caused by gastroenteritis in children under the age of five. The guideline provides healthcare professionals with consistent advice on key issues such as fluid intake, nutritional management and preventing and managing dehydration. It also provides recommendations on advice to be given to parents and carers, and when care should be escalated - from home management through to hospital admission.
The GMC is proposing to extend the types of cases that can be concluded by "consensual disposal" instead of being referred to a full fitness to practise hearing.
Diagnostic companies looking for growth in a tough economy can still find a vibrant market for their products in China, says a leading healthcare market research publisher. IVD markets in China will grow to more than $1.5 billion in 2009, making it the world"s sixth largest IVD market. The last few years have seen market growth of 15-20%. With about 575 new hospitals opening each year and a government plan to open more than 20,000 health clinics, the lab market is booming, according to a new report, "Who is Who in Clinical Diagnostics in China (Manufacturers and Distributors Profiles, Market, Industry Overview)," from Kalorama Information, in partnership with IVD market research firm McEvoy & Farmer.
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) announced that Jay Keasling, CEO of the Joint BioEnergy Institute, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering at the University of California at Berkley and acting Deputy Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has been selected as the honoree for the first annual Biotech Humanitarian Award.
Amid all the speculation over what course the Swine Flu epidemic will take, Boston-based biotech firm Replikins Ltd. last week analyzed the most recent peptide genomic sequence data available and determined that the infectivity of the H1N1 virus will increase markedly, while its lethality will remain relatively low for the immediate future.
Inflammation could contribute to bone loss in Duchenne"s muscular dystrophy (DMD), a discovery made by a group of Italian researchers. Dr Anna Rufo and her colleagues found that levels of an inflammatory molecule, known as IL-6, are high in patients with DMD.
With support from a foundation that champions cutting-edge medical research, a biomedical engineer at UC Davis will start work this month on developing a new treatment for infants born with disorders that cause the sutures of their skulls to prematurely fuse together.
In a study of 130 overweight adolescents, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine found that frequent self-weighing is associated with positive behaviors and may prove to be a useful weight-control tool.
UroToday.com - Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Cigarette smoke contains a variety of carcinogenic chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aromatic amines, heterocyclic aromatic amines and N-nitrosamines. Among the N-nitrosamines present in cigarette smoke, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) is the most abundant and the most potent in terms of carcinogenicity.
It is well known that people use head motion during conversation to convey a range of meanings and emotions, and that women use more active head motion when conversing with each other than men use when they talk with each other.
The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) announced its ECON 09 Business Programs for the 2009 Marketplace Conference, to be held June 28-July 1 in Boston, Massachusetts. The presentations are new additions to the Marketplace program.
On World No Tobacco Day, The Lung Association is celebrating those who have successfully quit smoking and sharing their success stories in the hopes of motivating others to quit.
National guidelines are needed for timely disclosure of medical errors and informing patients, write Toronto-based researchers in a review http://www.cmaj.ca/press/pg1125.pdf in CMAJ (http://www.cmaj.ca).
Pediatricians now have a new and simple way to diagnose a serious problem facing our nation"s children - thanks to David Kaelber, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., MetroHealth System pediatrician, internist, and chief medical informatics officer and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researcher and faculty member. Nearly 75% of cases of hypertension and 90% of cases of prehypertension in children and adolescents go undiagnosed. These troubling statistics were documented in previously published research by Dr. Kaelber. From this research, Dr. Kaelber and fellow researchers felt that one of the main reasons for the under-diagnosis may be due to the complex chart currently used to help physicians and medical personnel identify high blood pressure in children. So Dr. Kaelber"s team simplified the chart - focusing solely on a child"s age and gender - eliminating the need for a height percentile and reducing the number of values in the blood pressure table from 476 to just 64. The revised chart and accompanying description are published in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics.
Nigel Edwards, the director of policy at the NHS Confederation, said, "The surpluses generated by the NHS over the 2007-2008 financial year are a testament to sound financial planning and an awareness on the part of everyone in the service of the need to spend public money carefully.
New research presented at the annual meeting of ISPOR suggests that prescribing Aricept on diagnosis of either mild or moderate Alzheimer"s disease would save the NHS money.
The relationship between the dental disease periodontitis and coronary heart disease (CHD) has been known for several years. Although a genetic link seemed likely, until now its existence was uncertain. Now, for the first time, scientists have discovered a genetic relationship between the two conditions, a researcher told the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics.
Medimix International, a leader in global healthcare marketing research for life sciences industry, announced that it will be exhibiting at the 45th AGM of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, which will take place in Orlando, Florida from May 29-June 2, 2009. The annual ASCO meeting is considered to be the premier educational and scientific event in the oncology community, a forum for cutting-edge scientific and educational developments in oncology with a focus on personalizing cancer care.
Fibroids are non-cancerous (benign) tumors that grow from the muscle layers of the uterus (womb). They are also known as uterine fibroids, myomas, or fibromyomas. The singular of uterine fibroids is Uterine Fibroma. Fibroids are growths of smooth muscle and fibrous tissue. Fibroids can vary in size, from that of a bean to as large as a melon.
World renowned virologist Professor Albert Osterhaus told participants at Europe"s largest conference on infectious diseases that the outbreak of influenza A H1N1 is without question the most important event of the past 40 years in human influenza. And he stressed that the current H1N1 threat is a serious one.
AltheaDx, a world leader in the development of companion diagnostics and biopharma services, announced that they have successfully passed the State of California survey for CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) certification. AltheaDx is offering high-quality patient and biopharma molecular testing services from their state-of-the-art, GMP, GLP, and now CLIA compliant facility located in the Sorrento Valley, San Diego.
As reported this week in the open-access journal PLoS Biology, an
Researchers from around the world will present the latest breakthroughs in electro-optics, lasers and the application of light waves at the 2009 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics/International Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/IQEC) May 31 to June 5 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore.
TRACON Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company that develops targeted therapies for oncology and related diseases, announced that Phase 1 clinical results from studies of TRC105 and TRC102 in patients with advanced cancer will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting this May 28th and 29th in Orlando, Florida. Both programs target unique pathways with the potential for broad application to a wide variety of cancer types.
Mayo Clinic researchers are reporting positive results in early leukemia clinical trials using the chemical epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an active ingredient in green tea. The trial determined that patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) can tolerate the chemical fairly well when high doses are administered in capsule form and that lymphocyte count was reduced in one-third of participants. The findings appear today online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
A new home test kit called SpermCheck Vasectomy, based on a protein discovered at the University of Virginia (UVA) Health System, marks the launch of a product line that could revolutionize the way men monitor their reproductive status. Based on antibodies that bind to SP-10, a protein discovered in the laboratory of John C. Herr, PhD, SpermCheck Vasectomy is the only FDA-approved immunodiagnostic test for monitoring sperm after vasectomy.
Surgical removal of a tissue sample is now the standard for diagnosing cancer. And while biopsies are accurate, they only offer a snapshot of the tumor at a single moment in time.
It"s not just MPs who can make inappropriate claims for recompense or misunderstand the rules, warns the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS).
Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced it will begin enrolling
Supporters of embryonic stem cell research have expressed concern about the impact on existing research efforts under the Obama administration"s draft guidelines outlining criteria for federal funding of stem cell research, the Washington Post reports. The public comment period for the guidelines ends Tuesday and has generated more than 20,000 comments addressing nearly every element of the proposal. The guidelines, which NIH issued in April, propose limiting federal funding for the research to stem cells derived from unused embryos created for fertility treatments and willingly donated by patients who have given written consent. Former President George W. Bush in August 2001 enacted restrictions limiting federal funding for the research to the 21 stem cell lines existing at the time. Although President Obama in March signed an executive order lifting Bush"s restrictions, some proponents of embryonic stem cell research have suggested that Obama"s plan could actually jeopardize many existing research efforts. The Obama administration is expected to issue its final version of the guidelines by July 7, the Post reports.After Bush restricted federal funding to the embryonic stem cell lines already in existence, many researchers turned to private donors and state governments for the financial support to create hundreds of new lines. Although supporters of the research initially were pleased that the Obama administration"s guidelines would allow federal funding for research on these new existing lines, some are now concerned that certain stipulations in the new guidelines could actually disqualify these research efforts from receiving federal funding. For example, NIH"s proposal requires that couples who wish to donate unused embryos for research sign a consent form indicating that they were fully informed of their alternatives. Although many fertility clinics provide information for couples about their other options, few clinics note these details in written consent forms, according to the Post. Therefore, existing stem cell lines derived from embryos donated by couples who did not sign the required consent forms could be ineligible under NIH"s draft proposal, the Post reports. In addition, many stem cell research supporters also expressed disappointment that only unused embryos created for fertility treatments would be eligible for federal funding.George Daley of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute said that the Obama administration"s guidelines "take 2009 standards and attempt to apply them retroactively, which isn"t really a standard that would allow most of the pre-existing lines to be acceptable for NIH funding." Lawrence Goldstein, director of the University of California-San Diego"s stem cell program, said, "It"s not that past practices were shoddy. But they don"t necessarily meet every letter of the new guidelines moving forward." Goldstein added that researchers would "have to throw everything out and start all over again" under the new proposed guidelines. Amy Comstock Rick, CEO of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, said that her group is "very concerned" about the funding prospects for existing research efforts, adding that if NIH officials do not modify the guidelines, "very little current research would be eligible" to receive federal funds. However, Raynard Kington, acting NIH director, said the agency is aware of the concerns and "will take them into consideration." He added that "it"s unambiguous that the intent of the president was to expand opportunities and research in this area," as long as such research is "scientifically worthy" and "ethically responsible" (Stein, Washington Post, 5/25).
Tackling the very causes of ageing, rather than treating the symptoms in a piecemeal way offers the best prospects for dealing with the diseases and effects of ageing according to a public lecture being given at the Royal Society tonight.
Research from the National Osteoporosis Society has revealed that almost half (49%)* of young people do not know that there are steps they can take to keep their bones healthy. This knowledge gap puts them at risk of osteoporosis and fractures in later life.
Responding to Health Secretary Alan Johnson"s announcement of a review on the impact of the European Working Time Directive on doctors" training, Dr Andy Thornley, Chair of the BMA"s Junior Doctors Committee, said:
Despite reports indicating that placement of retail clinics are determined by physician shortages and higher uninsured populations, these clinics appear to be located in more advantaged neighborhoods, according to a report in the May 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Providing girls in rural Africa with a deworming drug could help reduce the spread of HIV, according to a study recently published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, the New York Times reports. The drug, called praziquantel, costs about 32 cents per pediatric dose and prevents schistosomiasis, a worm disease that starts as a urinary tract infection. If untreated, schistosomiasis can lead to female genital sores that can facilitate HIV infection. Because the drug can kill the worms but cannot cure genital sores, girls should be protected before they reach sexual maturity, according to the Times. "For this relatively small investment, the reproductive health of young women would be improved," the authors from the Sabin Vaccine Institute, Imperial College London and Oslo University wrote, adding that "there is a reasonable chance that HIV/AIDS transmission can be reduced." There are about 207 million schistosomiasis cases worldwide, 90% of which occur in Africa, where humans are exposed usually through snail-infested water. According to a pilot program conducted in Burkina Faso, all 70 million cases among young children in Africa could be treated for $22 million, and repeating universal treatment every two years for 10 years would cost $112 million (McNeil, New York Times, 5/26).
The mood-enhancing effects of exercise are well documented, but a study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine"s 56th Annual Meeting in Seattle suggests the benefits may last much longer than previously thought.
When a soldier is wounded during combat, surgeons must focus on reducing infection and reconstructing damaged bone and tissues. Technologies that could improve the repair and regeneration processes are being developed in research laboratories across the country, but they are not being moved quickly enough into military trauma centers.
Childhood cancer survivors have a persistent and high risk for a second primary cancer throughout their lives, according to a new study published in the May 26 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
A group of fertility experts, who pioneered the development of Preimplantation Genetic Screening (PGS), are sharing the step-by-step best practices and explaining what errors can be made along the way.
Senesco Technologies, Inc. ("Senesco" or the "Company") (NYSE Amex: SNT) announced that Richard Dondero, Vice President of Research and Development, will be presenting pre-clinical data from Senesco"s multiple myeloma studies at the 12th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene Therapy, which is being held at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA, from Wednesday, May 27th through to Saturday, May 30th, 2009. Mr. Dondero will be presenting in the afternoon session on Thursday, May 28th.
The Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute (BRNI) and Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. (Inverness, NYSE: IMA) of Waltham, Massachusetts, a global leader in rapid diagnostics and health management, announced today that they will work together to further develop and commercialize a diagnostic test for Alzheimer"s disease first discovered by scientists at BRNI.
Australian healthcare company Stirling Products Limited (ASX:STI) is pleased to announce another milestone in the expansion of the licensed (pending joint venture approval) botanical products to markets outside of Ukraine. Immunoxel (Dzherelo) has been granted approval in South Africa. This approval will allow immediate sales of the phytoconcentrate as an immune adjuvant for TB and HIV treatment.
United Auto Workers leaders on Tuesday agreed to accept up to 20% of General Motors stock, as well as concessions on labor rules and retiree health care obligations, as the automaker faces a June 1 deadline to restructure or seek bankruptcy protection, the Detroit News reports (Aguilar/Shepardson, Detroit News, 5/27). Under the deal, the voluntary employees" beneficiary association would receive 17.5% of common GM stock, $6.5 billion of preferred shares, a $2.5 billion note and warrants equal to 2.5% of GM"s stock (Reuters/USA Today, 5/27). In addition, the VEBA would receive $585 million annually in interest income on its preferred stock (Detroit News, 5/27). Another concession included in the tentative deal is the elimination of dental, vision and some prescription drug coverage for hourly retirees (Shepardson/Aguilar, Detroit News, 5/26). UAW also would hold a seat on the GM board of directors (Cho et al., Washington Post, 5/27).Because of a proposed deal announced earlier this month, the Treasury Department and UAW, together, are to own 89% of GM"s stock, meaning that if the UAW-GM deal is approved, the Treasury would own about a 70% share of GM"s stock (Detroit News, 5/26). Current bondholders would hold about a 10% stake in the company (Washington Post, 5/27). The remaining 1% would be held by existing shareholders (Detroit News, 5/26).The total 20% is about half of what was anticipated (Higgins, Detroit Free Press, 5/26). The "significant concessions" made by UAW, which was eligible to receive up to 39% of GM"s equity through the VEBA, "could mean that [GM] is attempting to appease unsecured bondholders, who charged that the UAW was getting a better deal," according to the News (Detroit News, 5/27). UAW said the revised agreement with GM was necessary for the automaker to survive, but the deal will leave hundreds of thousands of GM retirees paying higher out-of-pocket medical expenses, the Wall Street Journal reports (Stoll et al., Wall Street Journal, 5/27).UAW members are scheduled to vote on the agreement on Wednesday and Thursday (Detroit News, 5/26). However, "[e]ven with UAW approval, GM is still likely to file for bankruptcy, since bondholders are unlikely to swallow deep concessions," according to the News (Detroit News, 5/27).
In a recent New Yorker essay, physician Atul Gawande examines the rising cost of health care in the U.S. and how controlling those costs is a central issue as lawmakers prepare health care overhaul legislation. Gawande compares hospitals in McAllen, Texas -- which is in the county with the lowest household income nationwide but has one of the most expensive health care markets in the U.S. -- with hospitals in other parts of the country that have lower costs but higher quality of care. He writes, "McAllen and other cities like it have to be weaned away from their untenably fragmented, quantity-driven systems of health care, step by step," which means rewarding physicians and hospitals that "collaborate to increase prevention and the quality of care, while discouraging overtreatment, undertreatment and sheer profiteering" (Gawande, New Yorker, 6/1).
FDA on Tuesday posted on its Web site advertising guidelines for drugmakers and medical device manufacturers, offering suggestions on how to present risk information to health care professionals and consumers, the Wall Street Journal reports. Agency officials said the industry had asked for guidance on how to comply with its rules, which require a balanced presentation of a product"s risk and effectiveness. Exclusion or minimization of risk information is the most commonly cited violation each year in FDA-issued warnings or enforcement letters. The new guidelines include detailed information on how aspects such as font, types of contrast and white space in print materials can appropriately present risk information. According to the Journal, the 24-page document is not binding. FDA will accept public comments for 90 days prior to issuing final guidelines (Corbett Dooren, Wall Street Journal, 5/27).
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic set out to determine whether the flu vaccine
Nearly 30 years after the emergence of HIV/AIDS, the global health community must develop new strategies to curb the spread of the disease in sub-Saharan Africa, some experts said Tuesday ahead of the Global Citizens Summit for Social Mobilization to End AIDS in Nairobi, Kenya, AFP/Google.com reports. The advocates also stressed the need for innovative approaches to health financing as international donors shift their attention toward other issues and as the ongoing economic downturn threatens fundraising prospects. The conference, which opens Wednesday, includes participants from 32 countries, primarily in Africa.According to Wasai Jacob Nanjakululu of Oxfam, about 90% of HIV-positive people are unaware of their status and 70% of people in need of treatment are not accessing medical care. Leonard Okello, an HIV/AIDS specialist with ActionAid International, added that the global health community is "far from winning the struggle against" HIV/AIDS. Okello said the conference will examine the shortcomings of earlier HIV/AIDS policies and explore new methods to address the disease. "There are a lot of res in HIV/AIDS programs but not much of that reaches the community," Okello said, asking, "What is it that we should radically change?" (AFP/Google.com, 5/26). According to IRIN/PlusNews, conference participants also plan to discuss "people-centered" approaches to combating HIV/AIDS at the Nairobi meeting. ActionAid Report Calls For Improvements in Basic Health Care To Address HIV/AIDS
South African Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi within the next two weeks is expected to launch a plan to address mother-to-child HIV transmission in an effort to reduce infant mortality in the country, The Times reports. The MTCT plan is part of a new health program adopted by President Jacob Zuma"s administration, according to The Times."This is one of the most urgent things I want to (deal with) as the new minister," Motsoaledi said. According to Motsoaledi, a child dies every eight minutes in South Africa, and about 40% of child deaths are related to HIV/AIDS. The plan was developed by the Development Bank of Southern Africa at a July meeting of government and health sector stakeholders. Participants at the meeting also examined maternal deaths and the decrease in life expectancy among young adults because of HIV/AIDS. According to Motsoaledi, these and other issues have been identified as priorities for the Zuma administration if South Africa is to meet targets in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. They also have been consolidated into a 10-point plan to help the Department of Health focus on urgent issues through 2015."Health and education are the biggest challenges for (the government) and we ought to be doing something drastic," Motsoaledi said, adding, "These are very serious issues in society." The health department"s plan also calls for the revival of the National AIDS Council and says that the government should improve regulation of the private health sector. It also calls for the establishment of a national tuberculosis reference laboratory, a focus on infection rates among women ages 17 to 21 and the improvement of HIV prevention among commercial sex workers (Molele, The Times, 5/25).
A recent estimate from the World Health Organization says that the number of HIV cases in the Solomon Islands could reach at least 350 by 2010, the Solomon Star News reports. The Star News reports that 12 new HIV cases were confirmed in 2008, although the actual number of new cases could be higher because of unreported cases. Of the 12 cases reported in 2008, eight were among women and four were among men, according to a health report.In addition, sexually transmitted infections, particularly syphilis and chlamydia, are prevalent among pregnant women in the country and overall condom use is low, indicating that people could be at a high risk for HIV, according to the report. The most at-risk populations include mobile workers, commercial sex workers, students and men who have sex with men. Twelve facilities in the country currently offer HIV tests, and a relatively low number of tests are conducted, according to the Star News. The Ministry of Health has partnered with various groups and agencies to address HIV/AIDS in the country, the Star News reports (Carter, Solomon Star News, 5/26).
Acculis Limited, the UK based specialist microwave ablation company based in Denmead, England, announced the clearance of its latest device for coagulating and killing unwanted tissue during surgery. The device, designed for coagulations at the surface of the tissue fires controlled high power microwave energy into the target area causing it to heat rapidly and the cells to die. Liver surgeons around the world are using the Acculis MTA System to address tumours inside the liver using its existing needle probes that take the microwave energy to the centre of tumours. Using the same control unit, this latest device allows surgeons to address deposits on the surface of the liver without using a needle. David Lloyd, consultant surgeon from Leicester Royal Infirmary, worked with Professor Nigel Cronin on the device which was also used by consultant HPB surgeons Graeme Poston, Liverpool Aintree and David Sherlock, North Manchester General during the development phase under MHRA control.
In the rat race of life, one thing is certain: there"s no place like home.
The majority of men who receive one of the standard treatments for localized prostate cancer - surgery or radiation therapy - have an excellent outcome.
DxS Ltd, a personalized medicine company and leader in the field of companion diagnostics is working in partnership with Exiqon Diagnostics, a company on the forefront of individualizing cancer care through its novel molecular and cell-based oncology clinical laboratory services, to present a timely and relevant workshop on personalized cancer therapy.
For thousands of years ginger has been treasured for its reputed health benefits, in particular for treating digestive problems including nausea.
The most reliable method of diagnosing gout is to aspirate the joint in order to obtain fluid to verify the presence of monosodium urate crystals (uric acid). Up to now, computed tomography (CT) has played a limited role in the evaluation of gout, since conventional CT systems cannot reliably verify deposits of uric acid. However, a current study at the Vancouver General Hospital in Canada gives rise to speculation that dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) could radically change the diagnosis of this disease. DECT enables fast, noninvasive examinations and, based on initial evaluations, has the potential to surpass the invasive gold standard and clinical examination in terms of reliability. Investigations have confirmed the high sensitivity of the DECT method in detecting uric acid deposits. The Canadian scientists used the SOMATOM Definition computed tomography (CT scanner) from Siemens for their investigation. This system is the only CT scanner worldwide that features two X-ray tubes capable of simultaneously producing different energies.
Watching people"s brains in real time as they handle a set of decision-making problems can reveal how different each person"s strategy can be, according to neuroscientists at the Duke University Medical Center.
Could a holiday in the sun reduce the risk of developing multiple sclerosis? In a recent review for F1000 Medicine Reports, Bridget Bagert and Dennis Bourdette highlight recent advances in potential treatments.
A new instrument for improving patient understanding and acceptance of long-acting injectable antipsychotic therapy (LAT) has been published in the April edition of Psychiatry 2009.1 This novel, psychosocial approach encompasses Goal setting, Action planning, Initiating treatment, and Nurturing motivation (GAIN) through the use of a clinical discussion tool.