Sexual Health
Transcept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: TSPT), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary products that address important therapeutic needs in the field of neuroscience, announced today the presentation of two posters at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in San Francisco, California.
This week, Swiss researchers presented positive data from an ongoing Phase II clinical study at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference that compared PARI Pharma"s inhaled IsoCrom, an isotonic 1% disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) solution, to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in 28 children with atopic asthma. Results showed decreases in mean asthma symptom scores without a change in lung function for both groups. These results were achieved with IsoCrom administered via a customized small droplet Investigational eFlow Nebulizer System designed to deliver drugs to the deep lungs. One of the benefits of DSCG is the long track record as an extremely safe drug.
While young men with prostate cancer have a low risk of dying early, those with advanced forms of cancer do not live as long as older men with similar forms of the disease. That is the conclusion of a new study published in the July 1, 2009 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The paradoxical findings indicate that there may be biological differences between prostate cancers that develop in younger men and those that develop in older men, and that uncovering these differences may help tailor screening and treatment strategies for patients based on age.
Analyzing MRI studies of the brain with software developed at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) may allow diagnosis of Alzheimer"s disease and of mild cognitive impairment, a lesser form of dementia that precedes the development of Alzheimer"s by several years. In their report that will appear in the journal Brain and has been released online, the MGH/Martinos team show how their software program can accurately differentiate patients with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer"s disease from normal elderly individuals based on anatomic differences in brain structures known to be affected by the disease.
The Louisiana House on Tuesday voted 82-13 to approve legislation (HB 517) that would allow some health professionals to refuse to provide certain medical services that they object to on religious or moral grounds, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.The House-passed bill is an amended version of a measure, introduced by Rep. Bernard LeBas (D), that a House committee rejected earlier this month. The revised bill narrowed the list of procedures that can be denied, and it applies to health providers only in public facilities, not religious health facilities statewide as in the original bill. Under the bill, public health care employees would be allowed to decline to provide abortions or abortifacient drugs. They also would be allowed to refuse participation in embryonic stem cell research or cloning, euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Public employees would be immune from civil lawsuits and have job security under the measure.According to the Times-Picayune, Gov. Bobby Jindal"s (R) administration backed the original bill in committee, although state Health Secretary Alan Levine indicated that the bill"s original provisions were too broad. Under the original measure, health care providers would have been allowed to refuse services such as artificial insemination, sterilization, artificial reproductive technologies and "dispensation of drugs affecting the reproductive process." The original measure also would have covered both public and private health care providers (Barrow, New Orleans Times-Picayune, 5/20).Prior to passage, the House approved an amendment to narrow the scope of the bill offered by Rep. John Bel Edwards (D), who said that the original bill"s provisions were not specific enough and could pose problems for private businesses. He also said that the original bill would have posed barriers to patients seeking access to basic treatments and medications (AP/New Orleans Times-Picayune, 5/19). The measure now advances to the state Senate for debate (New Orleans Times-Picayune, 5/20).
The advanced wound management market in Europe is experiencing high growth due to the heightened need for better and more cost-effective treatment. As a result, the market is expanding strongly despite significant hurdles, including intense competition and low reimbursement.
James Maki, the second person in the US to receive a face transplant, has been telling his story in the hope that it will encourage more people to
"The Experts vs. The Public on Health Reform," Kaiser Family Foundation: In the column, Kaiser Family Foundation President and CEO Drew Altman explores the "wide gulf on basic beliefs about what is behind the problems in the health care system and key elements of reform, especially delivery reform" between the public and experts. According to Altman, the differences "matter because key elements of health reform which elected officials expect to resonate with the public could get a decidedly less enthusiastic reception than expected if more is not done to close the gap in basic premises and beliefs between experts and the public." The column is the latest installment of a Foundation series, titled "Pulling It Together ... from Drew Altman" (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 5/19).
Standard Chartered"s Group Finance Director, Richard Meddings, has pledged to run The Standard Chartered Great City Race 2009 blindfolded to help raise funds for the race"s official community partner, Seeing is Believing (SiB). Today, organisers call for the other runners to start fundraising and help make a difference*.
East African health officials on Tuesday met in Kisumu, Kenya, to examine integrating HIV/AIDS issues into transport policies in the region, Xinhua/CRI.com reports. The East African Community in a statement released ahead of the conference on Monday said that the meeting, which runs through Friday, brings together more than 100 stakeholders at the national and regional levels, including experts from national AIDS commissions, as well as representatives from transport, health, trade, immigration, gender and youth ministries. Representatives from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda are attending the conference. Other representatives include those from the Lake Victoria Basin Commission, Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization, USAID, the International Organization for Migration, the Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa, East Africa Trade and Transport, and the East, Central and Southern African Health Community. Delegates from the EAC Regional Inter-Parliamentary Forum on Health, Population and Development also are attending.The meeting aims to promote improved regional coordination and quality of HIV services for at-risk populations by bringing together national and regional efforts along major land, sea, ocean and inland transport systems. It also will provide an update on studies conducted to determine HIV transmission modes in the region, as well as identity appropriate HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment and support initiatives for communities located on transit hubs and corridors. According to the EAC statement, the meeting will identify ways for the transport sector to work in partnership with various implementing partners and local communities to address HIV/AIDS (Xinhua/CRI.com, 5/19).
A chemical found in green tea might be an effective tool against the sexual transmission of HIV, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Heidelberg in Germany and published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, AFP/Google.com reports. According to the study, green tea polyphenol -- called epigallocatechin-3-gallete, or EGCG -- neutralizes a protein in sperm that aids in the transmission of HIV during sex. The researchers noted that they "recently identified a peptide fraction in human semen that consistently enhanced HIV-1 infection." The study found that EGCG is able to neutralize the sperm protein, known as a semen-derived enhancer of virus infection, or SEVI. The researchers said that SEVI is "an important infectivity factor of HIV." According to the researchers, EGCG "appears to be a promising supplement to antiretroviral microbicides to reduce sexual transmission of HIV-1." The researchers said that because a majority of people living with HIV contract the disease through heterosexual transmission and that 96% of new cases are reported in developing and impoverished nations, the use of green tea in topical creams could be a "simple and affordable prevention method" (AFP/Google.com, 5/19).
Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (NYSE: KCI) announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its ABThera™ Open Abdomen Dressing. Earlier this year, the FDA cleared the ABThera™ Open Abdomen Negative Pressure Therapy Unit. Together, the ABThera™ Open Abdomen Negative Pressure Therapy System will be indicated for temporary bridging of abdominal wall openings where primary closure is not possible or repeat abdominal entries are necessary. The intended use of the system is for open abdominal wounds, with exposed viscera, including but not limited to abdominal compartment syndrome.
Four-year results of a large, multi-center clinical trial show that earlier results favoring the CYPHER® Sirolimus-eluting Coronary Stent over bare metal stents (BMS) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) were maintained in long-term follow-up. In addition, there were no differences in key safety measures between the CYPHER® Stent and BMS.
Most of the current obesity research is not proving helpful in finding solutions to the growing international epidemic, according to a Deakin University public health expert.
Satoris, Inc., a California-based molecular diagnostics company, announced today the launch of three research-use tests - two panels of plasma biomarkers shown to be significant in the neurodegenerative disease process, and a dementia discrimination panel. Specifically for use by Alzheimer"s researchers and by pharmaceutical companies developing new Alzheimer"s therapies, the panels are available now as a testing service.
Genta Incorporated (OTCBB:GNTA.OB) announced that the independent Data Monitoring Board (DMB) for AGENDA, a randomized Phase 3 trial of Genasense® in patients with advanced melanoma, has informed the Company that the study has passed its final futility analysis for progression-free survival (PFS). Accordingly, the Board has recommended that the study should continue to completion.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is chronically elevated. With every heart beat, the heart pumps blood through the arteries to the rest of the body. Blood pressure is the force of blood that is pushing up against the walls of the blood vessels. If the pressure is too high, the heart has to work harder to pump, and this could lead to organ damage and several illnesses such as heart attack, stroke, heart failure, aneurysm, or renal failure.
Health boards across Scotland will share ÷£30 million in funding for new medical equipment this year.
Autism Spectrum Therapies (AST), an agency providing behavior therapy and other autism services, now offers new summer programs for children of all ages and their parents. These fun, kid-friendly programs are designed to help children with autism disorders maintain their academic and communication skills over summer vacation and to develop new skills for the upcoming school year.
In a few weeks, Delaware Valley Institute of Fertility & Genetics (DVIF&G) will celebrate our first successful birth as a result of our SEEDS® program.
Seattle Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq:SGEN) announced that data from a phase I clinical trial evaluating every three week dosing of SGN-35 and a phase I clinical trial of lintuzumab (SGN-33) will be reported at the 14th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) being held June 4-7, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. The abstracts are available from the EHA website at http://www.ehaweb.org.
Cellceutix Corporation (OTCBB: CTIX), announced it has filed a U.S. patent application covering pharmaceutical formulations of a compound referred to as Kevetrin™ and many novel compounds having similar structures to Kevetrin. These structures cover a large number of compounds that Cellceutix can look at as possible drug development candidates. The application covers the use of Kevetrin™ and the other compounds in various areas, including cancers. Cellceutix plans to file in other countries within a year of the U.S. filing.
Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. ("Taro," the "Company," Pink Sheets: TAROF) reported that its Canadian manufacturing site has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") for its Abbreviated New Drug Application ("ANDA") for Sulfacetamide Sodium Topical Suspension USP, 10% (lotion) ("sulfacetamide sodium lotion").
-- 0 confirmed cases in Wales.
As a Dallas-based physician, there has been a recent flurry of panic about the H1N1 (swine influenza). School districts closed down. Intramural sports statewide were cancelled. Some even suggested closing the border with Mexico, where approximately three quarters of a million people routinely cross back and forth every day. The panic certainly was fueled by the media reports. Likewise, the media can serve to educate the public about health issues.
The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) in conjunction with the National Coalition for Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases held a briefing on Capitol Hill to engage Congress in an action plan for making bone health a national priority and encourage lawmakers to sign on to the "Bone Health Promotion and Research Act."
The Collaborative Research Centre 806 "Unser Weg nach Europa: Kultur-Umwelt-Interaktion und menschliche Mobilität im Späten Quartär" (Our Road to Europe: Culture-Environment-Interaction and human Mobility in the late Quaternary) will be directed by Professor Dr. JÃørgen of the Department of Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology. This research centre is looking at the mobility of populations in the last 190,000 years. The focus of research will be the journey of modern man from Africa to Western Eurasia and Europe, in particular. Migration processes, and the exchange of ideas, technology and culture that entails, are an important prerequisite for important developments. The centre"s main aim is to research, using scientific and archaeological methods, how human behaviour, the climate and the environment influenced important population movements. The scientists particularly want to examine the impacts that these factors have had on the actions and reactions of populations such as emigration, immigration and adaptation to new environments. Other universities and institutions are also involved the project. These include: the University of Bonn; RWTH Aachen University; Heidelberg University; the University of Duisburg-Essen as well as the Rhineland Regional Council; the Rheinisches Amt fÃør Bodendenkmalpflege (Rheinland Department for the Preservation and Care of Field Monuments) as well as the Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann.
In a world first, Spain is to use a nanotechnology microscope for brain studies as part of the Blue Brain project. The initiative is CSIC researcher Javier de Felipe"s brainchild, and researchers at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid"s School of Computing are developing a series of tools to analyse and interpret microscope data.
The PHAC (Public Health Agency of Canada) announced that as at the end of 22 May, 2009, the total number of confirmed swine flu cases is 805, including one death, in 9 provinces and 1 territory. Half of all confirmed human infections are under 22 years of age. 21 people have been hospitalized.
The following summarizes selected women"s health-related blog entries. ~ "Peaceful Revolution: Another Blow to Women," Debra Ness, Huffington Post blogs: The Supreme Court"s ruling this week in AT&T Corp. v. Hulteen "dealt a serious and painful blow to working women and the families who rely on their retirement benefits," Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, writes. The ruling "affects a limited number of people," and it "would be easy to ignore them -- easy, but terribly wrong," Ness continues. "This ruling sends a terrible message about whether discrimination will bring penalties and costs, and whether the courts will address the ongoing effects of prior discrimination," she writes. Ness notes that the ruling "couldn"t come at a worse time," adding, "In today"s grim economic climate, women and their families cannot afford to see their retirement benefits kept lower by discriminatory workplace policies that should have been remedied decades ago." Ness writes that it is "sobering that, at a time when negative stereotypes about pregnant women clearly persist, we have a Supreme Court that doesn"t stand firm for equal rights and equal opportunity." She concludes, "It"s a good reminder of what"s at stake with the Supreme Court nomination President Obama is about to make" (Ness, Huffington Post blogs, 5/21).~ "This Week in Religion and Politics," Sarah Posner, American Prospect"s "The FundamentaList": When "viewed in the context of Obama"s entire faith-based outreach project, the events" surrounding the University of Notre Dame"s commencement ceremony "highlighted how he has embraced traditionalist, conservative religion -- to the detriment of sexual and reproductive justice," Posner writes. President Obama has "focused his outreach efforts" to reduce the need for abortion "on more conservative religious groups" and "claims to honor their position on moral issues," Posner writes. However, "when the dust settles on the Notre Dame controversy, he"ll have to figure out what to do with the policy advice he has sought" from the White House Office on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, she continues. Posner adds, "How Obama reacts to that advice will demonstrate whether the council is mere window dressing to shore up support from swing constituencies or whether Obama will yield to conservative religious dogma on reproductive-health issues." Meanwhile, Christian conservatives have been "making hay of the findings" of recent Pew and Gallup polls that found more U.S. residents identifying with "pro-life" positions and using the data to argue "that Obama"s position is out of touch with the majority of Americans," Posner writes. However, as bloggers at The Monkey Cage and FiveThirtyEight have pointed out, the polls are not representative of most U.S. residents" views on abortion rights, she writes. "Because of that deception on reproductive rights, it"s more important than ever for the president to lay the moral groundwork for his own position -- not just to recognize the moral qualms of abortion opponents," Posner says (Posner, "The FundamentaList," American Prospect, 5/20).~ "Meghan McCain Preaches What She Practices," Willa Paskin, Slate"s "XX Factor": Meghan McCain -- Sen. John McCain"s (R-Ariz.) daughter -- "acquitted herself quite admirably" on Monday"s episode of Comedy Central"s "The Colbert Report" by "defending her core position" that the Republican Party "needs to appeal to younger voters, and it can only do so by getting liberal on social issues," Paskin writes. On the show, McCain said, "I think it"s not realistic for this generation to be just plain abstinent, I think we need to have sex education with condoms and birth control. ... I would never practice anything I didn"t preach." Paskin also includes a video clip of McCain"s appearance (Paskin, "XX Factor," Slate, 5/19).~ "Skill the Messenger," Cristina Page, Birth Control Watch: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin"s (R) 18-year-old daughter Bristol -- who was
Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announced results of a study showing that coadministration of the ADHD medication VYVANSE® (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) CII with the proton pump inhibitor (PPI) Prilosec OTC® 40 mg (20 mg X 2), did not alter the median time it took for maximum plasma concentration of d-amphetamine to be reached in the subjects evaluated. In the same study, coadministration of Prilosec OTC with ADDERALL XR resulted in a nearly 45 percent reduction in the median time to reach maximum plasma concentrations of amphetamine, the active medication. Other pharmacokinetic parameters (maximum plasma concentration and area under curve) of active medication were not altered for either VYVANSE or ADDERALL XR when coadministered with Prilosec OTC. This study, which is the first to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of VYVANSE and ADDERALL XR taken alone and with Prilosec OTC 40 mg, was recently presented at the International Congress on Clinical Pharmacy, co-sponsored by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), in Orlando, FL.
The Indian Health Service on Wednesday announced it will release $500 million in federal economic stimulus funding to improve health care for American Indian and Alaska Native communities, Health Data Management reports. The funding includes $85 million for health information technology that aims to decrease errors and modernize administrative processes, enhance hardware and network infrastructure, integrate software and support telehealth services, according to Health Data Management. In addition, the stimulus funding will go toward building new hospitals, purchasing medical equipment, and health facility maintenance and improvement projects (Goedert, Health Data Management, 5/20). Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) noted that Alaska will receive $182.2 million in funding for 72 projects in more than 30 Alaska communities. Begich said, "This money to improve the delivery of health care across rural Alaska is greatly needed," adding, "These upgrades include emergency room renovations, ambulance bay extensions, better radiology services and a variety of other projects big and small that will help better serve Native communities throughout our state" (Tundra Drums, 5/21).
A total of 199 patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer underwent breast MRI. "We found additional, unsuspected cancers in the ipsilateral breast (the one that had already been diagnosed with cancer) in 16% of patients; we found cancers in the contralateral breast (the one that had not been diagnosed with cancer) in 4% of patients," said Petra J. Lewis, MD, lead author of the study. "These patients had already had bilateral mammography and these tumors had not been apparent on mammography," said Dr. Lewis.
Using a specially adapted tool called P[acman], a collaboration of researchers led by Baylor College of Medicine has established a library of clones that cover most of the genome of Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) and should speed the pace of genetic research.
Today sees the European launch of the first topical calcineurin inhibitor to be approved for the maintenance treatment of eczema to prevent flares and prolong flare-free intervals. PROTOPIC ointment (tacrolimus monohydrate) is already licensed to treat moderate and severe eczema (atopic dermatitis), often involving the treatment of flares as and when they occur.* It is now also approved for twice-weekly application to previously affected skin to prevent these exacerbations and prolong flare-free periods in PROTOPIC-responsive patients.ò€ Clinical studies have shown that this new approach brings significant benefits with over 40% of patients with moderate to severe eczema remaining flare-free for at least a year.1 Flares are known to place an enormous burden on patients. The International Study of Life with Atopic Eczema (ISOLATE) found that about 55% of these patients worried about the onset of their next exacerbation and that they spent on average over a third of the year (136 days) with their eczema in flare.2
At some point during their care, more than one-third of metastatic breast cancer patients receive chemotherapy off label, the legal use of FDA-approved drugs in a different indication than for which they were approved, according to researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Breast cancer patients who received chemotherapy prior to surgery had heightened levels of cancer-initiating stem cells in their bone marrow, and the level of such cells correlated to a tumor"s lymph node involvement, according to research from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Women who are at risk for heart disease and who are also experiencing menopause symptoms now have an added re - a highly specialized clinic in the Division of Cardiology at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute. The Advanced Preventive Women"s Clinic at the Women"s Heart Center recently opened and is offering comprehensive cardiac risk assessments designed specifically for women who are in menopause. The clinic also offers menopausal patients state-of-the-art screenings, as well as personalized medicine therapies and counseling, including high-risk hormone counseling.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has cut short its annual health ministers meeting because of influenza A (H1N1) preparations and has postponed discussions about Chagas disease. Much needed progress in diagnosing and treating people for this neglected disease must not be further delayed, warned the international medical humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Mç©decins Sans Frontiç¨res (MSF) today.
A new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet and the University of Oxford finds that the severe mental disorder schizophrenia only marginally increases the risk of committing violent crime. Rather, the overrepresentation of individuals with schizophrenia in violent crime is almost entirely attributable to concurrent substance abuse.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has released a new model for medical revalidation this week.
Responding to the figures contained in Statistics on Alcohol: England 2009, Professor Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians said:
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that the department will take important steps necessary to prepare for potential commercial-scale production of a candidate vaccine for the novel Influenza A ( H1N1). The Secretary is directing approximately $1 billion in existing funds that will be used for clinical studies that will take place over the summer and for commercial-scale production of two potential vaccine ingredients for the pre-pandemic influenza stockpile.
The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) is pleased to announce that Joseph P. Vande Griend, PharmD, BCPS, of Denver, Colorado, is the recipient of the 2009 APhA Clinical Research Paper Award. The award was presented during the APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Antonio, Texas, April 3-6, 2009.
The largest study of its kind to date shows that women may not be able to learn as well shortly before menopause compared to other stages in life. The research is published in the May 26, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
With support from a foundation that champions cutting-edge medical research, a biomedical engineer at UC Davis will start work this month on developing a new treatment for infants born with disorders that cause the sutures of their skulls to prematurely fuse together.
In a study of 130 overweight adolescents, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine found that frequent self-weighing is associated with positive behaviors and may prove to be a useful weight-control tool.
Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre demonstrate how bacteria measure temperature and thereby control infection.
With temperatures predicted to soar this bank holiday weekend and summer, the UK"s longest established meningitis charity - the Meningitis Trust - is urging people to be aware of the signs and symptoms of the disease, as cases are known to peak during hot summers.
Swinging the club on the open green, hitting the perfect shot and playing in the warm sun are just a few things golfers love about hitting the links. Golfing can be a treat for both the mind and body. However, an injury to the bones, muscles or joints can cast a big shadow over the day. That is why the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) recommends following the proper techniques to prevent golf-related injuries.
The relationship between the dental disease periodontitis and coronary heart disease (CHD) has been known for several years. Although a genetic link seemed likely, until now its existence was uncertain. Now, for the first time, scientists have discovered a genetic relationship between the two conditions, a researcher told the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics.
The World Health Organization (WHO) have refuted the suggestion made by Australian virologist Adrian Gibbs that the new A/H1N1 influenza
Researchers attending the annual meeting of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research (ISPOR), heard today that prescribing Aricept® (donepezil hydrochloride) as soon as patients are diagnosed with either mild or moderate Alzheimer"s disease saves the NHS money. The findings contradict the recommendation by NICE that these medicines are not cost effective in the early stages of the disease, a decision that has been the subject of much recent debate.
The UK Autism Foundation has backed the call for a substantial increase in the carer"s allowance.
The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) praises Representative Allyson Schwartz and nearly 100 cosponsors of The Preserving Patient Access to Primary Care Act for their leadership in health care reform. This legislation, which will increase the number of primary care providers and improve patient access to primary care services, is a critical step if we truly are to reform our health care delivery system. Our nation needs leaders like Representative Schwartz to affect real and lasting change in our health care system.
Viruses are molecular marauders, plundering cells for the res they
TeleHealth Services, the nation"s leading provider of healthcare grade televisions and on-demand patient and staff interactive education solutions, has announced the implementation of its TIGR on-demand video education and entertainment system into Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem, Utah.
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center, together with the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), announced that its landmark study comparing the safety and efficacy of drug-eluting stents and bare-metal stents was published in the May 7 New England Journal of Medicine. The study, HORIZONS-AMI (Harmonizing Outcomes with RevascularIZatiON and Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction), showed that in heart attack patients undergoing angioplasty, the use of paclitaxel-eluting stents reduces rates of target lesion revascularization (TLR) and binary angiographic restenosis when compared to the use of bare-metal stents after one year.
Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston University School of Public Health have found that no adjustment method fully resolves confounding by indication in observational studies, meaning when the validity of a study is threatened by unmeasured confounding, it is not straightforward to determine which method of adjustment, if any, is most effective in obtaining a valid and precise estimate of effect. The study appears online in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.
The potential of using stem cells to treat Alzheimer"s disease and other illnesses will be investigated by Victorian and Californian researchers under a US$22 million (US$28.7 million) collaboration, Innovation Minister Gavin Jennings said recently.
Today sees the European launch of the first topical calcineurin inhibitor to be approved for the maintenance treatment of eczema to prevent flares and prolong flare-free intervals. PROTOPIC ointment (tacrolimus monohydrate) is already licensed to treat moderate and severe eczema (atopic dermatitis), often involving the treatment of flares as and when they occur.* It is now also approved for twice-weekly application to previously affected skin to prevent these exacerbations and prolong flare-free periods in PROTOPIC-responsive patients.ò€ Clinical studies have shown that this new approach brings significant benefits with over 40% of patients with moderate to severe eczema remaining flare-free for at least a year.1 Flares are known to place an enormous burden on patients. The International Study of Life with Atopic Eczema (ISOLATE) found that about 55% of these patients worried about the onset of their next exacerbation and that they spent on average over a third of the year (136 days) with their eczema in flare.2
Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced results of a European survey that found a child"s Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms at school were a key concern for parents, yet outside of school their child"s ADHD also had significant impact on parents" personal time.1 The survey also revealed key findings surrounding parents" role in assessment and treatment for their child.1 Additionally, the survey suggested that informational needs may not be met adequately for these children with ADHD and their families.1 Conducted in partnership with ADHD advocacy groups in four EU countries, the survey analysed parental impressions surrounding the impact of ADHD on their child, themselves and their family, as well as their child"s ADHD treatment plan.
The number of teenagers contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections has increased over the past several years, Singapore"s Education Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Thursday, the Straits Times reports. In 2008, 787 STIs were recorded among teenagers, a more than threefold increase from the 238 cases in 2002. In addition, nine new HIV cases were reported among teenagers in 2007, compared with one in 2002. According to Ng, the figures highlight the need for sex education programs. The programs also are needed because of increases in sexual activity and unintended pregnancies among teens, the Times reports. According to a 2006 Health Promotion Board and education ministry survey of 4,000 students between ages 14 and 19, about 8% reported being sexually active. In addition, less than one-quarter of sexually active teenagers reported using contraception to protect against STIs and unintended pregnancies. Changes in attitudes toward sex -- as well as the increased exposure teens have to information about sex -- only increase the need for schools to provide students with objective and reliable information about sex, according to Ng. He added that sex education programs in schools have changed since the programs were introduced in 2000. He said, "When we started, the key message was abstinence, reflecting the conservative social tone of our Asian society, where liberal values on sex are not espoused," adding, "This is not a negative facet of our society. It is not prudish, regressive or naç¯ve." Ng said that two years ago, the focus of sex education programs changed from abstinence to include information about how to prevent unintended pregnancies and STIs. He said, "In 2007, messages were added -- beyond knowing how to say no -- students were also taught the repercussions of unwanted pregnancies and STIs and HIV and how to prevent them. This is now a key focus of sexuality education, and should continue to be moving forward" (Tan, Straits Times, 5/22).
A new analysis by AARP"s Public Policy
Anaphylaxis Canada is responding to the growing public health challenge of keeping teens and young adults with potentially life-threatening food allergies safe by creating a number of interactive tools including a groundbreaking new website, http://www.whyriskit.ca, an online "Reaction Registry" and radio podcasts. These tools are part of a comprehensive new strategy to help allergic youth manage risky situations by reaching out to them in forums in which they are comfortable.
Faculty physicians at academic medical centers may be less likely to experience burnout if they spend at least one day per week on the aspect of their work that is most meaningful to them, according to a report in the May 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Mountain climbers and adventurers who aspire to ascent Mount Everest have more information on immune function and the onset of acute mountain sickness (AMS), thanks to research presented today at the 56th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Seattle. A team of medical students climbed to Everest Base Camp in order to find physical factors that would reveal information about illness severity in association with immune and hormonal responses to high-altitude exposure.
The new project is an interdisciplinary research project covering the neurobiological and socio-psychological causes of obesity. It has been awarded EUR 6 million from the EU, corresponding to just over SEK 60 million. The project will gather scientists from seven countries, and will be co-ordinated from the Sahlgrenska Academy.
Fact or fiction? Chewing gum stays in your stomach for seven years. Cold weather makes you sick. You should never wake a sleepwalker. A dog"s mouth is cleaner than a human"s.
GARDASIL® [Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16 and 18) Vaccine, Recombinant], Merck"s cervical cancer vaccine, has been awarded World Health Organization (WHO) pre-qualification. GARDASIL is the first cervical cancer vaccine to receive WHO pre-qualification.
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have found that an approved drug for treating rheumatoid arthritis reduces severe illness and death in mice exposed to the Influenza A virus. Their findings suggest that tempering the response of the body"s immune system to influenza infection may alleviate some of the more severe symptoms and even reduce mortality from this virus.
Ontario has invested millions of dollars into the healthcare system in response to a serious doctor shortage. But despite improvements in primary care, a study out of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) has found Ontario"s chronically sick and poor are the least likely to benefit from the investments.
A group of fertility experts, who pioneered the development of Preimplantation Genetic Screening (PGS), are sharing the step-by-step best practices and explaining what errors can be made along the way.
The Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute (BRNI) and Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. (Inverness, NYSE: IMA) of Waltham, Massachusetts, a global leader in rapid diagnostics and health management, announced today that they will work together to further develop and commercialize a diagnostic test for Alzheimer"s disease first discovered by scientists at BRNI.
Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) announced it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its TAXUS(R) Liberte(R) Atom(TM) Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System, a highly deliverable, next-generation drug-eluting stent (DES) specifically designed for treating small coronary vessels. It was approved for use in vessels as small as 2.25 mm in diameter and joins the TAXUS(R) Express(R) Atom(TM) Stent as the only drug-eluting stents approved for small vessel use in the U.S. The Company plans to begin a full U.S. launch of TAXUS Liberte Atom next month.
Health professionals on Tuesday held vigils in several cities worldwide to protest the imprisonment of Iranian brothers Kamiar and Arash Alaei -- physicians and leading HIV/AIDS advocates in the country -- following the release of Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, the Albany Times Union reports. Vigils were held in cities such as New York City and Washington, D.C., as a day of global protest against the brothers" imprisonment. Vigils also were held in cities across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, according to the Times Union.Jonathan Hutson -- a spokesperson for Physicians for Human Rights, which is leading a campaign for the brothers" release -- said, "The release of Ms. Saberi has shifted the world"s attention to the plight of others who are likewise jailed in Iran on trumped-up charges." He added, "This is not an issue of politics, but of global health. The only battle they were engaged in is the public health battle to prevent and treat the deadly epidemic of AIDS. They need to be allowed to return to their lifesaving work" (Grondahl, Albany Times Union, 5/13). Related Editorials
- 0 confirmed cases in Wales.
Two newspapers recently published opinion pieces on abortion-related public opinion polls. Summaries appear below.~ Steven Kull, Baltimore Sun: Although "many Americans feel morally conflicted about" abortion, it is a "common error to believe that the American electorate is deeply divided about how the government should deal with" the procedure, Kull -- director of WorldPublicOpinion.org and the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland -- writes in a Sun opinion piece. He adds that "there is substantial consensus that the government should not criminalize abortion." According to Kull, a new CNN poll found that 68% of respondents believe Roe v. Wade should not be overturned, and a recent WorldPublicOpinion.org poll found that when asked, "Do you think the government should be involved in trying to discourage abortion or do you think the government should leave these matters to the individual," 69% said that the matter should be left to the individual. Kull adds that "of the 29% who said that the government should be involved in trying to discourage abortions, a remarkably low 8% favored using criminal enforcement methods." According to Kull, other polls have found if "given a middle option -- somewhere between strict prohibition and government permission -- a significant number will choose it." Kull writes that "once the moral question is differentiated from the question of how the government should act, it does appear that there is substantial consensus that abortion should not be criminalized." He concludes, "Once the option of criminal enforcement is taken off the table, constructive options are more likely to emerge and can be an effective focus for the energies freed up from the incessant debates about abortion" (Kull, Baltimore Sun, 5/22).~ Cheryl Wetzstein, Washington Times: "It"s rather ironic that as the most pro-choice government in U.S. history settles into its seats," a Gallup poll "finds that most Americans are pro-life," columnist Wetzstein writes in a Times opinion piece. She adds, "Some observers have tried to pooh-pooh this result, but it doesn"t surprise me for two reasons." Wetzstein writes that her "experience with youth, both personally and professionally, is that they often recoil at abortion," adding, "So I find a pro-life trend in youth to be quite plausible." She continues, "Second, I think some aging baby boomers are changing their views," adding, "People generally become more conservative and self-reflective with age. Legacies matter. Hindsight is 20/20. Regrets appear." Wetzstein concludes, "My suspicion is that in more than a few cases, baby boomers who were willing to have abortions are not at ease with the idea of losing their grandchildren," adding, "It may be that in the autumn of life, being "pro-life" has a whole new meaning" (Wetzstein, Washington Times, 5/26).
Black women are nearly three times as likely as white women to have a vitamin D deficiency, which is linked with an increased risk of the vaginal infection bacterial vaginosis, according to a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Nutrition, the New York Times reports. Black women likely have lower levels of vitamin D because the higher amount of pigment in their skin prevents the body from absorbing the vitamin.For the study, researchers led by Lisa Bodnar, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh, examined 209 white pregnant women and 260 black pregnant women at a Pittsburgh clinic. More than half of the women had low levels of vitamin D, the study found. Women whose vitamin D levels were 50 nanomoles or less had a 26% increased risk of BV, while women whose vitamin levels were less than 20 nanomoles had a 65% increased risk of the infection. About 52% of black women had the infection, compared with 27% of white women, the study found (Bakalar, New York Times, 5/26). The study found that 93% of women with BV had low vitamin D levels and that BV prevalence decreased as vitamin levels increased.In addition, although black women were more likely to have BV, white women who had low levels of vitamin D were as likely to have the infection as black women. Poor diets and obesity also contributed to a vitamin deficiency. Bodnar noted that black women are less likely than white women to meet dietary recommendations for vitamin D. Bodnar recommended that women discuss their level of vitamin D with their physicians and that pregnant women take a prenatal vitamin, which typically includes vitamin D.According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Bodnar"s research team has received NIH funding to conduct a study of whether vitamin D deficiency in women increases the risk of poor birth outcomes and whether high infant mortality among blacks can be attributed to factors such as obesity (Templeton, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 5/23).
The Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition has announced the 2009 American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Foundation Research Scholars. The grants have been awarded to five outstanding young gastroenterologists who promise to make significant strides in the field of gastrointestinal research.
Triage technology comes with a Star Trek twist, at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security"s Science & Technology Directorate (DHS S&T).
In the second call for proposals, projects focus on either the development of new technologies or on the interface between biomedical research and genomics. The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) approved six RTD-projects today. They will engage a total of 47 research groups from both Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (ETH Zurich und EPF Lausanne), as well as from the Universities of Basel, Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich. The Friedrich-Miescher Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation is also represented as the only privately financed institution. Eight groups belong simultaneously to one of the above-mentioned universities and to the Swiss Institute for Bioinformatics.
New guidelines designed to standardize and optimize the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of patients with Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC), an uncommon and challenging form of thyroid cancer, have been developed by the American Thyroid Association and published online ahead of print in Thyroid, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The guidelines are available free online at http://www.liebertpub.com/thy.
A procedure that uses heat generated by radio waves to treat Barrett"s esophagus, a condition caused by acid reflux (severe heartburn), can eliminate signs of the potentially cancer-causing disorder and reduce the risk that the disease will progress.
Use of prescription drugs in the U.S. declined in 2008 -- the first such decrease in a decade -- but total spending on such treatments increased by 3.3%, according to a report released on Wednesday by Medco Health Solutions, the AP/Washington Post reports. The report attributed the decline in sales to fewer new drugs being introduced in 2008, popular medications becoming available as non-prescriptions and concerns about certain drugs" safety. Total spending increased largely because of increased use of "specialty" medications for chronic and complicated illnesses, which often are more costly and sometimes require special considerations for storage or delivery to patients, according to the AP/Post. Profits on specialty drugs in 2008 increased by about 16%. The average costs for other brand-name drugs increased by more than 8% in 2008, the largest increase in five years. According to the report, spending on prescription drugs would have been higher but less costly generic medications accounted for 64% of all prescriptions in 2008.The report predicted that prescription drug use in the U.S. will increase by no more than 1% in 2009 and 2010. However, price increases are expected to contribute to an increase in total spending of 3% to 5% in 2009 and 4% to 6% in 2010 (Seaman, AP/Washington Post, 5/13).
Could a holiday in the sun reduce the risk of developing multiple sclerosis? In a recent review for F1000 Medicine Reports, Bridget Bagert and Dennis Bourdette highlight recent advances in potential treatments.
Immunology researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered how two biochemical signals play unique roles in promoting the development of a group of immune cells employed as tactical assassins.