Medical Devices
Vetericyn Inc., a California-based animal healthcare company, has announced the launch of its new Vetericyn™ equine product, available in a 16-ounce trigger spray for horses. Vetericyn™ utilizes an FDA-cleared technology that has been used to successfully treat over one million human patients without a single serious adverse effect. Now, the innovative topical wound-care product is available to the animal healthcare market.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) welcomes the amendments made to the Health Workforce Australia Bill 2009 this week. The Bill establishes the Health Workforce Authority (HWA) as proposed by the Council of Australian Governments (CoAG). The legislation was passed subject to an amendment, which restricts the HWA from having responsibility for the accreditation of clinical education and training, which includes general practice vocational training.
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) commended
The Associated Press reports on the costs of disease prevention: "When it comes to health care spending, an ounce of prevention is seldom worth a pound of cure. ...The truth is, shockingly few prevention efforts actually save the health care system money overall, despite claims by the president and some in Congress."
UCLA Health Policy Research Brief: Health Coverage in the Safety Net: How California"s Coverage Initiative Is Providing A Medical Home to Low-Income Uninsured Adults in Ten Counties, Interim Findings -- As medical homes continue to gain attention for being used as "a potential remedy to access system-wide problems of high health care costs and limited access," a team of UCLA researchers "present interim findings on the efforts of ten California counties to explore the medical home model as part of the state"s Health Care Coverage Initiative (HCCI), a three-year program to expand health care coverage for eligible low-income, uninsured individuals not otherwise covered by Medi-Cal" in a policy brief. "Among the innovations described are efforts to create electronic health and medical records, modify e-referrals to two-way communication between primary care physicians and other providers and standardize chronic disease registries" (6/09).
The Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) has awarded its ninth annual Pinnacle Award for Quality and Patient Safety to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Winthrop-University Hospital, St. Mary"s Hospital at Amsterdam, and Stony Brook University Medical Center for their efforts in developing and implementing initiatives to improve care in each facility.
Researchers have successfully blocked SIV, the simian version of HIV, using a new technique that could help lead to the development of an effective HIV/AIDS vaccine, the reports. The research, published online in the journal Nature Medicine, was led by Phillip Johnson, chief medical officer at the Children"s Hospital of Philadelphia. The team also included scientists from Nationwide Children"s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and the New England Primate Research Center in Boston.Johnson and colleagues developed a genetically altered virus that carried the vaccine candidate and injected it into the muscles of monkeys. The vaccine prompted the muscles to produce a protein that is designed to bind to SIV and prevent it from infecting cells (Goldstein, Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/18). After treating nine monkeys with the vaccine candidate for one month, the researchers injected them with SIV. Six monkeys were not administered the vaccine candidate before being injected with SIV. None of the immunized monkeys developed AIDS, while three showed indications of SIV infection. Researchers detected high concentrations of the proteins in their blood one year later. All six non-immunized monkeys became infected with SIV, and four died during the trial (Schmid, AP/Austin American-Statesman, 5/18). The DNA used in the carrier virus can deliver DNA into the cells of both monkeys and humans, according to the Inquirer. Johnson said that the results of the trials were so encouraging that he plans to request approval from FDA to begin clinical trials in humans, the Inquirer reports. However, he said that there is "no guarantee that things that work in monkeys will work in humans," adding that an HIV/AIDS vaccine could be 10 years away (Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/18). Recent HIV/AIDS vaccine failures prompted the researchers to try a different route that involved "bypassing the natural immune system that was the target of all previous HIV and SIV vaccines candidates," Johnson said. "Some years ago I came to the conclusion that HIV was different from other viruses ... and we might not ever be able to use traditional approaches," he added (AP/Austin American-Statesman, 5/18). Peggy Johnson -- head of the HIV Vaccine Research Branch at NIH"s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which helped fund the study -- said, "As a concept, I think this is very promising." She added, "We need to make the genes as humanized as possible so that the human body doesn"t react to that." According to Peggy Johnson, tests will be needed to prove that the vaccine candidate can protect against sexually acquired HIV (Fox, Reuters, 5/17). Beatrice Hahn, an HIV/AIDS researcher with the University of Alabama-Birmingham, said that the study"s findings indicate that there is "a light at the end of the tunnel," adding, "It shows thinking outside the box is a good idea and can yield results, and we need perhaps more of these nonconventional approaches" (AP/Austin American-Statesman, 5/18). Hildegund Ertl, a virus expert at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, said, "It is a very innovative approach but currently, in my mind, still far from clinical use." Ertl added that because most people have been exposed to adeno-associated viruses through cold viruses, they would be "likely to mount an immune response" to the vaccine. According to Phillip Johnson, most people have not been exposed to the strain of the adeno-associated virus that the researchers used as the carrier. He added that they "will be certainly looking at that as part of our Phase I testing in humans" (Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/18).
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on cetuximab for the treatment of recurrent and/or metastatic (where the cancer has spread) squamous cell cancer of the head and neck. The guidance does not recommend cetuximab in combination with platinum- based chemotherapy as a treatment option for patients with this type of head and neck cancer.
With the caloric needs of the planet expected to soar by 50 percent in the next 40 years, planning and investment in global agriculture will become critically important, according a new report released recently.
More than 50 further education colleges are set to make redundancies leading to the closure of a huge number of nurseries, according to UNISON, UCU and NUS.
The drug, called olaparib, specifically targets hereditary cancer caused by faulty BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. The small scale patient trial has shown remarkable benefit for patients with breast, ovarian and prostate cancer.
Although the recorded HIV prevalence in Pakistan is relatively low, health officials are concerned that a concentrated epidemic of the virus among injection drug users could carry over to commercial sex workers and other high risk groups in the country, IRIN/PlusNews reports. To address the issue, the National AIDS Control Program and the United Nations Population Fund recently held a meeting, called the National Consultation on HIV and Sex Work, in an effort to improve HIV prevention efforts targeted at sex workers by consulting with workers in the field.Sex workers at the meeting made various recommendations, including HIV testing, referrals and increased efforts to decrease stigma. The Ministry of Health reports that from 2006 to 2007, female sex workers were at a high risk of HIV in 12 cities across Pakistan. A survey of 4,639 female sex workers found that less than 25% reported condom use; 10% had a partner that had used injection drugs during the past six months; and that illiterate sex workers were less likely to use condoms than those with a higher level of education. A female sex worker at the meeting said, "It is very hard for us to convince [partners] to put on a condom, but I feel that a female condom would put us in a position where we can protect ourselves against HIV and sexually transmitted infections." She added that female condoms are not widely available. Legalizing sex work would make it easier for sex workers to protect their rights, another female sex worker at the conference said. She added that often, outreach workers face barriers from police forces. Daniel Baker, UNFPA"s country representative for Pakistan, said that sex workers should have greater involvement in creating and implementing HIV programs. He added, "The female sex workers have to be in there as managers, workers and leaders to benefit in the long run." Safdar Kamal Pasha with UNFPA agreed that the recommendations from sex workers are critical points to address in future programming. "The female sex workers agreed that there should be vocational training and the means for alternative work opportunities for those who want to move out of sex work, as well as those who are past their prime and do not find sustainability in sex work," Pasha said (IRIN/PlusNews, 5/14).
The widely used antidepressant and pain medication amitriptyline--but not other closely related drugs -- can impersonate the brain"s own growth factors, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have shown.
The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) is very disappointed with Wanda Sykes" comedic comments regarding kidney failure and Rush Limbaugh at the White House Correspondent Dinner over the weekend. While Ms. Sykes" comments were most likely made in a light-hearted manner, hundreds of thousands of kidney disease patients and their loved ones do not see kidney failure as a laughing matter. Nearly 400,000 Americans are receiving dialysis as a life saving treatment for kidney failure and 26 million Americans have been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), which means they are at risk for losing their kidney function. In addition, 20 million Americans are at risk for CKD and do not even know it.
Today the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) announced outstanding new commitments to cancer control from European nations including Belgium, England, Germany, Ireland and Italy as part of the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign, an initiative to address the global cancer burden. The European commitments feature ambitious goals ranging from creating a national cancer plan to addressing disparities in treatment for cancer survivors to establishing an academy devoted entirely to cancer to improvements for breast health services, among others.
AB Science, a young Paris-based biotech company, announces the pan-European commercial launch of its Masivet veterinary anticancer drug in June 2009. Masivet was approved in November 2008 by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for the treatment of dogs with non-resectable grade 2 or 3 mast cell tumours. Masivet"s active pharmaceutical ingredient is masitinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Masitinib, discovered and developed by AB Science, belongs to a therapeutic class of drug known as targeted therapy that is revolutionising the treatment of cancer in humans.
Over the years, research has shown that Latino youth face numerous risk factors when integrating into American culture, including increased rates of alcohol and substance use and higher rates of dropping out of school.
Some senators on the Finance Committee said Thursday they"ve moved closer to cutting their health reform bill"s cost to under $1 trillion.
White House officials said Thursday that biotech drugs (also known as biologics) should only be protected from generics competition for seven years, Reuters reports.
As of January 2010, the Bulletin de la Sociç©tç© de Pathologie Exotique will join Springer"s publishing program. Founded in 1908 by Nobel Laureate Louis-Alphonse Laveran, the society celebrated its centenary last year. It plays a major role in the promotion of health issues and information on tropical pathology.
July 1, 2009
While most fans are in awe of what their football heroes can do with a football, the of their remarkable skill remains strangely mysterious. Although being in excellent physical condition undoubtedly helps, few people actually believe that intense physical training alone can turn an average bloke into a Ronaldo. Now, scientists from the University of Queensland have decided to study what this "something else" might be. Dr. Robbie Wilson talked about the details of this study and the results that have been obtained so far in his talk at the Society of Experimental Biology Annual Meeting in Glasgow on Sunday 28th June 2009.
Researchers from the University of Valladolid have constructed a demographic and economic simulation model called "CarriÃön", which projects the costs of pensions, Social Security contributions and GDP up until 2060. The model also includes detailed scenarios about the behaviour of people migrating to Spain currently and in the future, in relation to the length of time they stay, their fertility, salaries and employment rate.
New research from the US that studied the diet and health outcomes of over half a million people suggests that high consumption of dietary fat,
Transferring heart attack patients to specialized hospitals to undergo angioplasty within six hours after receiving clot-busting drugs reduces the risk of life-threatening complications, according to a Canadian-led study published today. The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggest that routine early transfer of patients after clot-busting drugs are administered results in significantly better outcomes than the current practice of transferring patients only when the clot-busting drugs fail.
The national aortic screening programme in the UK should, in due course, prevent about half of all aneurysm deaths in men over 65 and will be extremely cost effective for the NHS, conclude researchers in a study published on bmj.com. However a second study, also published today, concludes that screening is not cost effective and calls for additional research into the long term outcomes and costs of screening.
Less than one-half of one percent (0.4%) of the 22 million people in the U.S. who are medically eligible for bariatric surgery actually get the surgery, and those who do are most likely to be white females with higher incomes and covered by private health insurance, according to a new study presented here at the 26th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).
In one of the most field-intensive efforts to explore the connection between malaria and tropical deforestation, a team led by Jonathan Patz, a specialist in the link between environment and health at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has established a strong correlation between the extent of forest destruction and the incidence of the Amazon"s most dangerous malaria vector, the mosquito Anopheles darlingi.
The University of Queensland has produced the first Australian batch of a new candidate vaccine against the H1N1 "swine flu" virus.
The AMA has written to Federal MPs and Senators urging them to support a number of key policy measures to reduce preventable health problems linked to excessive alcohol use, obesity and smoking.
GI Dynamics, a leader in non-surgical treatments for type 2 diabetes and obesity, today announced results from a pilot clinical study which demonstrated the substantially enhanced weight loss effects of combining the company"s EndoBarrier Gastrointestinal Liner with a new EndoBarrier Flow Restrictor. The EndoBarrier Flow Restrictor provides an adjustable restriction at the outlet of the stomach and is designed to delay gastric emptying, an additional mechanism which adds to the therapeutic effects of the liner. The results were presented today at the 26th annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).
Doctors will have greater clarity around releasing a patient"s full medical notes to insurance companies after the Privacy Commissioner concluded that the law allows insurers to collect only the information that they need to make insurance decisions.
Eighty percent of Canadians believe Canada"s airlines should offer some pet-free flights to protect the health and safety of passengers and crew members, according to a new survey released today by The Canadian Lung Association. The findings come as Air Canada prepares to join WestJet in allowing pets to travel in the passenger cabin of airplanes - pet allergens can trigger serious or even life-threatening reactions in people with lung diseases like asthma and COPD.
Diabetelogia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), published a series of research papers today examining a possible link between insulin glargine (brand name, Lantus) and cancer. Findings from these research papers are conflicting and inconclusive, and the American Diabetes Association cautions against over-reaction until more information is available.
The number of local health services implementing NICE"s fertility guideline and offering three cycles of IVF treatment to couples who are unable to conceive naturally has increased significantly in the past year, according to a new survey published by the Department of Health. According to these new figures, more than a quarter of primary care trusts now offer the full number of cycles recommended by NICE- this figure is up from five per cent in 2007.
Advance in detecting melamine-adulterated food
Commenting on the health announcements contained in Building Britain"s Future, The King"s Fund chief executive Niall Dickson said: "The idea that patients should have a right to certain standards of treatment is a good one and the government should be congratulated on reducing the number of central targets, some of which were hard to justify. However, we do need to be clear that many of the "rights" set out in the Prime Minister"s announcement are currently "must do"s" for the NHS. For example, the four hour maximum wait in accident and emergency, the 18 week wait for hospital treatment and health checks for 40 year olds are all already in operation.
HOPE, the charity for adults with autism and learning
A bill (S. 221) approved by the North Carolina Legislature that would require a public school sex education curriculum covering abstinence, contraception and sexually transmitted infections "will be the most comprehensive and science-based approach the state has used" for sex education, a Charlotte Observer editorial states, adding that Gov. Bev Perdue (D) "should sign it." The bill would require all public school districts in the state to teach a curriculum that focuses on abstinence but also includes information on preventing pregnancy and STIs. Parents would be able to have their children removed from the comprehensive portions of instruction. According to the editorial, the measure "still gives parents a choice in deciding what kind of sex education their children will receive." The editorial adds, "It also finally provides a curriculum that gives N.C. students vital access to age-appropriate, science-based information critical to their health, safety and well-being," which is "the kind of information that can help them make smart choices in serious situations."Parents are "often the best people for kids to turn to for advice and information" on sex, but "not all children have parents who can provide it, or are even willing to," and "not all children [who] go to their parents adhere to their advice," the editorial states. It continues, "The schools provide another avenue to get this critical advice and information -- and state lawmakers are right to make it available." According to the Observer, North Carolina has the ninth-highest teenage pregnancy rate in the U.S., and about "20,000 teenagers will get pregnant in North Carolina this year." A "comprehensive, science-based education program can help reduce the number of unintended teen pregnancies" and help reduce the spread of STIs, the editorial says. It concludes, "By reaching agreement on this matter, state lawmakers have given the children of this state vital tools to safeguard their health and welfare. ... Perdue should sign this bill and make it law" (Charlotte Observer, 6/26).
The Los Angeles Times examines several stories of patients too poor to pay their hospital bills in Kenya that were held in a "makeshift patients" prison," until they escape or settle their debt. "Tragically, healthcare horror stories are common in Africa, where developing countries rarely have medical safety nets for the poor. But an increase in cases of cash-starved public hospitals and mortuaries detaining patients and even corpses over unpaid bills is spurring outrage in Kenya," writes the newspaper.
Newsweek Examines Efforts To Stop Disease Spread By Genetically Modifing Mosquitoes
A new report finds that "a growing global trade in black market cigarettes is killing tens of thousands of people a year, causing massive health problems and costing governments billions of pounds," the Guardian reports.
The Retail Advisory Board (RAB) of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) met yesterday during the 2009 NACDS Marketplace Conference to discuss social networking opportunities within their businesses.
For the first time RCN members can get a unique insight into the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Congress care of a daily blog.
Potential new drugs: 970 million and still counting
Between the 1932 and 2008 Olympic Games, world record times of the men"s 100m sprint improved by 0.6 seconds due to improved training techniques and technological advances. Imagine if this improvement could be achieved by a simple change in diet. Scientists at the Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology in Austria have managed to achieve an equivalent feat in mice fed on a diet high in polyunsaturated fatty acids.
A groundbreaking study to be published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) shows that furosemide does more than enhance performance in Thoroughbred racehorses; it also has beneficial effects on the health and welfare of those horses.
Scientists discover novel mechanism that increases the risk of common colorectal cancer
Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London have discovered that an ingredient in human breast milk protects and repairs the delicate intestines of newborn babies.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) has welcomed the appointment of Mr Robert Nicholls CBE as the Chair Designate of the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
Amarillo Biosciences, Inc. (ABI) (OTCBB: AMAR) and CytoPharm, Inc. today jointly announced the start of enrollment for a study of ABI"s oral interferon-alpha lozenges for chronic hepatitis C virus infection. The aim of the trial is to reduce the virologic relapse rate for those patients who have completed the standard combination therapy, which consists of high dose injectable interferon-alpha and Ribavirin. Although most patients respond to the standard therapy, up to 50% of those with certain "high-risk" viral genotypes relapse after treatment.
Interest and concern about possible health threats posed by endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is on the rise, yet there is currently no comprehensive coordinated approach to regulating EDCs in the United States. To address this emerging public health issue, The Endocrine Society today released a new position statement outlining the public health concerns of exposure to EDCs and proposing a series of recommendations for revising current policy and generating new policy on EDCs.
Ablynx [Euronext Brussels: ABLX], a pioneer in the discovery and development of Nanobodies®, a novel class of antibody-derived therapeutic proteins, announced that it has advanced ALX-0061, a new Nanobody®-based therapeutic programme, into preclinical development for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
New HIV therapies have prolonged lives and improved health for patients with HIV, but the treatments have also brought the longer-term effects of the disease into sharper focus.
Pancreatitis is often a fatal condition, in which the pancreas digests itself and surrounding tissue. Scientists have previously found that alcohol can trigger the condition by combining with fatty acids in the pancreas, which leads to an excessive release of stored calcium ions. Once calcium ions enter cell fluid in the pancreas it activates digestive enzymes and damages the cells.
The influenza virus that wreaked worldwide havoc in 1918-1919 founded a viral dynasty that persists to this day, according to scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. In an article published online on June 29 by the New England Journal of Medicine, authors Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Jeffery K. Taubenberger, M.D., Ph.D., and David M. Morens, M.D., argue that we have lived in an influenza pandemic era since 1918, and they describe how the novel 2009 H1N1 virus now circling the globe is yet another manifestation of this enduring viral family.
The current H1N1 swine flu strain has genetic roots in an illness that sickened pigs at the 1918 Cedar Rapids Swine Show in Iowa, report infectious disease experts at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health in the New England Journal of Medicine. Their paper, published online and slated for the July 16 print issue, describes H1N1"s nearly century-long and often convoluted journey, which may include the accidental resurrection of an extinct strain.
In an effort to increase understanding of the medical device development process and help companies execute the bench-to-bedside process of product development more effectively, researchers at Stanford University have published the first comprehensive model representing the medical device development process.
Improved communication among patients and primary care physicians increases the chances those due for colorectal cancer screening will follow their doctors" advice and complete the procedure, a University at Buffalo study has found.
Helicobacter pylori survives in the body by manipulating important immune system cells. This is shown in a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy. The discovery may lead to new treatments against the common peptic ulcer bacterium.
Doctors at a heart center in the US announced yesterday that the first of 24 heart attack patients taking part in a clinical trial has successfully
CytRx Corporation (NASDAQ: CYTR), a biopharmaceutical research and development company engaged in the development of high-value human therapeutics, provided a favorable progress update for its ongoing Phase 2 STAR-1 registration clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of orally administered tamibarotene as a third-line treatment for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL).
"Only 26 percent of likely voters in Massachusetts believe health care reform has been a success and just 21 percent believe reform has made health care more affordable, according to newly released poll results," The State House News Service/Boston Herald reports. "The Rasmussen Reports poll of 500 likely Massachusetts voters, taken in April, also found only 10 percent said the quality of health care is getting better under the reform law rules here." "The poll was taken before talks stirred in Washington about a national health care reform push and before a wave of news in Massachusetts about difficulty affording the coverage expansions authorized under the 2006 reform law" (6/29).
The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) has reached a management agreement with the International Society for Therapeutic Ultrasound (ISTU) effective July 1, 2009. The AIUM will support the ISTU"s administrative, financial, and member service functions in an effort to maximize the ISTU"s mission of advancing therapeutic ultrasound applications worldwide.
The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) warmly congratulated Rosemary Bryant - Australia"s Chief Nursing and Midwifery officer - on her appointment as President of the International Council of Nurses (ICN).
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has called on Defra to abandon its plans for a new animal health body that will give responsibility for animal health to an independent board and leave responsibility for animal welfare with ministers.
Whether on the trail, at the gym, or even on the front-porch steps, what happens inside your ankle in the milliseconds following a single misstep could sentence you to a lifetime of ankle trouble.
"Patients, policymakers, and practitioners all agree that reliable, accurate, and consistent quality measures are essential elements in improving health care services. This report is a clear indication that the efforts hospitals continue to make to prevent and control infections are having a positive impact on patient care. Hospitals are actively developing and sharing infection control techniques and best practices, and have engrained in their organizations a zero tolerance policy for preventable patient harm.
Clinical pathways have been used in surgeries since the 1980s, but their nature and usefulness are still subjects of much debate, especially as procedures such as hip and knee joint replacement represent a significant cost to hospitals. Now authors publishing in the open access journal BMC Medicine have concluded that using clinical pathways can effectively improve the quality of the care provided to patients undergoing joint replacement.
Celiac disease, an immune system reaction to gluten in the diet, is over four times more common today than it was 50 years ago, according to findings of a Mayo Clinic study published this month in the journal Gastroenterology.
An observer feels more empathy for someone in pain when that person is in the same social group, according to new research in the July 1 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The study shows that perceiving others in pain activates a part of the brain associated with empathy and emotion more if the observer and the observed are the same race. The findings may show that unconscious prejudices against outside groups exist at a basic level.
Local laws, insurance reimbursement and public misperceptions impede emergency medical services (EMS) workers from using best resuscitation practices, according to a study reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
Today, 15 new research projects aimed at bringing innovative medicines more quickly to the market have been selected to receive 246 million euros from the European Commission and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). The projects will foster understanding of health issues such as diabetes, pain, severe asthma and psychiatric disorders while increasing drug safety. They will also help improve the training of researchers and clinicians involved in medicines development. The projects were chosen following the first call for proposals launched within the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), a public-private partnership - so called Joint Technology Initiative- between the European Commission and the pharmaceutical industry. With this selection, IMI has reached a key milestone. This initiative marks the first time that pharmaceutical competitors are pooling their res, together with research organisations, patient groups and other stakeholders in large consortia, in order to develop generic, pre-competitive knowledge. The Commission"s contribution of €110 million is backed up with €136 million provided in-kind from the pharmaceutical industry. The successful projects will now enter into the final negotiation phase.
MUSCLE BIOLOGY: Not strong enough: the protein OPN promotes muscle degeneration
It is well documented that police officers have a higher risk of developing heart disease: The question is why.
Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones that have numerous functions; for example, they regulate the response to stress and suppress inflammation. Synthetic glucocorticoids are used clinically in many situations, most famously to treat asthma, allergies, and autoimmunity. They have also been shown in animals and humans to help protect the heart from the damaging effects of heart attack, and this has been attributed to their anti-inflammatory effects. However, Motoaki Sano and colleagues, at Keio University School of Medicine, Japan, have now determined another mechanism by which glucocorticoids protect rodent hearts from the damaging effects of heart attack. Specifically, glucocorticoids, acting via the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), induced mouse and rat heart muscle cells to produce PGD2, and this was responsible for the ability of glucocorticoids to reduce damage to mouse hearts in both an ex vivo and an in vivo model of heart attack. The authors therefore suggest that GR-selective glucocorticoids might be more beneficial to humans following heart attack than glucocorticoids that activate both GR and the MR protein, activation of which occurs in response to stress and might have unwanted consequences.
Schering-Plough Corp., (NYSE: SGP) announced results from the Phase III ENGAGE clinical trial demonstrating that a single injection of corifollitropin alfa, first in the class of sustained follicle stimulants, achieved similar efficacy to recombinant follicle stimulating hormone (rFSH) given once daily for seven days. The ENGAGE data was presented along with data from the Phase III ENSURE trial and the Phase II REALIZE trial at the 25th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
There appears to be a link between sleep and weight control, with some studies indicating that sleep disruption can increase weight gain and others that diet affects sleep. Victor Uebele and colleagues, at Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, have now provided further evidence to support this association by showing that T-type calcium channels regulate body weight maintenance and sleep in mice. These data suggest that sleep and circadian treatment approaches may be of benefit in the fight against obesity.
Pfizer Inc announced the discontinuation of the SUN 1122 Phase 3 trial that evaluated Sutent® (sunitinib malate) plus FOLFIRI (irinotecan plus infusional 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin) versus FOLFIRI alone for the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). The independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) found that the addition of sunitinib to the chemotherapy regimen FOLFIRI would be unable to demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in the primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) compared to FOLFIRI alone, in this study. No new safety issues were identified.
The rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in U.S. neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) has more than tripled in recent years, reports a study in the July issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry.
Women who get less than the recommended eight hours sleep a night are at higher risk of heart disease and heart-related problems than men with the same sleeping patterns.
For the first time, scientists have shown that chromosomal abnormalities are present in more than 90% of IVF embryos, even those produced by young, fertile couples. Ms Evelyne Vanneste, a PhD student in the Centre for Human Genetics and the University Fertility Center, Leuven University, Belgium, told the 25th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology today (Wednesday July 1), that the surprising finding meant that current techniques used in preimplantation genetic screening (PGS), where embryos are screened genetically in order to select the best embryo for transfer, do nothing to improve pregnancy and live birth rates. Indeed, it can lead to potentially viable embryos being discarded, she said.
New research suggests that exempting bars from community smoking bans makes no economic difference in terms of preserving bar employment, and that even the most comprehensive clean indoor air policies do not lead to a reduction in hospitality jobs.
The California Medical Association announced it is endorsing propositions 1A, 1B and 1C in the statewide special election on Tuesday.
The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously voted to uphold Al Franken"s (D) win in the 2008 U.S. Senate election in Minnesota, effectively clearing the way for Franken to become the state"s newest senator, the Wall Street Journal reports. His election gives Democrats in the Senate a 60-vote supermajority, which could help the party pass health care reform legislation, according to the Journal. Following the ruling, opponent Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) conceded the election, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) said that he would certify the result Tuesday.Franken is expected to be seated next week. He will join the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he will vote on the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which is completing its draft of health care reform legislation (Bendavid/Hitt, Wall Street Journal, 7/1).
XenoPort, Inc. (Nasdaq:XNPT) announced positive preliminary results from a Phase 2 clinical trial of arbaclofen placarbil (AP), also known as XP19986, for the treatment of patients with spasticity due to spinal cord injury (SCI). Doses of 20 and 30 mg of AP, given twice daily (BID), demonstrated statistically significant improvements compared to placebo for the primary endpoint of the study. AP was well tolerated during the trial.
Two doctors with over 30 years of experience spoke with National Public Radio about how medicine has changed over their careers, and what they expect to see come out of the current health reform debate.
Being overweight or obese is a leading contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and associated risk factors; however, in patients with established CVD, obesity appears to play a protective role. In fact, data suggest obese patients with heart disease do better and tend to live longer than leaner patients with the same severity of disease, according to a review article published in the May 26, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
A scary unknown for many children, the prospect of surgery can cause intense preoperative anxiety. While some amount of stress is normal, what many parents do not know is that extreme anxiety before surgery can contribute to the occurrence of emergence delirium, a distressing incidence of acute behavioral changes experienced when "waking up" from anesthesia.
Researchers at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center are injecting a modified herpes virus into melanoma tumors, hoping to kill the cancer cells while also bolstering the body"s immune defenses against the disease.
Kuldev Singh, MD, MPH, Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of the Glaucoma Service at the Stanford University School of Medicine, was elected to Chair the Board of the Glaucoma Research Foundation at the Board of Directors Annual Meeting held April 29. The Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF) is America"s oldest national institution dedicated solely to preventing vision loss from glaucoma.
Take Care Health Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walgreens (NYSE:WAG) (NASDAQ:WAG) and the largest and most comprehensive provider of convenient care clinics and worksite health and wellness centers in the country, is now offering a new set of procedures for skin conditions and minor injury treatments.
Governor M. Jodi Rell announced that the State of Connecticut is receiving $3.75 million federal grant to expand access to health care in Hartford for low-income women nearing childbirth to ensure their newborns get a healthy start.
The salamander is a superhero of regeneration, able to replace lost limbs, damaged lungs, sliced spinal cord -- even bits of lopped-off brain.
After enrolling in Medicare Part D, seniors who previously had limited or no drug coverage spent more on prescriptions and less on other medical care services such as hospitalizations and visits to the doctor"s office, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health study. Published in the July 2 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the study also found that seniors who had relatively good drug benefits prior to enrolling in Medicare Part D spent somewhat more on prescriptions and, at the same time, increased their spending on other medical care services.
GENE THERAPY: Defining immune pathways limiting gene therapy
In response to Trust for America"s Health "F as in Fat" report released today, Health Secretary Alfredo Vigil, MD, said New Mexico needs to continue to strengthen its obesity-prevention efforts to address a serious problem with obesity. The report details obesity rates by states and discusses effective state policies and programs.
Acura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACUR) and King Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: KG) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a Complete Response Letter regarding the New Drug Application (NDA) for Acurox (oxycodone HC1, USP and niacin, USP) Tablets CII, an immediate release product intended for the relief of moderate-to-severe pain.
Recent news reports have highlighted the importance of physician credentials and ensuring that physicians meet high standards in their chosen area of practice, according to the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), which coordinates and assists its 24 Member Boards in their efforts to develop and implement educational and professional standards for the evaluation and certification of physician specialists. Certification by an ABMS Member Board is considered the gold standard in physician certification in the health care industry.
New research out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine provides for the first time a solid scientific answer for the long-standing question of whether there is an association between preterm birth and brain malformations.
This Saturday 4th July not only marks the beginning of National Transplant Week, but is also Team UK"s last training meet before they jet off to the World Transplant Games in Australia, helping to raise awareness of the ongoing need for organ donors and encourage people to sign up to the Organ Donor register. Lending support for this year"s team in Australia will be David Moorcroft, patron of both the British Transplant Games and Team UK. Moorcroft aims to give his moral support to Team UK, as well as invaluable last-minute tips.
Help for families with sick and disabled children in Wales is now available at the click of a mouse, Deputy Minister for Social Services Gwenda Thomas will announce.
Some Iowa groups are concerned that the state"s criminal HIV transmission law adds to the stigma associated with the virus and hampers testing efforts, and are urging lawmakers to revisit the law, the Iowa Independent reports. According to the Independent, criminal transmission of HIV is classified among the second-most serious felonies that can be committed in the state. Those that have been convicted under the law have been sentenced to a few months to several decades in prison. Former state Rep. Ed Fallon (D) who supported the 1998 law, said, "It seems to me that since it is now 11, almost 12, years later, it wouldn"t be [a] bad time to take a look at it again," adding that "surely [there] are some tweaks or changes that the legislature could consider relevant to this law, especially with all the new knowledge we have of the disease" (Waddington, 7/1).
-- 34 confirmed cases in Wales, with 4 new cases:
Patients will continue to be unprotected if statutory independent regulation is not extended to counsellors and psychotherapists, according to leading national charities Mind and WITNESS. On the day that psychologists are to be regulated by the Health Professions Council (HPC), the charities welcome the advancement and urge counsellors and psychotherapists to follow suit.
Before taking her job as the White House health reform director, Nancy-Ann DeParle earned more than $6 million serving on the boards of major health care corporations, some of which were accused of fraud, mismanagement and regulatory violations during her tenure, the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University reports on MSNBC.com. Some critics say the corporate relationships could be a conflict of interest for DeParle. Also, while there"s no evidence DeParle was involved in or aware of allegedly fraudulent activities, in three cases, she served on board committees overseeing the companies" legal and regulatory compliance.
"A new large-scale study of medical records found that the extra cost of extending prescription coverage to Medicare enrollees was substantially offset by lower spending on other medical care for people who previously had limited or no prescription-drug coverage," The Wall Street Journal reports.
The excitement of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs will inspire young players and weekend warriors to hit the ice. But, traveling up to 30 miles an hour on a quarter inch blade of steel and stopping instantly will put anyone at risk for injury. According to American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) spokesperson Mark Mortland, PT, ATC, team physical therapist of the Pittsburgh Penguins, there are special precautions one can take to help avoid the multiple injuries that can occur in this high-speed, high-impact sport.
Planning for emergencies must take into account the growing numbers of frail elderly people who will by virtue of shifting demographics be involved in any natural or manmade disaster, according to US researchers writing in the International Journal of Emergency Management.
The Patients Doctors Don"t Know The New York Times
The Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that a clinic operated by Planned Parenthood-Southwest Ohio Region does not have to release 10 years of child abuse reports and medical records of minors who received abortions, the AP/Middletown Journal reports. The lawsuit was filed by parents of a 14-year-old girl who allegedly had an abortion at the clinic in 2004 after being impregnated by a 21-year-old man (Cornwell, AP/Middletown Journal, 7/1). The clinic provided the girl"s medical records in the case but refused the parents" request to release records on other patients, citing physician-patient privilege. Ohio law at the time required parental notification for minors, and the girl provided the phone number of the man, who pretended to be her father. The state now requires parental consent.The court, in a split decision, ruled that the need to protect confidentiality of medical records "trumps" the parents" claims that Planned Parenthood "systematically ignored claims of sexual abuse by its patients," according to the Columbus Dispatch (Nash, Columbus Dispatch, 7/2). The decision upholds a 2007 state appeals court ruling that said other patients" records are not necessary for the parents" lawsuit. The Supreme Court said that the parents may still sue for damages over their allegations related to whether the abortion was unlawful, whether the girl"s consent to the procedure was proper and whether the clinic had a duty to report suspected abuse.Becki Brenner, CEO of PPSOR, said the court"s decision reaffirms the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of medical records. She said, "Our perspective is that third-party records of people who are not involved in the lawsuit should not be shared with the plaintiff and their attorney." Brian Hurley, a lawyer for the parents, said that the court"s decision not to turn over the medical records "has significantly weakened the protection Ohio has provided to sexually abused children and undermined parents" rights to protect their minor children" (AP/Middletown Journal, 7/1).Court Rules In Favor of State Restrictions on MifepristoneThe state Supreme Court also ruled on Wednesday that Ohio can restrict the use of mifepristone, which is used in medication abortion, the Dispatch reports. A 2004 Ohio law required providers to comply with FDA guidelines regarding the drug"s use, which allow use of the drug up to the seventh week of pregnancy. However, doctors sometimes prescribe the drug up to nine weeks" gestation. The Ohio law has not been enforced pending a lawsuit by Planned Parenthood. The state Supreme Court in its decision interpreted the 2004 law as barring physicians from prescribing the drug beyond seven weeks" gestation and limiting its dosage. The case can be appealed to the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to determine if the law is constitutional (Columbus Dispatch, 7/2).
In a snapshot survey published by Terrence Higgins Trust today, two thirds of top organisations were found to ask irrelevant health related questions on job application forms. A coalition of charities wants these questions banned to reduce the discrimination faced by people with "invisible" conditions such as mental illness or HIV.
Skin from a factory - this has long been the dream of pharmacologists, chemists and doctors. Research has an urgent need for large quantities of "skin models", which can be used to determine if products such as creams and soaps, cleaning agents, medicines and adhesive bandages are compatible with skin, or if they instead will lead to irritation or allergic reactions for the consumer. Such test results are seen as more meaningful than those from animal experiments, and can even make such experiments largely superfluous.