Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

Kansas Becomes Central Battleground In Abortion-Rights Debate
Kansas has become "perhaps the fiercest battleground" in the abortion-rights debate with mass protests, prosecutions, lawsuits and the recent murder of abortion provider George Tiller, the AP/Washington Post reports. Kansas State University political scientist Joe Aistrup said, "There"s a very prominent vein in Kansas politics that tends toward moral righteousness." He said that this contributes to that unending debate and has produced extremists on both sides of the issue in the state.Peter Brownlie, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, said that the majority of those who maintain the intense debate on abortion rights are political leaders. "There is a very clear and growing gap between the general public and the political leaders who are committed to this being such a constant and volatile issue," he said. Brownlie added that on issues relating to abortion, sex education and family planning, "Kansans" views are not markedly different from most Americans, but there are political forces at work, some of them well beyond the state borders."The Post reports that Kansas is different than most states where either supporters or foes of abortion rights dominate. According to the AP/Post, Kansas often sways between having key lawmakers who support abortion rights and those who oppose them. For example, a Republican-dominated Legislature over the past six years passed several bills to restrict abortion access, but much of the legislation was vetoed by former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D). The result has triggered frustration in groups opposing abortion rights, and they continue to feed widespread opposition to abortion in the state, the AP/Post reports.According to Burdett Loomis, a University of Kansas political science professor, there even is a split among Kansas Republicans in regard to abortion rights, as some Republicans in the state are evangelical Christians who oppose abortion rights, while others are moderates who support such rights. He said the split "might pop out in gun laws, home schooling, evolution, but it starts and stops with abortion" (Crary/Hanna, AP/Washington Post, 6/3).Wall Street Journal Examines Abortions Later in PregnancyIn related news, the Wall Street Journal on Thursday examined how Tiller"s clinic in Kansas became a battleground in the abortion-rights debate particularly because some of his patients were in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. According to the Journal, even though the subject of abortion later in pregnancy is the of "a deep cultural divide," both sides agree that it is "anguishing." Fewer than 1% of all abortions in the U.S. are performed in the second or third trimesters, and most states prohibit abortions late in pregnancy but include exceptions for the woman"s life and health.The Journal reports that abortion procedures performed later in pregnancy often carry increased health risks, are more expensive and are emotional. The Guttmacher Institute reports that 8.9 maternal deaths occur during every 100,000 abortions performed later in pregnancy, compared with 7.1 deaths per 100,000 births. The article also profiled women who chose to undergo abortions later in pregnancy at Tiller"s clinic, as well as arguments from abortion-rights opponents (Simon, Wall Street Journal, 6/4).

Antidepressants: Preliminary Report Published
Benefit of bupropion proven - Benefit of reboxetine not proven: manufacturer conceals study data
News of the day
St. Jude Medical Announces FDA Approval Of The Cool Point Irrigation Pump
St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of its Cool Point™ Irrigation Pump. Used in conjunction with SJM open-irrigated ablation catheters, an irrigation pump supplies a continuous flow of saline through the catheter"s inner lumen to cool the ablation electrode for more effective energy delivery. Designed to enhance physicians" ability to perform successful atrial ablations, the new Cool Point irrigation pump was developed specifically for use with the company"s IBI-1500T9-CP cardiac ablation generator and family of Therapy™ Cool Path™ irrigated catheters.
Cardiovascular

Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. Announces Publication Of Phase I Stroke Data

Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. ("SCT" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:SSS) is pleased to announce the acceptance and publication of the paper entitled "Open labeled, uncontrolled pharmacokinetic study of single intramuscular hCG dose in healthy male volunteers" by the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Vol. 47, August 2009. This paper was authored by Drs. Alan Moore, President & CEO, Allen Davidoff, VP Product Development and Yan Yang, Clinical Research Associate, all of SCT; Dr. Michael D. Hill of Foothills Hospital at the University of Calgary, and Dr. Steven C. Cramer, from the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Allen Davidoff, VP of Product Development, commented as follows: "Acceptance by this highly respected, peer reviewed journal not only permits us to share more of our knowledge of hCG"s novel effects with the scientific community but it is also a meaningful developmental step for NTx®-265. Importantly, this study demonstrated for the first time that hCG circulating in the blood crosses the blood brain barrier leading to concentrations of hCG in the cerebral-spinal fluid. This fundamental evidence, combined with strong supportive basic science studies, supported initiation of the BETAS Phase IIa clinical trial in patients with acute ischemic stroke." This study was designed to compare blood and cerebrospinal fluid ("CSF") pharmacokinetic characteristics of two forms of human chorionic gonadotropin ("hCG"): Pregnyl® and Ovitrelle®. Two separate groups, each with six older male human subjects, were administered a single dose of either form of the drug at 10,000 IU intramuscularly ("IM"), and then followed over a 36-hour period. No significant difference was observed when plasma levels of hCG were measured for either preparation of hCG (Peak plasma concentration: 316÷±53 versus 270÷±60 at 12 hours, 311÷±38 versus 321÷±60 IU/L at 24 hours; AUC: 10053÷±1268 versus 8793÷±1768, Pregnyl® and Ovitrelle®, mean ÷± SD, respectively). Additionally, both forms of circulating hCG distributed to the central nervous system ("CNS") as manifest by an increased number of subjects whose CSF samples showed detectable levels of hCG in their CSF over a 36-hour period. Similarly, there was no significant difference between the two forms when distribution to the CSF was compared at 36 hours (2.0 and 1.2 IU/L; range 1.9-2.1 and 1-1.4 IU/L for Pregnyl® and Ovitrelle®, respectively). This preliminary study in normal human volunteers suggested that the two forms of hCG tested, Pregnyl® and Ovitrelle®, when administered IM, distribute in a similar fashion into the circulation and CSF. Consequently, SCT concluded that these two drugs likely demonstrate bioequivalent pharmacokinetics with respect to the CSF. Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp.


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009