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They Are Young And Need The Job: A Second Chance For Dangerous T Cells
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)
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Removal Of Ban On Federal Funding For Needle Exchange Programs To Be Debated In Congress
An amendment to the fiscal year 2010 appropriations bill for health, labor and education programs that opposes the lifting of the ban on federal funding for needle exchange programs will come to the House floor for debate today along with four others, CQ Today reports. Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) "will offer an amendment to strip language that would lift the ban on federal funding for needle exchange programs," CQ writes. According to CQ Today, "Conservatives are concerned that eliminating the ban on federal funds for such programs, which are designed to reduce the transmission of HIV and other diseases, would be tantamount to helping fund addicts" drug habits. Democrats say science has shown that such programs, when coupled with comprehensive prevention strategies, can reduce the rate of [HIV] infections and do not promote drug use." House Appropriations Committee Chair David Obey (D-Wis.) "added compromise language in the committee this week that would prohibit funds from going to needle exchange programs within 1,000 feet of facilities that serve children, such as schools and parks," the article states. The House is expected to vote on the amendment and the appropriations bill today (Wolfe, 7/23).
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News of the day
Smoking In Military Populations, VA Medical Centers: DOD, VA, Congress Should Take Stronger Steps Toward Eliminating Tobacco Use
Because tobacco use impairs military readiness, harms the health of soldiers and veterans, and imposes a substantial financial burden on the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, these agencies should implement a comprehensive strategy to achieve the Defense Department"s stated goal of a tobacco-free military, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. DOD should gradually phase in a ban on tobacco use in the military, starting at military academies and officer training programs and among new recruits, the report says. DOD should also stop selling tobacco products in Army and Air Force commissaries -- Navy and Marine Corps commissaries already do not sell them -- and should stop selling them at a discount in military exchanges and other stores. In addition, Congress should allow VA to establish tobacco-free medical centers.
Public Health

Healthcare Locums Sees Demand Rocket As Trusts Prepare For European Working Time Directive

Healthcare Locums (HCL), the UK"s largest specialist health and social care agency, says it is seeing rocketing demand for locum and permanent placement doctors from Trusts struggling to prepare for the European Working Time Directive, which limits the number of hours trainee doctors can work to 48 per week. The Directive, which is due to come into force on 1 August 2009, poses another challenge for an already over-stretched healthcare workforce only a few months after the Government imposed stringent new qualification requirements on overseas doctors working in the UK. Changes to the Highly Skilled Migration Programme, introduced earlier this year, means that only those who have a master"s degree can apply for a visa to work in the UK, in a move which has been heavily criticised by the British Medical Association. HCL echoes the BMA"s concerns as it believes that greater emphasis on international recruitment drives for doctors outside the UK is the only way to address the staffing squeeze which will result from imposing strict limits on doctors" working hours. Kate Bleasdale, HCL"s Executive Vice Chairman, said: "The European Working Time Directive is intended to regulate the working hours of all workers in the European Union, which, while laudable in its aims, does not take into account the realities of working in a hospital, especially in an emergency care environment. You cannot make an emergency situation conform to a 48 hour per week rota limit. "This is a huge concern for our clients, and we are seeing accelerating demand for locum staff in the run-up to 1 August as some Trusts anticipate a big staffing shortfall once the Directive kicks in. "In our permanent placement division, we have seen demand rise by as much as 30%. "We are even receiving orders from the NHS Deaneries who are not able to find enough doctors to fill all the six and twelve month posts which will become available in August - something we are seeing for the first time." She added: "The obvious solution is to drive international recruitment programmes to appropriately qualified medical professionals from overseas, and at HCL, with our networks spanning the Middle East, United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, that is exactly what we are doing. But since the changes to skilled migration legislation, which make it harder for overseas doctors to work in the UK, this is also a big challenge. "Of course no one wants a return to the days of junior doctors working 120-plus hour weeks - patients should always be seen by an alert and well-rested doctor. But we also must ensure that there are enough medical professionals to meet patients" needs and get them the highest quality of treatment. There is a very real possibility that we will see a drastic shortage of available hospital doctors after 1 August, which could have serious implications for patients. In order to address this, we must be able to go easily beyond the confines of the UK to find highly skilled and qualified doctors who want to come and work here." Healthcare Locums


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