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What Is Fluoride? What Does Fluoride Do?
Fluoride is a chemical ion of the element fluorine (from the Latin fluo meaning "to flow"), in that fluoride has one extra electron that gives it a negative charge. Fluoride is found naturally in water, foods, soil, and several minerals such as fluorite and fluorapatite. However, it is also synthesized in laboratories where it may be added to drinking water or used in a variety of chemical products.
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Cystic Fibrosis - Liposomal Tobramycin Receives Second Orphan Drug Designation Within Weeks
An innovative treatment for infections of the respiratory tract in cystic fibrosis patients has received a second orphan drug designation in the US only weeks after a first designation was granted. The recent designation relates to Burkholderia cepacia pathogens that can cause lethal infections in cystic fibrosis patients. For Axentis Pharma AG of Zurich, Switzerland, both designations affirm the therapeutic potential of its product candidate Fluidosomes(TM)-tobramycin, whose unique microbiological profile sets it apart from other antibiotic formulations (including free tobramycin).
News of the day
Fate Of Tiller's Clinic Expected To Be Decided This Week
The family of murdered Kansas abortion provider George Tiller is expected to decide this week whether his Wichita clinic will reopen, NPR"s "Morning Edition" reports. Tiller"s clinic is one of the few in the U.S. that performs abortions later in pregnancy, and many abortion-rights advocates are concerned whether women in need of abortions in the second and third trimester would be able to obtain care if it were not reopened. LeRoy Carhart, a Nebraska abortion provider who worked with Tiller at his clinic for four years, said that although it is a difficult time for abortion providers, he hopes that the family will reopen the clinic. "This is a job that we took, and we were well-aware of the risks when we started, as was Dr. Tiller," he said. Providing abortion services in the second and third trimester is "a service that"s so needed that it"s worth the risks," he added (Lohr, "Morning Edition," NPR, 6/9). Carhart also said that although no decision on Tiller"s clinic has been made, he "want[s] to assure the press and the women of America ... that we will somehow, somewhere continue to provide abortions later in gestation" (Duin, Washington Times, 6/9).According to Carhart, there are only about 10 providers in the U.S. who perform abortions in the second and third trimesters, including a few hospitals that do not advertise the services. "Morning Edition" reports that most women"s health care providers either are not trained or do not want to receive training to perform the procedure later in pregnancy. Providers who do tend to be older and face extreme pressure from antiabortion-rights advocates. Data from the Guttmacher Institute show that about 1% of all abortions performed in the U.S. occur after 21 weeks" gestation. Elizabeth Nash of Guttmacher said that 37 states have laws that limit access to abortion after a certain point in pregnancy, "usually around 24 weeks, which is at the end of the second trimester." She added that most of those states only allow abortions to save the life of the woman or if her physical health is in jeopardy. Pratima Gupta, an ob-gyn in California, said that she is concerned about what will happen to Tiller"s patients. Gupta said Tiller "had patients that were scheduled for Monday morning. What happened to those patients for the rest of the week, the rest of the month? Those patients are the ones who need us" ("Morning Edition," NPR, 6/9).
Cardiovascular

Pacemakers Used To Help Children With Stomach Problems

Physicians at Nationwide Children"s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio are turning to a device typically used in adults with heart problems to help children with severe stomach conditions. In June, surgeons implanted a pacemaker in a 16-year-old patient with gastroparesis, a debilitating stomach condition that affects the way the body processes food. This is the first time the procedure has been performed in a child at Nationwide Children"s Hospital, which is now one of only a handful of institutions across the country offering this type of treatment in children. Gastroparesis is a condition where the stomach contracts less often and less powerfully, causing food and liquids to stay in the stomach for a long time. In as many as 60 percent of children with gastroparesis, the cause is not known. The condition often leaves children feeling constantly bloated and nauseated and can result in malnourishment and significant weight loss. In severe cases, symptoms may prevent children from attending school or taking part in other daily activities. The pacemaker is inserted into the abdomen, with electrical wires leading to the stomach. It sends electrical impulses to stimulate the stomach after eating. "The pacemaker is surgically implanted under the skin and is connected to two electrodes placed on the stomach wall. It tells the stomach to empty at a certain frequency. The initial settings are fairly low and, as with a pacemaker in the heart, we can change the settings as needed," explained pediatric surgeon Steven Teich, MD, surgical director of the Bariatric Surgery Program at Nationwide Children"s Hospital and clinical assistant professor of surgery at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. "It empties the stomach, alleviating bloating, vomiting and nausea." Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Nationwide Children"s Hospital is one of the leading programs in the country in the field of diagnosing and treating gastrointestinal motility problems in children. It is the only children"s hospital in the nation that offers the full spectrum of treatment options for motility disorders, including diagnosis, medications, endoscopic procedures, surgical options, pacemakers and follow up care. Pacemakers have been used for years in adults with delayed gastric emptying. Nationwide Children"s received IRB approval to implant the device in children as a humanitarian device exemption (HDE), and although this is a new procedure in children and adolescents, doctors at Nationwide Children"s say the early results are promising. "In patients who have received this type of treatment, nearly all symptoms were resolved within two weeks," said pediatric gastroenterologist Hayat Mousa, MD, medical director of the Motility Center at Nationwide Children"s Hospital and associate professor of Clinical Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. "Previous treatment options, including medications, have been much less effective." Nationwide Children"s Hospital


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