Nutrition
Dr. Michael Holick, a professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics at the Boston University School of Medicine who has revolutionized the understanding of vitamin D and its role in disease prevention, has received the $50,000 Linus Pauling Institute Prize for Health Research.
American health care reform has become a "hot topic north of the border," the Washington Times reports. "If Mr. Obama succeeds, the U.S. could draw even more Canadian doctors and nurses to the U.S., exacerbating a shortage of medical professionals, said Dr. Brian Day, a Canadian health care critic and former head of the Canadian Medical Association. If Mr. Obama fails, perhaps Canada could open its system to "medical tourism" from the U.S., Dr. Day said." Under the Canadian system, everyone is insured and has "access to basic health care without ever seeing a doctor or hospital bill." But 70% of Canadians also have "some form of supplemental health insurance," in part because of long wait times for tests and treatments under the government plan. For Canadian citizens who become ill in the U.S., it is often cheaper to "ride on a private Lear jet back to Canada" than to be treated in a U.S. hospital.
A 28-year-old Anchorage man has become Anchorage"s first confirmed case of the novel H1N1 flu virus. The patient first reported feeling ill on June 1, 2009, and was swabbed for influenza at a clinic on June 3. The sample tested positive for novel H1N1 on June 9.
The Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) is seeing that H1N1 (Swine) flu continues to spread both locally and nationally. In Rhode Island, HEALTH has seen an increase in sporadic cases and outbreak clusters throughout the state, including in schools. As of 11 a.m., June 9, there are 39 confirmed positive cases in RI, doubling the case count in less than a week. Rhode Island and national surveillance data indicate increased infections in children, increased infections in individuals with chronic medical conditions, and a generally higher hospitalization rate of those infected. Although most illness in Rhode Island has been mild, compared to seasonal influenza, there is an increase in the number of hospitalizations. Ten of the Rhode Islanders with swine flu have been hospitalized.
What dog owner has not come home to a broken vase or other valuable items and a guilty-looking dog slouching around the house? By ingeniously setting up conditions where the owner was misinformed as to whether their dog had really committed an offense, Alexandra Horowitz, Assistant Professor from Barnard College in New York, uncovered the origins of the "guilty look" in dogs in the recently published "Canine Behaviour and Cognition" Special Issue of Elsevier"s Behavioural Processes.
A new and novel computer modeling platform developed through intensive, multidisciplinary collaboration at New York University can help hospitals and cities to be more prepared for catastrophic public health scenarios, according to an article published in the American Medical Association"s Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness journal.
Keeping your baby fat turns out to be a good thing, as long as it is "brown fat"- the kind that burns calories, according to a study that found adults have much more of this type of fat than previously thought. The results, which suggest a new way to treat obesity, were presented at The Endocrine Society"s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
The first long-term study following a large number of chest pain patients who are screened with coronary computerized tomographic angiography (CTA) confirms that the test is a safe, effective way to rule out serious cardiovascular disease in patients who come to hospital emergency rooms with chest pain, according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine which was presented Friday, May 15, 2009 at the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine"s annual conference.
The body mass index (BMI) and waistline measurement overestimate obesity in blacks, according to a new study. The results, which were presented at The Endocrine Society"s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., suggest that conventional methods for estimating body fat may need to become race-specific.
The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) will honor a senior U.S. Senator, a top Administration official, a cutting-edge television network, and several pioneering companies developing treatments for rare diseases at the 2009 NORD Gala at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, on Thursday, May 14.
Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI) announced the presentation of results from a long-term Phase 2 continuation trial showing that BENLYSTA(TM) (belimumab, formerly LymphoStat-B(R)) was associated with sustained improvement in disease activity across multiple clinical measures, decreased frequency of disease flares, and was generally well tolerated through four years on treatment in combination with standard of care in patients with serologically active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The results were presented today in Copenhagen at the 2009 Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR).
STAAR Surgical Company (Nasdaq: STAA), a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of minimally invasive ophthalmic products, today announced that the FDA has granted 510(k) clearance for its Epiphany Injector System for use with the Affinity(TM) Collamer(R) Three-Piece NTIOL and the Elastimide(TM) Silicone NTIOL. Introduction of the Epiphany will usher in a new era of insertion devices for the company and pave the way for the future introduction of a preloaded injector for the U.S. market.
As the World Health Organization raised the pandemic alert for Influenza A (H1N1) to its highest level, humanitarian specialists are calling on governments and health authorities globally to strengthen poor communities" access to primary health care and protect the most at risk.
An embolism - from the Greek ç©mbolos meaning "stopper" or "plug" - is the term that describes a condition where an object called an embolus is created in one part of the body, circulates throughout the body, and then blocks blood flowing through a vessel in another part of the body. Emboli (plural of embolus) are not to be confused with thrombi (plural of thrombus), which are clots that are formed and remain in one area of the body without being carried throughout the bloodstream.
A new era in the National Health Service that builds on targets achieved and prioritises quality of care was set out by new Health Secretary Andy Burnham today.
The health of millions of people worldwide is at risk as a result of the financial crisis, says Dr Andrew Robertson, in an editorial published online in Emerging Health Threats Journal. The world economy is currently in the midst of the most significant recession since the 1930s. The crisis has proved devastating for national economies, and the effects on health care will be felt worldwide as health spending falls, unemployment rises, and international aid is cut.
More than 300 infection prevention experts have completed a text that serves as one of the most valuable tools for infection preventionists throughout the world, the APIC Text of Infection Control and Epidemiology. The 1,700-page document, now in its 3rd edition, has been completely revised and is now available, offering a concise information re containing more than 120 expanded and enhanced chapters.
As many as half of all men taking the antidepressant medication paroxetine (trade names Seroxat, Paxil) may have increased sperm DNA fragmentation -- a predictor of compromised fertility. Research led by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center also found that the changes are reversible with normal levels of sperm returning after discontinuation of the drug.
Men are notoriously reluctant to take their health seriously and are much less likely than women to consult their doctor. With National Men"s Health Week fast approaching (June 15 - 21), the Meningitis Trust is encouraging men to learn the signs and symptoms of meningitis and to be aware of its range of free support services available to them.
The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada praised the government"s announcement of $15 million to study the impact of a wide variety of neurological conditions, including multiple sclerosis.
Actelion Ltd (SIX: ATLN) announced the creation of the position of Chief Medical Officer (CMO). This change was initiated to fulfill the needs of a fast growing organization, which is developing products rapidly and managing a growing portfolio. Effective 1 July 2009, the current Head of Clinical Development, Isaac Kobrin will move into this position. He will continue to be a member of Actelion"s Executive Committee (AEC).
GPs have warned that the reorganisation of health visitor services is putting children at risk and underlined the importance of them remaining in practice based teams. The call came at the Annual GPs Conference being held in London.
Help is available - and essential - for teenagers struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts.
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced that it received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to market the BRYAN® Cervical Disc System for the treatment of single-level cervical disc disease (radiculopathy and/or myelopathy). In July 2007, Medtronic"s PRESTIGE® Cervical Disc was the first artificial cervical disc to be approved by the FDA. With the BRYAN® Disc and the PRESTIGE® Disc, Medtronic now offers a diverse portfolio of artificial cervical discs that address varying philosophies among spine surgeons about optimal implant materials, fixation methods, surgical techniques, and other unique design features.
GTx, Inc. (Nasdaq: GTXI) announced results of a Phase II clinical trial evaluating Ostarine™ (MK-2866), an investigational selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM), in patients with cancer induced muscle loss, also known as cancer cachexia. In the study, Ostarine treatment led to statistically significant increase in lean body mass (LBM) and improvement in muscle performance measured by stair climb in patients with cancer cachexia compared to baseline in both the Ostarine 1 mg and 3 mg treatment cohorts. These study results were the subject today of an oral podium presentation at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society in Washington.
Laboratory experiments have demonstrated the immunological effects of ginseng. Researchers writing in BioMed Central"s open access Journal of Translational Medicine have shown that the herb, much used in traditional Chinese and other Asian medicine, does have anti-inflammatory effects.
Quintiles Consulting released the first in a three-part series of white papers addressing how best to navigate risk in drug development. The first paper, "On the Re-Balancing of Risk to Transform Cost and Productivity in Drug Development," focuses on operational risk. It is available for download at http://www.quintiles.com/consulting.
A retrospective analysis conducted by clinicians at Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS) found that a protocol of care using a standardized algorithm with advanced products reduced the prevalence of pressure ulcers by 90 percent, according to data presented this week at the 41st Annual Conference of the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses (WOCN) Society.(1)
The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center (SCCC) at Centennial Medical Center last week began treating patients with a new non-invasive weapon in the battle against cancer. The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center is the first and only cancer center in Middle Tennessee to offer image-guided robotic stereotactic radiosurgery.
In light of the World Health Organization raising its pandemic flu alert to the top phase of its six-phase scale, Aon Corporation (NYSE: AOC) today issued the following statement by Gisele Norris, DrPH, national director of Aon Healthcare"s alternative risk practice:
Brain-computer interfaces "translate" what a person is thinking in words or actions. Researchers from Maastricht University in the Netherlands performed functional MRI brain scans on healthy participants, instructing them to "type" by performing mental tasks corresponding to different letters in the English alphabet. Researchers were able to use signals from the participants" brain activation patterns to decode information about the intended letter that a participant was thinking about, and to use this in a conversation with the experimenters without any spoken words. It is hoped that such technology can enable communication with "locked-in" patients or assessment of consciousness in non-responsive patients.
The number of talented and motivated applicants for integrated vascular training programs far outweighs available positions according to a new, four-year study by researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester.
It may be possible in the future to use a specimen from the tumour to determine which patients with breast cancer have a good chance of overcoming the disease, and which patients should be given more intensive treatments. Fifty-one genes may together provide information about the prognosis for an individual patient. These are the conclusions of a thesis presented at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Researchers have been seeking a safe and effective way to treat cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia by enhancing N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors. Functional deficits in NMDA receptors may contribute to the underlying neurobiology of this disorder. The first generation of studies trying to stimulate NMDA receptors administered large amounts of substances, like glycine or D-serine, which indirectly enhance NMDA receptor function. While there were some positive reports of efficacy, findings across studies were more inconsistent than was hoped.
The Soil Association is pleased to announce a new EU-wide, harmonised standard for organic health and beauty products.
According to the Health Protection Agency (UK), another 14 patients who have been under investigation in England did have swine flu A (H1N1) infection, bringing the total number of confirmed cases throughout the United Kingdom to 101. The Health Protection Agency"s (HPA"s) laboratories carry out swine flu virus testing. The HPA announced that the new confirmed cases include 6 adults and 8 children in the East of England, London, and South East regions. 11 of the new cases had had contact with other people who were confirmed cases, while 2 had been abroad where the of the infection is still under investigation.
The National Asthma Council Australia is urging the two million Australians with asthma to remain extremely vigilant and seek an immediate lung function check from their GP following new data from the US which confirms people with an underlying medical condition are at highest risk of complications from swine flu - with more than 40 percent of people in New York hospitalised from swine flu having asthma1.
President Obama used his popularity Thursday at a town hall meeting in Green Bay, Wisc., in an effort to help make the case to Americans that a health care system overhaul needs to happen this year, Time reports.
XenaCare Holdings Inc. (OTCBB:XCHO), a healthcare company specializing in the branding, retailing and internet distribution of consumer products, has announced today that in the July 2009 issue of Prevention Magazine™ an article written by Roopoka Malhorta which is about Ageless Summer Beauty - 21 fast, easy ways to look young - and stay that way - this summer and beyond states as their #1 choice was to "Try a Sun Protection pill" they further stated "ò€¦boost your UV protection by taking an antioxidant supplement such as SunPill ($20 for a month"s supply; available at http://www.sunpill.com)." According to Frank Rizzo, president of XenaCare, the SunPill can also be purchased at Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Amazon.com, Drugstore.com, CVS.com, Target.com and various other major retailers.
Exercise physiologist Lynne Kammer, from The University of Texas at Austin, led a group of researchers who investigated the post-exercise physiological effects of the foods. Kammer and her team studied 12 trained cyclists, 8 male and 4 female. In contrast to many sports nutrition studies, however, the exercise protocol was designed to reflect a typical exercise session. After a warm-up period, the subjects cycled for two hours at a comfortable work rate, rather than the more frequently seen test-to-exhaustion.
"It came as no surprise on Thursday when the World Health Organization declared that the swine flu outbreak had become a pandemic," The New York Times reports. Swine flue has "reached 74 countries, and probably met the technical definition of a pandemic -- or global spread - weeks ago." Raising the alert from Phase 5 to Phase 6, the highest possible level, "does not mean that the illness, which has been mild in most people, has become any worse," because "the term pandemic reflects only the geographic spread of a new disease, not its severity." But it does "signal to countries to step up their efforts to deal with the disease," and it "also means that the health organization is asking drug makers to start making vaccine as quickly as possible." Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the WHO, said while the disease has been mild so far, it "could change at any time and become more severe." It may also prove more deadly "when it reaches poor countries with higher rates of malnutrition, AIDS and other diseases that can lower people"s resistance to infection. Dr. Chan said rich countries should help poor ones less able to protect themselves" (McNeil and Grady, 6/11).
Concerns about health and looks are driving thousands to cut back on booze
The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) released the following statement today on the Administration"s comments regarding financing health care reform:
Welcoming the publication of the National Audit Office report, Reducing Healthcare Associated Infections in Hospitals in England, Dr Peter Carter, RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, said:
Biopharma company UCB and PatientsLikeMe, the leading online community for people with life-changing conditions, today announced a strategic partnership to create an online, open epilepsy community that captures real-world experiences of people living with epilepsy in the U.S.
A leading Melbourne scientist has unveiled a test able to detect Swine Flu, or any other virus, within hours.
Over half (56%) of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) also have periodontitis (a chronic inflammatory disease of the gum and surrounding ligaments and bones that hold the teeth in place), displaying fewer teeth than healthy matched controls, high prevalence of oral sites presenting dental plaque and advanced attachment loss (the extent of periodontal support that has been destroyed around a tooth) (chi square p
Three new studies have individually shown the anti-TNF (tumour necrosis factor) therapy etanercept to be effective, with a good safety profile, in children under four years of age with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and associated with improved Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in a substantial proportion of children with JIA. The data are being presented at the Paediatric Rheumatology European Society Congress (PReS) 2009, a joint congress with the 2009 Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Since August 2008, Meda (STO:MEDAA) and BioDelivery Sciences International (BDSI) have worked in close collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to complete the final requirement of a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program for Onsolis (fentanyl - treatment of breakthrough cancer pain).
As A/H1N1 flu cases in Europe and areas outside North America mounted, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the global threat level to 6, proclaiming the world"s first flu pandemic in 41 years. Personnel Concepts was prepared.
Theratechnologies (TSX:TH) announced today that results from a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) evaluation of tesamorelin were presented as a poster (Poster number: P3-641) at the Endocrine Society"s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. Tesamorelin is an analogue of the growth hormone releasing factor evaluated for the treatment of excess abdominal fat in HIV patients with lipodystrophy.
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) says the establishment of the new Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery portfolio and the appointment of Warren Snowdon MP as the new Minister is recognition of the significant problems that Australians who live in the bush have in accessing health care services.
Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) have identified a key mechanism that causes chromosomes within blood cells to break - an occurrence that marks the first step in the development of human lymphoma.
President Barack Obama is seeking support from America"s doctors today as he addresses delegates at the 158th annual meeting of the American
BioElectronics Corp. (PINKSHEETS: BIEL), the maker of inexpensive, disposable drug-free anti-inflammatory devices, announced it is filing an application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for 510(k) clearance to market its Allay™ Menstrual Pain Relief Patch product. The filing follows a very successful double blinded, placebo controlled clinical trial in which 71% of women in the active group reported either complete elimination or a reduction in their typical menstrual pain symptoms, with 49% showing at least a 50% reduction in pain associated with dysmenorrhea.
FluoroPharma Inc., a company developing breakthrough PET molecular imaging agents, announced that it will present Phase I data relating to the safety, dosimetry, and pharmacokinetics in human subjects of BFPET, its novel 18-F labeled PET tracer for myocardial perfusion imaging, at the Society of Nuclear Medicine 2009 Annual Meeting in Toronto.
NECT (Nifurtimox-Eflornithine Combination Therapy), a new treatment option against sleeping sickness, a fatal disease which threatens 60 million people across sub-Saharan Africa, has been added to the Essential Medicines List (EML) of the World Health Organization (WHO) based on the application submitted by the non-profit Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and supported by Epicentre and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
AEterna Zentaris Inc. (NASDAQ: AEZS; TSX: AEZ), a global biopharmaceutical company focused on endocrine therapy and oncology, reported that patient follow-up in the open-label safety study (study 041) of its Phase 3 program in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with its lead endocrinology compound, cetrorelix pamoate, is scheduled to be completed at the end of this week. Therefore, data analysis and reporting will be brought forward from the scheduled fourth quarter into the third quarter of 2009, and will follow the disclosure of results from the first double-blind placebo controlled efficacy study (study 033). BPH is a benign enlargement of the prostate, affecting more than 20 million men in the U.S. alone.
Rich Umbdenstock
John A. Gans, PharmD, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer for the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) has been selected as a recipient of the Food and Drug Administration"s (FDA) Commissioner"s Special Citation Award. The award will be bestowed upon Dr. Gans today during a ceremony at Martin"s Crosswinds, Greenbelt, Maryland.
Norovirus and Salmonella were the leading causes of foodborne disease outbreaks in 2006, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report, based on investigations of foodborne disease outbreaks provides the most recent report of how many illnesses were linked to specific types of foods.
Nucletron, a knowledge-based leader in radiation oncology,
In his weekly Internet and radio address Saturday, President Obama announced a plan to cut $313 billion in Medicare and Medicaid spending over the next decade as a way to raise money for overhauling the health care system and covering millions of the uninsured, the Los Angeles Times reports. The largest savings include "increased efficiencies in the system," cuts to subsidies paid to hospitals for treating the uninsured, cuts to prices the government pays for prescription drugs for seniors. The paper adds: "the proposal -- which includes potential cuts to hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and other providers -- also underscores the political delicacy of the administration"s search for money for a massive healthcare overhaul that could cost more than $1.2 trillion over the next decade" (Levey, 6/15).
As the Senate Finance Committee prepares to unveil a health overhaul proposal this week, key players have been weighing in on aspects of potential legislation.
Several reports today focus on inadequate health care for certain population groups within the United States.
Recent cuts to Arizona"s AIDS Drug Assistance Program and other state services due to "chronic underfunding of HIV services at the state and federal level, the increasing cost of medications and the increasing number of persons living with HIV who lack insurance to pay for these life-saving drugs," will likely reverse the progress made in HIV treatment, J. Kevin Carmichael, an associate medical director at El Rio Community Health Center in Tucson, Ariz., writes in an Arizona Daily Star opinion piece. He continues, "Our legislators need to hear our voices and understand that we cannot accept a shortsighted approach to a fiscal crisis that builds in years of HIV-related illness and guarantees significant future costs" (Carmichael, Arizona Daily Star, 6/15).
A lung cancer treatment that inhibits nicotine receptors was shown to double survival time in mice, according to Italian researchers.
You"ve just won a prize. Would you like to find out what it is right away, or wait until later? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research says most people are happier waiting.
EuropaBio, the European biotech industry association applauds the report "IB 2025: Maximising UK Opportunities from Industrial Biotechnology in a Low Carbon Economy" (1) released today by the UK"s Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). The biotech industry welcomes the report which is completely in line with the EU"s Lead Market Initiative for Biobased Products (2). EuropaBio is also pleased to note that the report also embraces EuropaBio"s policy recommendations (3) developed to help the EU realise the vision of a Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy (KBBE).
President Barack Obama speaks to the American Medical Association (AMA) addressing concerns about health insurance reform and the whole nation, including physicians from coast to coast, is listening.
The immune system"s T-cells react to foreign protein fragments and therefore are crucial to combating viruses and bacteria. Errant cells that attack the body"s own material are in most cases driven to cell death. Some of these autoreactive T-cells, however, undergo a kind of reeducation to become "regulatory T-cells" that keep other autoreactive T-cells under control. A group led by immunologist Professor Ludger Klein of LMU Munich has now shown that the developmental stage of an autoreactive T-cell is decisive to its ultimate destiny. Young autoreactive T-cells are very readily reeducated into regulatory T-cells. Under identical conditions, however, older T-cells become fully activated and can cause damage - they are in a way resistant to reeducation. "We now intend to study at the molecular level what makes a T-cell accessible for reeducation," said Klein, "because then it may be possible to convert even normal adult T-cells, which can be obtained easily and in great numbers from blood. Possibly, they could then be used as regulatory T-cells in therapies for autoimmune diseases such as type-1 diabetes or multiple sclerosis: these are diseases that are triggered by uncontrolled autoreactive T-cells." (PNAS, 10 June 2009)
A multi-ethnic study in the June 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine reports that there is a statistically significant relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) episodes occurring during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and type 2 diabetes.
More pre-cancerous polyps were found in colonoscopies performed with deep sedation primarily using Propofol than with milder sedation in which patients remained conscious, according to a recent study conducted by Katherine Hoda, M.D. of Oregon Health and Science University. This improvement in cancer detection will save lives and reduce the number of patients requiring surgery and chemotherapy.
OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: OSIP) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for filing and review the supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for the use of Tarceva® (erlotinib) as a first-line maintenance treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have not progressed following first-line treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy. Based upon the March 17th receipt of filing the FDA Prescription Drug Fee Act (PDUFA) review date will be on or about January 18, 2010.
A study in the June 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that the complaints of fatigue and tiredness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) improved significantly with good adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, suggesting that - like the symptom of excessive daytime sleepiness - these complaints are important symptoms of OSA.
Research by a Hebrew University of Jerusalem professor has led to the development of a product that has been shown in clinical trials to be successful in halting the growth of various types of cancer cells.
Disabled children missing out on basic NHS care Parents tell of "battle" to get basic healthcare for disabled children and of agencies routinely "passing the buck"
Boston University Biomedical Engineer Joyce Wong will work to create engineered blood vessels aimed at correcting pediatric heart defects under a major grant from The Hartwell Foundation. Wong is one of just 12 researchers nationwide to win the foundation"s prestigious Individual Biomedical Research Award.
Molecules known as type I IFNs are a central component of the protective immune response following infection with a virus. In contrast, these molecules are not normally linked to the protective immune response following infection with the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, which is becoming a major health problem due to the emergence of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) strains. However, Alice Prince and colleagues have now determined that Staphylococcus aureus induce the production of type I IFNs by mouse and human airway cells, but these molecules are not part of a protective immune response in mice, rather they markedly enhance the severity of the pneumonia caused by Staphylococcus aureus infection.
Scientists in Israel have identified the key substances in exhaled breath associated with healthy and diseased kidneys - raising expectations, they say, for development of long-sought diagnostic and screening tests that literally sniff out chronic renal failure (CRF) in its earliest and most treatable stages. Their report is in the current issue of ACS Nano, a monthly journal.
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.
Resident physicians from the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare will join activist doctors, nurses, and medical students from across the country in Philadelphia tomorrow, May 15 to call for urgent reforms to the nation"s health care system. The group will gather at Independence National Historic Park at 1:30 p.m. Friday on Market between S. 5th and S. 6th Streets.
President Barack Obama spoke to the American Medical Association (AMA) recently addressing concerns about health insurance reform and the whole nation, including physicians from coast to coast, listened.
The Cochlear Implant Program at the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) working in collaboration with researchers at The University of Western Ontario"s National Centre for Audiology, has joined 16 other world-class centres to form HEARRING - the International Network of Comprehensive Hearing Implant Centers of Excellence. These centres, which are leaders within their specialities, have come together as a globally networked "cluster". This will allow members to set scientific and clinical standards and raise the quality of patient care.
Six of the world"s foremost health agencies, collectively managing an estimated 80% of all public health research funding, today announced formation of a landmark alliance to collaborate in the critical battle against chronic, non-communicable diseases: cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke), several cancers, chronic respiratory conditions, and type 2 diabetes.
Science fact surpasses science fiction at the Canadian Light (CLS) synchrotron"s 12th Annual Users" Meeting Thursday, June 18 at the Radisson Hotel in Saskatoon. Conference participants will hear about some of the newest biomedical results from the CLS, as well as ways that synchrotron techniques are lighting the way to advances in environmental clean up and nanotechnology.
The European Medicines Agency has been formally notified by Sepracor Pharmaceuticals Ltd of its decision to withdraw its application for a centralised marketing authorisation for the medicine Lunivia (eszopiclone), 2 and 3 mg tablets.
Breast cancer researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have been awarded a prestigious Department of Defense Synergistic Idea Award, one of just 12 such grants in the United States. The $725,000 research grant over two years will allow Lisa Baumbach, Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the Miller School, and Mark Pegram, M.D., professor of medicine and associate director for clinical and translational research at the Braman Family Breast Cancer Institute at Sylvester, to expand their work examining the genetic differences found in African-American breast cancer patients.
Kidney stones, usually comprised of a compound called calcium oxalate, are the result of a build-up of dissolved minerals on the inner lining of the kidneys. These deposits can grow to the size of a golf ball while maintaining a sharp, crystalline structure. They may be small and pass unnoticed out of the urinary tract, but they may also cause extreme pain upon exiting. Kidney stones that remain inside the body can lead to many conditions, including severe pain and ureter (the tube connecting the kidney and bladder) blockage that obstructs the path urine uses to leave the body.
Abbott (NYSE: ABT) announced the initiation of SPIRIT PRIME, a clinical trial to study the performance of the company"s next-generation XIENCE PRIME(TM) Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System, currently an investigational device, for the treatment of coronary artery disease. Results from SPIRIT PRIME will be used to support the regulatory filing for XIENCE PRIME in the United States. The first patient was enrolled into the SPIRIT PRIME clinical trial at Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa, Okla., by Rajesh Chandwaney, M.D.
CeNeRx BioPharma, Inc., a clinical stage company developing and commercializing innovative treatments for diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), announced that it has obtained the rights to develop and market a novel agent for the prevention and treatment of neuropathies and neurodegenerative disorders. The drug candidate, CXB909, is a small molecule, orally active agent that enhances the effects of nerve growth factor (NGF). CeNeRx intends to initiate a Phase l trial of CXB909 for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) later this year.
It is well known that chronic pain and clinical depression go together, but a study in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society, shows that the connection between pain and depression is strongest in middle-age women and African Americans.
In 2004, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center announced a crucial discovery in the understanding of cellular aging. They found that as cells and tissues age, the expression of a key protein, called p16INK4a, dramatically increases in most mammalian organs. Because p16INK4a is a tumor suppressor protein, cancer researchers are interested in its role in cellular aging and cancer prevention.
In testimony before the Listening Panel of the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research (FCCC) on June 10, 2009, ECRI Institute President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey C. Lerner, Ph.D., called for devoting a substantial proportion of the $1.1 billion allocated to the comparative effectiveness research to go toward establishing a National Patient Library™. ECRI Institute® (http://www.ecri.org) is an independent nonprofit organization that researches the best approaches to improving patient care.
A report published revealed the social care workforce is unfit to deliver quality care for people with dementia.
The portable noncontact PT100 tonometer provides intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements comparable to Gold applanation tonometry (GAT) within the normal range of IOP, according to a new article published online in Clinical Ophthalmology (published by Dove Medical Press).
The three nursing organizations at the heart of the newly announced national RN SuperUnion today announce a new television and internet advertising campaign in conjunction with the debut of HawthoRNe, one of the new TV shows debuting this season that features nurse characters.
Good communication between patients and their healthcare practitioners is essential to good care. To help older adults better communicate with their healthcare providers, the American Geriatrics Society"s Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) has released a new, easily understandable tip sheet for older people and their caregivers.
The following summarizes selected women"s health-related blog entries. ~ "Report: Higher Rates of Unintended Pregnancy, Abortion Among Women of Color," Sharon Camp, RH Reality Check: A new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation on health disparities between white women and women of color "provides further stronger evidence debunking claims" from antiabortion-rights advocates who "have long argued that high abortion rates among minorities are the result of supposed aggressive marketing by abortion providers to minority communities," Camp, president and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute, writes. In addition to identifying disparities in conditions like heart disease and cancer, the report documents "widespread disparities in access to health insurance and health screenings" and explores growing evidence of the association between social factors and health behaviors, access and outcomes, according to Camp. She continues that research from Guttmacher has consistently demonstrated that "rates among racial and ethnic minorities -- especially blacks and Hispanics -- are directly linked to their higher rates of unintended pregnancy, which in turn reflect pervasive health disparities more generally." Camp writes that the "fundamental question policymakers should be asking is not why women of color have high abortion rates, but rather what can be done to help them have fewer unintended pregnancies and achieve better health outcomes more generally," such as improved access to affordable contraception. Women"s dissatisfaction with health care providers, quality of service and the contraceptive methods themselves also are factors in contraceptive use, as are "[u]nstable life situations," which can make consistent use a low priority for some women, according to Camp. She writes, "By continuing to label abortion providers as "racists" and refusing to support expanded access to contraceptive services, antiabortion-rights activists are by no means part of the solution -- to high rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion among racial and ethnic minorities or to persistent and tragic disparities in health care generally" (Camp, RH Reality Check, 6/15).~ "What"s Next for Women"s Legal Rights in the Supreme Court?" Amy Matsui, Womenstake: Matsui, senior counsel for the National Women"s Law Center, examines several women"s rights issues "that we see peeking around the corner" of the next Supreme Court session. Matsui writes that "increasingly draconian abortion restrictions have begun to work their way through state legislatures." These restrictions include giving personhood rights to fetuses, mandates on the information women are given prior to abortion procedures and "outright abortion bans," she writes. Challenges to laws that expand protections for providers who deny health care services also "are likely to come before the courts," Matsui writes. Challenges to health care reform proposals also are likely, "specifically, the interaction of the federal statute that governs employee health care and pension plans ... and any new requirements for employers to provide health care coverage," according to Matsui. The Supreme Court has "obviously considered the underlying legal doctrines in these cases (the constitutional right to privacy, federal anti-discrimination statutes, Equal Protection guarantees and federal benefits statutes) in the past; some might say that there is a clear roadmap of where the Court should go in some of these cases," Matsui writes, concluding, "But when every vote counts on the Supreme Court, women should be watching what cases come next" (Matsui, Womenstake, 6/12).~ "Antiabortion Groups" Case Against Sotomayor," Dan Gilgoff, U.S. News & World Report"s "God and Country": "With no clear evidence for a pro-abortion-rights position in her judicial decisions, antiabortion groups" case against Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor can be summed up in eight words: the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund," Gilgoff writes. From 1980 to 1992, Sotomayor sat on the l
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) welcomes the signs of good
A new report issued recently by the U.S. Global Change Research Program outlines the extent of climate change around the U.S. and its effects not only at present but for the future as well.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain is concerned that from today, only
A list of more than 200 indicators of high quality care in the NHS is being published for the first time to help clinicians drive up the quality of care they deliver to patients, the Department of Health and The NHS Information Centre announced today.
Computed tomographic (CT) colonography may offer patients at increased risk of colorectal cancer an alternative to colonoscopy that is less-invasive, is better-tolerated and has good diagnostic accuracy, according to a study in the June 17 issue of JAMA.
The use of phone and internet between patients and healthcare providers is an effective way to reduce risk factors for coronary heart disease and the risk of further events after a heart attack, according to new research published today in the June issue of the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation.(1) The study"s senior investigator, Professor Ben Freedman from the Department of Cardiology at Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney, Australia, says that the provision of "telehealth" models could help increase the uptake of coronary prevention activities by those without access to cardiac rehabilitation, and "narrow the gap between evidence and practice".
Scientists at Harvard University have shown, for the first time, that intelligence varies among individual monkeys within a species - in this case, the cotton-top tamarin.
In a letter to this week÷´s BMJ, a researcher expresses his concern on how in order to empower NHS patients with choice, the UK government is in danger of sacrificing the principle of equality on which the service was founded.
The University of Granada will house the first European research centre on teenagers" mental mechanisms when driving motorcycles and carrying out risk conducts, which could be helpful, in a near future, to modify and avoid them. The Faculty of Psychology will house three state-of-the-art simulators there was already one at the UGR so far- that will be useful to do research into these mechanisms, thanks to an agreement signed with the company Honda Motor Co. (Europe); the University will become one of the most important centres around the world in this subject.
Targeting children may be an effective use of limited supplies of flu vaccine, according to research at the University of Warwick funded by the Wellcome Trust and the EU. The study suggests that, used to support other control measures, this could help control the spread of pandemics such as the current swine flu.
The Glaucoma Research Foundation is pleased to announce the addition of Candler Gibson as the organization"s new Director of Development. Mr. Gibson brings nearly 20 years of experience in development and fundraising, most recently as Director of Development for the Johns Hopkins Heart and Vascular Institute in Baltimore.
Jumping genes do their jumping while the embryo is growing and not when sperm and eggs are developing, according to a new study by US
Responding to the Care Quality Commission"s report (18 June) of trusts" self declaration of compliance, NHS Confederation deputy director of policy, Jo Webber, said there is a great deal that is improving in the NHS.
CNN examines the increasing numbers of health workers using cell phone technology to monitor diseases in the developing world. The article features EpiSurveyor - "a free, open- application designed for personal digital assistants" that can be downloaded onto cell phones, so that officials can "gather data directly from the site of the outbreak and send it electronically back to headquarters for faster analysis," CNN writes.
Concerns over whether the tests a treatment undergoes before release onto the market are enough to ensure its long-term safety are raised in an editorial published by BMJ Clinical Evidence today.
CMOS image sensor (CIS) technology stands on the brink of fulfilling its potential to become the global detector platform of choice for scientific photonics applications that require world class performance in the fields of sensitivity, speed, dynamic range, resolution, and field of view.
Insecticides used in and around homes - including products voluntarily removed from the market years ago - were measured on the floors of U.S. residences, according to the first study large enough to generate national data on pesticide residues in homes. It is scheduled for the June 15 issue of ACS" semi-monthly journal Environmental Science & Technology.
Satellite observation of cloud temperatures may be able to accurately predict severe thunderstorms up to 45 minutes earlier than relying on traditional radar alone, say researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Space Science and Engineering Center.
Our ability to withstand stress-related, inflammatory diseases may be associated, not just with our race and sex, but with our personality as well, according to a study published in the July issue of the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity. Especially in aging women, low levels of the personality trait extraversion may signal that blood levels of a key inflammatory molecule have crossed over a threshold linked to a doubling of risk of death within five years.
Arrayit Corporation (OTCBB: ARYC), a leading manufacturer of products and services for disease prevention, treatment and cure, announced that its microarray-based diagnostic test, patented under the trade name Variation Identification Platform (VIP), is ready for manufacture and distribution. A breakthrough screening test using VIP will allow clinicians and researchers to test and detect the H1N1 swine flu virus in population wide studies.