Health Insurance
Researchers from the Universities of York and Leeds have been awarded ÷£3.3m from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to find out how a family of proteins known as colicins force their way into bacterial cells before destroying them.
Researchers at the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth and Exeter have received a grant of ÷£9,600 from the Northcott Devon Medical Foundation to continue its research into the genetic causes of eye movement disorders.
Scientists at the Health Protection Agency have published their advice to UK bodies following new international guidance on ionising radiation*.
Few people changed their behaviour in the early stages of the swine flu outbreak, finds a study published on bmj.com. But the results do support efforts to inform the public about specific actions that can reduce the risks from swine flu and to communicate about the government"s plans and res.
It"s estimated two out of three Americans are now overweight or obese*
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today proposed changes to policies and payment rates for services to be furnished during calendar year (CY 2010) by over 1 million physicians and nonphysician practitioners who are paid under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). The MPFS sets payment rates for more than 7,000 types of services in physician offices, hospitals, and other settings.
Although the tiny roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans has only 302 neurons in its entire nervous system, studies of this simple animal have significantly advanced our understanding of human brain function because it shares many genes and neurochemical signaling molecules with humans. Now MIT researchers have found novel C. elegans neurochemical receptors, the discovery of which could lead to new therapeutic targets for psychiatric disorders if similar receptors are found in humans.
As childhood obesity rates continue to increase, experts agree that more information is needed about the implications of being overweight as a step toward reversing current trends. Now, a new University of Missouri study has found that overweight children, especially girls, show signs of the negative consequences of being overweight as early as kindergarten.
Agave nectar is an alternative sweetener used in health food bars
Bausch & Lomb Vision Care announces a renewed focus on its ReNu® brand of lens care solutions through a U.S. consumer need-based rebranding effort that introduces eye care practitioners and consumers to ReNu® Fresh Lens Comfort™ and ReNu® Sensitive Eyes®. Additionally, the company has recently established a dedicated U.S. lens care solution and eye care product sales force that is primarily responsible for engaging with eye care practitioners and keeping them updated on the benefits of Bausch & Lomb products for their patients and their practice.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA), UK, informed yesterday 3rd July, 2009, in its weekly update that the total number of confirmed human cases of Swine Flu A(H1N1) infection has reached 7,447. British health authorities estimate that the figure will be over 100,000 by the end of this summer.
In a discovery that rebuffs conventional scientific thinking, researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) have discovered a novel way to block the activity of the fusion protein responsible for Ewing"s sarcoma, a rare cancer found in children and young adults.
A survey of UK adults found that nearly two thirds are risking their health by not doing enough exercise and putting themselves at greater risk of
Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) is encouraging gay men to learn more about hepatitis A, B and C today - World Hepatitis Day (May 19).
A consortium of European and Australian scientists doing a genome-wide association study found three gene variants were strongly linked to
British-born outdoor workers in Australia estimate they have a much lower risk of acquiring skin cancer than do their Australian-born counterparts.
Children with sickle cell disease tend to have interrupted sleep many times during the night leaving them tired and irritable during the day.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Alimta (pemetrexed), the first drug available for maintenance therapy of advanced or metastatic lung cancer.
"In the past few months, we"ve experienced near hysteria over swine flu and almost constant media attention to scares about tainted food," syndicated columnist Marie Cocco writes in the Oregonian, adding, "These are genuine health hazards - but they aren"t necessarily deadly, nor do they affect nearly as many people in the United States and around the world as does AIDS." Cocco discusses a recent finding by researchers from Columbia University and the Alan Guttmacher Institute that links a drop in condom use among teenagers "in part to waning public concern about transmission of HIV." She writes, "The clear increase in the proportion of teenagers using condoms came during years when public health and media messages about the dangers of HIV were at a height." Cocco continues, "You can argue, based on hard data, that when it comes to teenagers and sex, good policy and genuine leadership get better results than moralizing or ignoring signals that an upsurge in HIV infections may emerge" (Cocco, 7/2).
More than 140 psychologists are meeting at the University of Warwick on 9th July 2009 to hear the latest theories and research at the British Psychological Society"s Division of Counselling Psychology annual conference.
Democrats and Republicans are saying that they will need to compromise on a government-run public plan if they are to meet the deadline of having a bill on the Senate floor by the August recess, The Associated Press reports.
"A network of health insurance plans run by the customers they serve, proposed in the U.S. Congress to offset opposition to a government-run system, may take a generation to pay off, even with $10 billion in seed money," Bloomberg reports. The co-ops, according to Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., who first floated the idea last month could lower costs, cover more Americans, and gain bipartisan support. President Obama said in late June that he was "open" to the idea.
President Obama on Friday said that although he intends to reverse the Bush administration"s provider "conscience" rule, he still favors a "robust" federal policy that would enhance the rights of health care workers to refuse to perform certain procedures because of moral or religious objections, the Washington Post reports. In a session with reporters one week before his first meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, Obama said that he is a "believer in conscience clauses." He added that a new policy from his administration "may not meet the criteria of every possible critic of our approach, but it certainly will not be weaker than what existed before the changes were made." According to the Post, Obama"s comments aimed to reassure Roman Catholic health care workers that they would still be able to refuse to perform abortions and other procedures that go against the Church"s teachings. Several federal laws in place since the 1970s protect the rights of health care workers with moral or religious objections (Salmon, Washington Post, 7/3). Nancy Berlinger, deputy director of the Hastings Center, said that conscience laws also "are on the books in almost every state." She added, "The idea was that when abortion moved from being an illegal procedure, therefore something that you did not offer in a hospital, to being a legal procedure, therefore something that you might offer in a hospital, there was a move to protect providers ... from having to participate in abortions." However, not all conscience laws are specific to abortion, NPR"s "Morning Edition" reports. For example, some allow providers to refuse to provide birth control, in vitro fertilization or end-of-life care (Rovner, "Morning Edition," NPR, 7/6).The Bush administration said its 2008 policy was designed to ensure that the federal laws are enforced. The policy would cut off federal funding to health care facilities and other entities that did not accommodate workers who refused to participate in certain procedures (Washington Post, 7/3). Joxel Garcia, the assistant secretary for health in the Bush administration who helped write the policy, said that it is necessary because few health care workers are aware of the protections. He added that the policy gives health workers "a mechanism to seek help" through HHS.However, critics of the Bush administration"s policy contend that it would widely expand the scope of health care covered by the policy and the type of health care workers who could object to procedures. Berlinger said, "Words like belief, when you talk about them in the context of health care, aren"t just anything you might think of." She noted that a "false belief about science or the promotion of ambiguity where things can be disambiguated," such as the claim that birth control is equivalent to abortion, "is not ethical" ("Morning Edition," NPR, 7/6).Obama"s plan to replace the policy has stoked concern from Catholic health care providers that they would be forced to perform abortions, sterilizations and other procedures that go against Catholic teachings (Washington Post, 7/3). A recent survey conducted for the Christian Medical Association found that 90% of doctors surveyed said that "they will quit their practices before violating their conscience," according to David Stevens, executive director of CMA. Stevens said that repealing the Bush administration"s rule "sends a clear message: It"s open season on health care professionals of conscience -- discriminate at will" ("Morning Edition," NPR, 7/6).Obama on Friday also said that although he and the pope have areas of "deep agreement ... there are going to be some areas where we"ve got some disagreements," such as abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research. The president will meet with the pope on July 10, while he is in Europe for a summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations. Obama Addresses Catholic Concerns on Pregnancy PreventionObama also discussed opposition to the inclusion of comprehensive sex education and contraception in any legislative pac
The Montana ProLife Coalition last week launched a campaign seeking a state ballot initiative that would propose defining "personhood" in the state constitution as "from the beginning of the biological development of that human being," the Great Falls Tribune reports. A required 48,674 signatures are needed to place the initiative on the November 2010 ballot. Abortion-rights opponents failed to collect enough signatures for a similar proposal last year. Former state Rep. Rick Jore, a member of the Constitution Party, on Wednesday submitted three versions of the proposal to the Montana Secretary of State"s Office. Jore also authored last year"s proposal.Allyson Hagen, executive director for NARAL Pro-Choice Montana, said, "Whether or not they get it on the ballot, I think that the vast majority of Montanans are going to oppose an extreme initiative like this one." She added, "I think Montanans believe very strongly in the right to privacy and [that] the decisions regarding pregnancy should be between a woman and her doctor, not with the Legislature or the government."Abortion-rights opponents last year tried and failed to put similar proposals before voters in Georgia and Oregon, and Colorado voters rejected a similar measure by a 3 to 1 margin. Hagen said that because the president supports abortion rights and Democrats have a majority in Congress, "antiabortion groups are looking to make movements in the states, feeling powerless at the federal level." Earlier this year, two bills (SB 406, SB 46) in the Montana Legislature that sought to grant constitutional rights to embryos failed to make it out of committee. The North Dakota Legislature recently rejected a similar proposal (Adams, Great Falls Tribune, 7/2).
The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has published a report on Genomic Medicine which argues that recent developments in genomic science stemming from the sequencing of the human genome represent a unique opportunity for real advances in medical care and that the Government and the NHS must take a range of steps to ensure that these advances are realised.
Accelerating the development of discoveries and innovations and facilitating their adoption through free and open access to research findings. This is the aim of an important new initiative that will provide researchers and knowledge users free access to a vast digital archive of published health research at their desktop and connect them to an emerging international network of digital archives anchored in the United States.
The prescription charge in England is a tax in all but name - and an unfair one at that - and should be axed, says Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB).
The way certain patients present in the post-acute hospital setting with delirium, a common, preventable but life-threatening acute confusional state, predicts mortality, according to a study conducted by the Institute for Aging Research of Hebrew SeniorLife.
Chronic seizures caused by traumatic head injuries may result from chemicals released by the brain"s immune system attempting to repair the injured site, according to a study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder.
A common blood test for triglycerides - a well-known cardiovascular disease risk factor - may also for the first time allow doctors to predict which patients with diabetes are more likely to develop the serious, common complication of neuropathy.
An online insomnia intervention based on established face-to-face cognitive behavioral therapy techniques appears to improve patients" sleep, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Consuming an amino acid commonly found in vegetable protein may be associated with lower blood pressure, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers from Brown University and other institutions have developed a computational computer model of how brain tumors grow and evolve.
CSC (NYSE: CSC) today announced that it has been named a leading technology provider in multiple categories of Celent"s 2009 Insurance Software Deal Trends study, published in two editions. Celent, a financial services technology research and advisory firm, reported in the Life/Health Edition that CSC is the leader in Life, Health and Annuity Core Processing with 56 percent of the deals in 2007 and 2008, as well as a leader in Life, Health and Annuity Infrastructure and Accounting. In addition, Celent identified CSC in the Property/Casualty Edition as a leader in Property and Casualty (P&C) Core Processing and P&C Distribution.
An article published Online First and in a future edition of The Lancet reports that the rising rates of suicide and murders in the population are directly associated to the growing unemployment rates originated by the economic downturn. Another effect is the decline in road-traffic accidents. Active labor market programs aiming to maintain and reintegrate workers in jobs could tone down some of these unfavorable effects. The article is the work of Dr David Stuckler, of the University of Oxford, UK, and Professor Martin McKee, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, and their team.
"While Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) is expected to be on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee only for a short time, he should have a major effect on health reform," Roll Call reports. "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) chose Whitehouse to temporarily take the place of former Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), now secretary of State, on HELP because of his experience with health care policy at the state level." But when Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., takes over "the long-vacant Minnesota seat, Whitehouse"s time on the committee will soon be coming to an end -- but not before the health debate is finished."
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation announced today that all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, have passed legislation requiring that all newborns be screened for cystic fibrosis (CF) by the year 2010.
NPR reports on the struggle of Alzheimer"s patients who don"t have health insurance trying to find ways to pay for their care and lobby for greater protections for themselves.
Significant and widespread cognitive problems appear to exist in schizophrenia in its earliest phase, making it very hard for people with the disorder to work, study or be social, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association.
Of NICE And Men Wall Street Journal
A new Australian Institute of Health and Welfare/University of Sydney report on General Practice highlights the critical role GPs play in keeping the Australian community healthy, AMA Federal President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today.
Trinity Biotech plc (NASDAQ: TRIB), a leading developer and manufacturer of diagnostic products for the point-of-care and clinical laboratory markets, announced the FDA approval and US launch of its high throughput haemostasis analyzer, the Destiny Max.
A research team has pinpointed a new class of gene mutations, which identify cases of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that have a high risk of relapse and death. The finding suggests specific drugs that could treat this high-risk leukemia subtype in children, particularly because such drugs are already in clinical trials for similar blood diseases in adults.
Economic Crisis Presents Opportunity To Reform Pharmaceutical Practices In Africa, Says UNAIDS Head
Lack Of Funds Prevents HIV-Positive People In Uganda From Receiving Antiretroviral Treatment
A study by researchers from Duke University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and published in PLoS Medicine has found that upon infection "three lines of attack by the immune system are quickly neutralized by HIV," findings they hope "will provide a better understanding of how to develop a vaccine to protect against the virus," the Raleigh News & Observer reports. The study, lead by Duke"s Barton Haynes, showed that HIV, "once considered a slow if stealthy invader, actually works incredibly fast at disarming key immune fighters in the body." Haynes said scientists still have a difficult task in developing a vaccine, adding, "It would have to be different than any other vaccine made" (Avery, 7/7).
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have discovered a molecular coupling factor that helps bones grow and remodel themselves to stay strong, a finding that could lead to better bone-building therapies and new osteoporosis drugs, the researchers said
Iron supplements do not increase the likelihood of contracting malaria and should not be withheld from children at risk of the disease, despite World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines to the contrary, a new review by Cochrane Researchers suggests.
Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) may relieve symptoms in the treatment of endometriosis. A systematic review by Cochrane Researchers found some evidence that women had comparable benefits following laparoscopic surgery and suffered fewer adverse effects if they were given Chinese herbs compared with conventional drug treatments.
For the last six years, doctors have faced a dilemma about whether to treat men at risk of prostate cancer with the drug finasteride. On one hand, the drug had been shown to prevent cancer in about one of every four patients who received it. On the other, those who did develop cancer while on the drug were 25 percent more likely to have a more aggressive form of the disease.
Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (Nasdaq: AMLN), Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) and Alkermes, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALKS) announced that the New Drug Application (NDA) for exenatide once weekly has been accepted for review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) announced the launch of the platinum chromium TAXUS(R) Element(TM) Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System in select markets worldwide. The TAXUS Element Stent features a new platinum chromium alloy engineered specifically for coronary stent applications and represents the Company"s third-generation drug-eluting stent (DES) technology.
As leaders at the G8 summit in L"Aquila gather to discuss global
New research may help doctors pinpoint when patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are becoming dangerously ill. The findings may also point the way to interventions that could sustain the lives of IPF patients until life-saving transplants could be performed.
In an effort to help families and school administrators fight the epidemic of obesity among children, a Yale-led team of researchers has developed a practical coding system to evaluate school wellness policies, which are required of all schools participating in the National School Lunch Program. This coding system was introduced in the July 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Even though it may sound like it, heart failure does not necessarily mean that the heart has failed. Heart failure is a serious condition in which the heart is not pumping blood around the body efficiently. The patient"s left side, right side, or even both sides of the body can be affected. Symptoms will depend on which side is affected and how severe the heart failure is - symptoms can be severe.
Rasilez® (aliskiren), the first new type of high blood pressure medicine in more than a decade, has been approved for use in Japan. Rasilez directly inhibits renin9, an enzyme that triggers a process leading to high blood pressure and organ damage. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) in Japan approved Rasilez for the treatment of high blood pressure alone or in combination with other high blood pressure medicines.
Wiley-Blackwell, the scientific, technical, medical and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons, Inc (NYSE: JWa), (NYSE: JWb), has announced that the inaugural issue of its new journal, LUTS (Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms), is now live online.
The Narconon drug rehab program has noticed a trend of many drug addicts being involved with drug related charges due to their addiction. "You can have the everyday functioning addict who is battling a drug addiction, and just one day gets caught by police for possession of a small amount," comments Nick Hayes, a representative of Narconon Trois-Rivieres. "This is an all too common situation for many people who are involved in a drug addiction." More people are using illicit drugs in Canada, in fact Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada, where the Narconon drug rehab program is located, is one of the leading cities in Canada for drug crimes. "There are so many youth in Trois-Rivieres who are addicted to different drugs like speed, ecstasy, marijuana, and even cocaine. These teens get caught up with the law and start heading down the wrong path at a very young age," says Nick.
Dr. David Steenblock of Mission Viejo, California, a pioneer in clinical applications of stem cells, is pleased to report the results of a 16 year old girl who suffered from cerebral palsy. The patient had right side paralysis and spasticity since birth. The procedure consisted of removing 300 milliliters of bone marrow from her hip and giving it back to her intravenously. Five hours after the raw bone marrow infusion, E.H. was able to move her right toe for the first time in her life. That evening, she was able to walk, stepping heel to toe on her right foot. By the next day, she was able to straighten out and use her right arm and wrist for the first time. Within three weeks, she was also able to move her fingers on her right hand and hold a cup for the first time.
AlphaRx Inc. (OTCBB: ALRX) reported positive preclinical results on GAI-122 injectable nano-emulsion in multiple models of acute hepatitis, an inflammatory liver disease.
Expectant parents are poorly informed about cord blood banking, according to a study published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine. In fact, of the expectant mothers in the study who indicated they have some knowledge of cord blood banking, 74 percent considered themselves minimally informed. Yet, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences recommends that all expectant parents should be educated about cord blood stem cells early enough in pregnancy that they can make an informed decision about the options to preserve these medically-beneficial cells.
Pope Benedict XVI, as part of a 144-page encyclical critiquing the international economic system, argues that the use of birth control is poor economic policy, the Washington Post reports. According to the document, birth control is not only immoral but also harmful to the economy because it narrows the "brain pool" of qualified labor. The document makes similar arguments about abortion.The document was released ahead of Wednesday"s Group of Eight industrialized nations summit, which will focus on the world economy. According to the Post, the timing of the document"s release indicates that Benedict "aims to insert his voice into that discussion by focusing on the moral underpinnings of the meltdown" (Salmon, Washington Post, 7/8).
HIV and sexual health charity, Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) has just been approved to offer a new City & Guilds course in understanding HIV and AIDS. The course was developed as a partnership between THT and City & Guilds and it is the first of its kind. Courses will be run at locations across the UK.
In a bid to reduce levels of undiagnosed HIV in Brighton & Hove, HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) is encouraging gay and bisexual men who may have been at risk to attend a local service offering one-hour HIV testing. One in four people who have HIV in the UK are undiagnosed, and there are now more people living with the condition than ever before.
The GMC is calling for people to give their input on guidance that doctors must follow when filming or making audio recordings of patients and undertaking research.
KPBS examines the reasons why the San Diego Board of Supervisors will not support the city"s needle exchange program, which twice weekly provides clean needles to injection drug users as part of an effort to curb the spread of HIV, Hepatitis C and other blood-borne diseases. Dianne Jacob, chair of the board, said, "I think it particularly sends a wrong message to our kids. It sends a message to our kids that as county government, if we gave out clean needles for illegal drug use, that we condone illegal drug use. And we don"t. And it"s wrong." She said government support should go toward drug use prevention and treatment. Steffanie Strathdee, head of the division of global public health at the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine, has examined several needle exchange programs across the world, and said, "It hasn"t been associated with more people starting drug use at earlier ages, etc., ò€¦ In fact, it"s consistently been associated with reductions in high-risk behavior. And so there"s really no reason not to support it on a broader scale" (Goldberg, 7/8). This series of articles was supported by a Kaiser Family Foundation mini reporting fellowship.
How does Hollywood impact radiation perception? Can we treat cancer with microscopic particles acting like a Trojan horse? How does the radiation exposure our astronauts receive during space travel compare to their routine diagnostic radiology exams?
Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that survival among women with ovarian cancer is influenced by age of menarche and total number of lifetime ovulatory cycles.
Public health experts throughout the UK and Somerset are now implementing new national guidance regarding the treatment and management of swine flu in the UK.
It"s well known that those who suffer from mental illness can benefit greatly from an active lifestyle. But most of the existing research focuses almost solely on physical activity, and while exercise is certainly important for mind and body, Temple researcher Yoshitaka Iwasaki says it"s not the only aspect of an active lifestyle.
Boston University School of Medicine researchers (BUSM) have observed in a study of pregnant women that consumption of at least seven servings per day of fruits and vegetables moderately reduced the risk of developing an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). The BUSM study appears online in the journal Public Health Nutrition.
Targacept, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRGT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of drugs known as NNR Therapeutics (TM), announced that AstraZeneca has informed Targacept that it plans to conduct further development of AZD3480 (TC-1734) for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and has agreed to make a $10 million milestone payment to Targacept.
Ganglion cysts are fluid-filled swellings that tend to form on top of joints or tendons in the wrists, hands, and feet. They have the appearance of firm or spongy sacs of liquid and their insides consist of a sticky, clear, thick, jelly-like fluid. Ganglion cysts are idiopathic, which means they generally form for unknown reasons. As painless and benign (not dangerous) growths, ganglion cysts often do not require treatment and go away on their own.
A ÷£5million package of measures is being rolled out to help improve services for children and young people with communication problems. A new Communication Champion is also being recruited to raise the profile of these issues, Children"s Secretary, Ed Balls and Care Services Minister Phil Hope announced today.
The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Parkinson"s Disease has released a shocking new report that documents severe inequalities in access to Parkinson"s services in the UK.
People with dementia and their families will get more support throughout the course of the illness as the first dementia advisors started work on Wednesday.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) announced that, following GlaxoSmithKline"s (GSK) appeal, it will reconsider the submission for Tyverb (lapatinib), a treatment for an aggressive form of advanced breast cancer (ErbB2-positive).1 GSK is pleased that NICE"s appeal panel agreed that the draft negative guidance should be reviewed, providing fresh hope for up to 2,000 women in the UK who could benefit from this effective treatment on the NHS.
The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection is notifying consumers about a voluntary recall announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recalled Jaloma Pacifiers were sold in retail stores in New Jersey and New York from February 2008 through March 2009, for approximately $1.00. Although not sold in Connecticut stores, this recalled product may have been purchased while visiting the above noted states or may have been sent to Connecticut as a gift. The pacifiers were manufactured in Mexico and imported by Gromex Inc., of Passaic, New Jersey. Although no injuries and/or incidents have been reported, the potential for injury is high due to the pacifier mouth guard and the ventilation holes are too small and fail to meet federal safety standards, for this reason, the pacifier poses a choking hazard to young children.
Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI) announced publication by The New England Journal of Medicine of the results of two pivotal animal efficacy studies, which showed the life-saving potential of the Company"s human monoclonal antibody drug raxibacumab (ABthrax(TM)), as well as the results of human safety studies, which supported the use of raxibacumab in the event of life-threatening inhalation anthrax disease.
"In the face of mounting Republican opposition to its healthcare agenda, the Obama administration received a boost Wednesday, winning a preliminary agreement with leading hospital groups to cut federal payments to the industry over the next decade," The Los Angeles Times reports. "Under the plan, negotiated primarily by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), hospitals would accept $155 billion in cuts if the administration and its congressional allies succeeded in extending health insurance to tens of millions of people who are now without coverage. None of the hospital groups has signed a written agreement backing the cuts, nor is there any guarantee that the cuts will be included in versions of the healthcare legislation being developed by lawmakers other than Baucus" (Levey, 7/9).
Fair Pay For Caregivers New York Times
"The White House, months before flu season, will roll out the big guns Thursday for a swine flu preparedness summit, underscoring the importance the Obama administration is placing on the pandemic," CNN reports. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and National Security Adviser John Brennan are expected to attend sessions held at the NIH.
The Obama Administration sent a strong message to the nation today that it is time to start planning and preparing for the fall flu season and the ongoing H1N1 flu outbreak and that the federal government is prepared to commit res, training, and new tools to help state and local governments and America"s families get ready.
Athletic injuries can derail any player"s ability to compete, but for a baseball pitcher his shoulder strength and control is critical. A new study to be presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine"s (AOSSM) Annual Meeting in Keystone, Colorado, suggests that testing a pitcher"s shoulder strength through a series of exercises during the preseason may help create a focused strength training program to prevent serious injury during the season.
Starting in October 2009, Springer will publish The HUGO Journal in cooperation with the Human Genome Organisation (HUGO). Formerly published at Springer as Genomic Medicine, The HUGO Journal has a new design, new features and a new editorial team. Members of HUGO will receive free access to the journal online and be able to purchase print subscriptions at discounted rates.
The use of cardiac CT for low-risk chest pain patients in the emergency department, instead of the traditional standard of care (SOC) workup, may reduce a patient"s length of stay and hospital charges, according to a study performed at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. The SOC workup, which is timely and expensive, consists of a series of cardiac enzyme tests, ECGs and nuclear stress testing.
Four researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech and their colleagues at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine are advocating the use of systems biology as an innovative clinical approach to cancer. This approach could result in the development of improved diagnostic tools and treatment options, as well as potential new drug targets to help combat the many potentially fatal types of the disease.
Athletic injuries can derail any player"s ability to compete, but for a baseball pitcher his shoulder strength and control is critical. A new study to be presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine"s (AOSSM) Annual Meeting in Keystone, Colorado, suggests that testing a pitcher"s shoulder strength through a series of exercises during the preseason may help create a focused strength training program to prevent serious injury during the season.
A group of chemicals found in many fruits and vegetables, as well as tea, cocoa and red wine, could protect the brain from Alzheimer"s disease, a dementia expert will tell scientists at a conference today (Friday).
EpiCept Corporation (Nasdaq and OMX Nordic Exchange: EPCT) today announced the start of a post-approval clinical study with Ceplene® (histamine dihydrochloride) following Ethics Committee and Competent Authority approvals in Sweden, Belgium, and France. This study will fulfill the post approval commitments requested by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) in granting marketing authorization. Ceplene® is indicated for remission maintenance in adult patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in first remission. Ceplene®is to be administered in conjunction with low-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2).
BioAlliance Pharma SA (Paris:BIO), the specialty pharmaceutical company focused on therapy and supportive care in cancer and AIDS, announced Europe-wide approval for embossing its Loramyc® mucoadhesive buccal tablet, developed for the treatment of oropharyngeal candidiasis.
The strain of influenza, A/H1N1, that is currently pandemic in humans has been shown to be infectious to pigs and to spread rapidly in a trial pig population.
An ambitious new national study that aims to follow children from conception through adulthood will miss a golden opportunity to gather data on the most underrepresented population in clinical research - pregnant women, say leading ethicists at Duke University Medical Center, Johns Hopkins and Georgetown Universities.
All first year doctors training in Wales will now benefit from free hospital accommodation indefinitely. Health Minister Edwina Hart had previously agreed to extend the provision of free on-site housing for F1 training grade doctors in Wales, until summer 2010. That will now continue for the foreseeable future.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published its first Annual Report on Pesticide Residues, which provides an overview on the pesticide residues in food observed throughout the European Union (EU) during 2007 and assesses the exposure of consumers through their diets. The report showed that the majority of the samples complied with the legal maximum residue levels (MRLs) of pesticides and made a series of recommendations to further improve the collection of data required for pesticide exposure assessment.
Researchers at Northeastern University have developed an early-stage, highly accurate cancer screening technology that determines- in seconds-whether a cell is cancerous, precancerous or normal.
An alcoholic is a person who suffers from alcoholism - the body is dependent on alcohol. An alcoholic is addicted to alcohol. Alcoholism is a chronic (long-term) disease. People who suffer from alcoholism are obsessed with alcohol and cannot control how much they consume, even if it is causing serious problems at home, work and financially. Alcohol abuse generally refers to people who do not display the characteristics of alcoholism but still have a problem with it - these people are not as dependent on alcohol as an alcoholic is; they have not yet completely lost their control over its consumption.
Combat-related injuries have long plagued the military in part because of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Imagine being able to spray a compound fracture with microcapsules that deliver a drug to bolster the immune system, stopping infection before it starts.
Emerging research suggests that nutritional factors including vitamin D, magnesium, and others may influence the risk and progression of cardiovascular disease. The new data on nutrition and heart disease were the topic of a recent symposium and are summarized in the July issue of The American Journal of the Medical Sciences (AJMS), official journal of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (SSCI). The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and biomedical intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry.
African countries, with the support of WHO and other development partners, are continuously strengthening their general capacity to deal with cases of Influenza A/H1N1 virus if an outbreak occurs in the region.
Reuters reports that the National Retail Federation has come out against mandated employer coverage for health care for their employees, a stance that Wal-Mart, the world"s largest retailer, supports. "The National Retail Federation "cannot support an employer mandate of any type," said NRF Senior Vice President for Government Relations Steve Pfister in a statement. He said the retail industry is a labor-heavy one that operates on a thin profit margin. ò€¦ Last week, Wal-Mart, which is not a member of the NRF, said it supports the push to require large employers to offer health insurance to workers" (Maestri, 7/9).
President Obama is expected to arrive in Accra, Ghana, Friday night, the AP/Google.com reports. White House adviser Michelle Gavin said the president chose to travel to Ghana "because it"s such an admirable example of strong, democratic governance, vibrant civil society" (Babington, 7/10). The following are opinion pieces reflecting on his trip and Africa policy:
A new Mayo Clinic study may help physicians differentially diagnose three common neurodegenerative disorders in the future. The study was presented at the Alzheimer"s Association International Conference on Alzheimer"s Disease on July 11 in Vienna.
Knee injuries are a common problem in collegiate and professional football, often hindering an individual"s career length and future. A study presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine"s Annual Meeting in Keystone, Colorado suggests that anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction versus a simple meniscus repair may predict a longer professional career in those that have suffered knee injuries.
A doctor"s positive attitude to Alzheimer"s diagnosis and their trusting, personal relationships with local dementia support service providers are powerful enablers for early diagnosis of Alzheimer"s, according to new research reported at the Alzheimer"s Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer"s Disease (ICAD 2009) in Vienna.
Oral healthcare could hold the key to beating obesity according to new dental research*.