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Research Identifies Network Of Altered Genes That Appear To Play Role In Development Of Brain Tumors
The interaction between a network of altered genes appears to play an important role in the development and progression of brain tumors, according to a study in the July 15 issue of JAMA.
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Washington, D.C. Officials To Boost HIV Awareness Efforts
The Washington, D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration (HAA) will increase its HIV-related media efforts targeting those at risk for the virus amid a recent finding by the agency that 3% of the district"s residents are living with HIV/AIDS, the Washington Post reports. Mayor Adrian Fenty recently committed $500,000 annually for a five-year marketing campaign, Shannon Hader, director of HAA said. Advertising experts say that millions more would be needed in order for the agency to have an "effective" campaign, or that local media, billboard companies and the district"s Metro system need to provide more free advertising space, according to the Post. Next month HAA plans to announce a campaign targeting heterosexual couples that will encourage HIV testing (Fears, Washington Post, 6/2).
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At Veterans Affairs Hospital, A Rogue Cancer Unit
The New York Times reports that a "rogue cancer unit" at a veteran"s hospital in Philadelphia "operated with virtually no outside scrutiny and botched 92 of 116 [prostate] cancer treatments over a span of more than six years - and then kept quiet about it, according to interviews with investigators, government officials and public records." Dr. Gary D. Kao-- was responsible for almost all of the errors, which occurred during a "common surgical procedure" in which a doctor "implants dozens of radioactive seeds to attack the prostate cancer. "The team continued implants for a year even though the equipment that measured whether patients received the proper radiation dose was broken. The radiation safety committee at the Veterans Affairs hospital knew of this problem but took no action, records show." The cancer unit lacked peer review, and "the VA"s radiation safety program; the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which regulates the use of all nuclear materials; and the Joint Commission, a group that accredited the hospital, all failed to intervene; either their inspections had been limited or they had not acted decisively upon finding problems."
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Alzheimer's Society Comments On New Alzheimer's Test

A new self administered cognitive screening test for detecting Alzheimer"s disease has been developed by researchers at Addenbrooke"s Hospital in Cambridge, according to a study in bmj.com. Test Your Memory (TYM) is a series of 10 tasks including ability to copy a sentence, semantic knowledge, calculation, verbal fluency and recall ability. The ability to do the test is also scored. The test was completed by 540 healthy individuals (controls) aged 18 to 95 years of age with no history of neurological disease, memory problems or brain injury. A further 139 patients with diagnosed Alzheimer"s or mild cognitive impairment were also tested. The test was compared with the commonly used mini-mental state examination. The TYM detected 93% of patients with Alzheimer"s disease, while the mini-mental state examination detected only 52% of patients. "A test that helps detect dementia sooner in local health care facilities could help more people access vital care and support earlier. However, more research is needed to see if this test works in different settings with different groups of people and establish whether it is more effective than the most sensitive existing tests. One million people will develop dementia in the next 10 years and currently only a third of people with the condition ever receive a diagnosis. We must start investing in research if we are to radically improve the current picture and defeat this devastating condition." Professor Clive Ballard Director of Research Alzheimer"s Society Alzheimer"s Society


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