Endocrinology
The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) recently revised a position statement on Reimbursement for Nurse Practitioner Services. This statement affirms that Nurse Practitioners must receive equitable reimbursement from all payers in order for them to provide the communities they serve with the full scope of healthcare services.
An MS Society-funded study has highlighted the impact that MS has on partners" lives and demonstrates the need for support and services for partners of people with MS.
Those who think extreme sports are all about risk-taking are missing the point, according to a QUT researcher. Eric Brymer, a lecturer from the School of Human Movement Studies in the Faculty of Health, has been researching whether the element of risk was an important factor among participants in "extreme" sports such as waterfall kayakers, mountain climbers, big wave surfers and B.A.S.E. jumpers.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) respects and values PETA"s right to express an opinion and hold a peaceful demonstration at our 146th Annual Convention in Seattle. On the other hand, we disagree with their position on our use of fish during an educational and motivational presentation by the fishmongers of Pike Place Fish Market.
People with pain in the elbow or forearm from playing sports or just from common
Current research is inconclusive regarding the relationship between alcohol consumption and prostate cancer risk. Researchers led by Zhihong Gong Ph.D. of the University of California San Francisco, examined the associations of total alcohol, type of alcoholic beverage, and drinking pattern with risks of total, low- and high-grade prostate cancer. They used data from more than 10,000 men participating in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT).
More and more children are participating and getting hurt playing sports each year. A
Governor Jon S. Corzine and Health and Senior Services Commissioner Heather Howard applauded the Obama administration for allocating $10 million to New Jersey to enhance the state"s efforts to be as prepared as possible to deal with the fall 2009 H1N1 Influenza season.
The Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) announced the appointment of Professor Dickon Weir-Hughes as its new Chief Executive and Registrar.
British scientists are leading the field at the International Conference of Alzheimer"s Disease, in Vienna (ICAD, 11 - 16 July).
TUESDAY: Dozens of Registered Nurses to March on Kaiser Permanente-Fremont to Protest Effort to Slash Urgent Care
Physician-scientists from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center believe that a heightened level a certain growth factor in the blood may explain why blacks have a greater prevalence of hypertension and kidney disease compared to whites. Results from a new study are the first to show that an elevated level of a protein, called transforming growth factor B1 (TGF-B1), raises the risk of hypertension and renal disease in humans.
One in three breast cancer patients identified in certain nations" public screening programs might have undergone unnecessary treatment, according to a study published Friday in BMJ, the AP/Google.com reports. For the study, Karsten Jorgensen and Peter Gotzsche of Copenhagen"s Nordic Cochrane Centre examined breast cancer trends at least seven years before and after the launch of government-run screening programs in parts of Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Norway and Sweden. The programs usually test women ages 50 to 69.According to the AP/Google.com, effective screening programs should detect more cases and result in a decline in advanced cancer cases detected in older women, whose cancers would have been caught in earlier screenings. However, the study found that the national screening systems simply detected thousands more cases than previously identified.Experts say that overtreatment of cancer occurs wherever there are widespread screening programs, including in the U.S. Some cancers develop too slowly to ever cause symptoms or death, the AP/Google.com reports. However, it is impossible to determine which cancers will be deadly, so all detected cases are treated. Jorgensen said that there is "significant harm in making women cancer patients without good reason" and that the "information needs to get to women so they can make an informed choice."Gilbert Welch of the VA Outcomes Group and the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Research wrote in an accompanying editorial that although mammography "undoubtedly helps some women," it "hurts others." Welch wrote that it is "one of medicine"s "close calls," ... where different people in the same situation might reasonably make different choices."Britain"s National Health Service recently stopped distributing breast cancer screening pamphlets in response to criticism that they included too little information on cancer overtreatment. Laura Bell of Cancer Research UK said that although the organization still urges women to be screened, it is important that they be made aware of potential benefits and harms (Cheng, AP/Google.com, 7/9).
The Assembly of parliamentarians of Francophone countries have adopted a resolution reaffirming their commitment to the AIDS response. The resolution, which was adopted during their annual assembly which was held from 3 to 6 July 2009 in Paris, gave a strong message that Francophone parliamentarians are continuing to put AIDS high on the agenda and push the response forward in their countries and beyond.
The mood in Washington to compromise with hospitals, pharmaceutical makers and physician groups is not extending to physician-owned specialty hospitals, Time reports. "Any health-reform package passed by Congress will likely deal a major blow to an upstart competitor of many hospitals. Buried in the 850-page House health-reform draft is a provision that could in effect ban further construction of doctor-owned, for-profit specialty hospitals and prohibit existing ones from expanding. ò€¦ Senators Charles Grassley and Max Baucus, who lead the body"s powerful Finance Committee, have been vocal critics of the doctor-owned specialty-hospital model and the industry expects similar language to be included in any upcoming Senate health-reform bill as well."
A federal program targets Medicare fraud in the Houston area as news of three cases representing at least $35 million in false claims emerged within the past week. The Houston Chronicle reports on the three cases, noting: "These Houston-area scams alleged in two FBI complaints and one Montgomery County indictment were among six reported nationally in a single week - representing at least $285 million in false billings, records showed. "This is an astounding amount," said Houston"s FBI spokeswoman Pat Villafranca. The $285 million is more than four times the amount stolen during robberies of U.S. banks during all of 2008, she said. This month, Houston became the fourth metropolitan area - joining Miami, Los Angeles and Detroit - to create a ramped-up fraud strike force. It goes by the acronym "HEAT," Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team."
The Pennsylvania House last week voted to approve a bill that allows state residents up to age 29 to be added to or remain on their parents" health insurance plans as long as they live in the state or are full-time students, the Harrisburg Patriot-News reports. They also must be single and not have dependents.According to national data, young adults between ages 19 and 29 make up the largest segment of the U.S. population without health insurance. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department estimates that nearly 400,000 state residents in that age group are uninsured. The bill allows employers to decide if they want to offer the coverage option to their employees. Families choosing to add adult dependents to their health plans will have higher premiums. Gov. Ed Rendell (D) is expected to sign the bill, which the state Senate approved in March (Thompson, Harrisburg Patriot-News, 5/14). Prescription for Pennsylvania Plan
Two Sides to Every Health Care Debate New York Times
IRIN examines how a "dramatic plunge" in international donor funding for family planning could undermine other health- and humanitarian-related goals, including fighting poverty and hunger. About 200 million women do not have access to contraception, which could cause a surge in the world"s population leading to a reversal of humanitarian gains, according to some experts.
Hemangiomas are the most common tumor of infancy. They are benign tumors derived from cells that line blood vessels (endothelial cells) and spontaneously regress as a child gets older. Jack Arbiser and colleagues, at Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, have now provided new insight into the molecules that control hemangioma growth and found that inhibiting a key molecule substantially inhibits hemangioma growth in a mouse model. Specifically, the protein Nox4 was found to be crucial for hemangioma growth in a mouse model and the drug fulvene 5 was found to be a potent in vitro inhibitor of Nox4 and to substantially inhibit in vivo hemangioma growth. The authors therefore suggest that targeting Nox4, potentially using fulvene derivatives, might provide a way to attenuate hemangioma growth.
According to research reported at the Alzheimer"s Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer"s Disease (ICAD 2009) in Vienna, the number of people with Alzheimer"s disease and dementia in Europe may be higher than previously reported since both the number of new cases and the total number of people affected continue to rise among the very oldest segments of the population.
Condom use is associated with a reduced risk of contracting herpes simplex virus 2, according to a report based on pooled analysis of data from previous studies in the July 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
The Primary Care Paradox and the Need to Integrate Primary and Specialty Care to Improve the Quality of Healthcare
The number of people with Alzheimer"s and dementia - both new cases and total numbers with the disease - continues to rise among the very oldest segments of the population in contradiction of the conventional wisdom, according to research reported today at the Alzheimer"s Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer"s Disease (ICAD 2009) in Vienna.
A new study by researchers from the Automotive Safety Program at Riley Hospital for Children and Indiana University School of Medicine published online July 13, 2009 in the journal Pediatrics reports that the parents of children with special health care needs are doing a good job with the selection of the appropriate child car seat but still need help in using it correctly.
Abraxis BioScience, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABII), a fully integrated biotechnology company, announced that the company has completed patient enrollment of a pivotal, phase III clinical study comparing the company"s chemotherapy agent ABRAXANE® for Injectable Suspension (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) (albumin bound) with Taxol® (paclitaxel) injection, both in combination with carboplatin, in the first-line treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study, which is being conducted at 111 sites globally, includes 1,050 patients and is being led by principal investigator Dr. Mark Socinski at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. It is one of the largest NSCLC clinical studies to complete enrollment.
One of the UK"s leading weight loss organisations has backed calls for changes to the way that obesity is being tackled nationally after a new study suggested that children learn unhealthy lifestyle behaviour from parents of the same gender.
A UQ Science researcher has received a prestigious honorary fellowship for her long-time work into understanding the underlying mechanisms of pain.
A new Blueprint to put innovation at the heart of healthcare delivery was launched by Lord Drayson and Lord Darzi at Imperial College London.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that it will require manufacturers of some immunosuppressant drugs used in kidney (renal) transplantation to update their labeling to reflect an increased risk of infections.
Quantum Immunologics, Inc. (QI), a Tampa, Florida company focusing on the research and development of cancer immunotherapies, announces that the first patient in its breast cancer trial has begun to receive its dendritic cell therapy.
A group of Utah State University researchers and colleagues at Johns Hopkins University, Duke University and Boston University have demonstrated that the rate of clinical progression of dementia may be slowed by a close relationship with one"s caregiver. The findings will be published in the September 2009 issue of "The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences" by Oxford Journals
Prohibiting tobacco use at home could reduce adolescent smoking rates, but the practice might be less common in black families than in white ones, a new study found.
A new health series following the lives of six South Asian people, and offering diet and healthy lifestyle advice, will be hitting our screens on Sunday 17 May.
A new study has revealed a possible link between smoking and more rapid progression of disability in multiple sclerosis (MS).
Dr. Regina Benjamin is President Obama"s pick for surgeon general. The Alabama family physician has been an advocate for universal care, and is expected to have a role "at the table" in health reform, which would be an unusual degree of influence over policy for a surgeon general. Obama said Benjamin "represents what"s best about health care in America."
New figures published show A&E departments in England have met the
New research showing that "a receptor molecule involved in the recognition of HIV-1 responds to the virus differently in women than in men," might "explain why HIV infection progresses faster to AIDS in women than in men with similar viral loads," the HealthDay/Greenville Daily Reflector reports. The study was conducted by researchers at the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University and will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Nature Medicine. Study authors also note that during the early stages of infection, women tend to have a stronger immune response to HIV than men, but then progress to AIDS more quickly. The different immune system response "then leads to differences in chronic T-cell activation, a known activator of disease progression, according to the researchers," the article states (7/13). Researcher Marcus Altfeld said the findings raise new questions about how sex hormones affect HIV in the body. "Focusing on immune activation separately from viral replication might give us new therapeutic approaches" to treating HIV, he added (AFP/Google News, 7/13).
There were 839 reported cases of HIV/AIDS in Alabama in 2008, and of those 122 were reported in Montgomery County, which had the highest number in the state per capita, the Montgomery Advertiser reports. Black residents comprised 70 percent of all HIV/AIDS cases in Alabama reported that year. Poverty, lack of transportation to health services, not knowing a partner"s status and not getting tested are cited as factors contributing to the greater risk for HIV among blacks in the state, according to the Advertiser. Jane Cheeks, director of HIV/AIDS programs for the Alabama Department of Public Health, said, "The more we test, the more we find," adding, "But we"re hoping we can lower the infection rate." She also said, "In 2007, we got a pretty significant increase in funding and we were able to provide more services and give more testing." In addition to administering HIV tests, the "state educates the public through public service announcements and rolling billboards on the sides of 18-wheelers, which give people toll-free numbers to call" for information, the article states (Klass, 7/11).
Infection of surgical wounds is a significant clinical problem which imposes severe demands on
BioTech Medics, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: BMCS) announces that it has contracted to start conducting independent clinical testing of its patented SHBAN™ Antiviral Hand Sanitizer Solution to prove it kills the H1N1 (Swine) Influenza A virus in compliance with FDA and EPA standards.
A new blood glucose monitor, unveiled today, connects directly to Nintendo DST and Nintendo DST Lite gaming systems and was designed specifically for children with diabetes.
Babies born to obese mothers may have an increased risk of asthma, according to data from a new study to be presented on May 19 at the 105th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego.
According a Toronto Star column, it is an "enormous challenge" for India"s government to try to get all of its citizens immunized against polio. "It has used everything from elephants and camels to rickety boats and bikes to ferry the vaccine to remote regions where temperatures have topped 40C the past three months. The polio serum needs to be kept at a temperature below 8C. Its efforts have not all been in vain: the number of new cases in the country last year was 559, down from 200,000 in the early 1980s," writes columnist Rick Westhead.
British Members Of Parliament Want HIV Drug Patent Changes
People with mental health problems could find themselves without adequate help and support under proposals set out in today"s green paper on adult social care, warns leading mental health charity Rethink.
Chronic exposure to tobacco smoke in childhood may contribute to early emphysema later in life, according to new research. Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is known to be associated with a variety of serious health problems, but it had not previously been associated with the development of emphysema over the life course. The data was presented on Tuesday, May 19, at the 105th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego.
Results of a survey published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons show that a large subset of surgical residents consider duty hour regulations (DHR) a significant barrier to their surgical education and express a desire for flexibility to work longer hours than current restrictions allow.
GenWay Biotech, Inc., a US-based diagnostic company has become CLIA certified and received a California lab license. Their license currently permits the testing of immunological biomarkers. This is a very important step in the direction of commercialization of the novel innovative diagnostic tests currently being developed at GenWay. In upcoming weeks, GenWay will add new cancer biomarker tests to their portfolio as well as several infectious diseases such as sexual transmitted diseases. GenWay is seeking to obtain CAP accreditation by the end of the year.
The National Institutes of Health has awarded a five year $20 million grant to the University of Illinois at Chicago"s Center for Clinical and Translational Science.
U.S. House of Representative Democrats unveiled their bill for health care reform - the America"s Affordable Health Care Choice of 2009. In response, National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Executive Vice President and CEO Bruce T. Roberts, RPh, issued the following statement:
New data show that Medicare beneficiaries registered to use My Health Manager, Kaiser Permanente"s personal health record, are overwhelmingly satisfied with using the Internet to manage their health care online. Results from the recent Kaiser Permanente survey examining Web site usage and Medicare beneficiary satisfaction were presented today at the World Health Care Congress" 5th Annual Leadership Summit on Medicare in Washington, D.C.
St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) announced Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approval of its Libra® and LibraXP™ deep brain stimulation (DBS) systems for treating the symptoms of Parkinson"s disease, a neurological disorder that progressively diminishes a person"s control over his or her movements.
Smith & Nephew"s Advanced Wound Management division (NYSE:SNN) announced that the UK Court of Appeal has ruled as invalid all claims asserted against Smith and Nephew of the patent EP 0 626 720 that is licensed to Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (NYSE: KCI). As a result, the preliminary injunction against Smith & Nephew"s RENASYS(TM)-F NPWT system has been lifted.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released new data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample -- the largest, all-payer emergency department database in the United States. The Nationwide Emergency Department Sample is designed to help public health experts, policymakers, health care administrators, researchers, journalists and others find the data they need to answer questions about care that occurs in U.S. hospital emergency departments.
Based on the data presented, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) recommended that the combination of trabectedin when administered with DOXIL(R) (doxorubicin HCI liposome injection) did not provide a sufficient benefit-risk profile for the treatment of relapsed ovarian cancer.
A Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)-based research team has identified how a chromosomal abnormality known to be associated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)- the most common cancer in children- initiates the disease process. In the July issue of Cell Stem Cell, they describe how expression of this mutation in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which usually occurs before birth, leads to the development of leukemia many years later.
CQC publishes national review of NHS child safeguarding
A new UK study found that swearing appeared to lessen the effects of pain, perhaps because it invokes a similar response as that which occurs in
NHS clinical teams will have access to data showing their performance against a set of more than 200 indicators of high quality care in the NHS in one place. It is the next phase in the drive to help NHS professionals improve the quality of care they deliver to patients, and will also support providers and commissioners of NHS services.
Memory probably begins during the prenatal period, but little is known about the exact timing or for how long memory lasts. Now in a new study from the Netherlands, scientists have found fetal short-term memory in fetuses at 30 weeks.
AGA Medical Corporation has received European CE Mark approval for its AMPLATZER® vascular plug, AVP 4. The device, which is indicated for arterial and venous embolizations in the peripheral vasculature, uses AMPLATZER"s proven mesh-braided Nitinol technology and may eliminate the need for catheter exchange, giving physicians a more efficient procedure. AGA Medical will begin marketing the AVP 4 in Europe immediately.
Children raised in institutions are more likely to lag physically, socially, and cognitively, but little is known about what happens to children"s brains when they live in institutions. Now a new study finds that placing institutionalized children in high-quality foster care may improve their brain activity.
Valeo Pharma announced a new study recently published that demonstrated the efficacy and safety of Hydrosal®, a novel high strength topical antiperspirant with 15% aluminum chloride and 2% salicylic acid in proprietary gel base for patients with moderate-to-severe hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating).
Amid reports that swine flu viruses are developing the ability to shrug off existing antiviral drugs, scientists in Japan are reporting a first-of-its kind discovery that could foster a new genre of antivirals that sidestep resistance problems, according to an article scheduled for the July 23 issue of the ACS" Journal of the Medicinal Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.
Four major US national laboratories have worked together to develop a computer model to help airport authorities screen passengers for pandemic influenza. The tool can help estimate false negatives, people with influenza who slip through the screening process, and so assess the risk of infected passengers unknowingly spreading disease across the nation.
For the 11th consecutive year, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) has been named one of the 100 Most Wired hospitals and health systems in the United States, according to the results of the 2009 survey by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine, the journal of the American Hospital Association. UPMC is one of only five organizations to appear on the list since its inception.
Senator Sam Aanestad (R-Grass Valley) and Senator Gloria Negrete McLeod (D-Chino) are teaming up in an act of bi-partisan cooperation to serve as joint authors for legislation designed to improve patient safety in California by reforming Medical Peer Review. This is the process where a committee of physicians examines the work of a peer and determines whether the physician under review has met accepted standards of care in rendering medical services.
The American Public Health Association (APHA) applauds the recent progress made by Congress on comprehensive health reform legislation that includes important provisions to protect and improve health in our nation.
Approximately two-thirds of the 1.5 million Americans living with lupus will develop some type of skin disease. Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system is unbalanced causing it to become destructive to any organ and tissue in the body. Skin disease in lupus can cause rashes or sores (lesions), most of which will appear on sun-exposed areas, such as a person"s face, ears, neck, arms, and legs. In addition, 40-70 percent of people with systemic lupus will find that their disease is made worse by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight or artificial light. For this and other reasons, people with lupus are advised to take steps to protect themselves from exposure to UV light.
Sapient (NASDAQ: SAPE) announced that it has designed and delivered a Web-based multilingual solution to support the efforts of CdLS World, an international federation of non-profit organizations committed to assisting those affected by Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS), a rare congenital disorder. While there is as yet no cure for CdLS, information and access to early therapeutic interventions and therapies is the key to helping children with CdLS reach their full potential. Sapient"s Ask the Doctor - which can be accessed at http://www.cdlsworld.org or through local CdLS country websites - brings a vast online re of up-to-date, relevant medical information to families and medical professionals around the world.
Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announces it has received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for velaglucerase alfa, its enzyme replacement therapy in development for the treatment of Type I Gaucher disease. Shire is working with the FDA to determine subsequent steps and timing for the filing of its NDA.
A recently identified gene allows immune cells to start the self-destructive processes thought to underlie autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatoid arthritis, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found.
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shed new light on a process that fixes breaks in the genetic material of the body"s cells. Their findings could lead to ways of enhancing chemotherapy drugs that destroy cancer cells by damaging their DNA.
The California Nurses Association concurred on the need for improved enforcement to protect patients affected by the handful of nurses alleged to have found to have committed egregious misconduct that put patients in jeopardy.
Have you seen the commercial for in-office procedures that will make your face wrinkle-free or sculpt your stomach, with no downtime and no scars? Lifestyle Lift, Lunchtime Lift, Thread-Tox, and Smart-Lipo, are just a few of the brand-name surgical procedures being marketed to the public as a cosmetic quick fix with a clever name.
"This is Year 20 for America"s Best Hospitals, a tool for patients who need medical sophistication that most facilities are unable to provide," reports U.S. News and World Report. The magazine ranked hospitals based on how well they did in "complex and demanding situations" such as "replacing an 85-year-old"s heart valve, diagnosing and treating a spinal tumor, and dealing with inflammatory bowel disease." Out of a total 4,861 hospitals analyzed, "Only 174 hospitals scored high enough to be ranked in even one of the 16 specialties. And of these, just 21 qualified for [the] Honor Roll by ranking at or near the top in at least six specialties." The ranking list includes the 50 highest scoring hospitals (Comarow, 7/15).
Boston-based Fenway Health and the Multicultural AIDS Coalition "have launched the recruitment phase of a new study aimed at learning more about the sexual health of black gay and bi[sexual] men and finding effective strategies for HIV prevention within the black gay community," Bay Windows reports. The study, called Project Saving Ourselves (SOS), is seeking to recruit up to 400 participants in Boston, and also is collecting data on black gay and bisexual men in New York, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Ben Perkins, Project SOS director at the Fenway Institute of Fenway Health"s research division, said, "This is pretty new. In terms of the scale, there hasn"t been anything quite like it." Perkins said there are several questions researchers hope to answer about black gay and bisexual male health and HIV prevention, but the goal is to determine what factors put them at risk for HIV and help promote better health and safe behavior (Jacobs, 7/15).
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) announces the debut of the Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize, to be awarded at ASH"s annual meeting in December. The inaugural recipients are Thomas Maniatis, PhD, of Harvard University, and Yuet Wai Kan, MD, of the University of California - San Francisco.
More than 43,000 children are injured in bathtubs and showers every year, mostly from slips and falls, according to the study, "Injuries Associated With Bathtubs and Showers Among Children in the United States." While bathtub injuries associated with tap water burns and submersions have generated much research, this is the first study using nationally representative data to look at injuries from slips and falls, which are responsible for the majority of bathtub injuries. Using data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission from 1990 to 2007, researchers evaluated an estimated 791,200 bathtub- and shower-related injuries during the 18-year study period among children 18 years old and younger who were treated in U.S. emergency departments.
While watching swimmers line up during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, former Olympic swimmer and NBC Sports commentator Rowdy Gaines quipped that swimmers keep getting bigger, with the shortest one in the current race towering over the average spectator.
According to the latest thinking, eating healthily and taking more exercise are not enough by themselves to combat the nation"s rising obesity levels. Instead we need a better understanding of the issues underpinning compulsive eating so that psychological help can be successfully targeted.
Cystic fibrosis medicines that help to break down mucus in the lungs may carry an unexpected long-term benefit, a study suggests.
Nearly 90 per cent of people in the UK back proposals to stop under 18s from using sunbeds according to a new survey by Cancer Research UK.
The best way to keep bacteria from doing any damage is to stop them in their tracks before they can start down their pathological road to destruction.
Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College have published results showing that a new contraceptive device may also effectively block the transmission of the HIV virus. Findings show that the device prevents infection by the HIV virus in laboratory testing. The promising results are published in the most recent issue of the journal AIDS.
A protein in influenza virus that helps it multiply also damages lung epithelial cells, causing fluid buildup in the lungs, according to new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Southern Research Institute . Publishing online this week in the journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, the researchers say the findings give new insight into how flu attacks the lungs and provides targets for new treatments.
"There was a scandal this week" involving Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg"s comments on abortion rights during an interview with the New York Times Magazine, according to Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson. In response to a question on access to abortion and restrictions on Medicaid coverage of the procedure, Ginsburg said, "Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe [v. Wade] was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don"t want to have too many of. So that Roe was going to be then set up for Medicaid funding for abortion." According to Gerson, the "context surrounding this passage is a simplistic, pro-choice rant." He adds, "Abortion, in Ginsburg"s view, is an essential part of sexual equality, thus ending all ethical debate." Ginsburg in the interview also said, "There will never be a woman of means without choice anymore. That just seems to be so obvious." She added, "So we have a policy that affects only poor women, and it can never be otherwise, and I don"t know why this hasn"t been said more often."Gerson writes, "Given this context, can it be argued that Ginsburg -- referring to "populations that we don"t want to have too many of" -- was merely summarizing the views of others and describing the attitudes of the country when Roe v. Wade was decided?" He continues, "It can be argued -- but it is not bloody likely. Who, in Ginsburg"s statement, is the "we"? And who, in 1973, was arguing for the eugenic purposes of abortion?" According to Gerson, "It is more likely that Ginsburg is describing the attitude of some of her own social class -- that abortion is economically important to a "woman of means" and useful in reducing the number of social undesirables."Gerson writes, "The entire Ginsburg interview is a reminder of the risks of lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court." He continues, "Immune from criticism, surrounded by plump cushions of deference, the temperament of a justice can become exaggerated over time." He adds that her statements "would have been disqualifying" had they been made during her own confirmation hearing. "Now she doesn"t give a damn," Gerson says.He continues that Ginsburg"s "timing ... is instructive" because she made the remarks as Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is "emphasizing her low-income and minority roots." According to Gerson, "It is estimated that the Hyde Amendment limiting Medicaid abortions has saved one million lives since its passage in 1976 -- some, no doubt, became criminals and some, perhaps, lawyers and judges." He concludes, "It is a defining question for modern liberalism: Are these men and women "populations that we don"t want to have too many of," or are they citizens worthy of justice and capable of contribution?" (Gerson, Washington Post, 7/17).
One thing that "has been conspicuously absent" from the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is "substance," Jonathan Turley, the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University, writes in a USA Today opinion piece. According to Turley, "The vast majority of questions and answers remained on a shallow and predictable level where Sotomayor did little more than describe current doctrines and case law -- avoiding disclosures of her own views." He continues, "What is most striking is how Sotomayor"s statements were virtually identical to both her conservative and liberal predecessors," including her comments that Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey are "the precedent of the court."Turley writes, "The content-light character in these hearings is largely the product of the "Ginsburg rule" -- named after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who refused to answer questions in her 1993 confirmation hearing about any case or matter upon which she might later vote." According to Turley, "Later nominees for both parties have relied on the Ginsburg rule to turn the hearings into prolonged photo-ops for senators, who largely ask wafer-thin questions to solicit largely scripted answers." The rule "allows nominees to get by with meaningless sound bites that promise to respect precedent, the Framers [of the Constitution] and collegiality in general," he adds. Furthermore, it "tells the public nothing about a nominee"s philosophy or purpose before giving her life tenure on the world"s most powerful court," Turley writes.According to Turley, there is a "simple solution to returning substance to the confirmation process: End the Ginsburg rule by insisting that nominees answer questions about their specific views on constitutional rights." Although "the current system works well for presidents, nominees and senators," it "does little for the public or the system of justice," he writes (Turley, USA Today, 7/16).
The Obama administration ramps up efforts to promote health care reform and reacts to a sobering announcement by the Congressional Budget Office about the scoring of a health care bill.
When hospitals agreed to accept a $155 billion pay cut from the federal government to help Washington raise money for reform efforts earlier this month, it was "to the amazement of many," the Economist reports. "How can they justify giving away such a vast sum? There are several explanations, not all of them altruistic. Taken together, they show that the industry"s leaders are bracing themselves for a period of upheaval."
One Maryland county"s tiny new health care programs for the uninsured could be a model for providing care nationwide, National Public Radio says in an ongoing series. The program is cheap, effective and heavy on preventive care, Howard County"s health commissioner, Dr. Peter Beilenson says. The program, called Healthy Howard, provides care for families of four earning up to $66,000 a year, and patients are required to pay $50 to $85 a month. But some of the enrollees are running into trouble.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued an alert on Thursday "seeking donor help" to address the health situation in southern and central Somalia, "which has continued to deteriorate due to latest fighting in [the capital of] Mogadishu," Xinhua reports. In the alert, OCHA said civil strife has had a "debilitating effect" on the social services infrastructure - particularly health services - in the country, Xinhua writes. "With the country already facing one of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the world, the humanitarian health community is finding itself constrained by the health funding deficit, leaving a number of critical life-saving health projects uninitiated and ongoing ones under threat of cessation," OCHA said.
Foster City, Calif.-based Gilead Sciences on Thursday said it has entered into a license and collaboration agreement with Johnson and Johnson subsidiary Tibotec Pharmaceuticals for the development and commercialization of a new once-daily fixed-dose treatment for HIV, the San Francisco Business Times reports. The FDA approved the first once-daily HIV treatment Atripla in 2006 (7/16). The new antiretroviral drug would contain Tibotec"s experimental non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, known as TMC278, and Gilead"s combination pill, Truvada. Kevin Young, head of commercial operations at Gilead "said the new combination pill, along with Gilead"s experimental "quad" pill, will be used for newly-diagnosed patients, with physicians reluctant to change therapy for patients who are responding well to Atripla," Reuters reports. Young said the drug is expected to reach the market in 2011 (Beasley, 7/16).
Male circumcision does not reduce the transmission of HIV from men to their female partners, according to a Lancet study conducted in Uganda, Bloomberg reports (Sargent, 7/16). The researchers recruited 922 uncircumcised HIV-positive men between the ages of 15 and 49 for the study, who were then divided into two groups - those who were "immediately circumcised" and those for whom the procedure was "delayed for two years" Reuters reports. Researchers also followed the wives and female sex partners of the men, who all were HIV-negative (Fox, 7/16). The analysis found that "18 percent of the female partners of the circumcised men became infected with the virus compared with 12 percent of the partners of men who hadn"t undergone the procedure," Bloomberg writes (7/16). Despite studies that "suggested circumcision ò€¦ can lower the rate of male-to-female virus transmission from HIV-positive men" the researchers concluded that "[c]ircumcision of HIV-infected men didn"t reduce HIV transmission to female partners over 24 months; longer-term effects could not be assessed" (Wawer et al., Lancet, July 2009).
As a result of the scientific advances and medical innovations made in the twentieth century, the United States today occupies an established and unchallenged leading role in the field of surgery. Renowned surgeon Seymour I. Schwartz, MD, gives a sweeping history of American surgical practice in "Gifted Hands: America"s Most Significant Contributions To Surgery" (Prometheus Books). He describes how surgery in the United States has advanced from the comparatively crude practices of pioneering physicians in the pre-Columbian and colonial eras to its current level of preeminence in scientific surgery today.
Bed bugs, known scientifically as Cimex lectularius (Cimicidae) are small wingless insects that feed by hematophagy - exclusively on the blood of warm blooded-animals. As we are warm-blooded animals we are ideal hosts for them. Over millions of years bed bugs have evolved as nest parasites - inhabiting the nests of birds and the roosts of bats. Some of them have learnt to adapt to the human environment and live in our nests, i.e. our homes, and more specifically, our beds. Newborns, called hatchlings or nymphs, are tiny, about the size of a poppy seed, while adults grow to about ÂÜ of an inch long. Their shape is oval and flattened. Both nymphs, eggs and adults are visible to the naked eye.
An Alice Springs doctor has urged the Federal Government to overhaul Medicare to remove disincentives for General Practitioners to conduct longer consultations with patients.
A grant from breast cancer charity, Walk the Walk, worth approximately ÷£250,000, has seen the delivery and installation of 21 scalp cooling machines into St James"s Institute of Oncology, Leeds. These ground breaking machines can reduce or even prevent hair loss in patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI) and GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK) announced that BENLYSTA(TM) (belimumab, formerly LymphoStat-B(R)) met the primary endpoint in BLISS-52, the first of two pivotal Phase 3 trials in patients with serologically active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In the placebo-controlled BLISS-52 study, the results showed that belimumab plus standard of care achieved a clinically and statistically significant improvement in patient response rate at Week 52, compared with standard of care alone. Study results also showed that belimumab was generally well tolerated, with adverse event rates comparable between belimumab and placebo treatment groups.
The Lupus Research Institute (LRI) and its National Coalition of state and local organizations congratulate Human Genome Sciences (HGS) and GlaxoSmithKline on the highly promising results of this landmark clinical trial of Benlysta(TM) (belimumab) for people with systemic lupus.
IVIg treatments, the addition of good antibodies into the blood stream, may hold promise for lowering the risk of Alzheimer"s disease and other similar brain disorders, according to research published in the July 21, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Latest research on proton therapy highlights medical physics meeting next week in Anaheim
The largest and most comprehensive ophthalmic educational meeting in the world, the American Academy of Ophthalmology"s (Academy) 2009 Joint Meeting in conjunction with the Pan- American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO) will be taking place in San Francisco, Oct. 24 to 27.
HIV Susceptibility Testing Increases Patient Survival
The Washington Post reports that Regina Benjamin -- President Obama"s nominee for U.S. surgeon general -- shares Obama"s position on reproductive health issues, a position that could put her "at odds" with the Catholic Church"s positions on reproductive rights, according to s familiar with her selection. White House spokesperson Reid Cherlin said, "Like [Obama], she believes that this is an issue where it is important to try and seek common ground and come together to try and reduce the number of unintended pregnancies." Cherlin added, "As a physician, she is deeply committed to the philosophy of putting her patients" needs first when it comes to providing care." The White House would not specifically comment on her views on abortion rights, and an HHS spokesperson says Benjamin is not permitted to speak publicly until she is confirmed. s close to Benjamin, who is Catholic, say that she does support abortion rights, the Post reports. However, several individuals who know Benjamin said her views would not affect her role as surgeon general. David Satcher -- a surgeon general in the Clinton administration who taught community health to Benjamin at the Morehouse School of Medicine -- said, "We all have our religions, but when you speak as the surgeon general to the American people, it"s not about your religion." He added, "I don"t see why the surgeon general has to get involved in a discussion about abortion." Jorge Alsip -- president of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama -- said abortion-related issues occasionally arose when he and Benjamin served on the Alabama State Committee on Public Health. Alsip, who is Catholic, said he does not know her position on the issue, adding, "You kind of have to park your personal beliefs at the door when they conflict with what your role is."Sister Carol Keehan, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association, said, "This is not pivotal to the surgeon general"s job." She added, "From the perspective of being a practicing Catholic, you can certainly say that it matters. I think being willing to work to reduce (abortion) is a good thing."Robert Lawrence, a director at Johns Hopkins University"s Bloomberg School of Public Health and chair of the board of Physicians for Human Rights, served with Benjamin on the group"s board from 1996 until 2002. He said, "I would think that as surgeon general she would uphold the law of the land, and the law of the land guarantees women a choice for reproductive health." He added, "The charge of the surgeon general is to be the people"s doctor and ensure that all those health services guaranteed under federal law are available to the people" (Thompson, Washington Post, 7/19).
Routine screenings for cancers -- including breast cancer in younger women -- have not proven to reduce the chance of death for people without specific symptoms or risk factors, and experts suggest that some tests could lead to harm, the New York Times reports.According to Ned Calonge, chair of the United States Preventive Services Task Force, screening is only useful if it prevents enough deaths to outweigh harm from treatments that are not medically necessary. He said that although screening in some cases will detect life-threatening cancers that respond to intervention, it also can result in false positives that cause needless worry and unnecessary procedures. Screening also might fail to diagnose an existing cancer, causing patients to ignore symptoms; find slow-growing or stable cancers that are not life-threatening and normally do not need treatment; or find aggressive, life-threatening cancers that do not respond to treatment, Calonge said. Only a handful of screening tests have been proven to significantly reduce death among certain age groups: pap tests to screen for cervical cancer beginning no later than age 21; mammograms to screen for breast cancer starting at age 40; and colon cancer screening beginning at age 50. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no medical proof that routine screening for many other cancers -- including ovarian cancer -- reduces deaths.The Times reports that the Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act of 2009 (HR 1740) -- also known as the Early Act -- has become a central issue in the debate because it would create a breast cancer detection campaign for women younger than age 45. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.) introduced the bill in March, and it now has more than 350 co-sponsors. The bill would provide $45 million over five years for teaching young women and their physicians to check for abnormalities; promote healthy lifestyle choices; and provide grants to groups supporting women with breast cancer. The bill focuses on certain ethnic or racial groups at higher risk of developing aggressive tumors. CDC would oversee an expert panel to create the campaign based on the latest medical research, Wasserman-Schultz said.Critics of the bill say that the legislation promotes techniques, such as self-exams, that have not proven to detect cancer at earlier stages or reduce deaths. They also argue that self-exams could lead to many insignificant nodules being biopsied, which can cause scarring and make it harder to detect breast cancer when women are older. According to Susan Love -- a breast cancer surgeon who has encouraged Wasserman-Schultz to abandon the bill -- the public health campaign could cause younger women to overestimate their chances of dying of breast cancer (Singer, New York Times, 7/17).