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NEJM Perspective Pieces Examine Physician Involvement In Health Reform, Congressional Progress On Reform
"Achieving Health Care Reform -- How Physicians Can Help," New England Journal of Medicine: In a perspective piece, Elliott Fisher, a professor of medicine and of community and family medicine at Dartmouth Medical School and associate director for Population Health and Policy at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice; Donald Berwick, a professor at the Harvard University School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management and president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement; and Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, call on physicians to "lead the change our country needs" on health reform. They suggest several areas for physicians to become involved, saying that physicians should "first help to create a shared vision that could overcome doctrinal divides" and that they also must "recognize that achieving savings sufficient to cover the cost of expanded coverage need not impose a hardship on patients or providers." Finally, physicians also must help with a health reform deal that "all stakeholders can support," the authors say (Fisher et al., NEJM, 5/21).
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Doctors Warn That Alcoholic Beverages combined with Trampolines Must Be Avoided
During the warmer months, the use of trampolines is more frequent and as a result children are more likely to be hospitalized with related injuries, especially after bouncing with adults at the same time, according to doctors" warnings.
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Health Chair's Stance On Pet-Free Flights Very Disappointing: Lung Association, Canada
The Canadian Lung Association expressed disappointment in federal Health Committee Chair Joy Smith"s stance on the issue of Air Canada and WestJet"s policy to allow pets to travel in the passenger cabin of airplanes. The Lung Association launched an online campaign for pet-free flights in July following the decision by Air Canada to join WestJet in offering pet-free flights, despite the serious risks it presents to passengers and crew with asthma, COPD and severe animal allergies.
Endocrinology

Unseen Long-Term Benefits From Cystic Fibrosis Treatments

Cystic fibrosis medicines that help to break down mucus in the lungs may carry an unexpected long-term benefit, a study suggests. The treatments not only help breathing in the short term - they may also make lung infections develop to be less harmful in the long run, research from the University of Edinburgh shows. Scientists studied how bacteria which infect the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients gather nutrients from their surroundings. The work builds on the knowledge that most bacteria co-operate to scavenge what they need from their environment, but some bacteria do not actively hunt, instead stealing nutrients from neighbouring bacteria. Scientists found that in a viscous environment, similar to thick mucus, the co-operating type of bacteria is most common. However, in a more liquid environment - similar to mucus having been broken down by medicine - the number of thieving bacteria increases, eventually outnumbering the scavenging type. In this environment, because the thieving bacteria are less adept at obtaining food, the bacterial growth slows down. The results suggest that liquefying lung mucus would be expected to limit the impact of infection in cystic fibrosis. Dr Rolf Kuemmerli, formerly a researcher at the University of Edinburgh, who led the study, said: "Treating cystic fibrosis patients with drugs that clear their lungs delivers short-term relief for the patient, but may have long-term health benefits too. We hope that our findings will underline the need for treatments that target mucus in the lungs." Dr Freya Harrison of the University of Bath, who took part in the study, added: "Bacterial infections develop over time, and understanding how medical treatments affect this could be very important for managing long-term infections such as those found in cystic fibrosis." Cystic fibrosis is an inherited condition that affects more than 8,000 people in the UK, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Thick mucus can clog the internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, making it hard to breathe and digest food. The study, carried out by researchers at the Universities of Edinburgh, Oxford and Bath, was published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Work was supported by the Royal Society and the Leverhulme Trust. Catriona Kelly University of Edinburgh


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