Cardiovascular
Summaries of three opinion pieces related to health reform appear below.
Want to find an asthma education centre or a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) clinic near you? Need to get a lung function test and don"t know where to go?
Abortion coverage could become the next "sticking point" in debates over health reform between the House leadership and conservative Democrats, the Los Angeles Times reports. During most of the battle over a health care overhaul, abortion-related issues have taken a "back seat" to clashes between House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats over the cost of the House bill (HR 3200). However, reproductive health issues are increasingly coming into play, with some other conservative Democrats threatening to withdraw support for the bill if coverage of abortion services is not explicitly excluded from receiving federal funding. Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and 18 fellow Democrats in June wrote a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) stating that they "cannot support any health care proposal unless it excludes abortion from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan." According to the Times, Stupak has "vowed" to press Waxman to include restrictions on abortion coverage in the Energy and Commerce Committee"s version of the House bill. Abortion-rights supporter Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), chair of the House Rules Committee, opposes Stupak"s proposal. Slaughter spokesperson Vincent Morris said, "The starting point for Rep. Slaughter of the health care debate was protecting abortion rights."The Hyde Amendment currently prevents the use of federal Medicaid funds for abortion services. The reach of current law restrictions "grows murkier" if the government forms its own health insurance plan to compete with private insurers or creates a new market that allows the public to choose between various private plans, the Times reports. Both options are under consideration in Congress, and abortion-rights opponents fear that abortion services would be covered unless the language of the bill explicitly forbids it.Abortion-rights supporters argue that the bill would maintain the status quo, as insurance companies already are able to choose whether to cover abortion services. New government restrictions could mean that women seeking abortion coverage would have to choose a more expensive private plan rather than a lower-cost, government-subsidized option, according to abortion-rights advocates. Another concern, they say, is that insurers who currently cover abortion would discontinue that coverage to take advantage of government incentives. In a recent statement, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America said, "Opponents of women"s health and health care reform are exploiting health care reform as a way to push for unprecedented prohibitions on abortion coverage in the private marketplace."The Obama administration is attempting to remain neutral on the issue, the Times reports. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs recently said that "a benefit package is better left to experts in the medical field to determine how best and what procedures to cover." The House bill currently establishes a Health Benefits Advisory Committee to recommend which "essential benefits" should be covered under any government-supported insurance plan. In an interview with CBS News last week, President Obama said that he believes it is "appropriate for us to figure out how to just deliver on the cost savings and not get distracted by the abortion debate."According to the Times, the Obama administration"s silence on the issue is "precisely what worries" antiabortion-rights advocates. Rep. John Fleming (R-La.) said that Obama is "actually making an affirmative statement in favor of" federal funding for abortion services by not taking a stand on the issue (Oliphant, Los Angeles Times, 7/28).
"A new fault line has opened in the abortion debate," and the "fight is no longer between pro-lifers and pro-choicers" but between "militants and pragmatists," Slate national correspondent William Saletan writes in an opinion piece. He continues, "While some extremists have been raising hell and shooting doctors, pragmatists have been hashing out common ground legislation" in the form of the Preventing Unintended Pregnancies, Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act (HR 3212), which was introduced last week.Saletan writes that "a lot of bargaining" went into the legislation. He explains that abortion-rights advocates "got money for contraception and sex education," while abortion-rights opponents "got abstinence-friendly curriculum, a bigger adoption tax credit and financial support for women who continue their pregnancies." According to Saletan, each side of the abortion debate "faced the other"s truths." He provides comments from bill sponsor Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who said that ""we all want to see fewer unintended pregnancies and abortions"" and that ""we must also foster an environment that encourages pregnancies to be carried to term."" According to Saletan, "Such statements are forbidden among pro-choice groups," who support "reducing the "need" for abortion, not abortion itself." He adds, "But DeLauro blurted it out. That"s what happens when you open your mind."Saletan continues that the "militant old guard of the pro-life movement" -- led by the National Right to Life Committee -- does not support the legislation, calling it a "scam." He writes that it is difficult to take seriously NRLC"s argument that the bill"s real goal is to achieve financial gains for the abortion industry. According to Saletan, the "militants extend their objection to abortion "advocacy"" because "none of the bill"s money can legally be used for abortions." By these standards, "the government can"t fund contraception programs run by anyone who thinks abortion should be legal. Which rules out nearly every contraception program in the world," Saletan writes. These opponents also condemn the bill for providing funding for ""sex education without a major abstinence component,"" despite that the bill requires grantees to ""encourage teens to delay sexual activity,"" Saletan writes. He adds, "Abstinence has become a code word for blocking any discussion of birth control."According to Saletan, "Ultimately, the militants don"t care what"s in the bill. The mere fact that some pro-choicers support it is, by their reckoning, grounds to oppose it." He continues, "Pro-life pragmatists take a different view" because they "sought, won and commend the bill"s emphasis on abstinence and parental involvement in sex education," and they "welcome its voluntary approach to abortion reduction even as they seek the procedure"s abolition." He adds, "And while some of them oppose contraception or doubt it will help, they think the bill is still worth supporting because, on balance, it will lead to fewer abortions." Saletan concludes, "I prefer the pragmatists. How about you?" (Saletan, Slate, 7/27).
Eating fish - long considered "brain food" by generations of housewives - really is good for the old grey matter, as is a healthy dose of sunshine, new research suggests.
The Washington Post tells the story of Danny Watt, who drowned in April 2008 after a lifelong struggle with mental health. Watt had a dual diagnosis: a serious mental illness along with abuse of drugs or alcohol.
A new report finds nearly 10 percent of health care costs are due to obesity and per capita medical spending is significantly higher for obese people.
In 1993, when President Clinton attempted to overhaul the health care system, America"s total health spending amounted to $912 billion and left 40 million uninsured, Bloomberg reports. President Obama faces a worsening situation: national health spending has more than doubled to $2.5 trillion, and the number of uninsured people has increased to around 50 million. Critics say the reforms Obama and congressional Democrats are pushing - which carry a $1 trillion price tag - would make the system cost even more. But, "[t]he experience of the 15 years since Bill Clinton failed to win passage of legislation suggests that the price of inaction may be even higher than the cost of Obama"s plan" (Benjamin and Faler, 7/28).
The U.S., WHO and representatives from 13 African countries on Monday launched an effort to boost the standards for quality medical labs on the continent, VOA News reports. At the start of a three-day meeting of policy makers in Kigali, Rwanda, African health officials signed off an accreditation system for laboratories across the continent. "Better medical labs mean better patient care - and officials say the only way to ensure a laboratory is a good one is to have it accredited," the news service writes (De Capua, 7/27).
In an open letter to Cambodia"s prime minister and health minister, more than 100 international HIV/AIDS advocates and human rights organizations "accused the Cambodian government of herding HIV-affected families into an "AIDS colony" outside the capital, Phnom Penh," the Guardian reports (McCurry, 7/28).
Victorian researchers have developed a wristwatch that continuously monitors the health status of people with Parkinson"s disease to help doctors manage their treatment, Victorian Minister for Innovation Gavin Jennings said today.
TCT will also host forum on electronic medical records
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian announced promising data from a clinical study showing patient-specific cancer vaccines derived from patients" own cancer cells and immune cells were well tolerated and resulted in impressive long-term survival rates in patients with metastatic melanoma whose disease had been minimized by other therapies.
A shortage of primary care physicians in California "is driving community clinics to find innovate ways" to provide care to an increasingly linguistically and culturally diverse patient population, New America Media reports. According to New America Media, primary care physicians are in short supply nationwide because many medical students are pursuing more lucrative specialty fields that have higher reimbursement rates. Marty Lynch -- executive director of LifeLong Medical Care, a not-for-profit primary health care facility that operates nine health centers in Berkeley, Oakland and Marin County -- said he has tried unsuccessfully to hire minority primary care physicians and nurses. Lynch said it is "very difficult to find primary care providers" to provide care for minorities. Meanwhile, the demand for health services is on the rise, Jane Garcia, CEO of La Clinica de la Raza, said. The clinic has provided health services in the Bay Area at 27 satellite clinics for 38 years.The clinic for the last two years has partnered with neighboring community colleges to train medical assistants to work at their clinics to meet demand for diverse staff. "We"re training our own community members," Garcia said. She added that in the current economy, the "silver lining" is that "health care is one of the few sectors that more people will be choosing careers in" (Sundaram, New America Media, 5/18).
People in less affluent countries appear to suffer from more severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) than people in wealthy countries, suggests research published ahead of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
A federal vaccine advisory panel scheduled to meet Wednesday likely will recommend that pregnant women be among the first groups to receive the H1N1 influenza vaccine if a limited number of doses are available, the AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention usually accepts the recommendations of the panel, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. According to the AP/Journal-Constitution, health care workers are expected to be the No. 1 priority for receiving the vaccine.For more than 10 years, the panel has recommended that pregnant women get vaccinated for seasonal flu, which can be a threat even to those who are young and healthy. CDC data show that pregnant women, who make up 1% of the U.S. population, have accounted for 6% of H1N1 flu deaths in the country since April, when the pandemic began.British and Swiss health officials have recommended that women consider delaying pregnancies if possible. Most health officials have said that advice oversteps the available evidence, but they have agreed that pregnant women face significant risk from the H1N1 flu. A recent World Health Organization report stated that pregnant women appear to be "at increased risk for severe [H1N1] disease, potentially resulting in spontaneous abortion and/or death, especially during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy." However, WHO has not yet recommended that pregnant women get priority vaccinations. Kevin Ault, an obstetrician at Emory University, said that pregnant women are especially vulnerable because of changes in the lungs and immune system that make it more difficult to overcome respiratory infections (Stobbe, AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/28).
The Washington Post: "Three Democrats and three Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee are expected to wrap up their arduous multi-week talks in the coming days, and Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said he expects a panel vote before the Senate recess, which will begin Aug. 7. Assuming the fragile committee coalition holds, the legislation it produces would scramble the reform landscape by introducing policy ideas that have their origins in the political center. The bill is bound to disappoint liberals."
Chief Medical Officer Otis W. Brawley, M.D. responds to Medicare"s decision not to cover CT colonography
Lawmakers push bill to fight Medicare fraud as part of health reform legislation.
Sex differences in how the brain processes visual information could be a legacy of our hunter-gather past. This is the conclusion of a paper published online today, 30th July 2009, in the British Journal of Psychology.
Massachusetts lawmakers will vote today to provide $40 million to restore health care coverage for legal immigrants.
Inter Press Service examines how efforts underway in Namibia have helped to decrease the number of infants born with HIV while also increasing the number of HIV-positive infants on life-saving antiretrovirals (ARVs). According to the news service, since the launch of an early infant detection (EID) program in 2006, "the number of HIV-infected newborns has dropped from 13 percent to two percent in Namibia, according to the national Ministry of Health" -- figures that "stand in sharp contrast with data from other African countries where many pregnant women are not diagnosed in time to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the virus and only a few HIV-positive infants receive ARVs."
China Daily explores how a new anti-smoking initiative in China targets the country"s medical professionals. According to the newspaper, "China is the world"s largest tobacco producer and consumer," with "350 million smokers, plus 450 million people exposed to second-hand smoke." Annually, 1 million deaths are smoking-related, according to China"s Ministry of Health.
Cost Of Male Circumcision Prevents Wider Use In Uganda, Analysis Shows
Responding to the publication of the Public Accounts Committee"s report Reducing Alcohol Harm: Health services in England for alcohol misuse, Professor Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians said [of the report]:
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has completed the first comprehensive assessment of substances used as s of vitamins and minerals in food supplements which are currently sold in the European Union. EFSA has examined 533 applications since 2005, relating to 344 different substances. The assessments were based on scientific evidence provided by food supplement manufacturers to demonstrate the safety of these nutrient s and the extent to which they are absorbed in the body (i.e. their bioavailability).
Men who have a regular, ongoing relationship with a health care provider are more likely to receive prostate cancer screening and less likely to be diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, regardless of their race, according to a University of North Carolina study published in the current issue of the journal Cancer.
Over the past few years, MIT engineers have successfully tested robotic devices to help stroke patients learn to control their arms and legs. Now, they"re building on that work to help children with cerebral palsy.
U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) joined with U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on an effort to require all Medicare and Medicaid provider payments to be made through direct deposit at federally-insured banking institutions. If signed into law, this measure will make it easier to track providers engaged in fraud thereby dramatically reducing the estimated loss of more than $60 billion every year.
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People without health insurance will have another avenue for medical care beginning Aug. 1 when student volunteers at the Indiana University School of Medicine open the IU Student Outreach Clinic in a near eastside Indianapolis neighborhood.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has called for clarification of the responsible pharmacist requirements but will not be asking the Department of Health to amend the commencement date of the regulations.
The Latino/a population in the United States is expected to triple by 2050, according to projections from the U.S. Census Bureau. And along with that growth, says University of Illinois professor Lydia Buki, will come a rise in the number of individuals from that population who are diagnosed with cancer.
A new study published in a leading medical journal today shows that in Western Cambodia, the parasites that cause malaria have developed
UCLA researchers have uncovered a new way to scan brain tumors and predict which ones will be shrunk by the drug Avastin - before the patient ever starts treatment. By linking high water movement in tumors to positive drug response, the UCLA team predicted with 70 percent accuracy which patients" tumors were the least likely to grow six months after therapy.
U.S. Senators Mel Martinez (R-FL) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) of the Special Committee on Aging held a hearing to address the issue of transparency in physician-industry financial relationships. Among the hearing"s topics were the industry"s involvement in continuing medical education and its potential use as a method for promoting "off-label" prescribing. The senators heard from witnesses about different ways to achieve balance between appropriate industry involvement in continuing medical education while mitigating unethical and illegal promotion.
Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. ("SCT" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:SSS) is pleased to announce the acceptance and publication of the paper entitled "Open labeled, uncontrolled pharmacokinetic study of single intramuscular hCG dose in healthy male volunteers" by the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Vol. 47, August 2009. This paper was authored by Drs. Alan Moore, President & CEO, Allen Davidoff, VP Product Development and Yan Yang, Clinical Research Associate, all of SCT; Dr. Michael D. Hill of Foothills Hospital at the University of Calgary, and Dr. Steven C. Cramer, from the University of California, Irvine.
VisEn Medical Inc., a leader in fluorescence in vivo imaging from research through medicine, announced that scientists reporting in the July 31 issue of SCIENCE have discovered a key disease-related biologic pathway using an integrated and innovative array of in vitro readouts and advanced in vivo imaging technologies. The newly reported biologic pathway relates to monocyte deployment from the spleen to inflammatory sites, including myocardial infarction. The findings are expected to open up new areas of research and potentially advance therapeutic approaches to key disease areas including inflammation and myocardial injury.
A new analysis finds that women in New Jersey who take the breast cancer drug tamoxifen in conjunction with certain popular antidepressants may be at a higher risk for a breast cancer recurrence.
As the body creates antibodies to fight invaders, a three-protein DNA repair complex called MRN is crucial for a normal gene-shuffling process to proceed properly, University of Michigan research shows.
An Article published Online First (http://www.thelancet.com) and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet shows that pregnant women could be at increased risk for complications from H1N1 flu. Furthermore, the study, from the USA, shows that the rate of hospitalisation for pregnant women is more than four times that of the general population. Pregnant women with H1N1 flu should start antiviral treatment as soon as possible, while those who are well should be vaccinated once a vaccine becomes available. The Article is written by Dr Denise J Jamieson, Division of Reproductive Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA, and colleagues.
With just days to go before the implementation of the 48-hour working week for junior doctors, the BMA"s junior doctors" leader warns that not all of the NHS is prepared for the European Working Time Directive.
The future use of Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTCs) in the NHS, will be fairer and on the same terms as other providers of NHS services, Health Minister Mike O"Brien announced today.
A new education programme has been developed to provide enhanced training in genetic technologies and clinical applications for healthcare scientists working in laboratory genetics, Health Minister Ann Keen announced.
House Democrats on Wednesday made a deal with fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats on a health reform bill that "would reduce the overall cost of the package and ensure more funding for rural hospitals, concessions that could allow the Energy and Commerce Committee to finish its consideration of the legislation," The Washington Post reports. The deal will be considered on the House floor no earlier than September, according to several lawmakers. House lawmakers plan to conclude their markup of the legislation in the Energy Committee Thursday.
New wiki supports collaboration and accelerates progress on using clinical decision support for healthcare performance improvement
The MS Society has responded to today"s Law Lords ruling concerning the case of Debbie Purdy, who has sought clarification on the law of assisted suicide.
It"s been a year since fashion designer Joanne Scott went through a cancer treatment that changed her life -- and made history to boot. Ms. Scott, 54, was the first person in the world to receive an injection of tumor-activated natural killer (TaNK) cells as a treatment for leukemia.
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.
Columnist George Curry on Tuesday in the Hudson Valley Press discussed how HIV/AIDS is impacting the black community, particularly in Washington, D.C. The piece includes comments from Phill Wilson, CEO of the Black AIDS Institute and C. Virginia Fields, president and CEO of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, who discuss statistics and recommendations to address HIV/AIDS among the black community, including routine HIV testing. Curry writes, "If C. Virginia Fields and other activists get their wish and have [HIV] testing incorporated into routine health testing, that will place a heavier burden on crowded counseling and treatment facilities. But it"s not an insurmountable burden. The question is: Do we have the national will to take on this epidemic?" (7/29).
The Physicians Coalition for Injectable Safety issued a consumer warning about carboxytherapy and mesotherapy injections. These products, touting everything from cellulite treatment to weight loss are not FDA approved, and do not have clinical data that demonstrates results or safety.
Everyone knows that vitamins "from A to zinc" are important for good health. Now, a new research study in the August 2009 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that zinc may be pointing the way to new therapeutic targets for fighting infections. Specifically, scientists from Florida found that zinc not only supports healthy immune function, but increases activation of the cells (T cells) responsible for destroying viruses and bacteria.
As the single largest group of health care providers in the United States, medical-surgical nurses need ongoing education to care for the country"s adults. One of their primary s is the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses" (AMSN) Annual Convention, slated this year for September 9-14, 2009, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC.
NHS staff will be vaccinated first in the Government"s swine flu vaccination campaign, followed by pregnant women, young children and adults with chronic illnesses, Pulse can exclusively reveal. Pulse has learned from a senior Government adviser that a "pecking order" has been drawn up for vaccination.
The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), the nation"s oldest and largest, independent association for physicians-in-training, is pleased to present the graduates of the AMSA Foundation-VITAS End of Life Education Fellowship Program. Five medical students have spent the past six weeks immersing themselves in end of life (EOL) care issues.
From time to time, Headway is made aware of worthy causes it believes it should provide its support to.
Department of Health Secretary Everette James stressed the importance of immunizations in observance of National Immunization Awareness Month.
A new chemical imaging technique could one day help in the fight against atherosclerosis, suggests research published in the August 2009 edition of the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.
Physicians at Nationwide Children"s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio are turning to a device typically used in adults with heart problems to help children with severe stomach conditions.
If grandma seems to forget things, will she end up demented? These days, memory loss is one of the very few symptoms that may signal which 70-year-olds risk developing dementia. This is shown in a doctoral thesis at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
"Healthcare companies are spending millions of dollars and marshaling armies of lobbyists to influence a landmark debate in the U.S. Congress that could dramatically change the way they do business," Reuters reports. "Drugmakers, doctors, insurers and hospitals have opened their wallets, spending more than $1 million a day to buy a voice in the escalating political battle over what could be the broadest revamp of healthcare laws in decades." And "as the debate has unfolded, key lawmakers have seen a surge in campaign donations, and hundreds of lobbyists have jammed Capitol hallways and lined the reception room outside the Senate chamber to talk to lawmakers." Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, says "there is a frenzy going on to get in your two cents worth before the legislation reaches the next stage."
China Aoxing Pharmaceutical Company, Inc. (OTCBB: CAXG) ("China Aoxing"), a pharmaceutical company specializing in research, development, manufacturing and marketing of narcotic and pain-management products, announced that it has acquired all rights to TJSL, a novel drug at Phase II development stage to treat primary dysmenorrhea ("PD"), or menstrual pain, in adult women.
Inter Press Service examines several civil society organizations" argument that legislative measures aimed at fighting HIV/AIDS, "hurt more" than they "help." There are 58 countries with laws in place to "prosecute HIV transmission" and 33 others where such legislation is being considered, according to the International Planned Parenthood Federation.
Global Health Aid Should Take An "Integrated Approach"
Blog Examines State Of USAID, Potential Farmer Appointment
A study, "Prenatal Origins of Poor Sleep in Children," in the Aug.1 issue of the journal SLEEP found that alcohol consumption during pregnancy and small body size at birth predict poorer sleep and higher risk of sleep disturbances in 8-year-old children born at term. Findings are clinically significant, as poor sleep and sleep disturbances in children are associated with obesity, depressive symptoms, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and poor neurobehavioral functioning.
Adults who struggle with CPAP treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) should be considered candidates for reconstructive surgery on the upper airway, because it holds the same quality-of-life (QOL) benefits but with more permanence. This thesis is in new research published in the August 2009 edition of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Participants in the University of Wisconsin-Madison"s
A study of hospitalizations for severe injury in Ontario"s designated trauma centres shows alcohol was involved in at least 12% of major trauma cases in 2007-2008. 2008 Major Injury in Ontario, released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), shows 526 patients hospitalized for severe injury were found to have blood alcohol concentration levels over the legal limit of 0.08% last year.
AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company leveraging breakthrough discoveries in cancer biology to discover, develop and commercialize targeted oncology therapies, today announced data which demonstrates that tivozanib (AV-951) - the company"s oral, triple VEGF receptor inhibitor - exhibits potent anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor activity in AVEO"s proprietary in vivo lung cancer models. Specifically, treatment with tivozanib resulted in complete tumor growth inhibition or tumor regression (shrinkage) in lung tumors driven by EGFR or KRAS mutations, which are especially difficult to treat. These data are being presented today at the 13th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in San Francisco, abstract number PD10.1.5.
Oxygen levels while flying are substantially less than at ground level. Current guidelines for in-flight oxygen levels are sufficient to support the needs of passengers with non-obstructed lung disease. According to two articles published in the Wiley-Blackwell journal, Respirology, commercial air travel appears to be safe for patients with lung disease as the current policies for the in-flight oxygen levels and availability of supplemental oxygen can adequately accommodate passenger"s needs.
Four simple questions on well-being asked at the start of each session of ongoing couples therapy can greatly increase chances for reconciliation and improved relationships, according to a newly published study. The largest clinical trial with couples to date, it shows that divorce and separation rates for couples that used this feedback technique were 46.2 percent less than that of couples who received therapy as usual. The findings, published in the August 3, 2009, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, are the results of a 2-year study conducted at the Vestfold Family Counseling Center in Norway by a U.S.-Norwegian team of researchers.
Smoking bans, while a necessary and positive trend for reducing exposure to secondhand smoke, have some unintended consequences--especially for women. The August 2009 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine includes a special supplement, Unintended Consequences of Tobacco Policies, a compilation of nine original, peer-reviewed articles focused on examining these unique challenges related to a smoking stigma, childcare and personal safety.
New sequencing and analysis of six strains of Chlamydia will result in improved diagnosis of the sexually transmitted infection. This study provides remarkable insights into a new strain of Chlamydia that was identified in Sweden in 2006 after spreading rapidly across the country by evading most established diagnostic tests.
UroToday.com - Pelvic floor muscle exercise (PFME) is most appropriate for patients with mild-to-moderate stress urinary incontinence (SUI). To obtain therapeutic efficacy, it is crucial that PFME be performed correctly and consistently. Without appropriate training; however, up to 30% of patients are not aware of how to perform PFME.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee passed an amendment to their broad health reform bill giving drug makers 12 years of exclusive rights to market new biologic drugs, "a setback" to the administration and consumer advocates who hoped to make generic drugs more widely available, the Wall Street Journal reports. The panel voted 47-11 on the measure, which "would also allow "evergreening," the practice by pharmaceutical companies of making minimal adjustments to their drugs, such as creating extended-release versions, as a way to lengthen their monopoly."
"Federal health agencies, seeking to hand out stimulus funds to research the effectiveness of various medical treatments, said they will include projects that look in part at the cost of drugs and other treatments. The approach -- which was unveiled in a report to Congress this week by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Institutes of Health, both agencies under the Department of Health and Human Services -- could provide more fodder to conservatives worried that the government might use the results of such studies to limit health care to consumers," the Wall Street Journal reports.
California HIV/AIDS service providers recently met to analyze how Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger"s (R) recent funding cuts to the state Office of AIDS "would affect county health programs, non-profit service providers and their clients," the California Progress Report reports. Anne Donnelly, director of health care policy for Project Inform, said that organizations that rely mostly on private donations and federal grants will likely be less affected by the cuts than medical clinics, early intervention and prevention outreach groups. She added, "It"s probably going to be the minority-based, smaller organizations that work in under-served communities and have been totally dependent on those [state] funds," that will be hardest hit. "According to [Phil Curtis, director of government affairs with AIDS Project Los Angeles], the full impact of the governor"s cuts to the clients of his and other organizations will be known only after Los Angeles and other cash-strapped counties determine how to distribute the cuts next week," the article states (Aiello, 7/31).
PRI"s "Tavis Smiley Show" recently conducted an interview with Phill Wilson, executive director of the Black AIDS Institute, where he discussed HIV/AIDS among the black community, findings from the organization"s recent "Passing the Test" report and its "Test One Million" campaign, the role of the media in HIV/AIDS efforts and other issues. Wilson said he believes an absence of media coverage on HIV/AIDS contributes to the lack of awareness among the community, noting figures from the organization"s report that found that many blacks are not getting tested or seeking treatment for HIV. In addition, Wilson addressed the role of black leaders, saying, "I"m really, really happy to say that our black leaders are really starting to respond in a big way" (Smiley, 7/31).
UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman, who visited Nigeria to launch the country"s first ever National Child Health Week, said an unacceptably high number of children in the country are dying from preventable diseases, and she called on Nigerian government officials to provide integrated healthcare, Xinhua reports (8/3).
Risk of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers is greater for people living with AIDS and increases with increasing immunosuppression, according to a new study published online July 31 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Entire populations of North American fish already are being affected by several emerging diseases, a problem that threatens to increase in the future with climate change and other stresses on aquatic ecosystems, according to a noted U.S. Geological Survey researcher gave an invited talk on this subject yesterday at the Wildlife Disease Association conference in Blaine, Wash.
Assisted dying laws do not mean that fewer people use palliative care, according to a study published on bmj.com today.
Daytime temperature fluctuations greatly alter the incubation period of malaria parasites in mosquitoes and alter transmission rates of the disease. Consideration of these fluctuations reveals a more accurate picture of climate change"s impact on malaria.
"Money can"t buy me love" the Beattles famously sang. And now a new paper by University of Notre Dame economist Kasey Buckles and colleagues suggests "money" or more precisely the price of marriage, can significantly affect the decision to marry.
Brain cancer is among the deadliest of cancers. It"s also one of the hardest to treat. Imaging results are often imprecise because brain cancers are extremely invasive. Surgeons must saw through the skull and safely remove as much of the tumor as they can. Then doctors use radiation or chemotherapy to destroy cancerous cells in the surrounding tissue.
Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) welcomed the launch of a new website, http://www.syntaxscore.com, dedicated to the understanding and use of the SYNTAX Score™, a novel angiographic tool used to measure the complexity of coronary artery disease. The Company made the announcement at the annual EuroPCR Scientific Program in Barcelona.
Like the sensitive seismographs that can pick up tremors of impending earthquakes long before they strike, a similar invention from Tel Aviv University researchers may change the face of molecular biology.
Responding to the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee (IUSS) report on "Students and Universities" Professor Paul Wellings, Chair of the 1994 Group of leading research intensive universities and Vice-Chancellor of Lancaster University said:
By injecting man-made, microscopic tubes into tumors and heating them with a quick, 30-second zap of a laser, scientists have discovered a way to effectively kill kidney tumors in nearly 80 percent of mice. Researchers say that the finding suggests a potential future cancer treatment for humans.
A new Equality and Diversity Council that will strengthen the national focus on improving quality in the National Health Service, was announced by the Department of Health today.
As a fetus does not mount an immune response to maternal proteins that cross the placenta, it has been assumed that a fetus would not reject non-genetically matched blood cells (specifically allogeneic blood cells) if they were transplanted while the fetus was in utero. The hope is that this procedure, which is known as IUHCT, could provide a viable approach for treating congenital blood disorders. However, studies using a mouse model of IUHCT indicate that most fetal recipients of allogeneic blood cells lose their transplanted cells 3-5 weeks after transplantation. Alan Flake and colleagues, at Children"s Hospital of Philadelphia, have now identified an immune mechanism responsible for graft failure in this model of IUHCT. Surprisingly, although fetal immune cells eliminated the transplanted allogeneic blood cells, they were triggered to do so by immune molecules known as alloantibodies that they obtained from their mother"s breast milk. The maternal alloantibodies were produced in response to IUHCT and so the authors conclude that in the absence of either a maternal immune response or transmission of the maternal alloantibodies to the fetus, transplanted blood cells should not be rejected, leaving open the door for IUHCT as a potential clinical strategy.
With the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States, there is concern that overweight and obese children need to be screened for chronic medical conditions, including high cholesterol levels.
A member of a new class of antiretroviral drugs is safe and effective for patients beginning treatment against HIV, according to researchers who have completed a two-year multisite phase III clinical trial comparing it with standard antiretroviral drugs.
Researchers have pinpointed a specific gene variation that causes increased risk of urinary bladder cancer, according to a scientific team led by The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
In a major step in spinal cord injury research, scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have demonstrated that regenerating axons can be guided to their correct targets and re-form connections after spinal cord injury. Their findings were published in the advance online edition of the journal Nature Neuroscience on August 2.
Over two-thirds of American families are "blended," which means they are made up of remarried adults and often stepchildren. Although it"s good news that many divorced people remarry, the bad news is that too many of them carry the animosities and negative behavior patterns of their former heartbreaks into their new situation.
Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company developing antiviral therapies, announced today that it has licensed the exclusive worldwide rights to novel Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) technology from Stanford University. This technology, discovered in the lab of Stanford scientist and Eiger founder Dr. Jeffrey Glenn, M.D., Ph.D., is focused on a variety of novel targets, including key features of NS4B, a non-structural protein in the HCV genome, which binds to HCV-RNA and is required for viral replication.
Cervical cancer, or cancer of the cervix, is cancer of the entrance to the uterus (womb). The cervix is the narrow part of the lower uterus, often referred to as the neck of the womb. Cervical cancer occurs most commonly in women over the age of 30.
In a letter last week to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R), Planned Parenthood Arizona Chair Candace Lew and the organization"s President and CEO Bryan Howard announced that they are resigning from the Governor"s Commission on Women"s and Children"s Health, the Arizona Republic reports. The 23-member panel was created under former Gov. Jane Hull (R) to improve the health of women and children in the state and reduce health care costs.According to Lew and Howard, the Brewer administration"s recent policies on family planning, sex education and abortion have been influenced by political considerations, which in turn have undermined the commission"s objectives and endangered public health. They wrote, "We cannot continue -- through our participation in the commission -- to endorse" the numerous policy positions the Brewer administration has taken that "endanger women"s health," adding, "Since you"ve taken office it has become clear that political priorities outweigh women"s health priorities."Lew and Howard also said that Brewer has ignored Planned Parenthood and repeatedly declined its requests to meet with her since she took office. They also criticized the governor"s enactment this year of strict antiabortion regulations, including a 24-hour waiting period and a requirement for minors to first have written, notarized consent from a parent or guardian. Lew and Howard also criticized Brewer"s acceptance of more than $1 million in federal grant funding for abstinence-only education in schools, while withdrawing a state Department of Health Services agreement with Planned Parenthood that promoted testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.Paul Senseman, a spokesperson for Brewer, rejected the suggestion that the governor"s actions are politically motivated. He said, "The governor -- both in actions and what she has stated in her goals -- has demonstrated a commitment to women"s health and state services that can continue to provide for those women who are at risk." He said that he does not have any information about the alleged broken agreement between the state health department and Planned Parenthood, adding that Brewer was "very pleased that the state of Arizona applied for and was granted $1 million from the Obama administration for abstinence funding" (Benson, Arizona Republic, 8/2).
Kaiser Health News reports that "If there is one thing that both parties can agree on in the health overhaul debate, it"s the need to build a health system that promotes prevention rather than just manages disease." Proposals currently being debated in Congress would require "Medicare and private health insurers to fully cover preventive services such as checkups and screening tests for cancer without any patient co-payments or deductibles." President Obama maintains that "prevention measures can save lives and limit health spending," and such a provision is "one of the eight consumer protections he wants in any health overhaul legislation." But the health insurance industry is balking, saying "such a provision would lead to higher premiums and hamper insurers" flexibility to design plans" (Galewitz, 8/4).
The Associated Press reports on lobbying around biotechnology legislation. A letter urging the protection of biotech drug makers from generics from "the private National Health Council, sent to House leaders drafting health overhaul legislation, said the plea was on behalf of "the more than 133 million Americans living with chronic diseases and disabilities and their family caregivers." It urged lawmakers to protect the makers of high-technology biological medicines against early competition from lower-cost generic copycats. The letter did not mention that nearly $1.2 million of the council"s $2.3 million budget in 2007 came from the pharmaceutical industry"s chief trade group and 16 companies that sell or are developing the brand-name biotech drugs."
New clinical data presented at a major international meeting of interventional cardiologists challenged the conventionalwisdom on the long-term efficacy of drug-eluting stents, medical devices used in the treatment of coronary artery disease.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton kicked off a seven country, 11-day trip - "her longest overseas journey to date as the top U.S. diplomat - by flying Monday night to Kenya where she will address an African trade and development forum, meet top Kenyan officials and see the beleaguered president of lawless Somalia"s interim government," the Associated Press reports. During the trip, Clinton is expected to "underscore the importance of efforts to combat HIV/AIDS and pledge continuing U.S. backing for health care initiatives in Africa," the AP writes (Lee, 8/3).
"Malaria may have jumped to humans from chimpanzees much as AIDS did, U.S. researchers reported on Monday in a [Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences] study they hope could help in developing a vaccine against the infection," Reuters reports. The researchers found evidence the Plasmodium falciparum parasite that "causes most cases of malaria is a close genetic relative of a parasite found in chimpanzees," the news service writes (8/4).
The Shreveport Times profiled the 20-year-old Shreveport, La.-based Philadelphia Center, an agency that provides HIV/AIDS services to "an average of nearly 600 people each year in northwest Louisiana" and provides "about 1,400 free HIV tests each year." The organization also has a residential program called the Mercy Center, "a haven for homeless people with HIV or those fighting addiction and other challenges," according to the Times. The center in large part is supported by an annual auction from which proceeds "help the agency operate support groups, coordinate medical, dental and housing services for clients, provide food and medicine to people and offer free, on-the-spot HIV testing," the article states. The center recently opened a satellite office in a nearby town in response to an increase in HIV infections in the area (Brumble 8/2).
Researchers from the University of Bath are embarking on a project to use stem cell technology that could reduce the number of animal experiments used to study conditions such as motor neurone disease.
Researchers from The University of Texas at Austin will participate in a $3 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fight influenza and other diseases by creating models that simulate the complex interplay between human behavior and the spread of disease.
A recent study of more than 2,000 identical twins found that medical problems early in life, rather than the neurotoxic effects of anesthesia, are likely linked to an individual"s risk for developing learning disabilities. The study"s findings, reported in the journal Twin Research and Human Genetics, contradict research published earlier this year, which concluded that receiving anesthesia younger than age four is associated with subsequent learning problems.
Three cases of patients suffering from the adverse affects of steroid-enriched dietary supplements have been reported by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital.
The amount of money PCTs (primary care trusts) are spending on management consultants has risen enormously, according to Pulse. In comparison to two years ago, the amount PCTs spend during the last financial year on external consultancy fees has risen threefold, according to figures compiled from 62 trusts.
Infectious diseases are important causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with cancer. In certain cases, the malignancy itself can predispose patients to severe or recurrent infections. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recognizes the importance of providing the latest information on treating these infections and has developed the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology(TM) for the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer-Related Infections. The NCCN Guidelines were recently updated to include information about the effect that the H1N1 virus, or "swine flu," may have on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer treatment-related infections.
A research team led by Dr. Tony Lam at the Toronto General Research Institute and the University of Toronto discovered a novel function of a hormone found in the gut that might potentially lower glucose levels in diabetes.
As we all know from experience, people eat not only because they are hungry, but also because the food just simply tastes too good to pass up. Now, a new study in the August 6th Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, helps to explain how leptin, a hormone produced by fat tissue, influences that motivation to eat.
HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) is joining forces with other local HIV organisations to remind visitors to Birmingham Pride (23 - 24 May) not to put their sexual health at risk by getting carried away with the party mood.
Worldwide collaborative ties among researchers investigating the debilitating neurological condition multiple sclerosis (MS) have been strengthened thanks to the introduction of the first UK and Australian Fellowship Exchange programme.
Americans appear split over the president"s push for health care reform, a new CNN poll has found. "Fifty percent of those questioned in CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Wednesday morning say they support the president"s plans, with 45 percent opposed. The results indicate a generational divide. ""Obama"s plan is most popular among younger Americans and least popular among senior citizens," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "A majority of Americans over the age of 50 oppose Obama"s plan; a majority of those under 50 support it.""
"Attempts to set billions aside for infrastructure projects like bike paths face an uphill battle on Capitol Hill," The Chicago Tribune reports, adding "GOP legislators see no health savings in parks and similar projects," while advocates say preventive efforts will bring down costs. "A draft Senate bill would provide up to $10 billion annually for a "prevention and public health investment fund" -- a portion of which could be used for projects such as bike paths, sidewalks, farmers markets and other community interventions meant to curb chronic and costly conditions like obesity."
Health Co-ops Emerge As Weak Substitute USA Today
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday in Kenya "re-affirmed the new U.S. administration"s commitment towards expanding its partnership with African countries, expressing optimism in the continent"s long-term potential for growth and development," VOA News reports. Speaking at the African Growth and Opportunity Act Forum in Nairobi, which marked the start of her 11-day trip to Africa, Clinton "also stressed to the delegates that economic progress is tied directly to good governance (Boswell, 8/5). Clinton"s message was that the "new American policy for Africa would be trade not aid," according to the New York Times. She told the forum, "We want to be your partner, not your patron" (Gettleman, 8/5).
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends the human papillomavirus vaccination for all 11- and 12-year-old girls, but results of a recent survey showed that more than half of Texas physicians do not follow these recommendations.
Victoria, Australia researchers have developed a wristwatch that continuously monitors the health status of people with Parkinson"s disease to help doctors manage their treatment, Victorian Minister for Innovation Gavin Jennings said today.
LDR, a total spine solution company, announced they obtained approval in Japan to market their Easyspine posterior osteosynthesis system. The Easyspine system was approved by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on March 9, followed by government approval for reimbursement on April 1. LDR has worked closely with the Yufu Itonaga Company in Tokyo to obtain this approval. The Yufu Itonaga Company will distribute and support the Easyspine line.
Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:SCMP), an international biopharmaceutical company, announced that its subsidiary, Sucampo Pharma, Ltd., has initiated enrollment and completed the randomization of the first patient into the pivotal phase 3 efficacy trial of lubiprostone for chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) in Japan.
Palomar Medical Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: PMTI), a leading researcher and developer of light-based systems for cosmetic treatments, announced the success of a clinical study showing the benefits of the SlimLipo body sculpting laser for laser-assisted lipolysis. Cleared by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in April of 2008, the SlimLipo laser is now available with 40 watts of power for faster, more effective treatments.