Oncology
The Associated Press reports that "the Indian Health Service is continuing to lose equipment at an alarming rate despite efforts to better account for the agency"s property, according to congressional investigators. In a report issued Wednesday, the Government Accountability Office said the government agency lost about 1,400 items worth $3.5 million between October 2007 and January 2009 - including $37,000 in lab equipment at a Navajo health care facility and a $7,300 trailer in Nashville, Tenn. Those losses came after an estimated $15.8 million in equipment was unaccounted for between the 2004 and 2007 budget years. Those losses were reported by the GAO in June 2008, when investigators also charged that the Indian Health Service had falsified documents to cover up some of the missing property."
A new study finds the average wait for a medical appointment has increased by more than a week since 2004, to 8.6 days, USA Today reports. In Boston, the worst-performing city of the 15 surveyed for the Merritt Hawkins and Associates study, patients waited nearly 50 days, on average, to see a doctor.
U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced the National Nursing Reform and Patient Advocacy Act, legislation to protect the rights of nurses to advocate on behalf of their patients, set minimum nurse-to-patient ratios in hospitals, and invest in training nurses to address the current nationwide nursing shortage.
A Veterans Affairs study found that people treated by doctors being compensated under pay-for-performance arrangements weren"t short-changed and received high-quality care. Health Day News reports that the study, which used data from both medical charts and patients" ratings of their care, "should reassure patients and the doctors who treat them." The study calms concerns that doctors might avoid patients who are very sick because their quality ratings and pay might suffer if they take the time to properly treat people with multiple conditions.
The following summarizes recent action on reproductive health-related legislation in two states.~ Oregon: Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) on Tuesday signed a measure (H.B. 2509) that requires school districts to provide students in all public elementary and secondary schools with medically accurate, age-appropriate sex education courses, KOHD.com reports. The law stipulates that schools emphasize the best way for students to prevent pregnancy and reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections is to practice abstinence and that the best approach for adults is to engage in mutually monogamous relationships with partners without STIs. In addition, the law requires that students be given current, statistically based information about the efficacy of all methods of preventing STIs. The measure also requires that sex education courses include instruction on the benefits of delaying pregnancy until after adolescence, as well as information about the characteristics of an emotionally and physically healthy relationship. The law directs schools to provide students with information on state laws related to young people"s rights and responsibilities with regard to childbearing and parenting (KOHD.com, 6/2).~ Tennessee: State Rep. Tony Shipley (R) on Tuesday withdrew from consideration a bill (H.B. 1762) he sponsored that would have given parents full access to their children"s medical records, the AP/Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. Under the measure, physicians would have been required to provide written results of any tests or procedures performed on minors upon request from their parents or guardians. The measure could have jeopardized about $6.5 million in federal family planning funding that is attached to privacy requirements, according to legislative analysts (AP/Chattanooga Times Free Press, 6/2).
More than 80 community pharmacists from the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) and several patients met with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today to discuss the negative impact of the March 2007 CVS/Caremark merger and to urge the FTC to re-examine it.
Some simple changes in the design and location of staircases could help to make buildings more "physical activity friendly" and contribute to the fight against obesity, according to an article in the June Southern Medical Journal, official journal of the Southern Medical Association. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry.
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center physician-scientists presented new research at the 2009 American Transplant Congress in Boston, May 30 to June 3. Topics included minimizing steroid exposure for liver transplant patients with hepatitis C; hypothermic machine perfusion vs. cold storage for preserving donor livers; and the effectiveness of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio in predicting colorectal liver metastases in liver cancer patients undergoing transplantation.
With more than $19 billion in new spending planned for health information technology, the Obama administration is taking serious steps toward modernizing the U.S. health care system. Implementing health IT can reduce both costs and errors, but it requires extensive information infrastructure upgrades. Few hospitals, clinics or private practices have the funds to pay for new technology. The new Brookings Institution Press book Digital Medicine: Health Care in the Internet Era investigates the factors affecting digital technology"s ability to remake health care.
Many children who are retained in kindergarten, first or third grade for academic reasons do not subsequently receive a document outlining the individualized special education services they should receive, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Approximately 30 percent U.S. children live more than one hour away from a pediatric trauma center by ground or by air transportation, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
The Society for Biomolecular Sciences (SBS) announces the delivery of their Annual Meeting posters and abstracts with online commenting through Poster Hall 2.0 developed by Conference Archives, Inc. The SBS e-poster website, accessible to SBS members, brings together posters and abstracts from the 2008 and 2009 SBS Annual Conference & Exhibitions.
GfK Healthcare"s Roper Global Diabetes Program, the definitive global perspective on diabetes, announced today the launch of its enhanced U.S. Diabetes Patient Market Study. Through a modular approach and with tailored reporting, the study offers health care and related companies in the diabetes category access to patient data and market trends from one of the largest surveys of people with diabetes, and the only one projectable to the U.S. population.
SRI International, an independent, nonprofit research and development organization, has announced that that it will screen a library of well-characterized drugs against the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus, previously known as "swine flu." The work will be performed under a re contract from the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID) in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.
IMEC, Europe"s leading independent
"With a continuously ageing population the incidence of osteoporosis is steadily rising. This does not only pose problems to the individuals concerned but is also an enormous challenge for our societies" according to Professor Wolfhart Puhl, past president of the European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (EFORT). Prof. Puhl, of the Orthopç¤dikum Allgç¤u, Germany, who is in Vienna for the EFORT Congress, emphasized that the problem"s "dimension is frequently underestimated. Policy makers and funding agencies do not always consider this development sufficiently in their planning."
With just $399 and a bit of saliva in a cup, consumers can learn about their genetic risk for diseases from breast cancer to diabetes. Now, thanks to social networking sites set up by personal genomics companies, they can also share that information with family, friends and even strangers on the Internet.
New standards to improve access to diagnosis and treatment of sarcomas have been published by the Welsh Assembly Government.
BMA Scotland has called on the NHS in Scotland to value the clinical leadership offered by consultants in Scotland in order for patients to benefit from developments and innovations in healthcare. In order to do this, they say, the NHS needs to plan and invest in a consultant workforce that can lead the NHS and deliver the best care for patients.
The MP Evan Harris is among a group of leading academics, publishers, journalists, performers, clinicians, and scientists backing science writer Simon Singh in his application to appeal against a libel judgment in the High Court today.
Increasing population density, rather than boosts in human brain power, appears to have catalysed the emergence of modern human behaviour, according to a new study by UCL (University College London) scientists published in the journal Science. High population density leads to greater exchange of ideas and skills and prevents the loss of new innovations. It is this skill maintenance, combined with a greater probability of useful innovations, that led to modern human behaviour appearing at different times in different parts of the world.
Science fact meets science fiction as experts imagine a future without animal research and how we might get there - at this year"s Cheltenham Science Festival.
Two-thirds of patients are happy for their medical records to be stored electronically, according to a snapshot survey carried out in a community mental health setting. But many patients still have concerns about security and confidentiality.
ActoGeniX, a development stage biopharmaceutical company, announced that the United States÷´ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Company÷´s Investigational New Drug (IND) application for AG013, a novel therapeutic product for the treatment of oral mucositis in cancer patients. This IND application approval allows ActoGeniX to initiate a phase 1B clinical trial with AG013, which will now become the second clinical development program in ActoGeniX÷´s portfolio.
CEL-SCI Corporation (NYSE AMEX: CVM) announced that its collaborators at the University of Hawaii reported on data at the annual American Society for Microbiology in Philadelphia, PA. This data demonstrates that vaccines utilizing its L.E.A.P.S.(TM) (Ligand Epitope Antigen Presentation System) vaccine technology with specificity for particular Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) antigens can elicit immune responses that would be protective against tuberculosis and have the potential to treat swine and other H1N1 influenzas.
Clinical trial results presented today at the American Diabetes Association annual meeting show that overall rates of cardiovascular hospitalization and cardiovascular death are similar in patients taking Avandia (rosiglitazone) compared to those receiving metformin and sulfonylurea.
While tobacco use is an ongoing health hazard for the entire population, its consequences for people with developmental or intellectual disabilities can be especially severe. And the medical community often tends to overlook the tobacco-related burdens these people face. An extensive review of published research on this topic appears in the June edition of the journal Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Scientists of the Electronic Technology group of the University of Seville (US), led by Professor Jos̩ Manuel Quero, have completed the first phase of Mireia, a research project financed by the Plan Nacional del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovaci̚n (National Plan of the Spanish Science and Innovation Ministry), whose aim is to develop an intelligent chip to regulate diabetes in any kind of patients suffering this disease.
UroToday.com - The dynamic contrast-enhanced dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-DSC-MRI) technique presented in the article(1) is based on a novel dual-contrast sequence. The sequence is a gradient echo sequence that uses a single inversion pulse and subsequent acquisition of two contrasts/echoes with different inversion and echo times. Inversion preparation increases the signal-to-noise ratio in comparison to other gradient echo sequences. The blood volume in the prostate is relatively small, i.e., approximately one percent, while the interstitial contrast-agent-enhancing volume is approximately 20 percent. Therefore, conventional imaging sequences fail to separate the low contrast agent signal originating from the blood from that originating from interstitial tissue. The first contrast/echo is acquired with a short echo time and is T1-weighted, allowing quantification of the total signal contribution while failing to separate the blood signal from the interstitial contrast agent signal.
The results of the LEAD-6 study are published in an article Online First and in a future edition of The Lancet. The findings are presented at the same time at the American Diabetes Association meeting in New Orleans, USA. They indicate that taking liraglutide once a day is more efficient in controlling blood glucose in type 2 diabetes than the presently marketed treatment - two doses a day of exenatide.
Musculoskeletal problems are among the complaints most frequently reported in health interview surveys. Typically around 50 percent of the population report having had musculoskeletal pain in one or more areas for at least one week during the past month. Musculoskeletal disorders are also the most common work-related health problems in the EU: 25 percent of European workers complain of backache and 23 percent of muscular pains. The trend will become even more acute as demographic changes lead to an ageing society.
When it comes to maintaining their health, men tend to wait for serious symptoms to appear before taking the necessary precautions. Indications of serious physical conditions, however, can oftentimes take a silent form. Take hearing loss: The condition affects more than 31 million people, 65 percent of whom are men, but the signs of the condition are typically overlooked. With that in mind, Miracle-Ear is honoring National Men"s Health Week, which begins on June 15th, with advice on what to look - or listen - for to determine if men are living with diminished hearing capacity.
Aspyra, Inc. (AMEX: APY) announced plans to demonstrate the latest release of AccessRAD, their RIS/PACS product at the upcoming Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA) 2009 Radiology Summit held at Lowes Royal Pacific Resort in Orlando, FL, June 7 - 10, 2009, Booth 411.
ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. (OTCBB: IMUC) (IMUC), a biotechnology company, presented promising clinical data from a Phase I trial evaluating ICT-107, the company"s dendritic cell-based cancer vaccine product candidate for the treatment of glioblastoma. These data were reported at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting in Orlando, Florida (Abstract #2032), and supplement the preliminary data from the completed clinical trial that the Company reported in December 2008.
The NMC has started work to improve its advice and information on whistle-blowing for nurses and midwives.
Nine of the top 20 health issues researched on the internet relate to dieting, weight loss and healthy living.
In 2007, before the current economic downturn, an American family filed for bankruptcy in the aftermath of illness every 90 seconds; three-quarters of them were insured. Over 60% of all bankruptcies in the United States in 2007 were driven by medical incidents. In an article published in the August 2009 issue of The American Journal of Medicine, the results of the first-ever national random-sample survey of bankruptcy filers shows that illnesses and medical bills contribute to a large and increasing share of bankruptcies. The share of bankruptcies attributable to medical problems rose by 50% between 2001 and 2007
On Wednesday 3 June 2009 the situation in the UK was as follows:
Patients with symptoms of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA or brain attack) are missing out on potentially life saving treatment because they are routinely considered by the NHS as low priority cases. Instead of being fast-tracked into hospital for surgery the vast majority of patients are spending weeks and sometimes months on poorly managed referral pathways with the risk of going on to have more severe strokes.
Millions of Brits are dicing with disaster and placing their health at risk when taking overseas
In an effort to foster global biomedical research that will ultimately lead to new and improved treatments for patients with blood diseases, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the European Hematology Association (EHA) have collaborated to create the Translational Research Training in Hematology (TRTH) program. This program will provide promising translational investigators an opportunity to undertake intensive training in the causes, diagnosis, and experimental treatment of hematologic disorders from some of the most recognized names in the field.
A new wrinkle-smoother will be arriving in doctors" offices in July: the U.S. FDA has approved the cosmetic injectable Dysport®. Dysport®, approved in the European Union, Brazil, Argentina and more than 26 countries worldwide is a form of botulinum type A, similar to the protein found in Botox® Cosmetic, approved for fighting wrinkles in the U.S. since 2004. Dysport® and Botox® are both cosmetic injections that temporarily relax the muscles in the face that create expressions, such as frown lines between the brows, that over time result in visible facial lines and deeper creases. "Although their action is similar, Dysport® and Botox® Cosmetic are two different drugs," said oculoplastic surgeon Dr. Brian Biesman, Coalition leader and Assistant Clinical Professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. "Both temporarily modify the action of facial muscles, smoothing out undesirable lines between the brows, across the forehead or crow"s feet to restore a more youthful, less stressed appearance. But they are not interchangeable, they have distinct dosing differences."
Trius Therapeutics, Inc. announced results from its Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of oral torezolid (TR-701), its investigational antibiotic for the treatment of severe complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI) caused by gram-positive bacteria, especially drug-resistant strains such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The study achieved its primary goals of establishing safety and efficacy in all doses evaluated.
Micromet, Inc. (Nasdaq: MITI), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel, proprietary antibodies for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and autoimmune diseases, last week presented an update from an ongoing clinical study of the BiTE(R) antibody blinatumomab (MT103) for non-Hodgkin"s lymphoma (NHL) at the 14th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), held June 4 to 7 in Berlin, Germany. Blinatumomab is a novel therapeutic antibody that activates a patient"s T cells to seek out and destroy cancer cells.
D-Pharm announced today that its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for a pivotal Phase III clinical trial of DP-b99 in acute ischemic stroke patients has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). D-Pharm plans to initiate the trial in the coming months, in over 100 clinical sites in North America, Europe, South Africa and Israel.
Sexual abuse in childhood damages women far more than men and could account for just over a quarter of suicide attempts in women, according to new research.
A billboard campaign in New Orleans that seeks to raise awareness of HIV has sparked controversy as some residents consider the ads - which feature characters that represent specific sexually transmitted infections - offensive, WDSU.com reports. The campaign, run by St. John Faith Church, features a group of so-called "HIV prevention mobsters." The group, which has several billboards across the city, contends that the campaign is effective because there has been an increase in the number of people calling the church seeking information about HIV testing (WDSU.com, 6/5).
The Cincinnati Enquirer examined how the "success stories" of people living longer with HIV - such as that of former National Basketball Association player Earvin "Magic" Johnson - can "illustrate how well anti-HIV medications work and might be part of the reason the epidemic still rages." The article discussed the efficacy of antiretrovirals, their side effects and the consequences of not taking the medications (O"Farrell [1], Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/5). The Enquirer also featured an overview of the history and science of HIV (O"Farrell [2], Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/5).
More than one million Americans are living in nursing homes, but many would prefer to receive the services they need in their own homes, where they would be more comfortable and potentially save the health care system money in the long run. Unfortunately, many Americans who want to be cared for at home can"t because of a costly institutional bias in Medicaid, which pays for nearly two-thirds of the country"s nursing home residents. While state Medicaid programs are required to provide nursing home care, home and community-based services that are often less expensive are optional, leaving them first in line to be cut in a poor economy.
The St. Petersburg Times examines the work of Paul Farmer - "the Harvard-educated doctor who, starting in Haiti, built a multinational organization on the radical idea that poor patients deserve the same care as rich ones" and is reportedly being considered for a high-level job with USAID or the State Department. The newspaper reports that though it"s "not a sure thing, even his candidacy indicates how far the international aid establishment has come around to Farmer"s way of thinking, health care experts say."
BioVex Inc, a company developing new generation biologics for the treatment and prevention of cancer and infectious disease, announced that updated survival data from its Phase II study in metastatic melanoma will be presented at the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, taking place from May 29, 2009 - June 2, 2009 in Orlando, FL.
The "patient-centered" practices movement is growing in popularity, the New York Times reports. Primary care physicians in the practices "spend more time with patients, emphasize prevention and education" to keep patients healthy and "can handle many medical problems without referrals to specialists." Often, "this kind of care can reduce a patient"s medical bills." Dr. Jose Batlle, a doctor in the Bronx, for example, gives patients his cell phone number and helps his patients cut down on the number of prescription drugs that have him prescribed to them by multiple specialists. "I prefer to keep them healthy than treat them when they are sick," Batlle says.
Michigan"s Medicaid program is growing by as many as 15,000 people a month, but fewer physicians are accepting new patients insured by the program, which physicians say pays too little to cover their costs, the Associated Press reports. Meanwhile, the Michigan governor"s office announced an additional 4 percent cut last month, which "will lower payments across the board for hospitals, dentists and doctors who treat Medicaid patients." The article notes that in Michigan, the program currently insures a record 1.6 million residents.
Clinical investigators observed that Soliris® (eculizumab), a first-in-class terminal complement inhibitor developed by Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALXN), reduced hemolysis (red blood cell destruction) and improved symptoms in nine patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) who had received no blood transfusions prior to initiating Soliris therapy.
PanGenetics B.V. announced that the Competent Authority of the Netherlands has approved the Clinical Trials Application for a first-in-man study with antibody PG110. This humanized antibody is a member of the class of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) inhibitors which represent a promising novel approach in the treatment of chronic pain. PG110 will be evaluated in patients suffering from pain caused by osteoarthritis (OA). The clinical trial is designed as a double blind, placebo controlled study and will be conducted in a single site in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in collaboration with Kendle International.
Registered nurses, healthcare workers and community leaders will hold a major protest rally Tuesday at noon, outside of the Alameda County Administration building. The action, one of many occurring over the last two months, is being held on the day that the board is scheduled to vote on Sutter Health"s plan to rebuild Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley as a luxury hospital with all private rooms and 48 fewer beds. It is likely that approval will result in closure of the 122-bed San Leandro Hospital, also owned and operated by Sutter.
Canadian Light (CLS) staff scientist Luca Quaroni and Dr. Alan Casson, Head of the Department of Surgery at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) used the synchrotron"s infrared microscope to identify tissue afflicted with a condition known as Barrett"s Esophagus from chemical fingerprints associated with the disease, which can lead to esophageal cancer. The finding is published in the June, 2009 issue of the Royal Society of Chemistry journal, The Analyst.
A majority of high-risk stroke patients are less likely to meet clinical treatment targets to prevent repeat stroke or heart attacks compared to those with heart disease, suggesting the need to examine new therapeutic strategies, according to a study led by St. Michael"s Hospital neurologist Dr. Gustavo Saposnik. What"s more, medical procedures or ongoing specialty care may improve patients" awareness and consequent treatment success.
Study results presented for the first
Prenatal multivitamin supplements are associated with a significantly reduced risk of babies with a low birth weight compared with prenatal iron-folic acid supplementation, found a new study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).
Middle-aged adults who sleep fewer hours appear more likely to have high blood pressure and to experience adverse changes in blood pressure over time, according to a report in the June 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Children and especially boys diagnosed with intermittent exotropia, a condition in which the eye turns outward (away from the nose) only some of the time, appear more likely to develop mental illness by young adulthood than children without strabismus (when the eyes deviate or are misaligned when looking at an object), according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
As many as fifteen million American women suffer from a disabling medical condition known as fibromyalgia. In the medical community, sides have been drawn over whether fibromyalgia is a genuine syndrome or a catchall diagnosis based on vague clinical criteria. In The Fibromyalgia Controversy, M. Clement Hall, MD presents an unbiased overview of the fibromyalgia situation today and reviews the most up-to-date opinions and studies on this condition and its surrounding controversy.
Methuselah Foundation has identified Organovo, Inc. as a leader in the extraordinary science of bio-printing. The US Department of Health and Human Services predicts: "Within 20 years regenerative medicine will be the standard of care for replacing all tissue/organ systems in the body." Organovo, with the support of Methuselah Foundation, is applying its breakthrough organ printing technologies to make that prediction a reality.
Israeli researchers have developed a technique that could produce a more effective blend of tumor-fighting immune cells used to treat cancers such as metastatic melanoma.
Roche announced it will start Phase III clinical investigations for aleglitazar, its innovative PPAR co-agonist R1439 which is uniquely designed to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in high risk patients with type 2 diabetes. This decision is supported by data from the Phase II SYNCHRONY study published today in The Lancet(1) and announced at the American Diabetes Association meeting in New Orleans. The Phase III program is anticipated to start in the second half of 2009.
Researchers in the UK found that changes in glucose concentrations, insulin sensitivity, and insulin secretion can be detected as early as 3 to 6
A Brown University professor is among the first in the country to win a federal research grant funded by national economic stimulus efforts.
The Escambia County Health Department established a mosquito control program in 2008 that
Researchers at the Harold Hamm Oklahoma Diabetes Center have found a way to stop the damage caused by Type 1 diabetes with the combination of insulin and a common vitamin found in most medicine cabinets.
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) introduced legislation that seeks to encourage state and local governments, as well as media organizations, to recognize June 8th as National Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, the American Chronicle reports. The legislation also supports the development of a national AIDS strategy that aims to reduce new HIV infections in the U.S., particularly among minorities (American Chronicle 6/9).
A New York City law that will go into effect in July could make it easier for antiabortion-rights protesters to be arrested for restricting access to abortion clinics or harassing people trying to enter the facilities, the New York Times reports. Current law allows authorities to make arrests only if the person directly affected, such as a woman entering a clinic, is willing to press charges. However, the new law would allow third parties, such as clinic workers, to press charges if they witnessed the activity, the Times reports. New York City"s Dr. Emily"s Women"s Health Center and NARAL Pro-Choice New York spearheaded efforts to pass the legislation in response to antiabortion-rights demonstrators who target women on their way to clinics and attempt to persuade them to carry their pregnancies to term. Clinic workers report that the protesters also have harassed women as they left the subway or surrounded them as they walked to the clinic. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed the law in April. Joan Malin, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of New York City, said the group is "not against people demonstrating. But there is a line between freedom of speech and harassment and bullying" (Bosman, New York Times, 6/6).
The Royal College of Pathologists welcomes the Royal College of Physicians" report into the future
Being stably married or gaining a partner is associated with better sleep in women than being unmarried or losing a partner, according to a research abstract that will be presented on Wednesday, June 10, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
UroToday.com - Robotic and medical imaging technology has made leaps and bounds over the past few decades, and the practice of brachytherapy should take advantage of these advances. Of course, any new technology cannot be implemented in the clinic without a scientifically validated foundation, which must be established in order to justify the move away from tried-and-true methods. With this in mind, we present this paper as a peek into the future -- alternative, potentially useful implant catheter patterns.
According to a research abstract that will be presented on Wednesday, June 10, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, increased sleep disturbances are associated with lower education, income or being unmarried or unemployed. Disturbances are much more likely in multiracial individuals.
Abbott Park, Illinois (NYSE: ABT) and London, UK - Abbott and AstraZeneca announced that the companies have submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an investigational compound for the treatment of mixed dyslipidemia, a combination of two or more lipid abnormalities including high LDL- cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol), high triglycerides and low HDL-cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol). The NDA submission for this investigational compound, containing the active ingredients of CRESTOR® (rosuvastatin calcium) and TRILIPIX® (fenofibric acid), is supported by data from multiple studies, including efficacy and safety studies with the 5mg, 10mg and 20mg doses of rosuvastatin combined with fenofibric acid. Pending approval of the NDA, the treatment will be marketed as CERTRIAD™.
Quality, in addition to quantity, is important for maintaining health, according to a research abstract that will be presented on Wednesday, June 10, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
According to a research abstract that will be presented on Wednesday, June 10, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, people with chronic stress report shorter sleep duration, worse sleep quality, and more daytime functioning impairments. Conversely, daytime functioning impairments and shorter sleep duration demonstrated a predictive relationship with habitual stress complaints.
The British Dental Association has welcomed the appointment of Andy Burnham as the new Secretary of State for Health. Mr Burnham replaces Alan Johnson, who has accepted the role of Home Secretary.
According to a research abstract that will be presented on Wednesday, June 10, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, getting more high-quality sleep is associated with better academic performance. The positive relationship is especially relevant to performance in math.
Researchers have found links between an individual"s genetics and their response to treatment with chemotherapy. The findings, by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and colleagues, show how a genetic variation, located in the SOD2 gene, may affect how a person responds to the chemotherapy drug cyclophosphamide. Cyclophosphamide is used in the treatment of breast and other cancers.
Scientists at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and a team of collaborators from across the country have identified a new risk factor gene for rheumatoid arthritis. The paper will be published in Nature Genetics and the finding brings light to the nature of the disease. The gene, dubbed REL, is a member of the NF-íºB family, important transcription factors that have many roles in the body. The NF-íºB family seems to have a big hand in regulating the body"s immune response as well.
A leading anxiety charity has today criticised Veteran Labour MP Sir Gerald Kaufman for using Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder as an excuse for, by his own admittance "bizarre and daft" MP expense claims.
Experts from across the country will gather at a conference at De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester next week to discuss the issue of Sickle Cell and deaths in custody.
To grow and spread, tumors need new blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis. One growth factor that causes angiogenesis has been identified - vascular endothelial growth factor or VEGF - and drugs to inhibit VEGF are already in use. But not all tumors respond to the therapy initially or over the long term. Thus new growth factors need to be identified to aid in developing the next generation of angiogenesis inhibitors.
Self-reported nightmares among patients seeking emergency psychiatric evaluation uniquely predicted elevated suicidal symptoms, according to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
There is a high probability of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in non-obese, middle-aged patients, according to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
Angiotensin 1-7, a hormone in the body that has cardiovascular benefits, improves the metabolic syndrome in rats, according to a new study. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society"s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Are the cognitively superior brains of humans, in part, responsible for our higher rates of cancer? That"s a question that has nagged at John McDonald, chair of Georgia Tech"s School of Biology and chief research scientist at the Ovarian Cancer Institute, for a while. Now, after an initial study, it seems that McDonald is on to something. The new study is available online in the journal Medical Hypothesis and will appear in the forthcoming issue of the journal.
The virus that causes winter vomiting disease invades cells by attaching to particular sugar molecules on the surface of the cells. This is the conclusion of a thesis presented at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. This result may be an important step in the development of a drug against the regular hospital-based epidemics caused by the virus.
Hormonal changes early in pregnancy cause maternal postpartum anxiety and behavior changes that can lead to a delayed onset of puberty in both birth and adoptive daughters, according to a new study conducted in mice. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society"s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
The European Parkinson"s Disease Association (EPDA) announces
A new investigational study presented at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 69th Annual Scientific Sessions showed that "Januvia" (sitagliptin), when added to ongoing insulin therapy with or without metformin, significantly improved blood sugar control.[i] Applications to use "Januvia" and "Janumet"* (sitagliptin/metformin) in combination with insulin have been accepted for review by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) and by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are currently under review.
The United States is becoming a nation of haves and have-nots when it comes to tobacco control, according to a comprehensive publication on cigarette smoking prevalence and policies in the U.S. which has just been released.
Versartis, Inc., an emerging company developing novel biologics with enhanced properties for patients with metabolic diseases, presented data for its long-acting product candidates, VRS-317 (hGH-rPEG) for treatment of growth hormone deficiency and for VRS-826 (IL-1ra-rPEG) for treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, at the Endocrine Society"s Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.
The Senate Finance Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday both worked on health care proposals aimed at overhauling the U.S. health care system, CQ Today reports. In its second of three closed-door meetings, the Finance Committee came to "early, broad agreement" on some issues but continued to disagree over a public option as part of a reform bill. Meanwhile, portions of an overhaul plan being developed by the Energy and Commerce Committee were leaked on Thursday, after Democrats on the committee held a closed-door session on the topic earlier this week (Armstrong, CQ Today, 5/14). Finance Committee
President Obama urged Congress to enact into law tough financial rules requiring them to offset any new spending or taxes, but was clear that where health care is concerned, lawmakers should overlook those rules, Bloomberg reports. "Under fire from Republicans for his spending proposals, Obama is seeking to impose a "pay-as-you-go" system on the budget to demonstrate his commitment to fiscal restraint" (Faler and Runningen, 6/9).
A genetic analysis from three studies of people living in Denmark found that those who had higher levels of a cholesterol known as lipoprotein
The White House"s pressure to cut soaring healthcare costs is causing action and concern in high cost Medicare areas, especially South Florida.
General Motors and the United Auto Workers are close to finalizing a deal that would reduce the automaker"s cash obligation to a retiree health care trust fund, according to people with knowledge of the matter, the Wall Street Journal reports. UAW in 2007 agreed to establish the voluntary employees" beneficiary association, totaling $35 billion, that would cover health care costs of retired GM workers and their spouses starting in 2010. GM has paid about $15 billion into the fund, but under the deal now being discussed, the remaining $20 billion obligation could be paid using about $10 billion in cash and a 39% equity stake in the restructured GM that will be formed under the Treasury Department"s "controlled bankruptcy" plan for the firm. The deal would be subject to approval by UAW"s 60,000 GM members, who likely would face "steep cuts" in pay and benefits as a result, as well as 20,000 additional layoffs, according to the Journal. Union officials also have expressed concern that the GM stock making up the equity stake is "illiquid and hard to value, posing a big risk for UAW members," the Journal reports. GM and UAW could agree to a final version of the deal "as early as next week," according to the Journal (Stoll, Wall Street Journal, 5/15). Chrysler
Seventy-three percent of insured patients receiving assistance from Patient Access Network (PAN) Foundation reported that health care costs are influencing their medication and treatment decisions more this year than last. Nearly half of these said that cost is having a "very big" or "big" impact on whether they seek treatment or fill prescriptions.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and White House Health Czar Nancy Ann DeParle held a discussion of minority health issues at the White House yesterday, where Sebelius "said the Obama administration is committed to addressing the "alarming disparity in the delivery of quality health care"," which she said was necessary to lower costs, the Associated Press reports. The White House also "issued a summary report on minority health care showing that African-Americans are seven times more likely as whites to have HIV/AIDS, that blacks and Hispanics have diabetes rates nearly twice as high as whites, and that black men are 50 percent more likely than whites to have prostate cancer" (Evans, 6/9).
"Immigrant and health-care advocacy groups" are calling on New Jersey to "restore $1 million in funding that has been eliminated in the latest round of budget tightening," the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports. "The money was earmarked for community-outreach efforts to educate legal immigrants on available state health programs." A report released yesterday by Rutgers University concluded that "New Jersey"s percentage of uninsured immigrant children is higher than the national average, and the state has a poor track record of making sure those children receive health coverage."
It"s June, the month when many couples promise to stay together "in sickness and in health."
A team of scientists in the US suggested that bisphenol A (BPA) may harm the heart, particularly in women, because of what they discovered in tests
NIH and the advocacy group Autism Speaks are enrolling 1,200 pregnant women who have other children with autism spectrum disorders to participate in a large study that aims to identify early signs of the condition and its possible causes, the Wall Street Journal reports. Women who participate in the study -- known as the Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation, or EARLI, study -- will be monitored throughout their pregnancies, and their infants will be monitored until age three. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in 150 children in the U.S. has an autism spectrum disorder, which includes autism, Asperger"s syndrome and pervasive developmental disorders. The study will focus on women who already have one child with an autism spectrum disorder because such women have a higher chance of having another child with the condition. Craig Newschaffer, the study"s lead investigator and a department chair at Philadelphia"s Drexel University School of Public Health, said, "By studying families who are already affected by autism, we feel we have the best chance at learning how genetics and environmental factors could work together to cause autism." Autism usually is characterized by social interaction and communication impairments, as well as unusual interests or behaviors. Although there is no cure for autism, its symptoms can be improved through therapy and medication, the Journal reports.According to Newschaffer, researchers throughout the study will collect blood and urine for DNA analysis. Samples also will be collected from the umbilical cord, placenta and meconium -- the infant"s first stool -- after birth. Infants born during the study will be provided with a series of developmental assessments, and older siblings with autism also could receive assessments to confirm their diagnosis (Corbett Dooren, Wall Street Journal, 6/9).
Physician representatives will gather in Copenhagen in September to discuss the health consequences of climate change to ensure that the medical profession"s voice is heard when a new global climate treaty to replace the Kyoto accord is considered two months later.
Physicians treating breast cancer first look to lymph nodes in a patient"s armpit to see whether cancer is spreading elsewhere in the body - but they may not be evaluating the nodes in the most effective way.
Britannia Building Society wrapped up its best ever charity fundraising year with a ÷£400,000 birthday boost to Alzheimer"s Society.
Annette Langer-Gould, MD, PhD (Stanford University) and colleagues followed 32 pregnant women with MS, assessing their disease and breastfeeding status at intervals out to 12 months after giving birth. They found that women who breastfed their babies exclusively (without giving supplemental bottles) for at least the first two months post-partum were less likely to have an MS relapse than those who did not breastfeed or who did not breastfeed exclusively during the first two months (36% who breastfed exclusively experienced a relapse, as compared to 87% who did not breastfeed or who supplemented with formula).
Lambda Legal, a group that represents HIV-positive people, on Tuesday filed a law suit against the Fox Ridge assisted-living facility in North Little Rock, Ark., for allegedly evicting a resident because he is HIV-positive, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.The Rev. Robert Franke, a retired biology and religion professor who was diagnosed with HIV in 1987, moved into Fox Ridge, which is operated by Parkstone Living Center, in February. The day after he moved into the facility, an unidentified administrator told his daughter, Sara Franke Bowling, that her "superiors" said Franke needed to be discharged from the facility "because of his HIV." Franke disclosed his HIV status on application materials before moving into the facility. The suit alleges that Parkstone violated the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Arkansas Civil Rights Act and requests a permanent injunction to prevent the facility from denying apartments or services to people living with HIV/AIDS. The suit also seeks compensatory and punitive damages and attorneys" fees and costs. The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Eisele. The facility declined to comment on the suit. Julie Munsell, a spokesperson for the state Department of Human Services, said Arkansas law allows for people who have been discharged for assisted-living facilities to remain in the facility pending a hearing if the discharge is appealed. Munsell said the department"s Long-Term Care Division received notice that Franke was appealing the discharge but that the appeal was later dismissed without a hearing. According to Munsell, facilities are not permitted to discharge residents based on medical diagnoses but that some facilities have said they do not have the capacity to provide care for certain conditions. Munsell also said that Fox Ridge is "claiming that they did not admit this client so there is no need for a hearing." Scott Schoettes, staff attorney for Lambda"s HIV Project, said that Franke was not seeking medical care from Fox Ridge, although the facility does provide medical services. "He didn"t require any services beyond which they were licensed to provide," Schoettes said. Franke"s eviction is "particularly blatant and egregious, but unfortunately, not all that uncommon," Schoettes said, adding, "This happens all across the country. We want to send a message that this kind of discrimination is not going to be tolerated" (Satter, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 5/13).
Cocaine and heroin increase permeability of the placenta. Researchers writing in BioMed Central"s open access journal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology have shown that exposure to the drugs causes an increase in the passage of some chemicals into the fetus.
Aine Brady, T.D., Minister for Older People, officially launched the Pilot Project on Elder Mediation as part of the Elder Mediation World Summit and Symposium.
The most important factors for a successful stay in hospital short-stay units (SSUs) are the types of diagnostic tests performed and whether or not specialty consultations are needed. When hospitalists staff these units, they can ensure that only patients who need readily accessible services are admitted. These are the findings of a study published today in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases (EFA) today announced that they are bringing together over 150 international delegates to discuss the growing epidemic of Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRD) that affects one billion people worldwide1, [2], [3] and is responsible for four million deaths annually1. The conference which will discuss the implementation of a five-year initiative to unite policy makers, providers and patient groups will be hosted by the Italian Ministry of Health in Rome on June 12 and 13.
Insured immigrants have lower medical expenses than insured U.S.-born citizens after taking into account their health status and other characteristics, according to a study released on Thursday and published in the American Journal of Public Health, Reuters Health reports. For the study, Leighton Ku, a health policy researcher at George Washington University, and colleagues examined data on adults ages 19 to 64 from the 2003 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, and found that about 44% of recent immigrants and 63% of established immigrants were insured.After controlling for possible contributing factors, researchers found that medical costs averaged about 14% to 20% less than those who were born in the U.S. The finding was the same even after taking into account lower insurance levels among immigrants. Ku said, "When you control for their health status and all sorts of characteristics like age, they actually have medical expenditures that are far below those of U.S. citizens." According to the study, "Being a recent immigrant or an established immigrant was independently associated with both a reduced likelihood of using any medical care in the year and with lower total medical expenditure levels, compared with U.S.-born adults" (Reuters Health, 5/14).
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced that its flagship product, BioThrax® (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed), has been granted a shelf life extension from 3 to 4 years by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Based on this approval, Emergent has achieved a contract milestone warranting a payment of approximately $30 million for doses previously delivered to the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) under the terms of the company"s existing BioThrax procurement contracts with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This amount is expected to be recognized as revenue in the second quarter of 2009. In addition, FDA approval of 4-year expiry dating results in an immediate price increase for the future delivery of BioThrax doses under the current contract as well as under the follow-on multi-year contract, valued at $405 million, for the delivery of 14.5 million doses of BioThrax.
Xcelience, a leader in early drug development services, has developed a faster, more cost effective path to Phase I studies using Xcelodose® 600 and 600 S precision powder micro-dosing systems (Xcelodose® is a registered trademark of Capsugel® BVBA). API into Capsule projects are on average completed 45 percent faster than traditional formulation efforts, and in some specific cases we have saved our clients as much as 17 weeks.
A survey of health care workers has revealed that as many as 85% may stay off work if an influenza pandemic did take hold of the country. The results of the survey, published in the open access journal BMC Public Health, suggest that levels of absenteeism may be significantly higher than current official estimates and that "willingness", rather than "ability", plays the largest role in health care workers" decisions as to whether to go to work or not.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers in China. Although the association between the epidemiological factors and sporadic colorectal cancer has been studied, the relation between smoking, alcohol drinking, family history of cancer, body mass index (BMI) and sporadic colorectal cancer still remains uncertain. So it is important to investigate the role of these factors in the development of sporadic colorectal cancer.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common malignancy worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Type 2 diabetes mellitus has been associated with HCC. However, the relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus and the underlying liver cirrhosis, and the effects of antidiabetic therapy on HCC risk have not yet been fully evaluated.